People are talkin, talkin bout people…

Alright. Everyone is talking about it, behind their hands, in the open, on magazine covers, on talk shows, at the water cooler, in the streets, in the home… you can’t get away from it. So I guess it’s time that we talk about it too.

Acne.

Just kidding – of course I mean the whole Sarah Palin “scandal” and all. I know, as an Alaskan I’m supposed to be proud that finally our politics are being seen on a greater level, finally the “Lower 48” realizes that Alaska exists and oh yeah, is actually part of the United States and not some icebound country ‘over seas’. (Think I’m kidding? You should see our shipping costs…) But I don’t think I’m alone in feeling that this is not the way we wanted shoved into the limelight.

In case you’ve lived under a rock (and lord knows I tried…) Sarah Palin’s 17 year old daughter is pregnant, unmarried (obviously), though the plan is that she marry her baby daddy. She’s also planning on keeping the baby, and raising it with the help of Mom and Dad, hopefully (on their part) in the White House/VP quarters… where does the VP live anyway? Anyway. Sarah and family are ‘thrilled’ and can’t wait to be grandparents, yadda yadda yadda.

Here’s the thing – it came out this way, this fast, because of a rumor. If there was ever proof that rumors spread faster then truth, this is it. The reason this issue was forced to the forefront was because some gossipmongers were certain that Sarah’s youngest baby, Trig, born in April with downs syndrome, was actually Bristol’s child, and Sarah faked her pregnancy.

I know, right?

While I question a lot of Sarah Palin’s politics, I do not question that she is the mother of Trig (though I do question her naming abilities. Trig? Track? Bristol? Come ON…), or that Bristol is now pregnant with her own child, and there was no faking of anything involved. (Well.. nope. not going there.) I do question why the Republicans are quick to say this is a family matter and no one’s business, when we all know that had the shoe been on a Democrat’s foot, it would have been a free for all.

So here’s what we need to think about, as parents of teenagers. The Politics. (And oh, how I HATE politics!). Here are some of the issues – collected by my fantastic Sister In Law – that should be looked at instead of who’s knocking boots in a back seat somewhere:

Abortion – In 2002, while running for lieutenant governor, Palin called herself as “pro-life as any candidate can be.” She opposes abortion for rape and incest victims, supporting it only in cases where the mother’s life is in danger, and suggested that requiring parental consent for abortions be added to Alaska’s constitution. Palin is a member of Feminists for Life. A 2006 article in the Anchorage Daily News refers to Palin as supportive of contraception but does not go into detail on the subject.

ANWR drilling – Palin has strongly promoted oil and natural gas resource development in Alaska, including opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to drilling.

Capital Punishment – Palin supports capital punishment for some crimes. She has stated that: “If the legislature passed a death penalty law, I would sign it. We have a right to know that someone who rapes and murders a child or kills an innocent person in a drive-by shooting will never be able to do that again.”

Creationism and Evolution – In a televised debate in 2006, Palin said she supported teaching both creationism and evolution in public schools. She clarified her position the next day, saying that if a debate of alternative views arose in class she would not prohibit its discussion. She added that she would not push the state Board of Education to add creation-based alternatives to the state’s required curriculum.

Global Warming – Palin does not believe that global warming is human-caused.

Marijuana – Palin opposes the re-legalization of marijuana in Alaska, stating concerns about the message re-legalization would send to her children. Palin has admitted smoking marijuana, which at one time was legal under Alaskan state law although illegal under US law.

Same-Sex Marriage – Palin opposes same-sex marriage and supported a non-binding referendum for a constitutional amendment to deny state health benefits to same-sex couples. Palin has stated that she supported the 1998 constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.

Sex Education – Palin is a “firm supporter of abstinence-only education in schools” according to CNN in 2006. When running for governor in 2006, Palin wrote, “Yes, the explicit sex-ed programs will not find my support,” in response to a questionnaire by the Eagle Forum Alaska.

Terrorism and Iraq – Palin’s foreign policy positions were unclear at the time she was picked as McCain’s running mate. Shortly after she became governor in December 2006, the Alaska Business Monthly asked Palin for her views about troop escalations in Iraq. She replied “I’ve been so focused on state government, I haven’t really focused much on the war in Iraq. I heard on the news about the new deployments, and while I support our president, Condoleezza Rice and the administration, I want to know that we have an exit plan in place…” She has said she supports President Bush’s idea of stopping terrorism “by taking the fight to the terrorists”. Palin has also tied the war to the quest for new energy supplies, saying, “We are a nation at war and in many [ways] the reasons for war are fights over energy sources, which is nonsensical when you consider that domestically we have the supplies ready to go.”

Wildlife conservation – Palin opposed federal listing of the polar bear as an endangered species on the grounds that the “population has dramatically increased over 30 years as a result of conservation,” and supported a controversial predator-control program involving aerial hunting of wolves to increase moose populations for hunters.

Palin eloped with her high-school boyfriend, Todd Palin, on August 29, 1988, when she was 24 years old. According to her mother, the reason was simple: “It was a shock but she did it because she knew we couldn’t afford a big white wedding.” Their first son, Track, was born eight months after their wedding.

That’s not all the issues, of course, but it gives you somewhere to start. I’m not going to go into whether or not I believe Sarah Palin was the right choice – either for our Governor or for the VP slot – or if she was simply an attempt to get disgruntled Hilary Supporters to side with McCain. I’m not going to go into my views on the issues above, either. I’m going to do what so many people won’t do – encourage you to make an informed and well researched decision before you hit the polls in November, not only about McCain/Palin, but the Obama ticket as well.

And I won’t even make the obvious jokes about her abstinence only teaching working real well for them at home….

….oops. 🙂