Santa Endorses Obama!

So yeah, it's a goofy "tradition" in our family that whenever we see Santa around town or on road trips we try to take a picture to recall our Santa Sighting. Someday I have to start a website for that. LOL.

Saw this one tonight on TV, and was pleased to know that in his downtime he's campaigning for Obama!

All Them Bitches is Just Sexist!!

Wow. Seems like no one can open their mouths about Sarah Palin, unless it's a glowing review, without being called sexist.

McCain's camp is now claiming the Saturday Night Live skit in which Tina Fey played Sarah Palin, was sexist. Mind you, Palin herself has already publicly said she thought it was funny. Did anyone remind John McCain that SNL isn't news or political punditry? Was he crying sexism over Baba Wawa way back when, or was he laughing along with the rest of us? My guess is he was laughing.

What happens the first time a world leader from a less-than-friendly country starts attacking or criticizing Palin? Is the secret service going to rush to her side and call them sexist? Ya know, McCain's camp needs to let her grow a pair if they expect her to stand up there with the big boys. Hmmm, sound familiar? That's because it's essentially what the republicans said, in response to accusations of sexism towards Hillary during the primaries. How soon they forget.

Did you hear the one today about Biden? Out on the stump he recently said, "I assume she thinks and agrees with the same policies that George Bush and John McCain think," Biden added. "And that's obviously a backward step for women." The women on The View today were discussing it and agreeing it may have had a sexist tone.

What is WRONG with people? If I disagree with Palin's policies, policies that I truly believe are a step backwards for women, it isn't sexist for me to say so just because she's a woman! If she weren't on the ticket, if it were just McCain's policies I were criticizing I would say the same thing... and I HAVE, before she even entered the picture. Overturning Roe vs. Wade and subsequently invading the privacy of women, by scouring through their medical records to enforce a pro-life law that takes away their choice, is SURELY a step backwards for women... at least for those of us that are pro-choice. It doesn't make me a sexist for thinking or saying it, it just makes me disagreeable to the platform in which republicans stand.

What's ironic about the republicans cry of sexism at every turn (whether true or not) is that most of us realize how politically calculated the choice of Palin as VP was, and that in-and-of-itself contained at least a little bit of sexism. How's that you ask? Imagine a bunch of old white guys sitting around a table deciding who McCain's running mate should be. Names fly around, mostly ultra-conservatives to pander to the extreme right, "the base". Sarah Palin's name comes up and there's all kinds of discussion about how they can tap into some of the Hillary vote, for the sole reason that she is a woman. Assuming it's even just a tiny bit true, it's an insult to women everywhere, an underestimating of our intelligence, and certainly a bit sexist to think we'll go right down to the voting booth and pull the lever for Palin solely because she shares our anatomy.

And another thing to consider... all these cries of sexism by McCain's camp to the media and critics, isn't the mere defense of her, the assumption she can't stick up for herself, sexist itself?

The closest thing  I've heard to what some considered truly sexist criticism may have been in response to her kids -- her troubled teen and special-needs infant -- and I honestly believe that to be more a criticism of her parenting. At least for me and probably several hundred family therapists, it equally applies to a male counterpart in the identical situation. Ask yourself what the republicans would be saying if Obama had a pregnant teenage daughter and a five-month old with downs syndrome. Lets not even get into the fact that she stands for abstinence-only education while her pregnant 17-year-old stood on stage with her as an example of how that may not be the best policy for the rest of us.

Let me spell it out... If I say she can't do the job because she's a woman, that's sexist. If I make statements that she slept her way to the top or that she'll get votes because she's hot (even though I've heard republicans say it), that's sexist. If I say she belongs at home pushing out more babies and ironing her husband's shirts, not in the whitehouse, that's sexist. I've yet to hear any political criticism in the main-stream media that includes ANY of these statements, or anything even in the same league.

If I say she's a religious fanatic, NOT SEXIST.

If I criticize her policies, NOT SEXIST.

If I share my belief that her policies have a negative impact on women, NOT SEXIST.

If I believe she lacks experience, NOT SEXIST.

If I question her intelligence on what comes out of her mouth, NOT SEXIST.

If I criticize her inability to tell the truth, NOT SEXIST.

I can even call her a bitch and it's NOT SEXIST. Why? Because if she had a penis I'd likely call her a dick, prick or bastard.

