Politically Incorrect

I'm not so much into politics, American or Canadian. I like to know a little bit about most issues so I can get by at a dinner party and vote with a clear conscience. Of course, if there is something that particularly interests me, I'll go to great lengths to learn a lot about it. But in general I prefer other types of news...like gossip.

But when politics and salacious gossip come together....it's fabulous.

Simply put, I am fascinated, BEYOND FASCINATED with the current scandal that is unfolding in the US regarding Sarah Palin, John McCain's questionable pick as his presidential running mate.

First of all, I'm going to come right out and say that Sarah Palin is the kind of woman I loathe, both in real life and politics. She is a gun-loving conservative of the highest order, is anti-abortion (even in the case of rape), wants creationism taught in schools AND believes sex ed is teaching "abstinence only". And she has poofy blow-dried hair, which may or may not be held up by a banana clip.

No, Sarah Palin and I would NOT be friends.

Oddly, my dislike of Palin started way before she ever entered into the American election race. No, I first disliked her back in April after I gave birth to the Papaya.

Kaya was born on April 13. Sarah Palin, who is 44, gave birth to a son on April 18. So, the uncertainty and randomness of childbirth was still fresh in my mind when I heard about this Alaskan Governor whose water broke while on state business in Texas. What did this woman do? No, no, she didn't check into the neareast Dallas hospital. She did what any mother of four (soon to be five) would do...she stayed in Texas to give her speech that night, then without telling anyone at the airline that she was in labour (or soon should be), boarded a plane to fly from Texas to Alaska (with a stopover in Seattle no-less). She landed in Alaska, then drove past some fancy medical centres in Anchorage to give birth to her son in a hokey small town hospital an hour away. Did I mention that she had gone into labour one month early and her son was born with Down's Syndrome, which they knew about before hand? At the time, I distinctly, remember thinking: "is this woman a MORON?" I thought this was THE most irresponsible thing I had ever heard.

The childbirth rule is simple: the more children you have the faster labour goes. Now, "Three-Failed-Labour-Inducing-Gel-Gen" will be the very first to admit that there are exceptions to every rule, however that does not change the fact that you just DON'T know that YOU'RE going to the be that exception. How did this woman know she wasn't going to give birth on the plane? What a horrible, unforgivable, risk to take with the life of your baby. As a brand new mother I was offended by this woman's reasoning which seemed to boil down to some sense of misguided Alaskan patriotism. After all, I'm sure the baby would rather be alive than "Alaskan".

Fast forward four and half months and, low and behold, this woman of questionable judgement is (rashly in my mind) chosen as John McCain's running mate. Her, and naturally her fresh-scrubbed family, are thrown into the intense media spotlight. It takes only a few short days before rumours start to surface, that Sarah Palin's fifth baby was not hers at all, but was, in fact, the son of her now-17-year-old daughter.

Sure it's a vicious rumour, but for me, it's like everything clicked into place. You sure wouldn't be worried about flying across the country (two countries, in fact) if you weren't actually pregnant.

After doing a bit of research, keeping in mind that it can be hard to differentiate fact from fiction on the internet, it would appear that this rumour has some serious legs. As in, the daughter apparently was removed from school for 5 months last year for "mono", and the fact that Palin sprung the news of her pregnancy on a shocked public when she was 7 months pregnant didn't look it.

Believe it or not, I think I actually would prefer that this woman would try to pass off her unwed teenage daughters baby as her own for presumably, the sake of her career and and her reputation, rather than believe that she would be so cavalier as to risk her baby's life as she indisputably did. Or maybe I wouldn't. Whatever the scenario, the woman is an idiot.

But it's not over yet!

Yesterday the news breaks that NOW Sarah Palin's teenage daughter is 5 months pregnant. What?! They apparently decided to announce the pregnancy to dispel the growing rumours about baby Trig's parentage. Since when is "She wasn't pregnant then, but NOW she is" an appropriate defense?

My mind is just about the explode.

Could this be an elaborate cover up of monumental proportions? Could Bristol Palin be pregnant...for the second time?Far less likely, and I'll only mention it because it would be hilarious...could they be faking her pregnancy now ? After all 5 months is a very convenient length of time to be pregnant when trying to dispel rumours that a 4.5 month old is not yours.

Regardless, that "abstinence only" education has worked like a CHARM.

All I can say is that I do feel horrendously sorry for the teenaged Bristol who gets the short, pointy end of the stick no matter what scenario turns out to be true. Because to live out whatever drama she's been living, under the global media spotlight, must be a nightmare. The best thing for poor Bristol would be for her mother to withdraw from the ticket. I might actually gain some respect for the woman if she did that.

I have no idea where this will go....perhaps the truth is exactly what has been publicly put forward. I have no idea and I don't really care. But the simple fact that this scandal is attached to a US Presidential Election makes it irresistible. Can it last? Is there more to come? If my head is going to explode, what about John McCain's? We all know he's not getting any younger.

America...this could be your First Family!!