This is an odd one, Palins 5th child is apparantly her 17 year old daughters?

[jojosmaman]

... according to some reports in the US?

here

tigger, there are a couple of pics of her very apparently pg from this March - will try to find them for you.

Erm, the Sarah Palin conspiracy theory was reported in the Times as 'unfounded'. And the 'Obama is a secret Muslim' stories were widely reported, the Times included. I suppose 'Muslim-bashing' and teen pregnancies are the ones considered safe for broadsheet reporting. But no paper reports every crackpot theory, do they? There'd be no room left for any other news if they did.

ahem. I got involved to refute the allegations of misogyny, not to discuss the details of the allegations against Palin. which I have not done, apart from one oblique reference to outlandish conspiracy theories my DP came up with.

and muesli, of course

I don't see you stepping away from the thread, either.

Thanks Wendy.
Am enjoying this news story. Nothing better than a good conspiracy theory.

And for that matter, perhaps, just perhaps the two conspiracy theories above have gained more currency in people's minds than the rest of the wild suppositions because there is a long and well-documented history of people:

a. covering up pregnancy out of wedlock and passing parents off as siblings

b. people hiding their true religious origins because of fear of persecution.

This is not to say I consider either theory to be remotely true, but it has never been uncommon for either to have actually happened!

Just seen the news

er, yes, I think we can agree on that but it's not really the point, is it?

dittany You mean Sarah Palin is a woman Well that changes everything.

There is no way that she could have ever told a lie then is there.

Naughty us for even thinking it could be possible.

ALL scurillous rumours get press attention. Do you think the papers only printed the Clinton stories when they had some evidence behind them? Stories about rival candidate's sexual and private family behaviour are meat and drink to strategists.
As Bob says, it's not exactly unheard of for parents to pass of a sibling's child as their own. For years Eric Clapton believed his grandparents were his mother and father until he found out his 'sister' was really his mother. Same for singer Bobby Darin, Jack Nicholson, Dunblane killer THomas Hamilton. So while it isn't true (or is hugely unlikely to be true) in this case, it isn't exactly unheard of for a mother and daughter to be complicit in this deception.
I completely fail to see why it is 'misogynist' to report the rumour that a woman has lied about the parentage of a child, but not misogynist to report the rumour that a man has lied about the parentage of a child.
I wouldn't normally approve of dirty tricks, but this woman needs stopping. She's dangerous. I wouldn't object to dirty tricks stopping Bush, Stalin, Hitler, or dozens of men when their election could actually prove highly dangerous.

for pity's sake I am NOT slandering anybody! I've just been gently correcting some of your statements. Will you step outside your ivory tower for a second? Can you re-read my posts and see words such as 'wild suppositions', 'conspiracy theories' 'This is not to say I consider either theory to be remotely true' - is that slander? Really?

oh tosh and nonsense, don't start on my DP.

DP (not DH, btw - how dare you assume I've bought into an institution that has oppressed women for centuries ) doesn't even know who Palin is, he just asked what we were talking about so I told him the facts and he came up with an alternative theory to fit them.

You'd never meet a less politically informed man, or a less sexist one, than DP, I'm afraid.

And I haven't slandered anyone, just pointed out that I don't believe questioning someone's honesty is a misogynist act.

I don't believe for a moment she has lied, it would all be a bit ludicrous, as I've said before. But I do take issue with people saying that this smear campaign is all about her gender and carried out by 'frothing misogynists'.

Playing the gender card when it's not justified doesn't do women any favours. In fact, it sets us back.

This is a weird story for someone to invent.

If pushed, I would put money on it being true.

Here is a reputable British broadsheet reporting rumours about both Omama and McCain. Interestingly in 2000 rumours flew that Cain's adopted Asian daughter was actually his own black illegitimate baby. Now, tell me, how does that differ from teh Sarah Palin rumours? Are the McCain rumours also 'misogynistic'? [[http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jun/12/barackobama.johnmccain}}

What's the male equivalent? Misandristic? Never sure about that one.

And here's coverage of the Edwrds rumours:
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1042662/John-Edwards-love-child-rumours-threaten-Barack-O bama-presidential-campaign.html

This is the Super Tuesday pic - early Feb I think - 2 months before the baby was born. (Pic takes ages to load)

I have found the March pic but not a date for it - still looking. She suddenly got huge though

you can 'take it' if you like, dittany, but my politics don't come into it.

if this was Hillary Clinton or the leftist of lefty women we were talking about, I would still be saying that a similar smear campaign wasn't misogynistic.

as I've said about a million times before, but I'll repeat for the last time before bed:

• I do not condone this type of smear campaign, regardless of political affiliation

• It is evil and wrong and nasty

• But this particular instance is not misogynistic