Ed Koch and Me

I never thought I'd agree with Ed Koch on anything. I used to run into him all the time when we lived a block apart in the Village. I kept my distance. But now we actually have something in common: "She scares the hell out of me," Koch stated in reference to Sarah Palin. Me, too -- and probably for the same reasons.

Jamie Lynn Spears vs. Bristol Palin

Ms. Palin’s prism of God, Alaska and Country, in that order, obscures an irony. When 17-year-old Jamie Lynn Spears, Britney’s sister, shows up pregnant, it becomes one more example of permissiveness gone amok. But array those same circumstances over 17-year-old Bristol Palin, and it is received at the convention as one more example of steadfast prolife values.
When it comes to the culture wars, it all depends on where the baby bump lands.

David Carr, New York Times, September 7

I Just Don't Get It!

I just don't get it. I don't understand how conservative Republicans can so casually dismiss Sarah Palin's daughter's pregnancy. Something's wrong with the picture. The young couple should have been educated on how to avoid unwanted pregnancy -- even if their parents wanted to believe that their children would not engage in premarital sex. (So much for "abstinence only." ) And why weren't these teens practicing safe sex -- with STD's so prevelant among young people? And certainly getting married under these circumstances is absurd. What message are we sending young people? It makes a mockery of everything we educators have been teaching our students for years.

Abstinence Only?

"We have been blessed with five wonderful children who we love with all our heart and mean everything to us. Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned. We're proud of Bristol's decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents. As Bristol faces the responsibilities of adulthood, she knows she has our unconditional love and support...Bristol and the young man she will marry are going to realize very quickly the difficulties of raising a child, which is why they will have the love and support of our entire family. We ask the media to respect our daughter and Levi's privacy as has always been the tradition of children of candidates."

Sarah Palin