Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

The Anchoress

Home
Catholic
Sew the Scarlet A for Sarah Palin! – UPDATED

Sew the Scarlet A for Sarah Palin! – UPDATED

Last updated on: March 16, 2017 at 7:03 pm by Elizabeth Scalia

Sew the Scarlet A for Sarah Palin! – UPDATED 2017-03-16T19:03:16+00:00 Elizabeth Scalia

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Palin in March, “wearing her pregnancy suit”

You know, my instinct is to not even address this crazy stuff, to just ignore it. But it’s “out there,” buzzing, so, I may as well jump in.

The doyens of uterine politics have decided that what matters about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is not her politics, not her policies, but her periods.

Like some old, suspicious grandmother from the middle part of the twentieth-century, Alan Colmes counted back on his fingers and decided that – not that it’s anyone’s business – but maybe, just maybe Gov. Palin was pregnant when she got married!.

Oh, I know…you’ve got the vapors, don’t you? Apparently Colmes had them too. Sales of smelling salts just went sky-high!

The party that has claimed that pre-marital sex is groovy and doesn’t matter, and – quite rightly – that one’s worth should not be judged by one’s sex life, is apparently all-of-a-doo-dah because of some scintillating rumors, good for whispering behind the hands, like a bunch of puritanical washerwomen. Puritans indeed. When they finished fainting, they apparently decided to start sewing the scarlet A, for Mrs. Palin. A-for-ADULTERER (cackle, cackle!)

No one should ever be judged, except Christians. If they have sex and don’t abort, they’re fair for ridicule, smears and sport. And a woman’s choice should always be respected; unless she’s the wrong sort of woman, the kind with an R after her name.

Apparently, since the left can’t really go after Palin on her experience (Obama has equal or less, and he’s running for the TOP job, not the bottom) or her record, which seems very appealing to a reform-minded electorate, the left has settled on the uterine comings-and-goings of not just Sarah Palin but of one of her “witchy-named” daughters, too.

Yes, the washerwomen are whispering and what they’re whispering is imaginative: According to them, Little Trig, (aka “that seriously disabled” Down Syndrome Baby that should have been aborted) whom Palin seems to have taken to the office and breastfed is not Palin’s son but her grandson. One of her daughters, you see, is the actual mother, and oh yes…some of these whisperers even suggest that the baby has an extra chromosome because of…wait for it…incest.

Nice, eh? This is why good people do not go into politics, because this is what they’re subjected to. Apparently, in pictures last winter, layered in clothing (she lives in Alaska) Palin doesn’t look pregnant enough for some people.

My best friend in the world wore a running suit to her baby shower and although she was 7 months along, she did not look pregnant at all. I hated her very much.

Anyhow, Andrew Sullivan seems to have decided to lead the charge on this one; he is calling for medical records to be released, ob-gyns to be interviewed, and he feels justified in this intrusion because “this would be a private matter if the McCain-Palin campaign hadn’t made the baby a key campaign point.”

Hmmmm…I thought the “key campaign point” was that Gov. Palin was a kick-ass reformer who knows energy and oil backward-and-forward, and that as regards little Trig, the material point – not the campaign point – is that a baby, known in advance to have an extra chromosome, was allowed to live. That is the fact that is so heartening to so many, but I’ll play along…

Let’s suppose it’s true. Not the incest part, that is so icky-poo disgusting and utterly groundless – saying much more about those who suggested it, than about anything else – that we’ll just kick it to the curb. But let’s pretend it’s true, that the Palin’s daughter, succumbing to the same temptation so many teenagers succumb to, found herself pregnant.

She goes to her parents. They say “we’ll deal with this as a family.” Sometime during the pregnancy, because we know Palin discussed it before Trig’s birth, the baby was found to be a male with Down Syndrome.

(Let’s forget for a moment that teenage mothers are rarely given amniocentesis tests, but mothers over 30 almost always undergo the testing. And let’s also forget that for a mother over age 42, the chances of Downs Syndrome are 1 in 20. We’re just pretending, after all.)

So now, the Palins are facing the possibility a teenage daughter perhaps giving birth to a baby who will require some mature parenting. Supposedly, they take the daughter out of sight and invest in a pregnancy suit for Grandma Sarah.

Then they let the baby live, and they love it. They announce the birth with joy, and claim the baby for their own, so their daughter – the public daughter of a public figure – will be allowed her privacy, and a chance to get on with her life.

