I'm speechless...

...so I'll defer to these guys:

Pat Forde of ESPN

Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports

Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports

Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated

Dawg dude who quite possibly reads my blog (as evidenced by the Armani Bear sign at ESPN's GameDay in Athens... seriously, I find it highly coincidental that he somehow connected houndstooth to Armani just one day after my post. Hmmm.)

-----------

So what about my thoughts on the other big news story of the day, the so-called "bailout"? I say give the $700 billion to Nick Saban and let him fix it. ;)

PS: Don't forget to take my poll. ----->

So does blackout =

The night the lights went out in Georgia???

Besides, everybody knows good guys wear WHITE. Silly dawgs.

RIP UGA!

(Shut up... I was spent after a long game! Still wish I was there but fully realize it just wasn't my turn this time. Congrats to those Bammers who were there and Godspeed with the gas shortage!)

Go teach the bulldogs to behave...

ROLL TIDE! ROLL TIDE!

Clarification

Okay, I enjoy reading Kevin Scarbinsky's articles (more than most Bama fans I presume) and while I'm not particularly offended by today's edition, I had to make a quick clarification before I can start my day--which consists almost entirely of unfun, grownup-type things (cleaning, working, cleaning, handling paperwork, and then cleaning some more.) Anyway, back to Scarbinsky. He reminded/chided us Bama fans that we shouldn't look down on the Dawgs and their frivilous "blackout" because we too have stooped to such tactics. His rationale? That in 2006 we commemorated The Bear's 315th win by wearing houndstooth trim around the collar of our jerseys. Okay, I was there that day so let me clarify. I can only assume that there was actually houndstooth trim on those jerseys that day because you could not see it. That's right, there was no discernible difference to the naked eye (it was all of 2mm in thickness--tops--and it wasn't big gaudy houndstooth... think less Fran Drescher and more Armani.) So it's not like they strolled out in some Walmart-lookin' jersey or something (readers of Gump4heisman will get that reference). And our opponent that day? Ole Miss. I assure you, it's not like we were wearing those jerseys for motivation. Anyhoo-- whether it's right, wrong, or indifferent, Georgia only manages to pump up the opposition with such silly tactics. (I know, cue obnoxious UGA fan pointing to their 2-0 record in Tha Jerseys.) Now when they "blacked out" Auburn, there were rumors swirling about the impending doom but UGA slyly warmed up in their usual home red jerseys. Then in embarrassingly new money style, they reentered the field of play at kickoff in their hallowed black jerseys (can't remember... did they rip off the red jerseys ala WWF?) Next they wore them against Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl. Huh? I can't believe there wasn't an outcry over "cheapening" those jerseys by wearing them in the Sugar Bowl where the winner takes what? 3rd place at best? Now Georgia has gotten a little big for their silver britches and has taken to announcing a week in advance that they will once again don the black jersey. Should that strike fear in the hearts of their opponents? I mean, at this point they seem to have worn the black jerseys more than the red. The way I see it, that just makes this whole thing cheesy and I would be muy peeved if I was a UGA fan. I personally come from the school of "actin' like you've been there before" (Because we--uh--have.) I know, I know, I like Mark Richt (I think that's the general consensus on the guy), but for the love of all that is pure in football, I hope the fundamentals win this game... and then do the cupid shuffle in the endzone on the sideline. :)



Happy Friday!

My, my USC...

I do believe you may have a Goliath complex. What else explains you letting a bunch of outmanned (albeit rabid) Beavers with a peanut named Jacquizz (seriously) Rogers smack you around all over Corvalis, once again letting a little ole David ruin your title run? Regardless, it's good to see that even with all your rampant cheating (insert Reggie Bush article here at a later date), you are far from unstoppable. Even better? Knowing that it actually means something to Bama for the first time in a long (long!) time.

"Who will fight me?"

PS: On a completely unrelated note, Sassy used the doggie door this evening to poop in the so-called dog yard. Thank God for the little things! Let's hope this all adds up to the beginning of a very good weekend.

