Published: September 04, 2008 11:38 pm            

KENNETH HART: ‘Juno’ comes to Juneau 090708

Juneau. “Juno.”

They’re spelled differently, but they’re pronounced the same.

The former is the capital of Alaska; the latter a (hilarious) motion picture comedy about a teenage girl who finds herself pregnant.

On the surface, the two would seem to have little in common.

And, I think it’s safe to surmise that that was probably the case up until a few days ago.

That was before it was disclosed that the 17-year-old daughter of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin — the woman who could find herself the proverbial heartbeat away from the presidency come January — is, as folks used to say, in a family way.

The irony of the Juneau-“Juno” connection apparently hasn’t been lost on the producers of one particular TV network morning program.

I was watching said program the other day when a photo of Bristol Palin, whose mom was chosen as Republican presidential nominee John McCain’s running mate, appeared on the screen.

The picture showed the teen clad in a basketball jersey. Guess what was emblazoned across the front?

Yep. Juneau.

Let’s be clear about one thing here: I personally don’t think Bristol Palin’s pregnancy should be a huge deal to anyone except her, the baby’s father and their respective families.

Teenage girls, even ones from prominent families like the Palins, have been getting pregnant since the beginning of time.

Is that a good thing? Well, no, not necessarily. Most teens aren’t emotionally ready to become parents and are woefully unprepared for the new responsibilities that come with having kids.

But, it happens. And, I happen to believe the fact that pregnant teens are now treated with compassion, rather than being secretly shipped off to homes for unwed mothers, is a definite sign of progress.

I also believe that Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and his running mate, Joe Biden, did the classy thing when they both declared that Bristol (interesting name; her parents must be NASCAR fans) Palin’s pregnancy was off-limits politically.

One has to wonder, though: What if the situation were reversed and we were talking about one of Obama’s or Biden’s children?

Do you think that the opposition would be as gracious?

I don’t know about you, but I have my doubts.

We are, after all, talking about the Republican party, which, thanks to Karl Rove’s slimy likes, has elevated scurrilous campaign tactics to the level of an art form.

Ask Max Cleland. Ask John Kerry. For that matter, ask McCain, who, prior to the 2002 Republican primary in South Carolina, was subjected to “push polling” that suggested that the Arizona senator had an interracial child born out of wedlock.

So far, we’ve also heard hardly a peep from the uber-religious segment of the GOP regarding Bristol Palin’s condition. We’ll know, I guess, in November whether their silence indicates approval.

Again, I’m guessing that if the child involved was the offspring of a politico with a D, rather than an R, behind his name, those folks would be filling the airwaves and newspapers’ letters to the editor sections with rants about so-and-so’s “moral failings” and other such rot.

In any case, it would seem that the presidential campaign season just got a lot more interesting.

KENNETH HART can be reached at khart@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2654.

        

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