Abstinence only seems to be both a cash cow and a political hotcake. And it got lots of headlines this week.
First off, Bristol Palin will be paid up to $30,000 per gig for her abstinence only promos. What kind of message does this send to the very audience the message is intended for? Don’t have sex before marriage. However, if you do and if you have a baby, you can make 30 grand talking about it and telling others to do as you say, not as you do? That’s a hideous message.
According to SeattlePI.com:
Opportunity knocks when you are America’s best-known teenage mom, and Bristol Palin has signed on with Single Source Speakers to give lectures at $15,000 to $30,000 a pop, more lucrative than her current job at an Anchorage doctor’s office.
The second outrage is Mark Souder and the ‘other woman’ who just happened to be his staffer, ‘starring’ in an ‘abstinence only’ video. From Politico:
Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.), who will resign from Congress as a result of an affair with a female staffer, filmed a video interview about abstinence only education with that same staffer.
In a statement announcing his resignation, Souder admitted the affair took place with a “part-time member of my staff.” GOP sources identified the woman that Souder had the affair with as Tracy Meadows Jackson. Jackson has been a part-time employee on Souder’s staff since Dec. 2004, according to House financial disbursement records. Jackson could not be reached for comment Tuesday morning
Such hypocrisy. In fact, the fact that non-abstinence people are pushing abstinence is pure hypocrisy. The fact that abstinence is being pushed at all is hypocrisy. Modern life is overloaded with sexual messages from everywhere. Kids get bombarded with these messages from the time they are old enough to be aware from various multiple sources: on the news, radio, Internet, films, advertising, magazines, music, TV, politics, Madison Avenue, the clothing industry…. There is no escaping it. Kids cannot be protected but so much from sexual messages. The taboos that were in place when I was growing up are simply not there now. They won’t come back. The times they are NOT a’changing. They have changed and they will stay changed.
Young people need to be encouraged to make responsbile choices. Parents should be setting goals and behavioral expections for their children. Kids need to be know that sex has consequences and very often these consequences are life altering. Kids need to know about contraception, disease prevention and other vital information in the event that they do become sexually active.
‘Don’t do it’ only works so well. A good dose of practicality needs to be thrown in with the don’t do it. Ms. Palin is just capitalizing on glam. Souder is beneath contempt. How dare he. Maybe his wife will take him to the cleaners.
Perhaps we could start with “Keep your knees together” and “Keep your zipper up.” Then we can go on to the other stuff by saying something like: “But, if you decide to be absolutely STUPID, then you should be aware of…….”
But, alas, we keep getting chopped off at the knees by a Souter; an Edwards; a Sanford; a Kennedy (actually a couple of Kennedys); an Ensign; a Clinton; and far too many SOB’s in the entertainment and sports worlds. Those poor kids don’t have much of a chance when they encounter adult “preachers” from the same world which either created or at least tolerates the slippery slope on which the kids themselves are standing. In my opinion, the adults in this society are the real problem. Far too many contemporary adults have bought into a hedonistic, self-centered lifestyle marked by infidelity, hypocrisy, and non-credible apologies when caught. The kids no longer have enough real role models. They don’t believe us anymore. However, they ARE in many cases imitating us. Therein lies the rub.
Young people need to be encouraged to make responsible choices – that is the issue. Many people today feel no need to have any personal responsibility at all – they blame things on everyone else – it is their fault. Spill a cup of coffee, sue because it was hot. Break into a house and fall down the stairs, sue. I see many parents today fund the antics of their children – car at 16, dating, and continuing into early life – they say 30 is the new 21.
Fact is an Abstinence only approach will only go so far (and mostly not work, a waste of money). But my heavens what would we do if they actually taught our kids in school how a girl really gets pregnant.
Moon – your brought Souter into your last paragraph, I think that is a typo.
What can you say. She’s a chip off the old block. She’ll profiteer off of people’s political/religious beliefs just like her Mom does.
In the end, it’s all show business. She won’t hurt anyone. Just seperate a few fools from their money.
Wolverine your second paragraph is very interesting though I like most people don’t know what to do about it. I have to admit, as much as I pillory religion, it seems to be the only real force that helps people stay together rather than pulling them apart.
Everyone in our society is off chasing the Big O (Orgasms). It’s a sign of decadence. We’ve reached a point of decadence such that more marriages fail than succeed.
Will it correct itself? Or will we slowly move towards pedophilia ala ancient Rome and Greece? It seems the pleasures of the flesh increasingly become what our lives center around. If anyone wants an excellent artsy representation of this, put “Fellini Satyricon” on your netflix list.
