Blogs Jun 20, 2011 at 10:34 am

Comments

1
Cool, I am sooooo glad to hear we don't have to believe women's date rape stories anymore, especially when they come out a few years late.
2
Where's my "GOD HATES WINE COOLERS" sign when I need it?
3
I'm glad Savage finally agrees that women lie about rape and we should assume they are lying, especially when they are religious. I mean, only women dressed as sluts get raped right?
4
Every teenager and former teenager who remembers actually trying to get seriously drunk on wine coolers knows exactly what to make of this story.
5
@4 exactly. She's lying about rape. Happens ALL the time. Especially in the murky world of date rape.
6
Crying rape where there is no rape is a crime worse than rape: Because it calls into question every woman who is *actually* raped, and gives credence to the rapists. What a sick fuck.
7
@1 Shes been directly in the public eye and hasn't been afraid to call Levi out on anything else. Shit, it would have been a great thing for Sarah on the campaign trail if she had said she was raped then because it would have showed conviction to keep a rape baby. And it would have given Sarah more excuses to sound fucking retarded because "i'm sorry, I haven't been reading any news papers lately because i'm so shocked and hurt by my daughter's rape"
8
Ha ha ha ha!

Johnston cashed in on his newfound fame in ways Palin found appalling.
9
Wow Dan...maybe you should've come to Slutwalk and learned a few things. Outrageous.
10
She was probably dressed like a slut too, right Dan?
11
I think it's a fallacy to act like Bristol Palin and Sarah Palin are functionally different people. Do you really think Sarah Palin isn't calling the shots on Bristol's public persona?
12
"Crying rape where there is no rape is a crime worse than rape"

So, did you carry that sign at Slutwalk this weekend?
13
Ah, the "I'm soooooo drunk on Boone's Farm" excuse for little ladies who are looking for a good fuck, but don't want to take any responsibility for it the next morning.

No means no, but not when you're only saying it for the first time the next morning to explain your walk of shame.

14
@13

Fuck you.
15
@Unregistereds, are you srs? After all the dragging through the mud that was done to the (admittedly asinine) Levi? I think @7 nailed this shit on the head.
16
While this story does not make sense to me given the facts I think I know, I believe we need to stay true to our principles on this.

Given that Bristol Palin's family has resources to provide the therapy and mental support appropriate for anyone compelled to make such a story public, I think we should concentrate on the potential justice aspect of this. I believe the statue of limitations has not run out, and so we must put pressure on the local prosecutor and police to investigate.
17
@5 It does not happen all the time. It happens 2% of the time, just like false reporting of any other crime. It's just that when it does happen, it's highly publicized so that idiots like you will think that women are lying bitches, and so that the real rape victims will be afraid of reporting their own rapes. If Bristol Palin is lying, she just prevented the other 98 real rape victims from being believed.
18
@7, yeah.

Saving my sympathy for the cheerleader in Texas, frankly.
19
If its just a self-serving lie why didn't she trot it out years ago?
20
@14: because all rape allegations are legit, right?

21
When will these trailertrash asshole Palins go away.

Fuck...they give trailertrash a bad name.
22
Claiming you were raped for political reasons is pretty fucking sick. You can't just throw shit like that out years after the fact in order to justify your pregnancy. Maybe it's true, but I'm going to have to call it pretty fucking convenient.
23
BTW I don't want anyone to think i'm any sort of rape denier or apologist. I was raped when I was 15, but I NEVER talked about the guy who did it until I was 20. It was too painful. I never even mentioned that I was even there (the place I was raped) to anyone. Thats why I find it odd that Bristol could talk about and see Levi on a regular basis for almost 3 years after "the incident" and then just now say nonchalantly "well it was rape"
24
Come on, everyone knows Republican women lie about rape all the time. Jeez, did u not learn anything at Slutwalk?
25
True or false (I suspect false, though that suspicion makes me a little uneasy, given the cultural history of rape denialism/apologism; while I generally think all rape accusations should be taken seriously - not that we should necessarily assume that they're true, but we should definitely not assume that they're false - Bristol's total lack of credibility with respect to her sexual practices over that past several years and the political motivations involved render this as suspect as I can imagine), the suggestion that Levi raped Bristol demonstrates that, in fact, abstinence is NOT 100% effective at preventing pregnancy nor STI transmission, as the abstinence-only crowd likes to claim. Given the unfortunate frequency of rape, it may actually be less effective than hormonal birth control.