And, I'm entitled to just not like her without you calling me sexist! My dislike of her can (and does) come from a lot more places than what's hidden under her bra and panties.

With comedians, all bets are off. Just like David Letterman makes Bush look like the king of the idiots quite often, he's going to do it with Sarah Palin too. Get used to it.

By the way, should republicans choose to continue to believe that every bit of criticism about Palin is sexist they ought be careful. By their rules, every bit of criticism about Obama must, in fact, be racist.

When Talking Heads Stop Talking Smart

How often do you find yourself ready to throw something at the television when you're watching all the political pundits argue after a given stump speech or the latest in revelations about a candidate? I find these days, for me, it's quite often. It's not because they lack an opinion, or even that their opinion doesn't support my own, it's from sheer anger over watching these "experts" argue without citing actual facts to support their claims. How can I know more than them when it's not even my job to know?

A few mind-boggling examples:

"Even Obama now says the surge was a success" -- sometimes expanded to include that he said it was "more successful than we ever imagined".

Ya know, I was screaming at my T.V. this morning over this one. Not ONE of the political opinionators could complete the quote. They either deny Obama said it (and in fact, he did say it in his interview with Bill O'Reilly), or they try to not-so-cleverly change the focus of the conversation.

Here's the RIGHT response you dip-shits... yes, Obama DID say that, but that isn't the complete quote. He said it was a success at reducing the violence in Iraq, but that the Iraqi government has still failed to take responsibility for it's own country while we continue to spend $12 billion  per month there. His overall point for disapproving of the surge to begin with was that it failed to address this exact issue... that it's time for the U.S. to start asking the Iraqis to be responsible for their own progress, and to set up a system of accountability so as to see they actually do it. Has the surge been a success? Yes, in reducing violence only, but not in all the other ways needed so that U.S. troops don't remain their indefinitely.

Another glaring example is the quote from Sarah Palin, "I told Congress thanks, but no thanks on that Bridge to Nowhere." Now sure, the news has reported that she was actually for the Bridge before she was against it, but the Democratic pundits seems to stop there... they don't connect the dots like they should.

Hey, idiots, how about she was FOR IT when she was running for office -- ie., telling the local people what they wanted to hear so she would get elected -- and then she was against it ONLY after she got into office and when Congress had already pulled the plug. Mind you, she kept the money, earmarks, for other infrastructure projects anyway, including the Road to Nowhere to support the non-existent Bridge.

Did you know that she dropped the line when giving speeches in recent days in Alaska? Apparently the Alaskans don't like her lying too much about her record when she's back on home soil, and with the recent Charlie Gibson interview, I guess she was pretty sure she couldn't get away with it... however, her good 'ole shtick has now returned that she's back out on the stump, this time in Nevada.

How do I know all this? Because I pay attention and look stuff up between my two jobs and family life. Why is it the experts that get paid to be on television, the ones that are supposed to question this stuff, can't seem to spend a little more time getting their shit straight?

I'm particularly angry over the fact that very few talking heads seem to be questioning our ability to criticize Sarah Palin without being considered sexist, while also failing to comment on the "vote Sarah hottest VP" on RNC buttons. I didn't hear any outcry tonight while listening to XM-Radio either, when one guy said "middle-class white men like her, in part, because she's hot." I think republicans need a lesson on what is sexist and what isn't, and SOMEONE needs to take them to task on it.

But lets forget Sarah Palin for now.

How about the whole fact that John McCain is the "candidate of change". Where are all the democrats on television screaming how ironic it is that McCain didn't start running his campaign on "change" until he realized that his own message wasn't working. Where are all the factual statements from liberal pundits being offered up as proof of how Bush-Like McCain is? Need an example?

I think we need to start paying John Cusack to be a pundit!

You Don't Have to Be a Pitbull to Sway People

In the last week I have had two conversations about politics will women I knew. I started off by asking them if they've been following it, and if they don't mind sharing who they think they'll vote for.

In both cases, the answer was "McCain."

Without freaking out (though my inner, flaming-liberal was screaming), I asked "why"...

Both answers were different, but both contained information that was just flat-out inaccurate or incomplete.