I'm just sayin'

I REALLY want to go to Athens on Saturday. It's going to be hard on the ole ticker to not be there in person. I know, it's totally 100% illogical for me to go between the kids, dogs, Sunday school commitments, energy, travel costs, etc but it will seriously be hard for me to not be there. Does anybody feel sorry for me yet? Wow, tough crowd. So, I'm thinking about emailing one of the local talk radios or blogs or whatever and offer to do a little on-the-scene reporting in exchange for a ticket, press pass, ride in the back of a pickup truck there and back (all in one day because I really need to be back home come Sunday morning.) I mean, I'm sure I can find somebody to hang out with Miss Sassy or she can just learn how to hang out here by herself... which is going to happen someday anyway. Or she can just go to the game with me. (Seeing eye dog anyone?) I figure I can be in and out of Athens in 14-16 hours or so, right?!?!

Presenting Palin Mae Sassafras of Calhoun County

(Or Miss Sassy if you nasty)

Yes, this means we got a dog... a puppy no less. She was alleged to be part boxer-part American bulldog (thus, a bullboxer) but I suspect she is mostly American bulldog. She looks, acts, and lounges around like an American bulldog... and just so there is no concern or confusion whatsoever, that's not even close to the same thing as a pit bull, which is in fact a terrier. She is definitely a bulldog but it's reasonable to assume she is still part boxer because the late great Junie Mae was in fact part pekingese but he was a deadringer for a fullbred poodle. Which reminds me, yes the Mae is after Junie Mae. And yes, the Palin part is exactly what you think as well (so what's the difference between Palin the dog and Palin the politician? You don't get fired if you call the dog a bitch. Get it? Female dog? Palin supposedly had her brother-in-law fired? I think that's funny... Plumberboy and my dad think it's vulgar. Anyway, I digress...) The Sassafras has no real meaning except that everyone knows I always wanted a girl dog named Sassy and Sassafras just sounds so distinguished. Lastly, she is in fact from Calhoun County. So there you go. I'm not sure exactly how old she is but the folks at the shelter think she was born in May. She is still fairly skinny so I fear suspect her growth may really take off now that she can get good, steady nutrition plus plenty of lovin'. And yes, she has clothes but she's not keen on wearing them. We'll work on that. But for now I'd just be thrilled if she'd learn that carpet and grass are not interchangeable so pee accordingly. She uses the doggie door and seems to honestly understand that she's not supposed to take a leak on the carpet but she just can't help herself. I think she doesn't want to leave us long enough to go outside as she has some separation anxiety for sure (and apparently a little gas... stinky, which incidentally is what Plumberboy wanted to name her!) but we did make some small strides yesterday. Otherwise, so far so good. She loves the kids and she sits at my feet all day long, which is exactly what I wanted, minus the gas/pee/poop.


Now a new puppy doesn't exactly lend itself to an abundance of free time. Neither does Ricky Bobby's new soccer season. Or football season. Or the fact that our house would score below an 80 on a health department inspection. So in the words of Mark Bullock, it's time to clean up! (No one outside of the gump will get that reference. My apologies. But if you can actually find a video of Mark Bullock on the internet, you'll be glad you watched.)

Yeah,

I gotta say it was a good day. And whaddaya know, apparently Michael Phelps was in Auburn yesterday. :)

Update: Sorry that link wasn't there before and sorry it's a link that you actually have to read thoroughly to even understand its relevance but I got a little sidetracked and there is NO picture anywhere on the world wide web of the sign. I was going to go through Flickr one photo at the time in search for it but read latest post as to why that's not an option right now.

Thanks for your patience and please excuse our progress.

Happy Birthday Ricky Bobby!

8 years old!?!

Much ado about something...

