Saturday, September 06, 2008

Save Levi Johnston!

What do we know about Levi Johnston? We saw him up on the podium at the Republican Convention chewing gum and looking adorable. If I was seventeen and living in Wassila, Alaska, he would certainly be on my list of possible boyfriends. Handsome, hockey playing jock... oh yeah! But look where he is today. Holding a Downs syndrome four month old -- in front of the country, for the cameras, and holding the hand of his childhood beloved (and lest we not forget, they are children), to make a point about how wonderful a father and husband he will be.

Let’s just say that Levi Johnston has no choice but to marry the mother of his unborn child. We’re assuming this, but he obviously doesn’t have a choice. The good Governor and the Republican party took the kid’s “My Space” page down because it said he didn’t ever want to have children. Now isn’t that a surprise? This eighteen year old baby doesn’t want to have a baby – let me rephrase. This eighteen year old baby didn’t want to have a baby, until his soon to be mother-in-law was selected to be the Vice Presidential candidate on the Republican ticket.

When our pit bull – and that is what she calls herself—made the announcement about how she and Todd were delighted to be grandparents (they were also high school sweethearts), she failed to mention that, as Governor she line-item vetoed funding that would help other young single women support their unborn children. But when it comes to funding and legislation the McCain/Palin team seem to forget about individual needs. They talk in the greater scheme of things. (It’s so much easier when it’s not personal or rather inconvenient). Like we want clean air and water but we won’t fund it, just drill, drill, drill. We want a better education for our kids—if only those selfish teachers would sacrifice some salary. We want the veterans to be cared for—but not enough to pay for it. And in this case, we want women to choose to give birth rather than have an abortion, but we can’t be responsible for those kids. After all, the pregnancy was about their irresponsible immoral behavior. Oh, but not our kids. Our kids are different. They made a choice to get pregnant, have the baby, and marry. Or was it hot love in the backseat, no thought of consequences, uh oh a baby, what to do now that it is a national scandal. And by the way, we have the means to take care of our kids. We are happy, happy, happy -- so screw those other people (who we insisted carry those babies to term even in the case of rape or incest). But I digress—which we all know I am prone to do when I’m on a tear.

Levi, poor gum-chewing, adorable, obviously virile, Levi. When I watched this young man twitching on the stage it took me back to a time when marrying the pregnant girlfriend, was the right thing to do – unless the girl was a whore. And really, most of “those” girls were “bad” girls. They grew up with little supervision and absolutely no morals. But time marched on and things changed. “Good” girls got pregnant, school systems accommodated the pregnancies, boys, and I mean boys, were not forced into marriages that were short term (in this case my guess is until the ticket is defeated or the baby is born), and would make everyone miserable.

They have been “seeing” each other, “going out” for about a year. I remember when Jordan would say, “Tony (high school boyfriend) and I are going out” and I would ask where they were going. It was not, in her mind or mine, as much about the person as the actual place. We all go out – for a bite, to a movie, to the bowling alley, or to a place where we can make out. We do not expect to have to marry anyone as a consequence of doing any of these things. I’m sure getting married, and certainly having a baby were not in his present time life plan. But now he is saddled with these serious responsibilities that will play out on a national stage.

So here’s what we should do. We need to start a Free Levi Johnston campaign. We all need to vote for Obama so that there will be no need for him to marry Bristol Palin. The grandparents will take care of the baby and Levi can go play hockey, drop by for visiting privileges, and have a normal life. At some point if he chooses to marry Bristol, so be it. But right now, let’s help free this kid from the clutches of the pit bull, the Party, and all the pundits. Please, save Levi Johnston! We’re just sayin... Iris

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

This comment from the conservative who has the utmost respect for you and your views - and who also genuinely enjoys your blog however: These are children (your words), not much younger than our own.

I would think this recipe calls for a little less tabasco than usual.

Iris&David said...

I would agree but think about our Belle and Jordan. Pregnant or not, Would we want them to be in a marriage that was doomed for disaster -- in order to win an election. I think not. We would want them to be thoughtful about what they want for the future-- and we, as loving parents would make it work for them.

Billie Mercer said...

I agree that Levi is being used. Bristol too. If these two kids wanted to be married, it would have happened at least 2 months ago.

Anonymous said...

This is the theater of the Bubba.

McCain and Palin are playing the Bubba card to the hilt.

Obama sounds like a lawyer on the stump.

When the Bubba votes, the Bubba candidate wins.

Mr. Johnston and his pregnant girlfriend are like so many Bubbas in the world. They are Bubba icons.

Where are Obama's Bubba icons?

W living in the land of Bubbas (Carroll County Welcomes You!)