@ Rick, Music and TV commercials are enough to set off a kid raised in a nunnery. When Victoria Secret’s fashion show is a yearly attraction things can’t get too much more decadent. Middle school girls all wearing thongs that are visible on every backside at lunch sort of speaks volumes. The fact that its ok to have plumbers butt in public is shock and awe. The fact that someone’s mother would pay good money for something whose function is to give you a wedgie is simply absurd.
My daughter and I have gone to war over how she allows her daughter to dress. Of course, we can start with the faux cleavage on faux news every day. Back in the day, cleavage was an evening exposure, not breakfast. When we have a cable 24/7 show that pretends it is a news show with its girls and doing the T & A thing to sell conservative news…need we go further with examples?
Couple of reactions here. First, putting Bristol in the same company as Souder is pure name calling politics in a continuing effort to discredit the whole family. Second, we have been through this issue before — so raising it again raises interesting questions of why. And third, when Moon says; “The taboos that were in place when I was growing up are simply not there now. They won’t come back. The times they are NOT a’changing. They have changed and they will stay changed, ” my reaction is that that view – that reaction – is is itself a big part of the problem, as liberal progressives continue to define any kind of behavior a right or a freedom. The taboos need to be brought back and supported by concerned mature adults. The easy way out afforded by government funded and provided abortion, child care, and even prophilactics are the problem. Its the messaage….
@Pat.Herve
Thanks Pat, you are right. I fixed it. Good catch. I don’t think Justice Souter even dated.
@Pat.Herve
Well said, Pat.
The world is getting smaller. We travel more. We see how other countries, especially in Europe, think of sexuality and sexual openness. It stands to figure that abstinence only is only one choice. If we don’t teach other choices, if we don’t teach responsibility, and if we don’t teach our kids our OWN values, we’re in trouble. Let’s face it. The kids and the adults are going to “do it.” Let’s not kid ourselves, so to speak.
Sorry, but I can’t help saying this: What do the Palins think of “moral oral”? No threat of conceiving there! Or are they advocating celibacy?
Who would even DATE Souter, never mind do it with him? YUCK.
Taxpayer, bite me.
Your ignorance and rudeness continue to astound me. Its pretty early in the morning to have to go to time out for the day.
David Souter= Supreme Court Justice who retired in 2009. Justice Sotomeyer replaced him.
Mark Souder= congressman from Indiana whose picture is shown.
Sorry my typo caused confusion or was contagious.
Pinko, my mind will never be the same after your Palin reference. Warn me next time. Sometimes a picture just isn’t …………never mind….
I haven’t heard the phrase “moral oral”, but there is also supposedly some trend towards anal sex among young people –
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=6428003&page=1
IMO Jocelyn Elders had it exactly right. Sex education should reinforce that masturbation is a valid option. Of course for saying this out loud (when she had been told it was politically inexpedient) Clinton fired her.
Teens and adults should each understand that sex outside of a monogomous/intimate relationship is while possible, not necessarily the bane of human existence, and that they might be better served if they, as my ex-girlfriend once said, “stay home, use a vibrator, squirt some mayonnaise on your leg, and call it a day”.
@Moon-howler
Souder then is disgusting looking.
Sorry. I should have warned you about the imagery.
LMAO! Rick, that’s something I might have to pass on to a friend who has a good giggle from descriptions like that!!!!
I’m inclined to say teach both. Abstinence should be taught along side lectures on the other stuff. In a perfect world abstinence-only would work. We don’t live in a perfect world.
It’s like gun safety education in school. You don’t teach the kids they’ll find a gun, play with it and discharge it. You teach them what a gun can do and they’ll hopefully find an adult and report it.
I guess at the end of the day I’d rather have an adult teaching them the science and understanding of ramifications (along with parents reinforcing that message) than kids teaching each other.
I will lastly caveat that if a parent objects to the lesson they can pull the child from the class and provide whatever lesson plan they want at there own cost outside of school.
Yeah i was at a second-grade assembley last year and was shocked how sexualized one 8-year old girl was. In that particular case obviously her mother’s an imbecile and the girl’s going to be starting life at a disadvantage.
“Abstinence should be taught along side lectures on the other stuff.” I assume that’s the case, that it’s not a given that a person should be sexualy active at a young age? Sex ed isn’t like this clip, is it? – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTMlZSKEu-Y&feature=related
(that is a highly recommended clip BTW, one of my favorite comedy sketches)
@Posting As Pinko
Musta put a brown paper bag over his head.
