[robmik43]

In 28 AD, a woman was to be stoned to death for adultery.
She was buried to her neck in the town square.
Jesus spoke :
"Let who is without sin cast the first stone !"

Right away, a woman came rushing from the crowd, with a
big rock, and she crushed the hapless adulterers' head in.

Jesus said :
"Dammit Mom, don't be such a smartass !"

[llama66]

^^awesome.^^

[canuckns]

lostalex lostalex:

Yes, but Barack Obama's mother was legally an adult, and therefore responsible for her own decisions. Sarah Palin's daughter is underage, a victim of statutory rape. If Palin can't protect her own daughter from rape, how can she protect a nation of 300 million people?

Also Barack Obama is not a proponent of Abstinence only education, Palin is.

You really need to check your facts before posting. The legal age of consent in Alaska is 16, therefore it was not statuory rape. She was not underage.

Alaska Sexual Offenses

Age of consent

[back_blastnet]

What a fun lighthearted subject. Gotta give McCain credit, I'm not sure there's another running mate around he could have chosen that could have taken the media and spotlight off Obama's campaign nearly as effectively as Palin has.

So many comments could be made, I'm gonna try not to get into the feces-slinging though and deal with the father to be, Obama's mom and sex education.

I'm gonna comment on the decision to have the father-to-be appear with the family. Of course they would rather keep it all on the backburner as a family, but its a little late for that. She's running for V.P. and pandora's box is already wide open.
This decision is very strategic and necessary for the campaign. The Republicans have to show this 18yr old as taking responsibility and being a 'man'. They also have to show that despite Bristol not being married there is a 'family'. You'll notice that in the very first release about Palin's daughter the fact that the couple 'plans' to marry was front and centre. The indiscretion of fornication can be 'overlooked' provided the rest of the right wing moral scriptures are followed. Which is what we will see transpire between now and November with the "father's" appearance and whatever follows.

The comparison and dropping Obama's mother being an unwed teen is just a little unfair and like comparing apples and oranges. Different times alone make it hard to compare. For example When Obama was born, abstinence and the Rhythm method were the only birth control control around. Society's attitudes were different everything was different. furthermore it is generally accepted that we are supposed to learn from previous generations. ie: Obama did not become an unwed teenage father, he got and education and "made something of himself" whereas the situation with Bristol would to most, seem like a regression. I'm NOT judging, just stating the perception that many will have of the situation.

What this situation has created is an opportunity for more discussion on Teen sex, pregnancy, sex education, reproductive rights etc... Its unlikely that those with entrenched dogmatic views will change their minds (on both sides) but for that mushy middle there's a lot to think about.

One thing I am certain about, with the media exposure on this issue a lot of parents with teens and pre-teens are gonna wake up and realize "if it can happen to them it could happen to us" and are gonna sit down to have a talk with their kids. That is a good thing.

In the mid-90's I went to a French Catholic high school in Toronto. As much as I despised religion class we had an awesome religion teacher. She was in her 50's and had been part of the women's lib. movement but had retained her religious zeal. She made for an interesting paradox. She advocated that women could do anything, yet couldn't bring herself to vote for a female Prime Minister (more to do with the country not being ready then feeling a woman couldn't do the job).
She got in a lot of trouble for doing this, but one day she had a friend of her's who was a Public Health nurse come into our grade 9 religion class and show everyone how to correctly use condoms. She explained it to us by saying:

I'm never going to tell you to have sex. It should be reserved for husband and wife. But the reality of this world is that most of you are not going to wait until marriage, there are many STD's out there. I don't want any of you to get hurt and you should all have the chance to grow up before having kids. So if you do decide to have sex, take every precaution and make sure you both love and respect each other and yourselves.

This was an enlightened attitude that hearing it as a 14yr old helped to prepare me for life. I'm the kind of person that hopes for the best but prepares for the worst. That was just one of the moments that led to the formation of my own attitude.

In my opinion teaching abstinence only is short sighted and creates a self fulfilling prophecy loop. "If you have sex, bad things will happen" (flashback to 1950's US anti drug propaganda). Bad things will happen if you don't give teens the tools they need to prevent themselves from being hurt.

I believe abstinence has a very important place to play in discussions about sex with teens. It is the invariable "first line of defense". But that is not where the discussion should end. Parents and schools need to teach teens about the reality of this world, the one we're living in.

They have to be taught about the challenges facing teen parents, they have to be fortified with the knowledge of those that came before them.

We as a society also needs to do a better job cultivating teens issues with: self image, self worth and self esteem. Teaching kids to value themselves, their brains and their bodies will do more then all the abstinence training in the world.

a little maturity goes a long way.

and so ends another small novel.

[QBC]

OMG, what a BS issue....who gives a rats ass about weather or not his mother was unwed?

[mtbr]

QBC QBC:

OMG, what a BS issue....who gives a rats ass about weather or not his mother was unwed?

true and who gives a rats ass if Palins daughter is pregnant and unwed?

this BS issue is in response to the other BS issue.

[hwacker]

mtbr mtbr:

QBC QBC:

OMG, what a BS issue....who gives a rats ass about weather or not his mother was unwed?

true and who gives a rats ass if Palins daughter is pregnant and unwed?

this BS issue is in response to the other BS issue.

Yep exactly

current-events-f59/palin-says-her-17-year-old-daughter-is-pregnant-t67306.html

the liberals here think it's a big deal

[QBC]

Exactly..mud slinging BS that is what the American election campaigns are always about, not actual issues of any kind. Both sides are guilty of it too. I don't give a rats ass if her daughter's knocked up or his mother wasn't married. WTF does this have to do with either of them being capable of running a country? Nothing at all. I hate the US election season, nothing but Hollywood image bullshit. Lets not elect a leader based on merit, let's elect them based on image alone, how stupid is that? That country deserves the leader they get if that's why they elect someone, image over merit.

[CommanderSock]

$1:

Exactly..mud slinging BS that is what the American election campaigns are always about, not actual issues of any kind. Both sides are guilty of it too. I don't give a rats ass if her daughter's knocked up or his mother wasn't married. WTF does this have to do with either of them being capable of running a country? Nothing at all. I hate the US election season, nothing but Hollywood image bullshit. Lets not elect a leader based on merit, let's elect them based on image alone, how stupid is that? That country deserves the leader they get if that's why they elect someone, image over merit.

This is why America is going down the drain. The election topics usually boil down to some kind of moral perspectives about reproduction.

Economy shmonomy....