So nicely, I went on to say I'm 100% for Obama and here's why... on the ISSUES... I started with statements like "did you know..." and cited my sources (independent sources, major news outlets, things they'd recognize) and how McCain/Palin frightens me, especially as a woman, and specifics on why... again ISSUES (not how I think she's satan)... keeping it all as low-key as possible.

And in both cases I walked away from the conversation knowing I had impacted them. Each woman told me "you've got me thinking about Obama now".

I planted a seed in their minds... I informed them on the actual ISSUES - not on personality or who I like better. This is what really matters. People out there are hearing only the sound-bites and ads. They are living their lives, not paying attention the way you and I do, and if some of then, if some of them at least knew what McCain and Palin actually stood for, they'd run for the Obama-Ballot Box... but they have to know first.

Some cannot be converted. Some are as far right as I am far left.... and I'm bent so far left I can press my ear to the floor with my feet still planted on the ground (okay, not really). Don't waste your time on those. However, there are a lot of folks out there who can be convinced, who you can reach if you're not afraid to talk about it.

and when the conversation is over...
if it goes well you can go home and celebrate and believe maybe, just maybe, you got another Obama vote.

If it goes badly, go home and take your blood pressure meds.

More Money in Your Pocket Under Obama

The Tax Policy Center is the place that did the analysis...

Abstract

Both John McCain and Barack Obama have proposed tax plans that would substantially increase the national debt over the next ten years, according to a newly updated analysis by the non-partisan Tax Policy Center. Compared to current law, TPC estimates the Obama plan would cut taxes by $2.9 trillion from 2009-2018. McCain would reduce taxes by nearly $4.2 trillion. Obama would give larger tax cuts to low- and moderate-income households and pay some of the cost by raising taxes on high-income taxpayers. In contrast, McCain would cut taxes across the board and give the biggest cuts to the highest-income households.

Link: http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?ID=411750

Summary:

-Under Obama's Plan- By 2012, middle-income taxpayers would see their after-tax income rise by about 5 percent, or nearly $2,200 annually. Those in the top 1 percent would face a $19,000 average tax increase -- a 1.5 percent reduction in after-tax income.

McCain would lift after-tax incomes an average of about 3 percent, or $1,400 annually, for middle-income taxpayers by 2012. But, in sharp contrast to Obama, he would cut taxes for those in the top 1% by more than $125,000, raising their after-tax income an average 9.5 percent. 

Questions for the Anti-Choice Crowd

So you want to outlaw abortion?

What happens to the poor, lower class or lower-middle class young woman who ends up pregnant with no money, no insurance and no resources? Do you know how many more of those there will be if you outlaw abortion?

Who is going to take care of all these new babys? How will you deal with the increase in child neglect and abuse (women can be more likely to neglect and abuse their children in unplanned pregnancies). 

Who is going to PAY for all these births (an abortion costs about $300, a birth, without complications, costs about $8000). Who will pay for prenatal care for the woman? 

Who will pay for the orphanages we'll now need; not everyone can afford private adoption, not does everyone have access to adoption agencies and organizations. Who will pay for and manage all the new adoption centers that we will need to open?

Who will house these young women when they are kicked out of their homes? What will happen to all the young women who can't finish college? What about all the women who won't be able to afford daycare? Who will pay for free or affordable daycare?

Who will pay for the medical care of botched illegal abortions? How many young women will die because they feel they have no other choice - because they can't afford to care for a baby or the birth of the baby, or who don't have enough support around them to care for it?

What do you propose to women who aren't prepared to take care of a seriously disabled child? What do you propose to the women who find themselves pregnant with a fetus which has fatal abnormalities? What do you suggest to women with health issues -- not only the ones where pregnancy or birth could cause death, but could cause other medical issues? What do you propose to the woman who was raped or suffered through incest, and what type of home will the baby be born into in the latter (incest victim RARELY tell while being victimized... they offer suffer in silence until much later in life, if ever).

How will you prevent doctors from providing the service secretly, but in less safe environments because there are no policies governing safety? How will you police it? Who will pay for that policing? How much personal privacy will you have to violate to enforce it? This gets right down to the issue of Roe vs. Wade:

"According to the Roe decision, most laws against abortion in the United States violated a constitutional right to privacy under the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The decision overturned all state and federal laws outlawing or restricting abortion that were inconsistent with its holdings."