Well, it's a little (lot!) hectic around here today but I hated to not check in here two days in a row even though there's a zillion other things that need tending to. Anyway, I'm not sure where I should begin. There's always something political to talk about these days along with the way we're gettin' hosed at the pump (oil under a hundred bucks a barrel does not four dollars a gallon make!) but really all I have on tap that is even mildly entertaining is my thoughts/ponderations from Saturday's UA-WKU game. So without further ado (can you believe I worked "ado" into my blog twice--make that three--times?!? Apparently it's technically "without further adieu" but it appears that "ado" is quite acceptable in today's English-American vernacular. So there you go... plus that's technically four times now, seven counting the alternate spelling...see below.)
Okay, truly without any further ado/adieu...

1. From the 3rd level of the west (old) upper deck of Bryant-Denny Stadium, John Parker Wilson appears to be wearing saddle shoes. I'm sure it's some combination of athletic tape and black cleats but the thought makes me chuckle. You know, I just have a mental image of the grand poobah of Bama Bangs prancing around out there in saddle shoes... and that's funny. If I squint real hard, his pants look like they are made from seersucker.

2. Apparently, Western Kentucky University borrowed their mascot from the local blood bank. Believe me, it's even less impressive in person. But apparently he/she is famous!

3. After a conspicuous absence, the guys in the PA booth finally gave us a little Dixieland Delight this weekend. It was even more awesome than usually because my yankee (seriously yankee) MIL heed-and-hawed right along with the rest of us.

4. Big Al actually crowd-surfed from the field of play all the way up to the top of the student section (um, 60 or 70 rows?) which may not sound like much until you stop to consider that he was in fact in the student section of the self-proclaimed drinking school with a football problem. At a night game. Sure, he was wearing a form of large protective head gear but that still deserves a medal for bravery or something. Or a free Denny dog (estimated value: $6--yes SIX! Apparently someone thinks the Crimson Nation is made of money.)

5. Some dweeb sat behind us and cheered obnoxiously enthusiastically for Julio Jones and Javier Arenas except that he pronounced it "Jew-leo" and "Jah-vee-air" all night. He cracked himself up and apparently it never got old to him. Me thinks he's not really a Bammer but rather another fan who lost a bet and, for some reason or another, it's taken him approximately six years (probably closer to seven) to make good on it.

6. Overall, our band is doing much better this year. They're more inclined to actually march off the field instead of scatter in a thousand different directions like little ants so they are slowly but surely making progress towards looking as good as they sound. And they sound dang good with their new repertoire too, which includes this. Sa-weet! (For the record, I did not sing all of Rammer Jammer this time because it seems like overkill for a Sunbelt conference team. I did chime in on "Give 'em hell Alabama". Just keepin' it real.)

Well, sorry folks, that's it for now. So what's all the "ado" in our household? Well, Ricky Bobby's birthday is tomorrow (8... say it ain't so!) and there's much preparation involved per our family traditions. Plus, Plumberboy is recovering from his trip to New York and our grass needs cutting, yada, yada. And then there's this:

Any guesses as to what this means?

PS: That's not me in the background.

You knew it was coming...

The uncanny resemblance? Per chance. The accent? That's just talent. (And yes, I suppose this answers my question regarding Tina Fey supporting a conservative woman. Deep down I knew that was coming, too.)




PS: Now I'm confused. If Lindsay Lohan, in all her infinite wisdom, has concerns over Sarah Palin's qualifications then maybe I should rethink my support for the McCain-Palin ticket. Thanks, Linds. And please, purty please, campaign for Obama. Bring a girlfriend friend.

Schneikes!

John McCain was hot! Maverick indeed!

Just FYI, I'm single-parenting it this weekend as Plumberboy is in upstate New York for a men's retreat. (It's his favorite place to be, well other than Heaven, with family, or in Bryant-Denny Stadium...oops, that's my list!) So that means the updates will be sparse [read: nonexistent] over the next few days but check back here again next week. Have a good one. Here's a video to hold you over until then. (DISCLAIMER: Hurricanes are no laughing matter but Geraldo dang sure is!)

No other posts today...

"Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great...



some achieve greatness...



and some have greatness thrust upon them." William Shakespeare

What, then, shall we say in response to this?

If God is for us, who can be against us?

As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither life nor death, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:31, 36-39

May God bless our heroes and patriots.

Oh-kNOwshon-he-di'nt!

Let's hope this dude (one Mr. Knowshon Moreno) gets arrested before his game with us. I kid, I kid (sort of.) Seriously, is this pic doctored? Good grief, I hope so! I think maybe so because he seems out of proportion with the other player. Seriously, I hope it's a hoax.

Well, a big thanks to Lacey who commented on my last post! (So did my husband and my dad but they are kind of obligated to do so... it's contractual.) I have lots of other thoughts on the subject but if I continue to post them without any break in topic then I will surely lose what little audience I have left. But rest assured it won't be long before I read another article or blog entry that forces me to fire off another post. Even if no one in the world ever read it, I have to get those things off my chest or I shall surely implode. There are probably plenty of you who wouldn't find that a particular loss but I don't think it's in my kids' best interest. Do you know how ill-suited my husband is to dress them on a daily basis? (Yes, I still guide my 2nd grader with his clothes. He needs all the help he can get.)

So, do you really care what I thought about the Tulane game? I think not. If I had to sum it up in a singular thought, I guess I'd go with this: If a really bad, ugly game still results in a two-touchdown win (albeit over a second-tier program) then you really are a different team from last year.

Any other thoughts? I guess just that 7 years ago today our country was a very different place. May God continue to watch over my family, my country, His People since we never know what's right around the corner. As I read on a bumper sticker this weekend "Bless God, America!"

My thoughts on Bristol Palin's situation (or lovingly alternately titled "You can stick that in your IUD and shove it")

To all those in the pro-abortion camp who find the Palin family to be hypocritical on the topic, this is for you:

So what exactly is hypocritical about a pro-lifer having a pregnant teenage daughter? Wouldn't it actually be hypocritical if her daughter had an abortion? That would make for a fair, extremely well thought out argument not to mention the exact definition of hypocritical. That would be her making the very choice she wants to take away from others. (It would surely sway the conservative voters too. As it currently stands, she has done nothing but galvanized the base.) Instead, the Palin family is backing up their anti-abortion stance and can now say, "when we were faced with that tough situation, we chose life" instead of just hypothesizing that they would choose life. And would the Republicans talk about Obama's daughters if they were in the same situation? Probably not as I highly doubt his girls would make it past the first trimester, thus successfully sweeping their "situation" tidily under the rug.

And to all the Planned Parenthooders and mushy-gushy sex-eders and teenagers everywhere:

