Boom. CNN just covered the pregnancy story relative to abstinence-only education. (5:35pm EDT)

[krkaufman]

If *nothing* else comes from this, maybe the story will help educate the public that abstinence-only education is an utter failure -- and that the fundies pushing it are science deniers, as with evolution/creationism and climate change causes.

[JerseygirlCT]

1. Good! nt

[Epiphany4z]

2. and don't you know

McCain picked her knowing all this...because this is the kind of coverage he wanted the week of his convention....bahh haa haa...yaya ok...

[cliffordu]

3. Silver linings abound.....

[marylanddem]

4. Don't they, though...

And chickens do come home to roost. Sad as Bristol's situation is for HER, it is her self-centered mother who has laid all this shit on her.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

5. I am simply stunned at this.

I figured the lapdog media was going to leave that aspect of it alone.

[endthewar]

7. That CNN reporter dove straight into it

:rofl:

[krkaufman]

13. Yep, and I expect her to be severely reprimanded very soon...

... and you won't see her mention it again, after Bill Bennett and the Republicans attack CNN for daring to mention it.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

18. Bill Bennett practically demanded her firing right there.

Kinda tipping his hand at how much control the GOP exerts over the news.

[endthewar]

21. I thought that Wolf Blitzer effectively pushed back against him

[mrreowwr_kittty]

29. He sure did. I'm not sure if I'm watching the same CNN that I'm used to!

[krkaufman]

47. You should've seen Cambell Brown just go after Tucker Bounds on Palin's experience

It was amazing. She kept on him, asking Bounds -- given that McCain had set the bar higher for *experience* -- how McCain could justify his selection of Palin... and kept asking Bounds for an example of a "commander in chief" decision that Palin had made.

Bounds was unable to respond, repeatedly trying to take the discussion elsewhere but Brown stuck with it.

That's the kind of journalism the media needs to be doing... interrogating candidates on their positions and holding them to the facts.

[krkaufman]

49. Video of Campbell Brown skewering of McCain spokesmen, Tucker Bounds

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/01/mccain-pr-chief-struggles_n_123082.html
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYYiw_y2qDI

[pdxmom]

22. Maybe CNN needs some "atta boy" emails for doing real reporting and

making it relevant to the issues.

[krkaufman]

40. Yep. Will do. n/t

[XemaSab]

9. Sex sells

n/t

[zeemike]

17. They could not leave it alone

Because it is such a big story thanks to the internet.
And some blogers that were not afraid to sling a little shit back at the shit slinger.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

20. True, there is that questionnaire where she said she was for abstinence only. nt

[MindMatter]

46. ... because it involves sex

[dkf]

6. Yup Yup. This is a typical result of abstinence only education.

I wonder if she will be asked if she could do it all over again, what she would do differently.

[krkaufman]

16. As a fundie, the answer is obvious...

... everything would be done the same, because they've followed God's direction and so all is as God intended.

[Maestro]

8. Let's keep linking the two stories because kids need

more options than just saying no. Abstinence education is such a failure!

[BlooInBloo]

10. And that's perfectly relevant and in-bounds.

[krkaufman]

11. ah, 5:39pm, and Bill Bennett is going off on Wolf for CNN addressing the abstinence-only aspect.

Bill Bennett is now saying that an abstinence-only discussion springing from the Bristol Palin pregancy is unacceptable.

Regardless of Bennett's apparent success in making his point, I expect he has been successful in scaring CNN into not covering the abstinence-only aspect. We'll see in the coming days.

[Name removed]

27. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[RichGirl]

32. They get so upset when facts are mentioned!!

[krkaufman]

39. Especially facts that highlight their unrealistic idealogy for the sham it is. n/t

[senseandsensibility]

12. Did you hear that creep Bill Bennett's response?

He went ballistic. Really out of control. I think he was more angry that Palin's extremely rightwing views of birth control are coming to light, although he tried to come off as protective of the girl.

[mzmolly]

24. Exactly the same response that he would have had if Chelsea were preggers at 17.

:sarcasm:

[krkaufman]

25. Yep, just saw that. I expect we'll see/hear many more responses like Bennett's ...

... from Right Wing punditry, in order to cauterize the issue.

[grantcart]

14. MSNBC: both McCain and Palin support Abstinence only education

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/09/01/1320417.aspx

PALIN BACKED ABSTINENCE-ONLY EDUCATION

From NBC's Katie Primm and Mark Murray
By the way, as has been pointed out, Palin backed abstinence-only education during her 2006 gubernatorial race. 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.

*** UPDATE *** NBC's Abby Livingston adds that a McCain spokesperson in May 2007 said the Arizona Republican supported abstinence-only education, too. "Sen. McCain believes the correct policy for educating young children on this subject is to promote abstinence as the only safe and responsible alternative. To do otherwise is to send a mixed signal to children that, on the one hand they should not be sexually active, but on the other here is the way to go about it. As any parent knows, ambiguity and equivocation leads to problems when it comes to teaching children right from wrong. Sen. McCain believes that there are many negative forces in today’s society that promote irresponsible and dangerous behavior to our children. The public education system should not join this chorus of moral equivocation and ambiguity.”