This is NOT a cut and dry issue, and we ALL want to reduce the number of abortions... but we don't need to create a society with unsafe, illegal abortions, more and more children that can't be adequately cared for, with more mothers who need to rely on "the system", with increased substandard prenatal care and with the government invading our medical privacy to enforce such a law. We CAN reduce the number of abortions through better education and health insurance FOR ALL... not through outlawing abortions all together.

John McCain is Change? Oh Reallllly....

On Taxes:

McCain: "There are significant differences between the two candidaes on tax policy. McCain would like to make the Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 permanent, and has proposed a few more of his own."
... what would George do? They are called The Bush Tax cuts aren't they?

Obama: "Obama, by contrast, favors allowing the tax cuts to expire as scheduled for Americans earning more than $250,000 a year. He would raise taxes on capital gains and dividends, but has also promised tax breaks for low and middle-income Americans."

Source: Washington Post.

On Social Security:

McCain: "McCain has expressed support for individual investment accounts as a way to augment Social Security benefits."
... what would George do? He often talks about private retirement accounts.

Obama: "Obama has said he opposes individual accounts and doesn't favor increasing the retirement age or cutting benefits. But he has called for increasing the amount of payroll tax that very high-income workers pay by subjecting more of their income to the payroll tax."

Source: CNN

On Healthcare:

McCain's plan would not require anyone to have insurance, but he would change the tax incentives for getting it. No insurance will be required, but individuals would be able to get a tax credit. But here's the catch, now, individuals would be taxed on the subsidy they receive from their employers' plans (they aren't taxed on it now). SO, individual income tax is increased, and then offset by a credit.
... what would George do? QUOTE: "...put more power in the hands of individuals, by making private health insurance more affordable and accessible... The best way to make private insurance more affordable, however, is to reform the tax code."

Obama would make coverage mandatory for children, and he would create a National Health Insurance Exchange of public and private plans for the uninsured, for those who aren't eligible for other public programs and for small businesses. Obama would keep the tax-free subsidy for those covered at work. But he would also create a federal subsidy - based on income - for people who don't qualify for government plans such as Medicaid.

Sources: CNN, Whitehouse.gov, AllBusiness.com

On Global Leadership:

McCain: "With his selection of Sarah Palin has his running mate, McCain cancels out much of the good he has said and done vis a vis global leadership. In Palin, here's a person who is focused narrowly on the provincial interests of conservative, right-wing Americans (or maybe just Alaskans), who advocates exploiting natural resources and burning fuel rather than conserving and coming up with energy alternatives, and who considers the defense of human rights to be unpatriotic. Imagine how the leaders of the rest of the world would deal with her as president. The United States would be a laughingstock among nations."
...sadly, we know what George has done to our position in the World.

Obama: "It's clear from Obama's reception in Europe and the Middle East earlier this year that world leaders would embrace him as a colleague." "Obama was the first major candidate to call for a swift diversion of U.S. troops to Afghanistan, and now both Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, have echoed those views... on Pakistan, Obama has long called for greater humanitarian aid to help that country wean itself from extremism. Now, in a bipartisan effort, Sens. Richard Lugar and Joseph Biden have sponsored a bill that would authorize $7.5 billion over five years in aid for building schools, roads, clinics and other development projects."

Sources: Business Week, Newsweek

On Energy:

McCain: Taking action now to break our dependency on foreign oil by reforming our transportation sector, Expanding domestic oil and natural gas exploration and production, Addressing speculative pricing of oil, and Drill Baby Drill.
...what George is doing: Drilling Baby Drilling.

Obama: Reduce carbon emissions 80-percent by 2050, Reduce carbon emissions 80-percent by 2050, Restore U.S. leadership on climate change, Set America on path to oil independence, Invest in a clean energy future, Support next generation Bio-fuels

Source: Fox Detroit, RNC Speech

On Education:

McCain: Make it easier for private companies and agencies to open charter schools that increase competition for district schools. Find a way around union contracts that stand in the way of making teaching more competitive. Keep existing federal education budget, but redistribute the money to more effective teachers, schools and programs.
...what would George do? Set the Budget McCain will keep, oh, and No child left behind (except you, and you and oh, that little one in the back)

Obama: Add $18 billion a year to education, to come from what is now being spent on the Iraq war, delaying some NASA programs and other inefficiencies in government spending. Lengthen the school day, expand aid to early childhood learning and intervene early to provide struggling students with special course work and counseling. Work with teachers' unions to make teaching a more competitive.

