And before people begin hocking disdain on bloggers, we should all step back and recognize the power of blogging to keep our press free and honest. Once in our history we had a brigade of "minute men" who watched the shores for invasion from the British as our past and paternal government began wrenching freedoms away from them one by one. Now in a reminiscent way, a new group of people, whether they realize it or not, take this stead in the arena of freedom of speech.
To realize that photos and documents were being scrubbed from public domains as quickly as bloggers were uncovering them makes me take pause to wonder about how free our Internet will remain. It is not just for the fun of it that bloggers must remain vigilant to report the news and their views daily on this very public venue.
This is how the radically right will spin this situation, but as you read this statement from the dean of the Liberty University Law School founded by the late Jerry Falwell, keep in mind that anyone taking public office puts their entire family in the spotlight. Also keep in mind that such people have been egregiously intolerant of anyone with whom they disagree. It was Jerry Falwell who said the next day after 9-11 that the attack was the fault of the ACLU, the Gay community, and a laundry list of anyone with whom he disagreed and Pat Robertson sat on the interview, nodding his head in agreement.
Mathew Staver, dean of Liberty University School of Law, told Liz Sidoti of the AP: "We're all sinners. We all make mistakes. Certainly, the ideal is not to get pregnant out of wedlock. But she made the right decision after her mistake. It's absolutely shameful to put her child in the spotlight. She's not running for office. When someone can't face issues, they try to tear down a family."Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family issued a beautiful statement of support and forgiveness punctuated by this statement:
"The media are already trying to spin this as evidence Gov. Palin is a 'hypocrite,' but all it really means is that she and her family are human. They are in my prayers and those of millions of Americans."Everything that I have seen from the media thus far has been respectful of Bristol and the Palin family. I believe the American public is very sympathetic to this young woman. It is the lack of judgment of the parents and the McCain campaign in thrusting Bristol into the public limelight without properly supporting her situation that is the tragedy. It shows shame from the family and lack of trust of the American people to have the ability to understand this very human situation.
Barack Obama has responded in this way:
"I have said before and I will repeat again: People's families are off limits," Obama said. "And people's children are especially off-limits. This shouldn't be part of our politics. It has no relevance to Gov. Palin's performance as a governor or her potential performance as a vice president. So I would strongly urge people to back off these kinds of stories. You know my mother had me when she was 18, and how a family deals with issues and teenage children, that shouldn’t be a topic of our politics."It would not be proper for either campaign to use such a situation for profit. However it is fair ground for the blogging community to address this issue and it is the duty of the press to report on it. Yes, this is a family issue and was a private family issue before the family entered into the public arena with Sarah Palin. The fact that her daughter is pregnant is not the vital issue here. I will point out one more time, the real issue is the manner in which the Palin family and the McCain campaign chose to handle the news about Bristol's pregnancy.
On charges that his campaign has stoked the story via liberal blogs:
"I am offended by that statement. There is no evidence at all that any of this involved us," he said. "Our people were not involved in any way in this, and they will not be. And if I thought there was somebody in my campaign who was involved in something like that, they would be fired."
If Bristol's pregnancy would have been acknowledged with loving support as part of the families introduction to the public when Sarah Palin joined the McCain campaign this would have been a strong point for the family and the campaign. It has become a disgrace because the campaign chose to shroud Bristol in a dark dress and blanket and have her hold baby Trig during Sarah first speech to the public hoping to camouflage her condition. She was treated as if her condition is shameful. This is not a loving and supportive way to treat your daughter.
To now try to turn the tables and cast shame on the blogging community and the press for reporting on this situation is shifting responsibility from those that should have been in charge of the story: the Palin family and the McCain campaign.
I confirm that I am a private citizen and in no way officially connected to the Barack Obama campaign other than personally being in support of the Obama candidacy.
Media Reports:
In Wasilla, Pregnancy was no secret - Time
Palin's Teen Daughter is Pregnant - CNN
GOP VP Candidate's Daughter is Pregnant - MSNBC
Palin Daughter, 17, is Pregnant - USA Today
McCain's Campaign Demands Respect for Palin's Pregnant Daughter - US News
Palin Pregnancy Rocks Political World - ABC News
Palin's Daughter Pregnant - CBS news
Bristol Palin's pregnancy was an open secret back home - NY Daily News
Levi Johnston: Most Famous High-School Hockey Player of All Time - Chicago Sun Times
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Buzz it up