At any rate, this sure is going to cause some nasty flame wars in the feminist blogosphere.

@6: I'm not sure it's worse, but false rape accusations are pretty bad; I agree that they lend credence to rape apologism, which helps perpetuate a rape culture.
26
I'd like to know how Levi forced such an upstanding Christian young lady to drink alcohol! Did he tie her up and use a funnel?
27
@19 Because years ago, she was going to marry him to fix the whole out-of-wedlock baby thing. Now that it's clear that Levi is never going to marry her, she came up with something else.

And although I normally believe rape claims on principle... I don't think a girl that age who really was raped would want to discuss it in a book, especially if she knew she was going to be attacked by so many people for the claim. Even those of us who have accepted that it's not our fault and that it doesn't really make us different are usually kind of sensitive about people saying it was. Also, like someone else said, the statute of limitations hasn't run out on this one- she could've just had him charged and stayed anonymous until the media jumped on it, but it would've made her story a lot more plausible.
28
Palins lie. It comes as naturally to them as breathing. Mama Bear can't open her mouth without lies spilling out. If this were just some girl, she'd get the benefit of the doubt, but she's a tool being used by a giant media lie machine.
29
@20,

No, because you're a scumbag.
30
"Claiming you were raped for political reasons is pretty fucking sick"

Calling a rape victim a liar for political reasons is noble!

Glad to see Savage has given rapists carte blanche to rape white, republican women.
31
Um, wasn't Quinn on "Glee" drunk on wine coolers when she conceived her bastard child with Puck?
32
Since Tripp was born in the end of December, it also means that they were camping in Alaska in the end of March when the average high temp is 33 degrees and the average low is 16. Maybe that is warm for Alaska but...
33
"Tripp was born in the end of December, it also means that they were camping in Alaska in the end of March when the average high temp is 33 degrees and the average low is 16. "

Exactly. Lying slut.
34
@29: thanks for that evaluation; the opinion of random people on the internet means a lot to me. And what's scummy about saying that some women lie about rape to protect their reputation? Is it not true?
35
Levi may be just another scummy person in the Alaskan hillbilly melodrama but he definitely should file a defamation suit against virgin Bristol.

Rape's one of the few crimes where an accused man is considered guilty; even if he somehow manages to prove himself innocent.

36
If I was Levi I'd sue her naked. False accusations of rape are as scummy as committing a real one.
37
Does she actually declare that she was raped? All the news story says is that she got very drunk and didn't remember it happening. That could be rape, but it's also possible to have a few drinks in you and actively indicate consent.
38
"And what's scummy about saying that some women lie about rape to protect their reputation?"

Because that's exactly what Dan Savage is saying here.....oh the irony of this posting the day after Slutwalk. Suddenly half of slog thinks women lie about rape.

It's like the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing.
39
@37 according to the law if are too drunk to remember you are probably too drunk to give consent.
40
@ 32, that was only their "first time." As the article notes, "When she confronted him about their sexual encounter, he said what she wanted to hear: They wouldn't do it again until they were married. It didn't work out that way..."
41
False rape is actually pretty low: the price of claiming you have been raped is *extremely* high -- and given that almost no one believes a woman who has *actually* been raped, why would there be any incentive to falsely claim, anyway? If you were not five years old, virgin, white & blond, and stone cold sober at the time, you can kiss any shred of public belief good bye. It's not even good enough to video tape the incident (jury acquitted an accused rapist in Orange county last year or so even with the video tape corroboration). The belief that women will lie is just that strong -- and is *very* easily used in legal defense beause of that.

So while it can and does happen -- it is pretty much in the extremely rare 2% category. Which, by the way, is backed up in analysis of police reports and so on and so forth.

I disbelieve Bristol precisely for the reasons outlined in @7 -- they could have made much political hay at the time over that if that's what happeend.

I *do* believe alcohol was involved, though. I'll give her that.
42
This story set off every bullshit detector I have. I was blackout drunk on winecoolers, I was using condoms AND the pill but got pregnant anyway. I know I could be wrong but it seems so obviously a narrative designed to appease the abstinence-only groups who are writing her paychecks.

This kind of rape happens. But every false rape accusation is a huge "fuck you" to people who were actually raped. I feel like this is encouraging abstinence-only kids who have shame induced regrets after they invariably have sex to backpedal like this too.
43
@ Dan, I don't see where this article shows she's claiming rape. She may be trying to blame the booze, or whatever, but that's a far cry from claiming rape.

