Dakota

On Airing One's Dirty Laundry in Public

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An excellent letter to the editor of the Boston Globe entitled "Palin Family's Private Life Is A Public Issue"

We have been instructed repeatedly over the past few days that Sarah Palin's family and private life are off limits for public criticism. I'm good with that. She and her family should have the right to make decisions that reflect their beliefs and values. But there are two major problems with that stance in this case.

First, though Palin's family life and decisions are off limits for criticism, they are, evidently, high on the list of her qualifications for the office of vice president.

Second, Palin does not believe that my daughter and I have the right to make private decisions consistent with our beliefs and values. She does not believe my son and daughter have the right to be educated about safe, healthy sexual conduct.

My children and my family are every bit as dear to me as are Sarah Palin's to her. A politician's family life becomes fair game for open discussion when it appears on her list of qualifications for public office, and her private decisions become fair game for public comment when her public policy threatens my family's right to make those same private decisions for ourselves.

MICHELLE BLAKE SIMONS
Cambridge
September 3, 2008

Thank you, Michele, for speaking so clearly to the real issues. Unfortunately, all of us here at Dakota are riveted by the Sarah P "narrative", and feel the unsavory need to pass on more juicy tidbits. It seems that Bristol was not well supervised , and the McCain cleaning crew didn't get over to MySpace to scrub it up sufficiently. The comments are worth reading. Let's hope Bristol curtailed her alcohol intake when she found out she was pregnant.

For your further edification, we are providing a leaked copy of the official Sarah PalinTalking Points if you haven't memorized them already from hearing them over and over and over.

Isn't it sad that the National Enquirer is the only news organization left with an adequate budget and staff to do investigative reporting these days?

Photo note: American flag on the line - or hung out to dry - definitely not a pretty picture, but perhaps a metaphorophoto

ADDENDUM: Paying the ultimate penalty for riding bareback, poor Levi Johnston, formerly of MySpace, Bristol Palin's babydaddy, has been "invited" to join his in-laws on the podium tonight. If your future mother-in-law is a lifelong member of the NRA, you'd just better show up and pop the question. Rumor is that he will support his burgeoning family as a spokesman for Trojan.

Posted by Dakota at September 2, 2008 07:06 PM