@PWC Taxpayer
Why is it always “progressive liberals”? Your phongraph needle is stuck in one groove. I believe Libertarians would say “individual freedom” is their mantra. If it wasn’t for “progressive liberals”, you probably wouldn’t have a place to write some of your trash.
BTW, good on Bristol for scoring upto $30K per speaking gig. Girl power!
And lastly, God Bless America and God Bless Ms. Sarah Palin.
@marinm
Yes, avarice is GREAT!!!
I hope God will bless Ms Sarah and her Dude.
Marin, tell me exactly what it is you find so remarkable about a woman who can’t finish the job she was elected to do and has shown the rest of us no original thought and gives all surface appearance of having no substance past sound bytes.
Do you really think it is girl power to make profit off of what she is now telling the rest of us not to do? Would you pay a drunk driver money to tell you not to get behind the wheel after an evening of party-hardy?
Would you feel differently about her mission if she had chosen a guy who wasn’t a total pig? Would we even be having this discussion if she had made better choices in partners?
I hope she includes making better in partners in her don’t do it message. That is a huge part of her current problem.
My best friend’s grandmother always told her if she wallowed with hogs she’d get mud on her. Perhaps the Palins should have started with that lesson first. Birds of a feather seems to fit also.
Levi Johnson is really not a nice person. He was disrespectful to Bristol and the rest of the family. Every mother in America checked him out during the convention and shook their heads. We ALL saw that he was a bum. No one would want their daughter going out with him. Perhaps the family values people should have been overseeing who their daughter was dating a bit more carefully. Usually, but not always, people date before they become intimate.
First Dude should have seen to it that that horn dog never got near his daughter. Alaska is a little wilder and woolier than things here. There are ways…..
I had a dream the other day – that there was this group of middle aged adults in sandals, bell bottoms with big wide belts, and the girls had flowers in their hair – there were a lot of fringed leather jackets for some reason even though it was warm – anyway, they were all sitting around talking about how great it was that McCarthy had been elected and that McGovern, Carter and Obama had followed him. They talked about the USSR’s most recent exploration of space on the moon and how China’s one child policy had not only saved the worlds food supply but also had improved living conditions. They all biked over to the free health care center – since gas was so expensive – and talked (in spanish) about how the world was one with other third world nations now – being Green with open borders. Well, anyway, the subject of sex came up. Ah, said one, if ony HIV had not taken so many. Yes, said another, the number of STDs is now only a little over 60 percent of the population. One said his father has a third stage incurrable strain of STD and he is forgetting things . The first person then asked if that was because of the STD or the drugs from that cheap government dispensory he goes to? Yet another said, wait, you know who your father is? A child then walked in to ask advice as to what she should do about her significant other wanting sex. The adults all agreed that it was important to give the child all of the options available and the correction procedures necessary if something goes wrong and to be sure to let the child know that there was no stigma attached to any of these actions – after all OBAMACare takes care of all of us equally and to let the child decide. A passerby looked down at the group and simply said Psalms 28 and quickly walked away.
In response to #21: How is that different from any American? If I have a job and another job offers me more money or better perks – is it not the American way to take that new job? If she wasn’t making the duckets as Governor and she was just being sued constantly from the left doesn’t make sense for her to move on to where she can’t be sued, the citizens of Alaska could have a full time Governor (we had the same issue in VA with a P/T Governor and P/T DNC cheerleader) and she could make more money? Can I see a lot of me in her? Free market…love of country..hating the evils of Obamacare, et al.
I think it’s girl power or empowerment of women to have a strong female figure do as she wishes, be able to control her own destiny, and buck societal norms. So, yes. Both of the Palin’s fit the bill to me.
We have drunk drivers and drug users – who happen to be either politicians, sports stars or celebs – come into our schools, our churches, our recereation centers all the time and say “do as I say not as I did..” all the time. Bristol gets slammed but the others get a pass…. I just don’t see consistant logic being applied.
I think Levi is a tool. I think mothers should use that relationship as a case study in; don’t date this type of guy he’ll just cause you pain and probably just leave you barefoot and pregnant.
I think the baby daddy should man up and take care of his kid. He might not have wanted him but you play adult (have sex) then you have to pay for the consequences of those actions.
I don’t have any issues with either Mrs. or Ms. Palin.
If the Obamas and Bushs can lecture us about public schools while sending their own children to private ones … I guess Bristol can collect her ridiculous speaking fees.