I think you better change your phrasing.
44
On a side note:
As a paid spokesperson for abstinence, I find the claim that she was impregnated while on birth control dubious.
45
@42 Exactly. She's a lyin' slut.
46
Let's see...what we know is:

1) Rapes happen.
2) False accusations of rape happen (albeit the frequency is hotly debated.)
3) Pretty much everyone does something they regret as a teenager.
4) Bad things happen when inexperienced drinkers consume alcohol in uncontrolled situations
5) Some people behave as though completely conscious when blacking out
6) Someone who is both inexperienced and drunk himself is probably a poor judge of someone else's state of mind, particularly if he is also horny at the time.
7) Memoirs tend to be self-serving.

The only thing I feel comfortable saying about this case is that it is probably a very bad one from which to draw broader conclusions.
47
@44 Exactly because everyone knows condoms re 100% safe, especially with drunk sluts.
48
@39, if that's true, then I was raped on an occasion or two in my misspent youth. But I don't really buy that: I was drunk, and made decisions I may not have sober. If Bristol was clearly incapable of consent, then yeah, that's entering criminal territory, but it's not always that clear. (I've known drunks who can appear much less drunk than they are.)

And more to the point, I don't see any indication she's actually saying she was raped, which ought to count for something.
49
Sooner or later, Bristol has to face up to the fact that she was just Levi Revere's "midnight ride"
50
"but it's not always that clear"

Did you wear that on your t-shirt during Slutwalk? I did and got yelled at....

"she was just Levi Revere's "midnight ride""

Ha ha ha ha.... gotta love a good rape joke, especially after Slutwalk.
51
Levi was allowed to live in Bristol(15/16 yo)'s room for over a year. Presumably fucking every night with Sarah and Todd in the same house*. I know some parents do go along with those arrangements, but they usually they know to keep their mouths shut about anybody else's parenting. Sarah is never challenged.

Can you imagine the media giving pass to a Democrat allowing a teenage fuckfest under their roof? The Clintons or Obamas would be crucified for allowing their teen daughters to take BC or get a depo shot "just in case". Listen to President Obama having to pretend he'll kick the ass of any kid who asks Malia to the school dance in a Father's Day interview this weekend.

*They probably have a separate wing for the kids and weren't home that much, but still.
52
Jesus, unregistered troll - take your fucking meds.
53
@34,

It might have something to do with your phrasing which clearly implicates ALL women in the actions of a scant few. But, don't worry, everything you've ever written on Slog indicates that you're vermin. Your reputation is secure.
54
Danny, you need to teach your boy-crush Levi that anal rape is 100% safe effective birth control.....
55
@53: I think you need your reading glasses, or a sarcasm adjustment, or something. I didn't imply anything; I just said it's the "Boone's Farm" defense of saying you were drunk when you're not happy with the choice you just made. I didn't say all women use it, or most women, or even a significant amount. But since you know so much about me, your opinion must be valid, and you couldn't be projecting anything about yourself at all.
56
#28 nailed it.
57
We'll never know for sure who's lying. Bristol and Levi both seem pretty fucking unreliable to me. There's no evidence whatsoever besides the word of two people I don't trust.

So I have no opinion. This (Bristol/Levi) is an issue we ought to drop.

For a lot of women out there, getting hammered on wine coolers is how they work up their nerve to get with a guy. (A lot of guys do the same) For some guys out there, getting a girl hammered beyond the ability to think or resist is a way to "get laid." (Women generally don't need to do this and if they try the results are spongy.) The first are a sad result of a sex negative society, the second are the evil product of a sex negative society. Some girls, out of shame or a desire for revenge or whatever, claim to be victims of sexual assault of some kind or another. This is also evil. In all these cases it's often only a couple people who ever know the absolute truth.
58
I agree with Matt in Denver, @Dan. Nowhere in the AP article is Bristol quoted as saying that Levi raped her.
59
@43- she described a rape. If you described how some kid took a candy bar off your store shelf and put it in her pocket and walked out of the store without paying, you're accusing her of shoplifting whether or not you deign to press charges or use the word "theft." She doesn't even have to be bothered by it, in retrospect, for it to have been rape.

