This Campaign Couldn't be Any More "Dramatical"

Hey Everyone,

So this whole campaign is heating up and getting interesting, and quickly. Today's gaff or factoid is this whole "Whose Baby is It?" scandal involving newly appointed Vice Presidential Nominee, Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska. As you know, there was a lot of backlash and political commentary in  her appointment by Senator John McCain as his running mate. The political pundits claimed her didn't know her well enough, that he had only spoken to her twice, that she was more or less picked for him, that his choice was Senator Joe Lieberman, as revealed on Sunday's edition of Meet The Press. 

The first part of current controversy is the drama I like to call "Who's the Baby's Mama?" In this drama, there are three players, Governor Palin herself, her oldest daughter Bristol, and the baby, young Trig, who is currently 4 months old and suffers from Down's Syndrome. The baby, the youngest of five in the Palin clan, is supposed to be Governor Palin's youngest. However, when many Alaskian news sources reported the pregnancy announcement in which Governor Palin said she was seven months along, also commented that the governor "simply doesn't look pregnant". However, her daughter was removed from school, 6 months ago,  due to having "mono".  This would have been at the same time as the announcement and she had taken pictures for Vogue magazine two months before. Do the math. Also, the actual birth events are unclear, because according to news reports, or rather what was revealed to the press, Governor Palin's water broke in Texas, and immediately after that she got onto a flight and flew to Alaska to have the baby. That's an eight-hour flight. 

Now I don't know about you, because I've never had the experience of giving birth, but could you hold off on contractions for 8 hours? Much less, who in their right mind would let someone that close to labor aboard an aircraft, much less board one, whether it be a private plane or commercial flight? Not only could it cause an immediate health risk to the baby and the mother, but also because there could be complications in-air that flight staff could not and would not be trained to handle! I'm no doctor or veteran of childbirth, but that just makes no sense and I'm not buying it. However, journalists also admit that because Bristol was out of school and afflicted with 'mono', she was not in the public eye. So, some say that she could have easily given birth and her mother take the credibility for the baby. Personally, I don't know. I just am writing what I've heard.

The second part of the "Who's the Baby Mama?" controversy now lies with the fact that Bristol, Palin's 17 year old daughter who has been out of school 6 months, is now pregnant. Some say again, some say pregnant for the first time. Depends on who you ask. The conservatives are probably happy to know that this young girl will keep this baby, and has intentions to marry the father, BUT, I'm sure that many are thinking that being pregnant just shows that there are some severe parental skills lacking. Unplanned pregnancies happen, and some great people came from unplanned pregnancies. Senator Barack Obama and myself, are just two examples.

The bigger issue with the fact that this young girl is pregnant is not that she's going to have a baby, but that she is essentially having unprotected sex. Now, we know her mother (and probably her father too) do not believe in abortion in any shape or form. Not in the case of incest, rape, when the baby is a harm to the mother, when the pregnancy is ectopic and therefore a potential danger to the mother, or even when doctors recommend an abortion (in cases of severe damage to the quality of life, loss of limbs or body parts or genetic defects). We know this, because she's said it. However, does that mean that she's against practicing safe sex in the terms of obtaining STDs? Because let's face it, teens who live in small towns with not much to do, tend to have more sex than those who live in larger cities. Why? Because statistics show they are bored...and in these small towns have practically nothing to do except hang out and walk around. They can't buy alcohol, they can't go anywhere too far away (because the state is so spread out, most mail carriers have to fly to deliver mail to all their sites) and there's not enough decent amusement. Factor in the fact that Alaska is dark most of the time and cold and whammo, you have a sex-edemic on your hands. Studies also show that lots of sex means lots of STDs. Unprotected sex just makes that probability even worse. In order for some STDs to incubate in a body, you just need the right germ in the right place...no carrier required. Trust, I studied it this summer. I know. 

As a result, some pundits are asking why Palin is continuing in the race with all this family drama going on and want her to consider not accepting the nomination at the Republican National Convention. Others wonder why, since she knew about all this before she was asked, did she even accept McCain's offer? If it were me, I'd never have dreamt about taking the position whether it was a losing one or a winning one, because it puts two innocent people under tremendous scrutiny, the young teen Bristol and the even younger baby Trig.

Thoughts?

*Ashley Robin*