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My Strange Moment Of The Week: Coming to the defense of a pair of conservatives

I don't do this very often, but I'm going to come to the defense of two conservatives: Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and Sarah Palin's daughter, Bristol Palin. Jindal has been the butt of a lot of jokes this week concerning a video where he announced he was going to be running for president, and Palin has received criticism for once again getting pregnant.

While I'd be the first to admit that Jindal's video appeared to be a tad on the creepy side, I also prefer how he went about things (minus the video) over how most other candidates go about making such announcements. I thought it was kind of nice that he sat with his family and talked to his kids about his decision, and even went so far as to ask what they thought. I respect that. I don't agree with Jindal on much of anything as far as politics are concerned, but while the video provides material for easy, cheap jokes and laughter, I think people should lay off him for this. It's nice to see a politician sit down with his wife and kids, ask them questions, and discuss such a huge decision with them. Next time, though, Bobby, you may want to think of a different spot to place that camera...

Bristol Palin is largely receiving criticism due to this being her second pregnancy and being a spokesperson for abstinence-only education. Yes, these two occurrences appear to be slightly ironic and hypocritical, but let's cut it out with criticizing Republican politicians' children. I don't agree with the abstinence-only education approach, but also don't think Palin should feel shamed by her ultra-conservative family for engaging in sex or of getting pregnant. Who knows, with progressives coming to her defense, perhaps she'll have an epiphany, suddenly realize abstinence-only education isn't the answer, that women shouldn't be or feel shamed for enjoying sex or getting pregnant, and that fighting for women's rights is of continued great importance in this country. Hopefully the young Palin can treat this as a positive learning experience, from which she can grow in the future.

I have to admit, I feel slightly odd writing an entire blog where I come to the defense of conservatives, so I'll end it with this - if you want to criticize a pair of conservatives this week, look no further than former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia (you could also add fellow Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and Texas Senator Ted Cruz to that list, among others). Okay, now I feel better.

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