I finally got around to removing the Hillary sign out of my bedroom window. That I waited so long to do so wasn't out of hostility toward Obama but rather sheer laziness. Anyway, I've been paying more attention to the Republican National Convention than I did to the Democratic National Convention. Maybe it's because the RNC is in my home state of Minnesota, but there's just more excitement and drama on the Republican side.
All right, where do I start? Let's begin with the surprise VP nomination- Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska. How many people have ever heard of her? Seriously, how many people even know where Alaska is? Only a few days before McCain announced his VP pick, my dad and I had a conversation about potential candidates. I mentioned that I thought a woman would be a strategic choice, and I had Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison in mind. Anyway, I was completely shocked that McCain did actually pick a woman (and one with minimal experience). Who says Republicans are against affirmative action?
A thought about political experience. We hear all this talk that the VP is "a heartbeat away from the presidency." I mean, I know McCain is old, but would his VP seriously be a "heartbeat away from the presidency"? The media make it sound like McCain is going keel over and die any moment. Does this piss him off? Is he secretly seething and screaming inside "I'm not dead yet, you morons!" And, isn't it interesting that it's not okay to be blatantly racist or sexist, but apparently ageist is okay? Just something to think about. A final thought about political experience: I've never been VP and I'm not familiar with the office, but I would suspect that there's a pretty steep learning curve and Palin would be okay if she had to assume the presidency.
Other thoughts: I like how McCain is trying to attract Hillary supporters with the Palin pick. As if any woman will do, and as if I'll just exchange my Hillary sign for a Sarah sign. Sure, like I won't notice that the woman on the ticket is a gun toting, NRA card carrying lifetime member, and posterchild for the anti-abortion crowd who thinks creationism should be taught in schools and that climate change is a sham. Nice try, John McCain.
And finally, how could I forget that Governor Palin's daughter is pregnant? I mean, the New York Times reminds me every time I open up my internet browser. The media sure is having fun with this one. Between the drama on the Republican side and Gustav, they've had a busy week. Seriously, teenage pregnancy probably sucks as it is, and I can't imagine enduring it with all the attention, criticism, and Democrats laughing about the irony of the Republican monopoly on so-called "family values." Plus, some have gone so far as to question Governor Palin's plan to seek the vice presidency and campaign despite her daughter's pregnancy. Dubbed the Campaign Edition of the Mommy Wars, some suggest that Palin may not make a good VP, considering she has her hands full with 5 kids and a grandkid on the way. Really? Would we be questioning Palin if she were a man? I don't think so. Ugh.
If there are any lessons to be learned from this whole ordeal, it's this: comprehensive sex education. Can we please talk about sex now? Really. This abstinence only "education" and sweeping sex ed under the rug just isn't working. Fine, teach kids to wait until marriage, but they're not going to listen. Not even the kids who learn that premarital sex is wrong, not even the kids who are raised in socially conservative families, and not even the kids who take virginity pledges. And when these kids decide to have sex anyway, they're ill prepared and aren't going to take the necessary precautions for safe sex. Think that talking about condoms is going to put ideas into their head and encourage them to have sex? Think again: sex is everywhere; all kids have to do is turn on the TV, open a magazine, or surf the internet to find provocative photos of Miley Cyrus, spoiled teenagers having sex (hello, Gossip Girl!), and guys desperately trying to get laid (Superbad). Sure, touting comprehensive sex ed might be easy for me considering I don't have kids. Yet, doesn't it make sense to prepare kids for something they're going to do anyway? I mean, even the governor's teenage daughter has sex. Let's stop being in denial.
All right, where do I start? Let's begin with the surprise VP nomination- Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska. How many people have ever heard of her? Seriously, how many people even know where Alaska is? Only a few days before McCain announced his VP pick, my dad and I had a conversation about potential candidates. I mentioned that I thought a woman would be a strategic choice, and I had Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison in mind. Anyway, I was completely shocked that McCain did actually pick a woman (and one with minimal experience). Who says Republicans are against affirmative action?
A thought about political experience. We hear all this talk that the VP is "a heartbeat away from the presidency." I mean, I know McCain is old, but would his VP seriously be a "heartbeat away from the presidency"? The media make it sound like McCain is going keel over and die any moment. Does this piss him off? Is he secretly seething and screaming inside "I'm not dead yet, you morons!" And, isn't it interesting that it's not okay to be blatantly racist or sexist, but apparently ageist is okay? Just something to think about. A final thought about political experience: I've never been VP and I'm not familiar with the office, but I would suspect that there's a pretty steep learning curve and Palin would be okay if she had to assume the presidency.
Other thoughts: I like how McCain is trying to attract Hillary supporters with the Palin pick. As if any woman will do, and as if I'll just exchange my Hillary sign for a Sarah sign. Sure, like I won't notice that the woman on the ticket is a gun toting, NRA card carrying lifetime member, and posterchild for the anti-abortion crowd who thinks creationism should be taught in schools and that climate change is a sham. Nice try, John McCain.
And finally, how could I forget that Governor Palin's daughter is pregnant? I mean, the New York Times reminds me every time I open up my internet browser. The media sure is having fun with this one. Between the drama on the Republican side and Gustav, they've had a busy week. Seriously, teenage pregnancy probably sucks as it is, and I can't imagine enduring it with all the attention, criticism, and Democrats laughing about the irony of the Republican monopoly on so-called "family values." Plus, some have gone so far as to question Governor Palin's plan to seek the vice presidency and campaign despite her daughter's pregnancy. Dubbed the Campaign Edition of the Mommy Wars, some suggest that Palin may not make a good VP, considering she has her hands full with 5 kids and a grandkid on the way. Really? Would we be questioning Palin if she were a man? I don't think so. Ugh.
If there are any lessons to be learned from this whole ordeal, it's this: comprehensive sex education. Can we please talk about sex now? Really. This abstinence only "education" and sweeping sex ed under the rug just isn't working. Fine, teach kids to wait until marriage, but they're not going to listen. Not even the kids who learn that premarital sex is wrong, not even the kids who are raised in socially conservative families, and not even the kids who take virginity pledges. And when these kids decide to have sex anyway, they're ill prepared and aren't going to take the necessary precautions for safe sex. Think that talking about condoms is going to put ideas into their head and encourage them to have sex? Think again: sex is everywhere; all kids have to do is turn on the TV, open a magazine, or surf the internet to find provocative photos of Miley Cyrus, spoiled teenagers having sex (hello, Gossip Girl!), and guys desperately trying to get laid (Superbad). Sure, touting comprehensive sex ed might be easy for me considering I don't have kids. Yet, doesn't it make sense to prepare kids for something they're going to do anyway? I mean, even the governor's teenage daughter has sex. Let's stop being in denial.
1 comment:
What I'm wondering is, where in the nation does "abstinence-only" sex ed actually exist? I'm just not sure I believe it, because I certainly remember learning about the various methods of birth control and the jungle of STDs when I was in high school. There was no underlying message telling us what to do either way. All my friends, no matter where they lived, got pretty much the same thing. Did everything change after we all graduated or something? I'm really curious about this.
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