Okay, we've covered the Palins so let's move on to abstinence-only education. Here's my stance on abstinence-only education. It should not be taught in public schools. IN FACT, THERE SHOULD BE NO SEX ED AT ALL IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. Since we so obviously have not surpassed all the global benchmarks in reading, writing, and arithmetic, let's just stick to those subjects for now. I don't want any school teacher talking to my kids about sex. It's inappropriate (creepy!) and it's unnecessary, thank you very much. I can just imagine all these liberal do-gooders sitting on the other side of their computer right now, their mouths hanging open aghast, so let me clue them in on something they probably missed out on during their socially awkward years. Teens know about sex. Yeah, they know almost everything there is to know about how to have sex. They actually do know all about birth control and urban legends and whatnot, too. Obviously they still get pregnant by the truckloads but that's because they are, in fact, having sex! Maybe they used something and it failed. That crap happens to adults, too. Regardless--believe you me--they are not listening to the "old" dude or dudette teaching the class. They are just giggling and getting all hot-n-bothered during the class. They are still going to go to their peers for "advice" or most likely, they are just going to wing it! It's the nature of the beast. So let's expect each and every parent to take responsibility for their children. (**Sidenote: I 100% percent agree that some kids will come from "homes" without responsible parents. In fact, I'll raise you one by saying most kids no longer come from homes with responsible adults. So I totally and emphatically support having several counselors on hand at the schools so that each child can go discuss such matters one-on-one. It's more effective and more appropriate that way, don't you think? And I really don't care what the counselor tells them because my kid should/will only be there to get his ACT/SAT scores. His father and I can handle the rest.**) I can swear to you that if I live long enough, my boys will know exactly what risks they are taking if they choose to partake in such behavior with a special emphasis placed on the fact that--as it stands right now and despite being exactly 50% comprised of their very own DNA--their child can have his or her brains sucked out and they will have no legal say in the matter whatsoever. Harsh reality but a reality nonetheless. Do you think I won't parade them down to a free health clinic to learn all about real STD cases in their very own community? Do you think I won't drag them somewhere to talk with a real person who has experienced an unplanned pregnancy ? I would absolutely do all of those things and more if I thought it was warranted. Heck, I may do it regardless. I remember hearing from my dad once (he probably doesn't even remember saying it) that you have a decent chance of your heart stopping the first time you try cocaine (interesting that this was written over a decade later). Guess what... I never tried cocaine. You know why? What he said was true (it could be proven) and he had done enough other stuff in life to prove that to me that he knew what he was talking about. And to me it just wasn't worth the risk. That's the crux of the matter. There is a whole lotta truth to unplanned pregnancies and especially STDs. We as adults are failing to warn our young people about the real risks outweighing the real benefits. We're letting them be snookered into believing their lives will resemble something sexy from TV and it will all work out just right. They will be loved and popular and successful! And if something unforeseen does happen along the way, then just go have an abortion! No harm, no foul--right? We would never do this with drunk driving. I mean, we tell them don't ever drive drunk. So how many times does someone drive under the influence before something happens? Does it matter? You may do it a thousand times before you end up mowing somebody down and spending a good long while in jail for vehicular manslaughter. Is it worth the risk? The resounding answer is no! Sure, people still do it but it doesn't change our approach (ie: the message that drunk driving is not worth the risk.) I cannot believe that so-called "responsible" adults don't feel the same way about their teens having sex. Seriously, that's screwed up. Sure, you may "hit" every cheerleader on the squad before you knock somebody up and/or you end up impotent from an STD. You may not. You may or may not get pregnant and have to decide whether or not to have an invasive surgical procedure to end the life growing inside of you. Really no way to tell! Maybe you'll never end up with a STD but I'm guessing your future spouse (oh right, marriage is for prudes!) isn't going to be impressed with your skanky record. So take a non-hormonal look at it and see if it's worth the risk. Do you want that to be your future? Of course it's your choice seeing as 14 makes you grown and all, just be dern sure you get your pets spayed or neutered, right? And by the way, abstinence works 100% of the time in preventing pregnancies. Care to argue that point?

Lastly, I'm not against birth control at all. I had my own tubes tied when I was 25. I really was a responsible adult when I made that decision along with my husband. But something seems wrong about discussing condoms with 13-year-olds though it's probably more like 10-to 12-year-olds at some schools. Seriously, is that not gross to you? And even if you're a perv and that's not gross to you, do you think the schools need to hand them out? As far as I know, there's no age restriction for buying them (from Walmart, from Target, from the vending machine at the Red Roof Inn) and a whole box of 'em costs about 1/5 of the latest Wii game so what's the problem with them being responsible to buy their own? They are responsible, right? Why should my son have one shoved in his hand so that some kid with lousy or nonexistent parents can get one for free, courtesy of my tax dollars? And by the way, I'll leave this post open for comments all day long, all night long too, so have at it. You can even do it anonymously. I assure you, you will not hurt my feelings in the least.

PS: My apologies to my parents who probably felt awkward if/when they read this. I just hope I'm making them proud by being on the correct side of the issue. :) Ultimately, I hope I'm making The Father proud (minus the ugly parenthetical title but it doesn't count if it's just an alternate, right?)

Warning: This may be offensive!