If Obama can make an arguement about high ethical standards while his very own house was bought at an unethical price because his slumlord friend bough the adjacent properties … I guess Bristol can collect her ridiculous speaking fees.
If Eric Holder, the Attorney General of the United States, can hold forth at length about laws that he hasn’t taken the time to read at 10 pages’ length … I guess Bristol can collect her ridiculous speaking fees.
If George W Bush can profiteer off our troops politically even while sending them out without sufficient body armor … I guess Bristol can collect her ridiculous speaking fees.
(Set to Jeff Foxworthy’s rhythms)
Marin, I think you have been fooled by the media but feel free to like who you want.
Not sure I am falling for Palin’s reasons for quitting. Why would she be any different than any other governor? She wouldn’t be. She saw a better opportunity out there and she took it. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. However, I don’t want to hear them breathe a single word about family values.
My family values don’t include quitting your responsibilities mid-stream for a better opportunity. They don’t include profitting from the very thing you are telling others not to do. What kind of message does it send to kids if you are making 30k a pop for talking about the trials and tribulations of teen motherhood as a result of …..drum roll….sex.
Marin, one more thing….you might find if you change jobs you might not have as much freedom as you think you might have. Many Virginians have to sign non-compete agreements. If you violate the non-compete, you can get the hell sued out of you.
MH, no doubt. As an employee that has been under non-compete contracts for much of my adult life I can say that those contracts have never restricted me in such a way that I couldn’t work at a competitor in the same line of business. Never been sued.
Now I personally wouldn’t take trade secrets from one place to give to another and those are usually the main target of non-competes.
Hey, if a teenage commoner thinks they can have a baby and get $30K per speaking engagement just because Bristol did it; I have some land in LA to sell them with a courtesy copy of the movie, Idocracy.
Anyone want to take bets on whether a Bristol Palin sex tape will eventually come out?
Sarah’s sex tape is already out – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIgQ4VMPfyY&feature=PlayList&p=2285D1B182CD42CD&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=15
There’s some tasteless lines in it, but some funny ones too … “Want to keep your job? want to keep your job?”. So I couldn’t resist.
(Sarc on…)
OH NO!!!! A teenaged single mother is making money talking to people instead of being on food stamps and government assistance. We must point it out, stop it and ridicule her now before she make any more!
(Sarc off…)
Who the F cares? Really. Good for her, I hope she ends up getting 20 more speaking engagements letting other teen girls know what could happen to them. Hopefully she makes enough to put her son thru college and more. Good for Bristol.
If you want to talk about something then talk about Mark Souder, what a loser. I feel for his family. I will give him one thing though, he is owning up to it at least and is resigning.
Can we just lay off teen girls? Or is that a stupid question simply because of her last name? How would any of you like it if this was your daughter? I’m sure there are some here that post that have been in a similar situation, it happens.
Perhaps Souder will soon be collecting speaking fees as well, for discussions on “Owning Up To Difficult Truths”.
hello, yes it does happen and it happened in my family. I haven’t seen anyone bashing Bristol P. for that. The question is the sanity level of her so quickly afterwards pretending to be an advocate and a role model, and the culture of celebrity that makes a Bristol palin speech worth $30,000.
Rick, Rick No, No this is democract apparachnic politics of destruction once removed –nothing , nothing more.
American entrepreneurship at its finest: Make a mistake, learn from it, teach others how to avoid your mistake, make money teaching others so that you can then be independently wealthy. If people don’t want to hear what you have to say, they will not pay to listen. The ones who choose to pay and listen certainly should be free to do so. If Bristol becomes rich because people are willing to pay, so be it.
I don’t see the problem or the hypocrisy in this. Is Bristol supposed to stay home and self-flagellate for the rest of her life, just to make her family’s detractors happy?
More power to her.
I see your point Rick, however, this is the type of stuff I was talking about when it comes to ‘bashing’ Bristol:
“Don’t have sex before marriage. However, if you do and if you have a baby, you can make 30 grand talking about it and telling others to do as you say, not as you do? That’s a hideous message.”
Give me a break… this is what kills me the most “telling others to do as you say, not as you do”, reminds me of Al Gore who by the way bought a 9 MILLION dollar house ON THE OCEAN no less. Hypocrite says what
@PWC Taxpayer
Are you high?
LOL !! spiddle , spiddle, smirk. No, but I really wish I could join you. Tell me again what part of being a part of being a liberal progressive democratic party apparachnic do you not get. Never mind, I don’t remember the question.