Source: Arizona Central


Remember, McCain has voted with Bush more than 90% of the time and has been in Washington a LONG time. 

How does he represent change???

xBox Error Code 80169d94 - FRUSTRATION!

I realize this one isn't exactly political, but I need to vent about how horrendous technical support has become... thanks to good old outsourcing. Ya know, this is why so many of us get so angry about it, at least in part. If companies are going to give jobs away to people overseas, they should minimally make sure the quality of the support is somewhat good.

I cannot express how fed up I am with the subpar support "technicians" that xbox hires to man their phones. I also can't believe the issue I'm having is so complicated that it can't be resolved relatively quickly.

I haven't been able to buy points on the XBox 360 Console or through their website for a week. I get the dreaded 80169d94 error code, which supposedly (according to Google searches and confirmed in my call documented below) means something in your billing information doesn't match your xbox account information EXACTLY... (for example, don't abbreviate "Street" with "st." if you live on Anyroad Street). I also can't buy points via a computer online through my profile. I get an error that just says "Cannot complete action at this time... check microsoft.com/support". All this because the information doesn't match perfectly?

Mind you, I've lived at the same address for 10 years and ALWAYS use the same billing and mailing address. I've also been using this gold xbox account for about a year without incident. I happen to think it has more to do with the fact that one of my cards became useless because I had to cancel it (though mind you, I didn't try to buy anything with it on xbox... I put a new credit card in before trying to buy points).  Their system also won't let you delete credit cards without calling their billing department - Why? I have no idea... nearly every online store these days allows you to add and delete credit cards to your account. Amazon has been doing it for YEARS.

None-the-less, I am PISSED OFF that this can't be resolved more quickly than "a week", which is what I was told by a "tech-support supervisor". If you want to read my ridiculously long notes on the whole thing, read below (I don't blame you if you don't - it only proves how truly inefficient their tech-support is.

Let me just add that when I had my original problem with the credit card in question recently, and had to cancel it, I was able to get a banking rep on the phone within 5 minutes (and I was returning their call because they wanted to alert me to potential fraud activity). I had a new card in my hands within 24 hours and it was all linked up with my online banking and working fine within that time.... I don't understand why Microsoft's systems are so badly designed that a gamertag can't be unlocked within at least a few hours... not a friggin' week! 

Don't even get me started on the whole "recover your gamertag" thing either...

I will report back if the issue IS actually resolved in a weeks time... though I'm pissed off enough right now I may just sell the stupid thing and get another PS3. At this point, I am not at all confident it will be resolved AT ALL.

I have NEVER had such problems with a piece of gadgetry (I am a major computer geek with LOTS of geeky equipment) -- and I'll tell ya, MS support is about as useless as Linksys support... which I gave up on years ago... I won't even buy their routers any more. If you've ever had to call them, you know what I'm talking about (and you have my sympathy).

Below: An Exercise is Microsoft Support Frustration -- Read at your own risk (your blood pressure may rise).

August 29, 2008

Go through automation process to get to support human.
Tier - 1 Support - Didn't get his name.
Explain issue - give tech error code.
He puts me on hold - 6 minutes.
Support tech comes back and tells me they are having problems with system, try again in few days.
Gives me reference #XXXXXXXX35

