A Thom Hartmann caller just made a great point about double standards....

[marmar]

.... noting that there's a 17-year-old black kid in Georgia (I presume he was talking about Genarlow Wilson) in jail for consentual sex, but the 17-year-old who got Palin's daughter pregnant when she was 16 will be paraded on stage like some kind of emblem of family values.

Liberty and justice for all? Not so much....

[daggahead]

1. I heard that, too.

He brought up a great point.

What is the age of consent in Alaska? Isn't it different for each state, or is there a uniform age across the country?

[Lochloosa]

3. 16

[radfringe]

2. if you have access to his chat/forum -- pass this alsong

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3913367

[benddem]

4. a smart guy

I was pleased to hear someone make that point.

[EOTE]

5. Wasn't Generalow released recently?

If not, it's a travesty that he's still in jail. The double standard is breath taking.

[onenote]

8. released in Oct 2007 I believe

And his conviction was a travesty. And it would be a travesty if anyone else was ever charged in similar circumstances, including Levi whatshisname.

[sabrina 1]

6. A very good point

Hypocrisy is the hallmark of the Republican Party. 'Don't do as I do, do as I say' is their motto.

Another example of Republican hyocrisy is their fake outrage over 'attacking the daughter of a politician' (which I agree with, btw). If they truly believed this then that standard they are clinging to so fiercely now, would be applied equally. Unfortunately, just as George Bush has zero moral authority to lecture other countries on torture eg, the Repubs do not have the moral authority to speak on this subject.

Maybe if they had screamed as loudly when, eg, Rush Limbaugh attacked Chelsea Clinton as a little girl, younger than Palin's daughter, for nothing than her looks, they might be qualified to be the standard bearers for this issue. But just as I laugh, sadly mostly, when I hear Bush admonish anyone for violations of human rights, I laugh now when I see the same Repubs who still listen 'religiously' to Rush, losing their cool over attacks on the daughters of politicians.

It's the hypocrisy, stupid.

[Salviati]

11. And don't forget that mccain also attacked Chelesa.

If you don't know what I'm talking about check it out here. I mean I'm not going to hold it against Bristol at all, but I do think that it opens the door to her mothers policy stances on what to do in such cases, be it sex ed, abortion rights, or support for young mothers. I think that discussion is one with some meat on it and is worth having, but attacks on Bristol are out of line.

Likewise I think that attacks on Sarah Palin herself are less effective than what the pick tells us about mccain. I mean it's a completely irresponsible selection for VP, made for purely political reasons. Putting America first my ass.

[EFerrari]

7. Exactly. K&R

[K8-EEE]

9. that's right, I couldn't BELIEVE that story!!

I'm sure all the Repukes were comeing to that kid's side, right?

Please!! Whenever minority kids have sex it's because of bad parenting, when white suburbanites do it, it's "life."

[Chisox08]

10. Talk about double standards

I thought that the girl that Genarlow Wilson got arrestted for was 16 at the time. Wilson life gets ruined just like a lot of young African-American males, and that Alaskan red-neck gets to be paraded on national TV as a "responsible youth" and the poster child for "family values".

[TomClash]

12. Different states, different laws

Age of consent in Alaska is 16.

Still, the moral point is well-taken - if it's white it's alright, as Chris Rock used to say.

[romulusnr]

13. bump [nt]

[Arctic Dave]

14. K&R

[Donald Ian Rankin]

15. That's what happens when you let states make their own laws.

Some of them criminalise things that others don't.

Are you arguing for greater centralisation of power?