Palin Daughter Pregnancy - Some Perspective...

People across the net are all atwitter over the revelation that Sarah Palin's 17-year-old daughter is pregnant, plans to marry the father, and raise the child.

Not that long ago this would have been not much more than a footnote in the campaign rather than major news story. In the past few decades we've elevated our societal piousness to unprecedented levels. We've taken what was normal for centuries and millenniums and made it abnormal. I encourage anyone reading this to check your own family genealogy before deciding to be too critical of Palin. You are very likely to find that many of your very own ancestors first children were born less than 9 months from when they were married and that many were 17 or younger.

When I was growing up we referred to these as shotgun weddings. The reality was that shotguns were rarely involved, though the look in dad's eyes towards his new son-in-law could likely do more damage than buckshot. The deathly looks over, both families generally came together and pitched in to help the new couple prepare for and then raise their new child. And these scenes have never been limited to the mountain folks in Appalachia, but cut across every societal, racial, and geographic boundary. YOU and I, my dear reader, are very likely the products of many such events.

And oh my if this had happened in Texas...

Palin vs Obama

There is much that is very interesting about McCain's selection of Sarah Palin. She hunts moose, runs marathons. and takes on corrupt politicians in her own party. If she were a man she'd be a man's man. When it comes to macho she outmans both Obama and Biden.

What I'm finding perhaps the most interesting though is that she is most often being compared, not to her VP rival Joe Biden, but to the leader of the Democratic ticket - Barack Obama. Everyone is talking about who between Obama and Palin has the most pertinent experience. Which one of these two is most prepared to be Commander-In-Chief? Does Obama or Palin have the best understanding of our economy? Does Palin or Obama have the better grasp of our energy situation? If we face another terror incident do we want Obama or Palin calling the shots?

Sarah Palin isn't being compared to Joe Biden and Obama supporters don't want to compare Obama to John McCain. Everyone wants to compare Obama to Palin. What does this say about the two tickets?