Total Call Time: 12 minutes

September 5, 2008

Go through automation process to get to support human.
Tier 1 Support - Amber
I tell her my problem and that I talked with support last week... she doesn't want reference number because she say the notes on previous call were not there - only notes were from a call two months ago (about recovering a gamertag).
Looks at the account and I give her the error code I'm getting.
Puts me on hold for about three minutes.
She comes back and tells me my account status is locked, probably because billing information and account information don't match.
I tell her I went online and made sure my credit card billing and account info match - because I research the error code on google before calling - Also tell her that two cards are outdated and need to be removed, but I can't do that myself online.
She says she will transfer me to billing agent - and to give reference #XXXXXXXX15
I ask if the billing agent can fix the issue - she says yes.
While on hold - Thought I was disconnected (music, then phone ringing, then music stopped)... I kept holding (figuring I'd hear a dial tone soon enough if I got disconnected).
Wasn't disconnected afterall (about 5 minutes of silence)...
Billing Agent - Marcia
I tell her I was transferred from support - She verifies my information.
I repeat the problem and error code and give her the reference number, tell her I need the account unlocked and two credit cards (outdated) removed.
She tells me she is making the new card the primary (the one my gold subscription is linked to).
She asks me to try buying points again.
Try to purchase again - doesn't work.
Asks me to log out and log back in.
For good measure I close the browser too.
While trying I notice one old credit card is missing from my payment choices, two still remain, one old one (XXX9) and the new one (XXX7)
Trying again doesn't work - Marcia asks me to hold.
She comes back and asks me to go online and make account adjustments, to make sure everything matches -- I tell her I did that already.
I tell her that I see she removed one old card already but not the other old card...
She tells me she didn't remove any card, but billing.microsoft.com shows card XXX0 as "removed" -- she says she made new card (XXX7) the primary -- can't confirm, but it looks like the other old card is now the primary.
Transferring me to a supervisor (and told I'll be holding for 15 minutes).
On hold / Silence for 11 minutes -- then music kicks in, on hold with music another 7 minutes.
Supervisor - Veronica
She very quickly spits out what the problem is - account is locked because billing and account info don't match, though she understands it's now been resolved by me online at billing.microsoft.com.
She goes on to say that she will escalate the issue to the billing department so they can unlock the account.
She tells me I can't purchase points as long as my account is locked (duh).
She tells me she will give me a confirmation number and they will call me when it's solved.
She keeps harping on the billing info matching/not matching while I'm trying to tell her the old credit card need to be removed also.
We go around in circles like this for several minutes.
She asks if there is another XBox live name with the old credit card... I tell her yes... we go around in circles on that for several minutes.
She FINALLY seems to understand more clearly and puts me on hold - two old credit cards will be removed and the account will be unlocked.
I ask her if she'd like to know which credit cards need to be removed and which one needs to stay (since she has failed to ask or confirm up to this point). She says yes. I tell her which one needs to stay (XXX7) and the other two need to be deleted. She confirms buts gets it wrong. We go over it again. She confirms that XXX7 is the only card to remain on the account.
She says she is going to take care of this and asks me to hold.
On hold with music for 11 minutes.
She gives me confirmation numbers...
Tells me only billing can remove credit cards and unlock an account.
Tells me not to use the cards being removed to buy points (uh....)
She tells me it is going to take one week.
I tell her how unhappy I am... that I haven't been able to buy points for a week already.
She apologizes and says they will escalate it as fast as possible and it will take a week.
I push a bit on my unhappiness, but she just says it's going to take a week and she's sorry.
We end the call with her telling me again they'll call me when it's resolved.

Total call time: 73 minutes

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

From the Party that brought us The Blue Dress and "he did WHAT with a Cigar?"

The republicans are a little mad that "everyone" is ganging up on poor Sarah Palin. Isn't it ironic from the party who spent how much money ($20 million dollars) going over every tawdry detail of the extramarital affair that President Bill Clinton dove cigar-first into. 

What's interesting in the case of Sarah Palin's personal life is that many of the details coming out are actually relevant to the public being able to make a decision on whether they will vote the ticket she belongs to. These topics actually relate back to her own political platform.

Baby-Gate: Her 17 year-old is pregnant. "Leave her alone" they cry, she's just a kid.

I agree. Bristol, the daughter, is just a kid. But the policy of abstinence-only education that her mother, the politician, stands behind seems quite flawed if she can't enforce it in her own home, don't you think? I'm not real confident she can make decisions about the education of my children and your children if she has a tough time making those decisions for her own effectively.

Baby-Gate II: Her 17 year-old is pregnant. She's keeping the baby. Isn't that wonderful (pro-life pandering).

Yes, of course it's wonderful that we have one less abortion in the world, but how unfortunate we have one more teen pregnancy. Conservatives are all about family values... well there are some liberals, like myself, who believe in them too... difference is, in MY family my goal is not to have my teenage daughter end up pregnant, and if she does, to then marry her off to her self-proclaimed redneck boyfriend before she's even old enough to vote.

I also don't think you get a medal for keeping the baby when you come from a well-off,  privileged family that is adamantly pro-life. Though to the last point, we are told Bristol "chose" herself to keep the baby. I think Sarah missed the operative word in her own statement... her daughter had a choice. Something she wishes to take away from the rest of us.

