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New Meaning to Republican 'Family Values'

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Sarah Palin's Daughter

Minneapolis-St. Paul -- Teen pregnancy is a problem in our society.

A recent report shows that teen pregnancy rates have gone up from 21 births per 1,000 teenage girls in 2005 to 22 per 1,000 in 2006, the most recent year for which statistics are available. In recognition of the trend, celebrities such as the Jonas Brothers and Disney dynamo Selena Gomez have grabbed headlines by taking abstinence pledges.

Helping teens resist the temptation of sex, which can result in unwanted pregnancies, is part of the agenda of the pro-life Republican party.

Yet, Sunday we learn that GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin's unwed 17-year-old daughter Bristol is five months pregnant. ...

According to the Associated Press, Palin and her husband Todd released this statement: "Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned. We're proud of Bristol 's decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents."

Of course, the Palins' predicament is a private family matter, but choosing Sarah Palin as John McCain's running mate begs this question: Is this the image that the so-called party of family values wants to put front and center?

For his part, Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama said emphatically, "I think people's families are off limits; and people's children are especially off limits." He said he was offended by the suggestion that his operatives spread the unfounded Internet rumors that Sarah Palin's infant son Trig, who has Down's Syndrome, is actually Bristol's.

Meanwhile, BV took the temperature of people attending the Republican National Convention in St. Paul today.

Here (in the above video) is what Barbara Ciara, president of the National Association of Black Journalists, said about what Palin's selection says about GOP family values.

My Barack Obama Odyssey - The Next Two Months

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