http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H-btXPfhGs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQq4b5IQhq8&feature=related

These people scare me as much as the terrorists do.

Yeah, me too!

I made it through about a minute and a half of the second clip. That's more than a minute of my life that I'll never get back.

There is something about her voice that reminds me of Lily Tomlin as Ernestine the operator.

Watching these clips makes me feel bad for Bristol Palin, Sarah's pregnant teenager.
It highlights the situation she must have been in that led to her pregnancy. Imagine being from a well-known, small-town religious family and contemplating walking into the Wasilla Pharmacy to buy condoms. Or even the health department. In the town where I grew up, the public health nurse was my classmate's mom. Do you think anyone wanted to go see her for birth control? Even if she could have gotten birth control in Juneau, she was still the governor's daughter, and when you're raised in a really religious environment, buying birth control is even more of a disgrace than the actual sex.

Sparklewave, I could not agree with you more. I DO like how she stood up to her mom and her handlers who tried to rush and force a quick marriage to save political face. Good. Marrying the kid won't be any kind of resolution in anybody's eyes. Not even God. It would only bring a lifetime of guilt and lovelessness when your " husband " bails.

And he will.

Bristol Palin is caught between her personal conviction ( strong ) and having others force their control over her ( weak ). 1 year outside of the age of consent and she's already figured that out. Good for her.

But the force is strong, Bristol. You're 17. In 5 years, you'll come clean about this era when your mom loses her re-election bid for Governorship. When everyone abandons you and you are made to feel like a leper ( because, in the end, that's what Republicans ACTUALLY do to people in your circumstance outside of an election year ) Republicans and Lynne Spears and Fox will pretend they have a right to chastise you. But I will remember this moment and show you some grace.

Vote Obama. You'll be 10 times as proud of yourself as I already am.

Signed, Chickenjuggler.

Wow, Chickenjuggler. That is just perfect.

. . . except she may not be 18 soon enough to vote.

Randy, I only went the distance for a minute or so myself!

Sparkle & CJ -- Absolutely agreed and I share those sentiments.

IMHO, that kind of social pressure really should be somehow criminal. I know it isn't and that it probably cannot be, but still!

Having experienced similar pressure, over different kinds of things, as a kid, I've a lot of old anger and frustration that rises to memory when I see that crap.

I suppose that's a big part of why I went ahead and linked video number two.

Good call CJ. I'll remember the name too. Who knows, she just might need it!

Missing, thanks for the "dominionist nutbag" links!

Good point Randy. Still the spirit of Sparklewave and CJ was spot on. Two months of this is gonna make those kids crack. I could see it already kicking in when the shotgun daddy was nervously chewing gum like a condemned prisoner. Now the whole brood is fleeing home to regroup and cover their tracks.

On a less lunatic, criminal or esoteric note, I found these thoughful articles from Marlene Phillips, George Lakoff and Jane Smiley discussing this turning point in the election. In my wander on the web, I was pleased to see Gloria Steinem and others in the bedrock of the feminist movement taking her to task and generating discussion.

I sure hope Hillary Clinton gets to speak her piece and often. This is an excellent chance to build on her popularity. She just saved her career and the party from utter destruction with grace and dignity. Still, we all know that she has plenty of fight in her. She has a chance to unload on this arctic charlatan on Monday. This could be a whole new chapter in the Clinton legacy.