This makes the Palins look bad…how, exactly?

IF it’s all true, then the Palins handled their private business their private way, kept a family matter in the family, and shielded a daughter. Sullivan’s “key campaign point” of a commonly-aborted baby with an extra chromosome being allowed to live, and being parented by Gov. Palin and her husband is still valid, is it not?

A “hating” commenter on another post says this information – if it’s true – will “shatter” us. Really? I have just supposed the whole thing true, and I don’t feel shattered. If the wild story is true, then I feel admiration.

As my center-left L’il Bro Thom wrote:

“I think that if it turns out the baby is indeed her granddaughter, she might be perceived as doing something honorable, for the child and for her daughter.

Seedubya writes:

But wait–let’s assume for a second that this goofy idea is true. Let’s say for a second that Governor Palin decided to adopt her daughter’s unplanned special-needs child and present him to the world as her own…That would make her kind of a saint, wouldn’t it?

I hate to give this absurd nonsense any more space. This “story” still only boils down to a baby that is – in our society – often looked at as “disposable,” being loved and welcomed by a family (see these adorable pictures of Trig being held by various siblings and his mom, Sarah).

And assuming it is true, so what? Then it’s about parents helping one of their children out of a rough patch, with discretion and privacy. Something that both the press, and the Democrats, should more than understand. Remember “hands off Chelsea?”

I have a question. Andrew Sullivan writes here that all of these whisperings and wonderings are coming to him from “mainstream media sources.”

Could it be, perhaps…just perhaps…I mean…let’s pretend…that the press decided that they did not completely trust this wild rumor. Possibly these “mainstream media sources” – unsure that this story will “shatter” the GOP, and realizing that they will come off looking pretty dreadful if the story proves false (and a bit spiteful no matter what) – are carefully spooning it all out to a blog – because they don’t much respect blogs – and hoping it turns to poison?

Frankly, seeing this “internet rumor” hit the UK papers makes me think that bloggers hyping nonsense do not do the credibility of the medium, or the bloggers in general, any favor. These terrified uber-haters are just making themselves look foolish, and further energizing the right by creating more sympathy for Palin.

Todd Palin holding his son, Trig (Source)

Don Surber has another picture. Although true-believer whackjobs will never accept any evidence. How sad that it has come to this. As Betsy Newmark wrote, I hope Palin – who is, after all, hormonal and nursing – can handle everything that that will be thrown at her. If she just stays calm, she should be okay.

Ann Althouse says: stop prying into other people’s vaginas. Yeah. So much for “sisterhood.”

Maxed Out Mama: This stuff really, really convinces women that Democrats are for women I don’t get it, either. They’re not the Democrats I knew.

Ace has more preg-suit pictures and more unhinged theories

The Maternal Optimist: Spots a working mother who shops at Costco

Think they can’t get any more petty? Think again! The woman goes to an emergency area, and they’re so small, all they can do is criticize her freaking EARRINGS.

Also: some sanity from Lee Stranahan

UPDATE: Sullivan is grudgingly walking it back, apparently until further notice. He links to a Kos diarist sounding the charge to go back to the first tactic: criticize her labor situation. But I’m bored with that one; covered it here. Happy Labor Day!

UPDATE II: Ace rakes Sullivan over the coals, anyway, for good measure.

Alternative Media

Blogs and Blogging

Culture of Life/Death

Don't try me too high

Why can't weeee be ...

Previous Post

August 31, 2008

Palin: Bad Mother, Bad Woman

Next Post

September 1, 2008 Happy Labor Day!

