Seriously, what do you expect from white trailer park trash. This woman has absolutely no clue. I can not believe the McCain campaign picked her to be one heartbeat away from the presidency. But what really gets me is the stupid conservatives treat an attack on her intelligence as an attack on a teenage mother. Sorry, this does not fly. They disinveted her from their dinner. So where does this leave the leadership of the Republican party? In the gutter where they have been living for a long, long time.

Dear Salon,

It's 10:30 at night, and I may be underinformed regarding innovative phrases (as a shut-in, I don't know what's new or cliche), but?....

"barkingly obvious"?.....

That's a wonderful phrase.

Thank you, Ms. Traister. I'm going to steal that one, if you don't mind.

Admiringly yours,

david Terry

www.davidterryart.com

Mercede and Levi are more than brother and sister.

Mercede points out that Bristol was jealous of Mercede being close to Levi, which is silly since they're bro and sis.

But then Mercede reveals she has a tattoo of Levi's name on her.

Creepy. Mad Creepy.

Piper is going to need every scrap of genuineness that ever blows her way.

It is devastating to grow up in the grip of a narcissistic mother. Sarah Palin's ego is so consuming that this little girl will not have enough oxygen for a long, long time.

She is lovely, smart and vulnerable.

I hope none of the bile that Palin causes to spurt in so many guts, including my own, spills on another daughter.

Piper will need enormous strength and endurance to survive her childhood with any sense of self.

In late middle age, I still have fangmarks from my mother's grinding hold. I would not wish the pain and confusion of a severaly narcissistic parent on any child.

This little bit of family strife is exactly what we live through day to day. I don't agree with her politics (SP) but at least she seems to understand that kids will be kids and it is left up to us (grown-ups) to clean up their messes... I don't like it but what's a man to do? Their Mothers told them that they could be whatever they wanted without the warning that sometimes a BABY would be involved... Do you know how many suburban Grandpas are running about doing their best to be a Father? In my small city there was even a meeting about it today (Mayor, local Media et. al.) about how horrible it was and how it has to stop and, and, and... Unless we as parents actually grab a pair and start learning how to say NO! I can only see more of the same for the foreseeable future. As ye sow so shall ye reap! What a drag...

You hit the nail on the head, Rebecca, when you said that it was Governor Palin's disavowal that made the show seem so much more juicy that it really was.

I would never vote for Sarah Palin in a million years. She's unqualified for office, and her politics are alarming. But I always liked her family. Sure, they're a little trashy but they seemed bright and happy. And I know plenty of families that have been touched by embarrassments such as drug use or teen pregnancy...including my own super liberal family. So I really don't judge them. Plus I was really impressed with Bristol Palin's tv appearance when she admitted that abstinence wasn't realistic. I thought, "wow, I sort of like this girl."

So what struck me about the Tyra show was how normal Levi seemed. Yeah, he's not a rhodes scholar but he's a nineteen year old Alaskan male. And yeah, he and Bristol had unsafe sex. Duh! Where do you think that baby came from? So, yeah, Sarah Palin would have been so much better served if she just ignored the interview and refused to comment. No one would still be talking about it anymore.

Rebecca Traister: "Someone in this family had the sense to know that, with their split from the Palins, their Warholian quarter-hour was winding up, and that a talk show tour might help them pad out the last 15."

Huh?

Pad out the last 15 minutes of 15 minutes?

Wouldn't that be the whole 15 minutes?

I am so confused.

NPD (isn't it all the rage lately?) has fucked my family up for generations. Would that we had something to be proud of...

I kind of wonder how close this writer has been paying attention. She references the grandmother's remark that Levi wanted his son to be on a "skateboard" before he could walk. The woman clearly said "on skates," not a skateboard. Hello? Hockey? Otherwise, it's a fairly interesting piece, in a condescending sort of way.

The three Johnsons who appeared on the show should not be tarred with the same brush. Mercede is clearly attention-starved and angling for some kind of fame--maybe a reality show? Mother Johnson clearly wants to rebut accusations that she is a drug-dealing oxycontin addict. But what does Levi want? At one point, Levi alludes to a custody battle in court. It's not hard to imagine the dynamics governing these families: the Johnson family is probably regarded as "low rent" in their community, whereas the Palins are Wasilla royalty by virtue of their prosperous snowmachine dealership, Todd Palin's racing credentials, as well as the mayoralty and governorship. The Johnsons have essentially been dismissed from baby Tripp's life, they lack resources and any dignified way to acquire them, and they are appealing to the court of public opinion to enhance their fortunes. I think the custody remarks were the main message being delivered on the show--that if the Palins don't want to see more of this, they had better let Levi see Tripp. So maybe this particular snowbilly is smarter than Salon is giving him credit for.

As to the writer's point that Palin is an inarticulate, narcissistic loon with no media savvy, well, yes, that is obvious "also."

But in the Johnston family, kids are named after products, sans the "s" at the end.

Mercede (So chichi!)

Levi (So manly!)

But where's McDonald (So tasty!)?