What do you call a woman who is the opposite of a feminist????

Is she a chauvinist? Go ahead and call me one. Maybe you should just call me a hypocrite right up front too.

I'm just sorting out my thoughts about this whole Gov. Palin thing. Am I shocked about a 17 year old girl being pregnant? Aw heck no. It can happen in absolutely any family, mine included. It's a mistake, plain and simple. One that numerous teens have made.

Here's what I find troubling about the whole situation. That 17 year old child is going to get ripped to shreds, chewed up, and spit out only to be raked over the coals. And that's just what the conservatives will do to her. I feel that the conservatives (of which I claim to be one) tend to eat their own young (which I do not condone). The liberals are dancing in the streets. Come on now, this is the stuff of Obama's dreams. He even came off quite gallant when telling the press that this was off limits. He looked like the cat who ate the canary. When Governor Palin put herself out there to be governor and then a vice presidential candidate, she offered up her whole family. Particularly a member she had to know was "gonna get it". Did she tell McCain? What was he thinking? Is he belting back some good stiff drinks today? Hmm... I've got a lot of questions.

Here's where my struggle with feminism comes in. We aren't exactly the same as men. We can be equally important, but very different. We can get pregnant. Men can't (I'm not counting the fake ones on the Internet or the one People magazine tried to pass off as a man-no man has a uterus thank you very much). Does this mean we are not "equal" to or have the same rights as men? Nope. But it does make our life very complicated. When we elect a woman to one of the highest offices in our country, we get a few complications. Men more easily distance themselves from their families. I'm not saying it's right, it's just how it is. It's not politically correct for me to bring this up, but it's my blog and a free country, so I can say what I think. Women come with children, PMS, post pregnancy bodies, hormone surges, and "mama guilt" (you know all that stuff we somehow think is our fault). I haven't noticed my husband having all those same issues in the 16 years we've been married. Maybe I'm an unobservant dolt.

My wonderful mother-in law (good liberal that she was - who passed away in April, before Obama had firmed up the nomination) told me that if Ms. Clinton got the nomination, McCain was definitely going to be our next president. She was 89 and lived through all the civil rights struggles and believed our country would much sooner elect a black man before a woman. At the time, I found it interesting she couldn't imagine that a woman had a shot at it. I'd chew off my right arm now to hear what she'd have to say about all this.

Maybe Bristol Palin is a very, very, very strong young woman. Her mom's gotta be some kind of tough too. I know it makes me a horrible feminist, but I could never put my daughter in that position. I'd give up my career advancement before I'd knowingly send my daughter to the wolves.

I'm not a career woman. Really all I ever wanted to be was a wife and mom. I haven't held a "real" job in 16 years. Maybe I'm completely and totally out of touch with working women. Because of my lifestyle and homeschooling, I'm surrounded by SAHMs. My sister works. My mom was a working single mom. But I just can't imagine subjecting my family to the scrutiny. No job would ever be that important to me. Especially when our family was going through some rough waters. I would have told Mr. McCain, "I'm sorry, now is not my time, I'm going to have to pass." Of course that kind of attitude would have never gotten me to be a governor, now would it?

See I'm conflicted. Truthfully, I long for those days when we swept all this stuff under the rug. It was your private business and we all kept our noses out of it. It was a kinder, gentler nation then, wasn't it?

See....it's complicated.