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category "Remaking" Ourselves 'Remaking' America 9/10 Mindset 9/11 trials Abortion ACORN Adoration Advent Advent 2008 Advent 2009 Advent 2010 Alternative Energy Alternative Media America American Catholic Church American Church American Genius Ameridolatry ANCHORESS BOOKSHELF Anglican-Roman Reconciliation Answers & Questions Anti_Semitism Archbishop Hilarion Ayn Rand Bad Mass Barack Obama Baseball Benedict Benedict & Islam Benedict in UK Benedict XVI Benedictine Bill Whittle Birth Control Blogs and Blogging Blogs and Blogging Bloodless Coup Bobby Jindal Bookchat Breitbart Bride at every wedding... Bride at every wedding... Buckley Bullies Bush Bad? Bush Good Buster Capitalism Catholic Fiction Catholic Vocations Catholicism Celibacy Chaput Charitable Stuff Chesterton Chile Chris Christie Christians in Exile Christine O' Donnell Christmas Christmas Gift Ideas Church Hates Science? Church hates women Communion of Saints Compline Conclave 2013 Confession Constitutional Stuff Conversion Crisis & Opportunity Critical Thinking Crooks and Liars Crucible of Faith Cuba Culture of Life Culture of Life/Death Culture of Treason? Dancing Death Dialogue re Islam Dick Meyer Divorce and Remarriage DOJ Domestic Terrorism Dominican Order Don't try me too high Dowd Dumb Democrat moves Dumb GOP moves Economic woe Education Egregious Harry Reid Elder Son Elder Son's Sweet Girlfriend Elderly Election '10 Election '12 Election '16 Election 2004 Election 2006 Election 2008 Election 2010 Election 2016 Elena Kagan Elitism Embryonic Stem Cell Research End Times? English language Enhanced Interrogation Erosion of Rights Eucharist Euthanasia Exorcism Extraordinary Synod Facebook Faith Faith and Reason Faith Friday Faith Perspective Faithful Friday Fascism Again Fascism in America Fatima FCC Feminism Film First Things Forgiveness Fr. James Martin Francis and Islam Francis in America Frassati Fred Thompson Free Speech? Freedom of Worship FutureChurch Global Pandemic GOP Congress Haiti Head Covering Health Care Here and Queer Hermits Heroes Hitchens Holy Spirit Holy Week '09 Holy Week '10 Hoo-Hah & BS Hoo-Hah & BS Icons Illegal Immigration In The Arena Interviews Interwebz Iran Uprising Iraqi Christians ISIL ISIS Islamic State Islamification/Islamofascism Islamification/Islamofascism Isra-El It's all about me! Me! ME! James Burke Jerry Lewis Jesus Christ Joblessness John Boehner John McCain John Paul II John XXIII Juan Williams Just Words Katrina/Rita King is a Fink Latin Mass Leadership Lectio Divina Lent Lent '08 Lent '09 Lent 2010 Lent 2011 Limbaugh Listen to Lizzie Litigious Society Liturgy Liturgy of the Hours Mainstream Media Manliness Marriage Mary Media Excess Medical Merton Michelle Obama Mighty John O' Connor Misc. Miss Ella Missionaries Mitt Romney Monasticism My brother S My Irish Aunties Mystic Monks Nanny Statism Nature NEA Neri New Media Newman Noonan Notre Dame NPR Stuff Nun News Obama Bad? Obama Good? Obama White House Oil Spill Online Retreat '08 Online Retreat Days Oratory Orthodoxy Our Hillary! Parenting Passionists Patheos Patheos Book Club Patrons Paul Ryan Penance Penn Jillette Philosophy PJTV Podcasts Poetry Politics-free zone Pop Culture Pope Emeritus Pope Francis Prayer Predictions Priesthood Pro-Life Public Sector Unions Purgatory Questions about Catholicism Quotes of the Day Quoting the News Race in America rants Recipes Remarried Catholics Reposts by request Retreat thoughts Rome Rudy Giuliani Russia Saints Sarah Palin Scandal Scott Brown SCOTUS Scriptural stuff Secularism Send in the clowns Serving up hot links Sexuality Sherrod Shroud of Turin Sisters and Nuns Social Entrepreneurship Social Media Social Security Socialism doesn't work Sports and Faith Stem Cells Strange Gods Suffering Synod Tea Parties Tea Party Terri Schiavo The 9/11 Commission The Catholic Answer The Constitution The Desert The Fourth Estate The Pelosi The Perpetual Adolescents The Rosary Third Party? Timothy Dolan Touch of evil TSA Tsunami TV/Pop Culture/Music TV/Pop Culture/Music Twitter Uncategorized Unemployment Unintended Consequences US Military Vaginal Musings Vatican Vespers video faves Vile Joe Biden Voter Fraud War by Litigation War on Terror War, What it good for? Why can't weeee be ... World Youth Days Year of Faith Year of the Priest

Select a Month August 2016 July 2016 April 2016 March 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 August 2004

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which book of the Bible contains the story of Gideon?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Joshua 2 Kings 1 Samuel Judges