We could probably easily draw the conclusion that Bristol had no choice at all, in her family, because of her Mother's politics. And sure, if choice is taken away, as Sarah Palin and her pro-life comrades would like to do, isn't it easy to make that decision for the rest of us who aren't quite so privileged. How does she expect to support a country full of uneducated teenagers who were taught abstinence-only, who then end up pregnant, unwed, penniless and without support.

It's a valid issue.

Gender-Gate: If I comment on the fact that she has too much on her plate, that doesn't make me sexist. Sometimes common-sense just tells us that a parent with a special-needs five-month-old and a pregnant teenager might just have her hands full already. Sure, she can work, but does that mean I have to sit back and believe no one suffers if she chooses to be 2nd in command only to the President? The hypocrisy of it all is that if she were counseling another parent on the matter, as a conservative, she might say "you might want to cut back your hours at work and spend more time with your family" and that would be a reasonable suggestion to any family, mom and dad, struggling with such issues. I don't think there's any job more taxing than that of a high-powered political position, in which you can't just cut down your hours to cater to your family... is she capable as a parent to juggle it all? And if she can't, which wouldn't at all be a bad reflection on her, who suffers first? Her family or us, the American People she serves?

Notice, I said PARENT, not MOTHER. I'd be asking the identical questions if she had a penis.

Gender-Gate II: I'm not sexist because I say she isn't ready to be VP. If I am, then under those rules I guess all republicans are racist for saying Obama isn't ready to be President.

Kitchen-Sink-Gate: There are lots of other issues that have cropped up with Sarah Palin, including Trooper-Gate (she allegedly fired the Public Safety Commissions for failing to entertain her family feud by firing her brother-in-law, who was in the middle of a vicious divorce from her sister),  AIP-Gate (her and her husband's affiliation to the Alaskan Independence Party and the party's desire to secede from the United States), and even now, her very own Monika-Gate (also seemingly tied to her family feud as the accusations of her philandering  seems to come from her own estranged extended family).

Interesting that we end where we started, isn't it?

Republicans, all I can say is suck it up. These are legitimate issues.  

The best quote I read on the topic says it all:

"What's galling is this: When the subject is a pregnancy to an unwed, minority teenage mother growing up in some (presumably Democratic) urban area, that pregnancy becomes fodder for lectures from conservatives about bad parenting, the perils of welfare spending and so on. But when the subject is a pregnancy to an unwed, white teenager from some small town in a Republican State, that pregnancy is... a celebration of the wonders of God's magnificence -- and choosing life!"  -Thomas Schaller from Salon.com

Well-said Thomas. Well-said.

Not Just ANY Vagina -- Sarah Palin, Teen Pregnancy and Politics

I realized tonight as I was venting to my husband that I have a lot to say on this topic. I really need to get myself a blog... LOL

Seriously, though...

FIRST - The Politics: we ALL know that if the situation was reversed, if Barack Obama had a teenage daughter that turned out to be pregnant, the republicans would be screaming from the hilltops. I'm not saying that I expect Barack to get out on the stump calling Sarah's parenting into question, but I expect SOMEONE, one of the talking-heads, to do exactly that. If it was revealed that Chelsea was pregnant, or the fictional teenage daughter of Barack, or any prominent figure on the democratic side, the GOP attack dogs would be in full swing.

SECOND - The Parenting: As a working mother myself with a teenage daughter, I think it's despicable for Sarah Palin to thrust her daughter's life into the limelight by accepting this nomination. No matter how you hope that people don't judge and criticize, reality is that once you're in the public eye like a prominent politician or celebrity there is no escaping it. If she wants everyone to respect her daughter's privacy than she herself should have led by example and done that FIRST by not deciding to run for the second-most powerful position in the country.

Sarah Palin HAD A CHOICE to put her family first and put her political career on hold so she could be a better parent to her teenage daughter, who obviously needs all the love and guidance possible right now. Choosing to take the VP nomination and not only be away from home for extended periods of time, but wrapped up in very important government work, the work of the people who elect her, is flat-out irresponsible. And YES, I'd say the same thing if we were talking about a man; a father.