Maybe there were a lot of reasons she didn't want to frame rape as rape, or reasons it seemed like an unremarkable tale to her. Maybe that's such a common occurrence with her friends that when she presented it as the official how-a-good-girl-gets-pregnant story, it didn't cross her mind how skeezy and terrible and rape-y it sounds. I can see how, say, if no one around you talks about sex, consent seems too murky and confusing and embarrassing to establish, so you have drunk sex to have blameless sex. I can see how she could tell this story, whether true or not, and not perceive that it's a story about rape.
60
@54: I do not have a crush on Levi. You're thinking of Andrew Sullivan. I have a crush on Johnny Weir.
61
Whoa I had no idea you could write a memoir at 20. Who the hell thinks she has lived enough life to pontificate.

Also FWIW false accusations of rape are worse than committing rape. Not only do they harm the falsely accused but they also harm all women who are victims of rape.

The numbers around false accusation of rape are contentious but really only in terms in reports to law enforcement. Everyone knows that these casual accusations that are never reported to police fly around to excuse all kinds of behavior as Dan said. What is debated is how often a women is willing to go to trial and accuse someone of raping her when she knows it's not true. It is very easy just to try and jab at some guy knowing that without a trial nobody will ever get to the truth.
62
@9, @24, all the same guy, as a Republican the only time you care about any of these topics is when you can pretend to call Savage out on hypocrisy.

Why not actually take a stand for something aside from being a contrarian to every single one of Savage's columns?
63
This is one situation where no one can know this late after the fact. I believe the phrase is 'innocent until proven guilty' and it applies as easily to Bristol as it does to Levi. The flame war does nothing to stop false accusations or automatic assumptions of 'lying slut' until the paradigm shift when consensual sex becomes sinless in this backasswards puritan society and women are allowed to be sexual creatures without being shamed or becoming victims. Much as I hate to say it, Yoko was right all those years ago: 'Woman is the nigger of the world.' The Palins and their ilk seem perfectly comfortable keeping it that way. Even a black, short, socialist, femme queer boy fairs better than an any-sexual-orientation, any-appearance, any-political-view woman, still...we need an androgenous spring, not an arabic spring..
64
Women who lie about getting raped make me sick. It took such a transformation for our society to take rape as seriously as it does. Abusing that kind of trust is a terrible thing.

And the sad part? She could just play the repentant sinner role and end up just as popular and just as wealthy.
65
Anyone who writes an autobiography under the age of 60 is questionable anyways.
66
If she really believes she was date raped then it's time to put her rapist behind bars for the safety of other women. She needs to bring this to a court. The jury/judge will decide whether he's guilty. Until then he's presumed innocent.

That said, My inclination is to assume she's full of shit. If this actually happened I find it hard to believe this story would not have come out sooner. Do you really think that Sarah would let the rapist of her daughter walk free all these years? She would have shot him from a helicopter.
67
@Various commenters above:

MAKING A FALSE RAPE ACCUSATION IS NOT HALF AS BAD AS RAPING. For crying out loud!

The frequency of false rape accusations is about equal to the frequency of false accusations for other crimes - about 2% - although our cultural seems to think otherwise. This CLEARLY isn't the fault of those 2%: their power is no different from that of the 2% falsely reporting other crimes.

So you know what lends credence to the idea that women are lying whores, and people don't deserve to be taken seriously when they report rape? It's assholes like you who bring up the "lying whore" trope when someone reports rape. And it's assholes like you who blame those 2% for the rape culture endemic in our entire society.
68
If Levi was going to rape someone I think he would have picked an attractive woman.
69
I don't think she's saying it's rape - she's saying "it's not my fault." Classic girl who wants to not be a virgin anymore to get drunk (all by herself I'm assuming unless the funnel idea mentioned above happened) and then "passes out."

She had no idea that drinking a lot and being alone in a tent with her boyfriend was a bad idea. Really.

Here's a girl who claims she wanted to wait for marriage and yet these are her actions. Someone who wants to wait for marriage doesn't drink and be alone in a tent with her boyfriend.

I'd bet money she was not passed out and knew what was happening.

This isn't to say that a young girl couldn't get drunk and pass out and be raped. Absolutely.

But Bristol is sure making a lot of excuses (didn't want to do it again, was on birth control) for someone who wanted to wait for marriage.

You have to feel for little Tripp with all these fine adult role models.
70
It's possible but it seems highly unlikely. I've known many women who have been raped but I don't know any who became engaged to their rapist after the fact, outside of Luke and Laura on "General Hospital." My mom watched the show when I was young and that whole Luke/Laura drove me nuts. He raped her and they're supposed to be this great couple.

I also don't think that a black-out drunk woman + sex = rape. If that's the case, I was raped multiple times in my early 20s by one of my female friends and I know many lesbians who were "raped" by other lesbians. I just wanted to take the gender issue out of the equation to give a different perspective.