So, I've been wondering what Tina Fey thinks about Sarah Palin. I mean, obviously she was born to portray her on SNL. But after watching Palin's speech last night, it really makes me wonder if what she said below applies to conservative women, a thought that is probably quite offensive to her liberal sensibilities. (Although there's no denying that Fey is probably the funniest/smartest woman in entertainment!)




PS: If you're not terribly disgusted that someone like me would post such a video, feel free to also check out Tracy Morgan's hilarious counter to Fey's Clinton endorsement. And yes I know, these clips are obviously several months old.

PPS: So what did I think about last night? As far as political speeches go (drab and pandering to the lowest common denominator), I thought she killed. I've been telling y'all for almost a week that she rocks!!! By the way, does Biden read my blog?!?!

Humpday Halfbacking (because it's not Monday anymore and halfbacking goes with humpday better than quarterbacking)

So this pretty much sums up what I think about our win (singular). That's right--despite new Sports Illustrated covers, endless ESPN coverage, and the usual fan hype, UA's Saturday night beatdown of Clemson equaled only one win. As Saban said, we could still go 1-11. Do I think we will? Not a chance... well, maybe a miniscule one. But I do think it's legit to say this team has a different attitude than version 20.07. If you read the SI article, you'll see that may have something to do with a little Urban Meyer-esque gooble-dee-goo but I suspect it's got more to do with a good old-fashioned, four-letter word: W-O-R-K. Saban is notorious for out-working his opponents on the playing field, on the recruiting trail, heck probably even in the coal mines back in the day. But here's the key...I think he's finally convinced a bunch of kids born in the 90s that what Bear Bryant said back in their parents' (or grandparents'?!?!) day is as true now as it was then. That is, "The price of victory is high... but so are the rewards." Me thinks the big (BIG!) win on Saturday night was a mighty good lesson they won't soon be forgetting. And as much-maligned as Saban was for saying it (out loud, into a mike, at a press conference no less), I think the loss to Lousiana-Monroe taught them just as valuable of a lesson. We'll see what they look like on Saturday night. I for one am very eager.

Other things I thought about after watching (and re-watching) the game this weekend as well as the wall-to-wall ESPNU coverage:

1. Kirk Herbstreit seemed geniunely awe-struck by Alabama. You know, kinda like me some redneck fan at a game with seats close to the locker room tunnel. He was all wide-eyed and emphatic. Brent Musburger did his best to rain on the parade but eventually no one could deny that a: Herbstreit was right about Bama's dominating performance and b: Herbstreit, for all else he may lack, knows his football (he predicted an outright upset of VT by East Carolina and Bowling Green over Pitt). Of course, it's all very possible that Kirky boy was just hopped up on something.

2. I had forgotten how ridiculous that Clemson tiger looks. (Random incidental info: I get hits here several times a week because of my link to that tiger picture. Why are people so interested? Have to see it to believe it?) While I can truly appreciate Coach Bowden's willingness to do just about anything to turn their season around, I think they should start with that mascot. No one, including their own players, can take them seriously with that thing lurking on the sidelines. The fake 1970s-stuffed-animal-quality plastic eyeballs and completely unacceptable disproportionately small head do not represent their school well... at all. And PS Mr. "Tiger", I can see your neck flap. Tuck it in!!!

3. Another magazine cover?!?! I know, I know. Us Bammers will buy anything by the truckload so long as you slap an official logo on it so it's good business. Still, I can't help but wonder how many of our rivals are sick of seeing us everywhere they turn? I bet half of them have canceled their SI subscriptions! Here's to hoping they're not building us up just to watch us fall...

4. Poor Julio Jones. It's obvious in some of Saban's press conferences that at least one of the freshmen are feeling the pressure to be super, maybe even our next--oops, make that our first--Heisman trophy winner. Hey Julio, not saying it's you or anything but if so, don't worry about it! We're prouder of rings (think Sugar and Orange bowl, not Georgia Dome) than we are statues. You're new here so I'll clue you in, not having that trophy on campus is actually a weird source of pride for our fan base. It means we're more about team and less about individuals. Besides, it's awarded by a bunch of yankees!