[AtomicKitten]

15. Yet another ringing endorsement of a failed policy.

[pdxmom]

19. It is perfectly relevant in relation to the abstinance-only positions of

both Palin and McCain. I have no problem with that being discussed. As a matter of fact, a discussion of abstinance-only education is long overdue.

[krkaufman]

31. Yep, it is. The studies are out there, Bennett's denial aside.

It's the same story we see across several issues, denial of science and solid sociology...

- abstinence-only education is the best solution (contrary to all recent, reputable studies)
- climate change doesn't exist
- climate change may exist, but is not definitively man-made
- evolution is just a theory, so Intelligent Design theory should be taught in parallel


It's time for an intervention, and then the first steps of recovery.

[kath]

38. The studies ARE out there. My memory may be faulty on this, but IIRC, a few years ago such

a scientific study was on the CDC's website and it got SCRUBBED, because the ideologues in the Boosh maladministration didn't like it. Or maybe the situation was that someone got fired for saying that abstinence-only education didn't work. Or both. Does anyone else remember??

[krkaufman]

41. Don't remember, specifically; but it's SOP for the Bush Admin. n/t

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

23. Game. Fucking. Over.

no pun intended.

Bye, Miss Mooseburger. Ten years from now you will be the answer to a tiebreaker in Trivial Pursuit.

[NewJeffCT]

26. Abstinence-only is really only for minorities

so they don't have too many children and make white people into the minority.

[Cha]

28. I'm mind boggled! I've been saying this to freeper trolls and

anyone else that this is the story. THat and the vetting or lack there of.

And, cnn of all networks brings this up?!!

[mnhtnbb]

30. Isn't there a poker game somewhere demanding Bennett's attention?

[1Hippiechick]

I thought a FIGHT was going to break out on stage! The former Sec of Education (?)

was about to EXPLODE over something and loudly berated CNN saying that he didn't expect something like THIS on CNN. He was saying that it was okay to discuss sex education, etc. SEPARATE from what was going on with the Palin family. The panel basically had the sex education debate on stage, the former Sec believing in sex education because the statistics bore it up but also saying that the conservatives will argue for abstinence that works when it's used (tongue in cheek).After he vented, they went to a reporter in Alaska about Troopergate. Lo, and behold, she was saying that the ppl in Alaska are wanting answers about Palin's involvement, that this is a serious charge, having to do with ethics in government. The program broke away to New Orleans about a levee breach (sp), and they haven't gotten back to Troopergate yet. Back at the studio, the former Sec of Ed was NOT on stage - he had been replaced by someone else.

[Gabi Hayes]

35. am I the only one that thinks Bennet's angry response (which he repeated several times)

had to do with the mention of MOM's being pregnant? that's what set him off, and he kept trying to accuse CNN of 'advocacy journalism' for daring to mention it

he kept tossing that in as they discussed abstinence only education, trying to muddy the waters

wait til the transcripts and see

he also said, basically, that the abstinence programs that should be used are ''the ones that work,'' and they all should listen to HIS WIFE on that topic, as she's a supposed expert.

one thing I'm sure she's an expert on is birth control in the conjugal bedroom. can you imagine a fat prick like him squashing her all the time? wonder when the last time they've had it off..........

I know.....

[skooooo]

37. Didn't see it, but glad that...

shit is meeting fan finally.

[kestrel91316]

33. Somebody at CNN finally read my posts here, lol.

[4_Legs_Good]

34. THIS is where this is a serious issue, and I hope it gets traction

I don't really care that she's pregnant, but what does matter is that the Bush/McSame/Palin plan of abstenence only education does NOT WORK, and we need to deal with facts not with ideology.

David

[skooooo]

36. For the last hour......

....as I was working out at the gym, CNN had either one of two headlines up on the screen --

One about the baby.

Another about Palin hiring a lawyer to fight her troopergate troubles in Alaska.

[AZBlue]

42. And that is how this is relevant. The only way this is relevant.

It's a good angle.

[krkaufman]

44. Agreed. The candidate should be challenged on her abstinence-only positions ...

... in the face of her first-hand experience. Just as it was fair to challenge Dick Cheney on his anti-LGBT positions in light of his daughter's *public* and leveraged orientation.

[AZBlue]

45. Yes. And this can be used as an example of how abstinence-only edu is worthless.

I don't want this poor girl pilloried in the media, but I think relevant to this topic it's ok to bring her up.

[eshfemme]

43. Good for CNN!

On a side note, this whole incident, while tragic for Bristol Pailin, completely underscores Obama's point in his acceptance speech about abortion-- that we all want less unwanted pregnancies.

[kwenu]

48. Hypocrisy is the mark of the Republican. Let's make good use of it.