Speaking of being a parent, she has a new baby at home... one with special needs. I'm appalled that she would choose to 1) Go back to work 3 days after giving birth (as has been said) and 2) make the choice to go out on the campaign trail and saddle her husband and children with the lone task of caring for the baby. Even more appalling to think she might drag this baby out on the trail with her. And yes, again, I'd say that if she were a new Dad instead of a new Mom.

THIRD - This is a woman who believes in abstinence-only education. This is a woman who is pro-life without exception
If you are going to stand up and promote abstinence-only education for ALL OF OUR CHILDREN, then you better, first and foremost, be able to prove it works! How can you make such an argument when closest to home, in your own family with your own daughter, it has failed?
If you are going to stand up against abortion and promote laws that are pro-life without exception, you better be prepared to provide all the government services your administration seems so opposed to. More welfare, health-insurance for all, and the government making decision about our personal lives and medical care. I am SOOOO angry when I hear a well-off woman with more advantages than the average American, try to take a stand against the CHOICE for an abortion when it's a much easier choice for she-herself to choose otherwise. I am SOOOOO angry when I hear a well-off mother with more advantages than the average American, try to take a stand against the CHOICE for an abortion when her daughter has a much easier choice to make because of the money and support around her. There are a hell-of-a-lot of woman around this country who find themselves pregnant with NO support, NO resources, NO insurance and NO money and face a much harder choice.

Oh, and you want me to give her a medal because she CHOSE to have a baby with Downes-Syndrome (Also known as Trisomy 21)? I'm glad she was able to make that choice... I'm glad she has the love in her heart for a baby with special needs. I'm glad she had the resources around her to care for that baby, and the insurance funds or personal finances to provide the care it will need. Not everyone has those things.

There are also those, LIKE MYSELF, who are faced with much more tragic possibilities. When I was in my second trimester for a brief time the doctors thought it might be possible that my daughter would be born with Trisomy 13 or 15. MUCH more tragic. 80% of children born with Trisomy 13 will die within a few days of birth, or be born dead, and those that survive often have multiple abnormalities. Complete Trisomy 15 is a lethal abnormality. Have you thought about what it might be like to be told your baby will be lethally deformed at birth, or dead? And consider this... what would that be like if you didn't have family support, insurance, resources or money? Luckily, for me, I had good insurance for further testing that revealed all would be okay.

What's the best way to reduce the number of abortions? Good Education and Birth Control. Something that obviously, her own daughter, lacked. 

MOST women who have abortions don't take it lightly, and this is NOT an easy issue. We should ALL want to reduce the number of abortions, but going down the path or no birth-control, abstinence-only education combined with making abortions illegal is FAR scarier for the impact it will have on our society, our women AND our children! I'm certainly NOT striving for a life where my daughter ends up pregnant before graduating highschool, are you?

FOURTH - Experience: While I haven't hashed out all my ideas on this one yet, I know that I trust a Senator of a State with a population of 12 million vs. a Governor of a State with a population of twelve guys, one woman and two Moose - correct that, one; she shot the other one. Okay, seriously, Alaska only has a population of 700 thousand. That's a whole lot less than 12 million. It also seems to be that in her time of power she's managed to get herself investigated, get pregnant and not keep close enough tabs on her teenage daughter. I'm not sure that's the experience we need.

It's also a REAL possibility, a legitimate concern, that John McCain could become unable to lead. Let's face it, he's old... and I'm not just saying that to be funny. There are certain plans I make because my inlaws are now in their 70's and certain things I know they are and are not capable of. Do we want a president who is at the age we question whether he can adequately conquer email and driving? I digress... ultimately, it's quite possible Sarah would have to take the reigns at some point... does SHE have the experience necessary to lead this country? It's ironic that the republicans wanted to say Barack didn't have enough when they've gone out and found someone with even LESS.

LAST but not least - Not just ANY Vagina: I am so offended that the republicans seem to think I might just change my mind and vote for their team because they've drafted their own vagina into the ranks. I didn't approve of Hillary just because we shared some anatomy or because I though she had fashion sense. Hillary is a smart woman, a senator (for a largely populated state), and stands for things I can get behind. She epitomizes a strong woman with the capability to lead this country. Sarah? Well see above. Lest we forget she's an anti-birth control, pro-life, big-gun toting, wolf- and moose-killing vagina.