Bristol ,Willow, Piper, Track, Trig and…
Seriously…
Am I to believe that of all the names out there, Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston is what Bristol Palin and Baby-Daddy Levi Johnston named their baby? Can anyone explain to me how this happens? Because you don’t just name your kid Tripp.
This is all just a little too one-foot-in-the-trailer for me.
Oh and baby and mommy are healthy… blah, blah, blah.
Sad, sad, sad. But I’m glad the little one is healthy.
My, but aren’t we the judgemental ones?
Well seriously Jenn what did you expect? This is what happens when you fail to give teenagers all the relevant information they need in life. It’s obvious they were raised in an environment where abstinence was the only sex-ed they got. They never learned about condoms or other methods to prevent the spread of diseases or prevent unwanted pregnancies. This is what happens when you withhold information from people who need to know, you end up with a kid that has to spend the rest of his life with a name like Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston.
Republican Dude, perhaps you are the one being judgmental — about me! My “sad, sad, sad” comment was in reference to these two poor kids who didn’t receive enough education about sex to use preventive measure against unwanted pregnancy and possible STDs, to the unfortunate decision by both of them to drop out of high school (where on earth was the loving guidance from their parents?), and to the uncomfortable reality of their new little family being in a national spotlight not of their making. This innocent child (the newborn) also doesn’t deserve to be saddled with a name referencing hockey gear. But the child is healthy and, with any luck, they will all be just fine. If they ARE freezing their butts off up there in Alaska. Have you seen the weather statistics for that place?!?!? Yikes!
If I had a kid, I would name him a classic name like William , Timothy, Lawrence or Matthew…something of that ilk. Names like Tripp, Track, Trig, Teagan (sorry to my family on that one) are uber trendy. No woman in her right mind is going to scream “give it to me Tripp! Harder, harder, Tripp-ster!” And that’s the measure of a good name. I’m kidding. Sort of.
Oh, see now I’ve learned something. Pregnancies only happen in households that preach abstinence. Only households that have uncaring, inattentive parents have teenage pregnancies. It’s all about education, because teenage pregnancies only happen when they’re not taught how to use condoms. Boy, that’s deep. Certainly is a lot of parental wisdom on here today.
There’s a little boy on my son’s hockey team named “Bauer”, clearly a hockey reference and just as clearly AN UNCONVENTIONAL NAME. I’ll keep my eye on him for any subversive tendencies.
I’ll put my daughter’s morals and education, and my parenting skills, up against those of Sarah Palin any day!!!
I don’t doubt that you’re a wonderful mother. But for people to get up on their high horse and act like they couldn’t have a child with a teenage pregnancy is beyond sanctimonious. It’s not so black and white that all of us, who don’t really know the first thing about the Palin family, can sit in judgement and say this happened because of this or that. The daughter got pregnant because she had sex. I have all boys, but I’m fairly certain that even daughters with good morals and education sometimes get pregnant.
I’ve learned that households that don’t teach abstinence have uncaring, inattentive parents (was that you complaining about people being judgmental before?).
Not seeking and sharing knowledge leads to all kinds of unfortunate situations. This is further proof that abstinence only approach to sex education doesn’t work either. ALL reasonable pieces of information should be taught in sex education classes (including abstinence). We owe it to our future generations to be open and honest with ALL pertinent information, not just the information that the religious right deems appropriate for consumption.
Oh, ya gotta read this, from the US National Teenage Pregnancy Data. Of course, I couldn’t resist adding a couple brief comments in parentheses:
(http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/2006/09/12/USTPstats.pdf):
“Each year almost 750,000 teenage women aged 15-19 become pregnant. The teenage pregnancy rate in this country is at its lowest level in 30 years (note this is during Bush’s term – RD) down 36% since it’s peak in 1990 (a Clinton year – RD). A growing body of research suggest that both INCREASED ABSTINENCE (emphasis mine) and changes in contraceptive practice are responsible for recent declines in teenage pregnancy.”
Check out the URL and confirm that I’m quoting this exactly verbatim from their published studies.
I think it’s ironic and hypocritical that anyone could suggest that we do not have the same right to judge Palin’s family “without knowing the first thing about them or the situation” when MOST of that same group of people including Palin would legislate their religious beliefs on ALL Americans without knowing each individual situation.
Republican Dude, you can’t have it both ways…
First let’s clear up your factual errors, Clinton was President from 1993 to 2001, during those years the teen pregnancy rate declined approximately 27% (1990 was a G.H.W. Bush year). From 2001 to 2002 the decline was approximately 4%, so don’t get to preachy that Duh’bya was responsible for all of these declines and that Clinton somehow was responsible for Reagan/Bush numbers he inherited.
You support my point that ALL information should be taught as does this report, “A growing body of research suggest that both increased abstinence and changes in contraceptive practice are responsible for recent declines in teenage pregnancy.” It doesn’t say one or the other was the overwhelming factor, it says BOTH are responsible. Supporting the idea that both should be taught.
I still think “Tundra” would have been a better Alaskan name for the kid, and it would still be in keeping with the Todd, Track, Trig theme of T names for the Palin clan!
And, just to clarify for Republican Dude, my daughter is 21, an adult, so I guess I’m not being too sanctimonious about not having a child with a teenage pregnancy. Having taught her about ways to prevent unwanted pregnancy and sexually-transmitted diseases, and impressing upon her the importance of a college education, I have managed to help her along the road to a responsible life where she can make informed decisions. At the same time, I haven’t exposed her to ridicule and shame by using her selfishly. So, again, I believe that I — and countless other responsible parents like me — have parenting skills far beyond those of Sarah Palin.
Perhaps I am somewhat judgmental, but it’s about Governor Palin. I believe I have that right, since she put herself out there in the public eye with lots of emphasis on her qualifications as a mother.
Bill B — you make some excellent points. Knowledge, as always, trumps ignorance.
Bill B – - how do you know if Palin’s daughter was taught about condoms or birth control or anything else? You’re like one of those readers of the National Enquirer who thinks because they read about someone in the newspaper, they actually know them. You don’t know the first thing about what her daughter was taught or not taught. Neither do I, but I don’t claim to either. Despite your complete ignorance of what was taught to her or not, you feel the need to be judge, jury and executioner of of her family’s decisions, as if you know something about them. Please don’t show further ignorance by saying something like Palin opposed birth control or sex education or something asinine like that, as those were all urban myth, long ago disproved. If you believe those, I have an email you can forward where they’ll pay you for each recipient.
Looks like you struck a nerve with this one, JJ!
Well Republican Dude, I’m not sure what urban myth you are talking about, it has been well reported that Palin DID in fact say that she did not support sex-ed programs other than abstinence; to try to convince otherwise would be another attempt by at revisionism by the far right. Of course after the spotlight was placed on her, she softened her stance (by her pregnant daughter). Look, she supported abstinence only sex education, so she either followed through with that at home, or she is a hypocrite for not practicing what she force feeds on others.
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/09/01/1320417.aspx
In an Eagle Forum Alaska questionnaire , Palin gave this response to the following question: “Will you support funding for abstinence-until-marriage education instead of for explicit sex-education programs, school-based clinics, and the distribution of contraceptives in schools?” Palin: “Yes, the explicit sex-ed programs will not find my support.” http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-73417
This site has more of the excerpts from the original document which, of course, is no longer posted in a public forum…(wonder who had that pulled down?) http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/stumper/archive/2008/09/01/palin-s-record-on-family-issues.aspx
Please don’t patronize me any further by trying to spin and twist the truth, it only makes you look defensive and lacking in an intelligent factual argument.