There's a huge difference between blackout and passout but some people think they're interchangeable. Passout is basically unconscious/not able to stand and no one should try anything with a woman in this state, whereas blackout just means extremely drunk and not likely to remember what you did/said later. I have had friends let me drive home numerous times when I was blacked out and they assumed I just had a few because I was dancing, chit-chatting, doing all the usual. I have never had a friend let me drive home when I was passed out because I wasn't able to stand up.

Just to clarify, this behavior is long in the past.
71
DRF Our society does not take rape seriously at all actually. Most rape kits sit untested for years, most police departments actively discourage women from making any report of their rapes and people regularly denounce any woman who reports being raped as a liar.
Also, Bristol does not use the word rape anywhere in her account of what happened, nor did she report it at the time.
72
"Spokesnoodle"? When did that appear? :-)
73
The rape apologism in this thread and in the blog post are appalling. You ought to be ashamed, Dan.
74
I'm not sure about the stats on false rape claims -- I've seen everything from 3% (not 2% -- that I haven't seen anywhere) to 40% -- and I mean only published sources (journals, etc.). I, for one, think this problem deserves more research. (I'm a big fan of gathering more data -- anything deserves more research! :-)

As for false rape claims being just like false claims of any crime... Yes and no. Feminists from Brownmiller on have made rape emblematic for certain things in society. If you believe in that -- if you believe in "rape culture" and that rape tells us something about gender -- then you'd logically have to believe that false rape claims also tell us something about our society, and "rape culture", and gender relations.

One can't have it both ways. Either rape is just a crime, with no deeper significance than any other crime (theft, murder, fraud, etc.) -- in which case false rape claims are just like any other false crime claims -- or then it isn't, and in this case false rape claims also aren't just like any other false rape claims.
75
As for Bristol Palin, in the article Dan linked to she indeed does not use the words 'rape' or 'rapist' -- Levi is only 'the gnat'. Why isn't she saying 'rape'? Is it because of a different vision of what rape is (she thinks she should take responsibility for being drunk, etc.)... or does she think the rape claim (investigations and all) would not stand if examined by the police?

In order words, does she have any interest in pressing charges? One should expect her to, since rape is a serious crime. But if she doesn't press charges, after describing the scene with 'the gnat' in her book, what would that mean? That she doesn't want the claim to be investigated?
76
@ 67, right and wrong are not dependent on rate of occurrence. You think it's not "half as bad?" Ask any man who's spent years in jail for rapes he didn't commit.

That said, there is definitely something wrong with our culture and how it regards women. But you're off base.
77
PatMcCann, I think this depends on where you are. I was in a date rape hotline once in university, and frankly, the attitude was exactly the opposite of what you describe -- even very iffy/doubtful cases where treated as if they were clear and obvious.
78
'Rape apologism'?

Sigh!...

What ever happened to civilized discussion and exchange of ideas, evidence, and arguments? :-)
79
"MAKING A FALSE RAPE ACCUSATION IS NOT HALF AS BAD AS RAPING."

Why? I'd say it depends (in both cases) on the circumstances, and on how hurt the people in question were.

Life is case-by-case. Unfortunately, the one-size-fits-all attitude doesn't really match the way the world is.
80
If Bristol Palin weren't just one more PR tool for her mother, I might hesitate to cast doubt on a young woman's account of being raped. If this were not occurring in a milieu of kabuki hypocrisy, I might think it deserved a second thought. If this were about a person and not politics, it might actually be about rape.

That is not, however, the case.

This is some self-justifying revisionist bullshit right here. Fuck the Palins. Fuck every single one of their horrible inbred clan of psychopaths. Levi Johnston's only crime was being rock-stupid enough to fuck a Palin in the first place, and even that was under the extenuating circumstances of "What/who the fuck else is there to do in Nowhere, Alaska?"

And you know what? I might be wrong. Maybe this is really how things happened and Sarah was just saving it for a moment when she thought she needed the attention/exoneration. Maybe Bristol is just being used entirely without her consent. At this point, short of some miracle of accidental cameraphone historiography, it is not possible that we will ever know for sure one way or another, and Sarah Palin, by making this a public affair instead of keeping it as private as it should have been, bears the entirety of the blame for creating a situation in which a genuine victimization could not ever be wholly believed or redressed.
81
@78--how do you have a civilized discussion with people who say that Levi couldn't have raped Bristol because she isn't pretty enough? Sigh indeed.
82
Yes, I agree that falsely claiming rape is less bad than rape, but that's a personal opinion that psychological and emotional health are more important than public opinion. However. If that false claim causes financial or legal burdens you ought to be able to Sue the bejeezus out of the person.
83
The attitudes on this thread are troubling. While Bristol Palin has no credibility with me, I think she could very well be telling the truth in this case. I think everyone should reserve judgment on what happened unless there's some corroboration.