Anonymous said...

Iris, please tell me this one didn't come in the middle of the night in your Grandmother's voice. I didn't know your grandmother but I don't think...

Now let me get this straight - you'd have me believe that the outcome of this election, or maybe even the future of the democratic party, is based upon 2 kids from Alaska who made a mistake in the back seat of a truck (yes truck, this is Alaska) after prom night. And because they did so, its now perfectly OK to go after them with no mercy?

I liked it better when hanging chads won or lost an election, not children!

Unknown said...

Hi, Belle's dad. I don't know you, and God knows Iris can speak for herself, but I don't think she went after them with "no mercy." Yes, the two about-to-be parents are children and yes, we all feel sorry about them. Can you possibly really believe that putting them both in front of millions of TV viewers will help their forthcoming marriage and parenthood?
No, the election is not based on their lives, so why on earth were they put in the spotlight? No Democrat made that decision, unless it was Joe Lieberman.

Anonymous said...

Bebe, thanks I guess?

I offer as a comparison: McCain's 96 year old "adult" mother was featured and interviewed numerous times during the RNC, as well she should as she's a class act and has probably earned it. However, she's also considered a poster child for the AARP groupie vote and I'd bet money there was strategy in place to exploit this. And so, let's go after her! At least she's an adult - hell, even in dog years she's an adult.

Not everything done in life is a political ploy or for political gain. Let's let children be children. If you think these kids were paraded around the RNC for Palin's political gain, then so be it. I just don't happen to agree...

Iris&David said...

Bebe my love, as always you said it better than I. It's not about basing the election on these two children but the McCain people are making it an issue. Obama said it was off limits. You can't have it both ways. Say you are delighted about the deciciosn to keep the child and then line item veto financial support for other young women who have decided to do the same but can't afford to do it on their own. And FYi, we know from dear freinds that John's mother was appauled by the parading of the pregnant daughter and the show of passing the baby around from person to person when the little guy should have been in bed.

The Calico Quilter said...

I'm glad I'm not the only one who watched the poor kid on stage and could see the figurative shotgun pointed at him. For pity's sake, we can talk all we want to about the contrast between their mother's Party's theoretical ideals and their actual behavior, but let's let these two kids remain in obscurity and try to work out how to rescue the rest of their lives.

And that goes for the rest of her brood too. I frankly don't give a rat's butt about seeing her adorable seven year old on stage. Anyone manipulating their children like that and using them for political advantage is despicable. Obama, are you listening too? You said the kids should be off limits but, earlier, there your two were at the convention. I don't want to see as much as the hem of their dresses in the public eye until this election is over.

And that baby should have been in bed at that hour. Geez, these people hack me off.

Anonymous said...

Alright Already...
I surrender, retreat, raise the white flag, had enough, wore me down, Boris and Natasha -vs- Bullwinkle and Rockie, Kong annihilates Godzilla, etc, etc, etc!

And yes, Obama's two precious daughters were showcased at the DNC. (I specifically did not mention this earlier as they are children). But low and behold, I now recall seeing that the youngest has one slightly crooked bottom front tooth and a right leg that is 1/44th of an inch shorter than the left. Should I go after her? No, she's a mere child and should be Off Limits! If anything, I go after Obama, but not her!

And yea, I thought my line about McCain's mom being an "adult even in dog years" was great. Peace!

onionbagel said...

Mr.Obama and Mr. Biden need to sharpen their pencils and tongues for the upcoming debates. I hope the ad agency that creates the ads for them are better and hopefully more creative than their republican counterparts.

4 more years of the republicans will be hard to take.

As for Palin's daughter and boyfriend ..it happens to democrat parents too! Maybe its because it ain't easy bringing up teenagers especially when everybody else assumes the responsibility.

Mr Obama is gonna have to be TOUGH. His speeches are inspiring, I remember how Gore blew it in the debates. He (Obama) should go read some of Lincoln's speeches and ability to debate.

Biden should not attack Palin, I remember in the Democratic debates when they attacked Hillary. Palin will come off as the underdog.

Check out her religious background, if you are not a christian you are going to hell.

Oh well, I will have a lot of company.

Debi Brand said...

Yes, by all means, Save Poor Levi form the jaws of lip-sticked pitbull!!!

John said...

She decries sex education and believes in creationism. What a shock she has a pregnant teenage daughter. It's shameful that such a segment of our voting populace can't see that this insane behavior of the christian right is actually one of the largest impediments to moral progress this nation has to overcome.

I'll make the t-shirts. save Levi!

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Fire Detection said...

if they want to get married, they can do it.
but not in order to win the election of the grandmother baby