5. I would like to go to the UA-Georgia game in Athens. Feel free to hook a sistah up. I will pay face value and of course, give you a shout out here on Steph's Other Space... which is, in fact, priceless. Holla!

Yup, still my homegirl

Well, today is yet another busy day as Crabman has Meet the Teacher this morning at preschool (still hasn't started preschool and won't officially until Thursday) but I have a few minutes to kill while my ancient dinosaur hot rollers heat up so let's get to it. I know you've heard by now that Sarah Palin's 17-year-old daughter is pregnant and I will admit to some surprise on my part. (In fact, I wanted to blog about it yesterday but Plumberboy was home so blogging was pretty much out of the question.)

There's lots to address so first I'll start with whatever mud the liberal bloggers may sling. (And much of this has already been discussed on Rick and Bubba this morning... dangit, they beat me to the punch!) Yes, Palin is a big advocate for abstinence-only programs and look where that got her daughter, right? Actually, abstinence has nothing to do with her daughter's situation since she obviously wasn't abstinent. If anything, this is quite the "I told you so" situation. And it stands in stark contrast--not only in principle but in practice--to what Barack Obama had to say on the issue. I pray this brings the entire issue to the forefront and we can start having open, honest discussions with today's "young folk" about throwing away their lives and their futures by buying into what Satan and the world is selling. What?!?!? How dare I imply this is a cultural problem, right? Have you seen the previews for Gossip Girl? Or what about the myriad of other shows geared towards tweens and teens? (Let's not even get me started on my hatred for all things on ABC Family.) If you have even a smidgen of decency and morality left in your body, you can't see them and not be appalled (and/or nauseated). Even Chace Crawford feels bad about it! In other words, we can't sell our kids (yes, they are kids) sex at every turn and then not expect the issue of teen pregnancy to seep into almost every facet of our community, including the Presidential race. There is no way the libs/Dems of this world can preach sexual and reproductive freedom to their constituents and then be holier-than-thou because the Republican VP nominee has a pregnant teenage daughter. However, kudos to Barack Obama for condemning any sort of "attack" on Palin's family life and to any other talking head for having the brains to realize this is a can of worms they really don't wanna open. Besides, if unplanned pregnancies and DUIs disqualified one from public office, no Kennedy would have ever been elected to anything.

Now, that was just my opener. What I really want to address is the conservative (and, by default, the Republican) response to the issue. I've browsed many blogs in the past 24 hours that also have an "I told you so" attitude towards Palin. You see, there are many people out there who believe a woman's only rightful place is the home and this knocked-up daughter only goes to further prove their theory! But there's one honking big flaw to that theory: I know plenty of gals with unplanned pregnancies who were raised by "stay-at-home" moms... probably more than those gals who were raised by "working" moms. Think about it... you probably do too! That doesn't mean I think staying at home "full time" with your kids is wrong (duh! That's what I do!) but I would also never have the audacity to believe that makes my kids immune from the snares of sin. I'm definitely planning to go into my thoughts on the "mommy wars" at some point in the future but for now, I just want to remind the good Christian folk about a few things. Like what Jesus had to say about casting the first stone. Now, a lot of people (Christian or not) know that story. What sometimes gets lost in the shuffle is that the folks exited the scene in this order: oldest first. You think that has something to do with the fact that they knew there was plenty to point out in their own lives, like maybe a time or two that (but by the grace of God, so to speak) they weren't "caught"? Or what about good King David? He was in fact "caught." I don't think that disqualified him from being a great leader of his times or a Biblical "hero." Well, is all of that stuff just too ancient for you? Then how about Ned Graham and Virginia Graham Foreman, who happen to be the offspring of one Mr. Billy Graham?

Okay, I gotta run but hold your breath because I'll be back soon with some more thoughts on Bama football. :)