@PWC Taxpayer
I’m an Independent, actually. I hate parties and like to decide for myself what I believe and what I don’t.
Pinko, I keep telling you… Come to the dark side. We have better cookies.
I need to recruit a person or two to our PWC Young Republican meetings. 🙂 3 gets me a monogrammed silk ascot and 2 cuban cigars.
Unfortunately, those who end up in abstinence pep talks are usually not there of their own accord. Those kids are usually captive audiences.
Bristol Palin really is in no position to be a positive role model for abstinence. Now if she wants to go aroiund and tell local girls what its like to balance school, care for a child, work in a social life, and work enough to support yourself, fine. But leave abstinence out of it. Not having the time and being too much in the limelight really doesn’t earn you your stripes.
Hello, again, you have really missed the point. You have no idea of your listening audience.
No one has yet told me why the Palins are sacred. Waiting. Those of you who have come on here in great defense of them would chop anyone down to nubs who you didn’t think was a member of the great vast right wing conspiracy.
hello, I take Moon-howler’s point that for the girl to actually be PROFITEERING from her mistake is a bad message.
Moon, No one has said or implied that the Palins were in any way sacred. I object to your stubborn adherance to the liberal progressive Democratic Party’s talking points, in a clear and repetitive effort to denigrate not Bristol so much as indirectly Sarah and family as unworthy of national influence. Others have taken issue with your derisive comments regarding the merits of whether Bristol can effectively offer cogent advice to young people at any price – and if she can, the price is well worth it. As a party advocate / activist / apperachnick its understandable why you are doing it, especially given yesterday’s elections.
Nevertheless, you too are invited into the warm, tough,and tamed light of the right. See James 3
Moon, a couple of things regarding two of your posts:
No. 14: You hit a real doozy with that comment on cleavage. I cannot count the number of times Mrs. W has come home from a day at high school and talked about the necessity of telling some of the young ladies to put on a sweater or something to cover up the display of their physical wares. That a school actually has to make and enforce a rule of this kind does, indeed, show me that the times have changed — radically. Incidentally, Mrs. W is a supporter of the idea of uniforms in public schools.
No. 21: About that “drunk driver” — actually it does seem to me to be a workable thing under certain circumstances. Those circumstances would be something like the AA. Being lectured and ministered to by someone who has already paid a price and strongly regrets having placed himself in such a position can be, in my opinion, a very strong tool for inducing “reform” in another. Maybe that same thing could be applied to Bristol Palin: “I didn’t listen. I thought I was smart and could get away with it. I found out different.” I am sure that kids would listen to her before they would listen to someone like me. The only other thing is the money. I wish she would just volunteer her time or, at the least, collect only expenses. The money does take away somewhat from the aura of the message.
“Not having the time and being too much in the limelight really doesn’t earn you your stripes.”
Precisely! Which is why I categorically ignore celebrities preaching the virtues of green living from the comfort of their Hollywood homes and private jets.
“I object to your stubborn adherance to the liberal progressive Democratic Party’s talking points”
I feel sorry for Moon-howler. Day after day she is accused of this kind of thing. It’s inaccurate and constant.
@marinm
“The horror! The horror!”
Thank God I’m too old anyway. 🙂
@Posting As Pinko
Wait. The horror of seeing me in an ascot or being aligned with the -R’s? 😉
You can be our den mother!! 🙂
Thanks Rick. At this point I don’t even bother to read the long list of names TP has for me each day. When it gets too bad I will send him to time out.
Emma, I agree. I rarely listen to Hollywood types. There are a few…darn few. I would listen to Oprah. She asks real live questions.
Wolverine, I expect Mrs. W and I have a great deal in common when we peel back political labels. And before cleavage was the style, there was exposed midriff. I think at that same time there was plumber’s butt as a fashion statement along with accompanying thong. Sadly, many parents want to fight the school on fashion statements rather than thanking them for alerting them to the fact that their kid looks not only like a street walker but also a fool. I also HATE HATE HATE male pants worn below the butt. I am a total crab on such things. I like uniforms too. Public school uniforms don’t work real well because school boards don’t support making everyone wear them.
Taxpayer, you are not welcome to come here and continually hurl insults at me and others. Last warning. Participate in the conversation. Disagree with what is being said. But keep the name calling and labeling out of things. You aren’t even making sense. I have had an email asking me to throw the drunk off. They were speaking of you. I defended you, this once.