OK, for the record, EK and I had a lively (but not hostile at all) debate / discussion yesterday on the whole Bristol Pallin thing. I think we both are more than a little curious on what she will say today because we both came to the (almost) same conclusion:
You’ve got 5 kids, 3 under the age of 18, one with downs syndrome, and one who is pregnant. And you want to be the Vice President why??
I love my job, but there is no way I would ever commit to starting a business, or being a CEO or something like that at this point in my life. Why? Because my kids will turn out crappy and I’ll probably get a divorce because I’ll work all the friggen’ time. I get the whole “Life is Messy” kinda thing. But dude - at least Bill clinton had A kid, and GWB had teenagers. Clearly there have been people with little kids in the white house - look at JFK. But she’s a MOM, not the dad.
It just seems odd to want to do that. I get that her oldest kid is probably in his 20’s. But she’s got a baby and a pregnant kid - where were the vetters?
Also - I have been struggling with my decision on who to vote for. CLEARLY, since I work for someone of the evil empire regeime of total world destruction forever and ever via carbon (SARCASM IMPLICITLY AND BOLDLY IMPLIED) my total selfish side says vote McCain - because we HAVE to drill for local oil.
Even if I weren’t going to get bonuses from work from it - it MUST be done and it’s not as bad as people think it is. Most damage that people think of is from oil spills - from BOATS. Driven by People. Into STUFF that doesn’t move. An offshore and onshore drilling rig is one of the finest and most sophisticated pieces of non-government technology in the world. And roughnecks are really really really hard to find and train. So you don’t have equipment that will blow them up. And you don’t spend 2-20 million dollars (yes, million dollars, $M-USD) PER UNIT on a drilling rig to make it a POS.
But - here is my other stance. I’m struggling with the choice by McCain only on that “Who asks someone to do that?” kinda way. I’m SURE she volunteered and wasn’t recruited. I think she’d make an OK VP AND I think her domestic policies would kick the crap out of Joe Biden’s. I’m SURE of that. It just bums me out that it’s just so… messy.
Back to the stupid stuff and the title of the post - I was trying to get into my AOL mail (someone emailed me something that they couldn’t IM me and got a bounce from uglyorangetruck for some reason) and I saw a link to some stupid celebrity gossip site. There was a poll “With Lindsey Lohan weighing into the Bristol Pallin issue”. It was actually well written and thoughful (except for two paragraphs which were kinda lame - you can probably figure out which two) - Via Defamer:
I’ve been watching the news all morning, like everyone else - and i keep hearing about the issues related to ‘teen pregnancy’- It’s all related to Sarah Palin and her 17 year old unmarried pregnant daughter. Well, I think the real problem comes from the fact that we are taking the focus off of getting to know Sarah Palin and her political views, and what she can do to make our country a less destructive place. Its distracting from the real issues, the real everyday problems that this country experiences.
I am concerned with the fact that Sarah Palin brought the attention to her daughter’s pregnancy, rather than all world issues and what she believes she could possibly do to change them-if elected. I get Sarah Palin’s views against abortion, but i would much prefer to hear more about what she can do for our country rather than how her daughter is going to have a child no matter what.
Maybe focus on delivering some words and policy with stronger impact like Joe Biden.
…On another note-the last note- i heard a woman say on TODAY on NBC that teens are feeling as if they have to grow up faster. Really? Because, i think that girls that are CHOOSING to be sexually active and are making a conscious decision to grow up faster….. I think that parents need to recognize how important it is to talk to their children about the things that can result from being sexually active if they aren’t protecting themselves (birth control, condoms, etc.)
OK Lindsay - I agree with you basically on all points except for two:
#1 - Joe Biden didn’t say anything that I found all that usefull except for self and Obama aggrandizing statements. I have followed politics “conceivably” as long as you and I’ve actually paid attention most of the time. Biden is a Socialist, and so is Obama. Socialism doesn’t work long term - it either falls apart or turns into hard core capi-communism (E.G.1 - Russia, E.G.2 - China).
#2 - Teenagers are asshats. They CHOOSE to do drugs, drink, and take horrendously sketchy risks. Who cares what they choose - as adults we should STRIVE to set up some semblance of safety nets for our kids. And that doesnt mean saying “hey - use a condom idiot”. It means saying “I want to know where you’re going and what you’re doing. Call me when you get there. I don’t care that no one else’s parents make them do it - you’ll thank me when you’ll older”. I NEVER had a parental figure do that and it was NOT GOOD. Kid’s don’t CHOOSE well because they don’t SELF REGULATE well. Yes, I had friends with parents who did that, and yes, some of them rebelled. But when it was done in a “Hey kid, I care about you and you’re just a kid” way, it worked - but it didn’t when it was done in a “You’re a moron and I have to control your life” way.