But why the hell does this matter, really? We already know that abstinence education is a crock. Bristol Palin is no one of importance beyond her role as spokesperson for that cause. Her behavior and the behavior of other people toward her has no bearing on her mother's political career, which is the only reason anyone should care about anyone named Palin at all. I just wish people would stop talking about any of these people.
84
Since only the two lovebirds know what really happened, everything that's spouted out here and everywhere else is just speculation and therefor should be handled with care.
My take on this would be that either a) Bristol got drunk, her hesitation went down south, they did the naughty consentingly, she had a hangover and this story is a cover-up (memory gap or not) or b) a Palin tells the truth for a change, Levi actually GOT her drunk with pussy in mind and is even more of a scumbag than he already was. If b) is the case, he should be prosecuted accordingly, if it's a) well, duh.

As for all the funny bunnies who accuse Dan of generalizing late blooming rape stories... reading comprehension is not your strong suit, eh? He's specifically talking about just this case. About Bristol Palin. And a Palin making shit up for the sake of smearing "enemies" -and selling books- isn't exactly new territory, is it?
Still, just speculating here, not accusing!! While I wouldn't bet my money on Palin out of experience, I'll wait for Levi's rebuttal/confession before making the final judgement, but that's just me.
85
"most police departments actively discourage women from making any report of their rapes"

BULLSHIT
86
Making a false rape accusation is every bit as bad a raping someone.
87
@ 48 - exactly what I was going to say!
88
A 15-yo born again christian on birth control "to relieve menstrual cramps". I don't buy that at all. Why not use Midol or something else? You don't use birth control to relieve cramps...it is for regulating your period. A born again christian definitely wouldn't use birth control in such a manner.

She was a binge drinker prone to blacking out. I completely buy that.

Her parents were OK with her staying out overnight, and she was in the habit of lying to them. Sounds like great parenting going on there.

I do buy on to the idea that Levi took advantage of her (or raped her), but her lack of credibility makes it hard to completely believe. If Levi's buddies can corroborate that he exited the tent before she did, then perhaps Bristol is telling the truth.

What's the verdict on a man and woman (in this case two brainless teens) both being drunk and not being able to give consent? Is it still assumed that the man/boy raped the woman/girl?
89
Bullshit. LOL :P
90
Hey @88, Midol doesn't work well AT ALL. Birth control pills can pull cramps back into a manageable level. I'm in my early 50s, and my cramps still (STILL!) cause me to fall to my knees in pain on their first two days, each and every fucking month. I tried Midol, over and over, for several decades, and couldn't stop the cramps. The only thing that ever relieved the cramps for me was birth control pills (would YOU like to have eight full days of heavy bleeding? Switching out your "super" sized tampon every two hours, all night long? A couple more days of light bleeding on each side?). This started when I was 13. I didn't have sex until much later, but after vomiting from the pain, in school (that was fun), you can bet I got the pills.
91
She couldn't report it to the authorities. Mama would have made her buy her own rape kit with her allowance, and she didn't get any that week for stealing Todd's wine coolers from his man cave fridge.
92
First of all: Bristol is not her mom. Although I deplore Sarah Palin and think the values she's bombarded her children with are limiting and outdated, this young woman is not her attention-happy idiot of a mother.

Second: how in the hell would anyone know whether this is true or not? In the chance that it isn't, then Bristol is ignorantly (or consciously, even scarier) exploiting an absolutely awful crime against a person for attention and that is abominable. But, in the chance that she's telling the truth - or what really matters, HER version of the truth and not the "objective" truth - how could any of us assess the damage that has been done to her? How could any of us know what it's like to be the daughter of a prominent, albeit idiotic, politician who champions conservative, Christian values and have to live every day knowing that something that happened to you would be seen as shameful, sinful, by the public eye scrutinizing you? None of us know this. None of us know what happened. Most importantly, none of us are Bristol. If she has suffered emotional trauma, physical trauma at the hands of this boy who took her consent (or not) when she wasn't sober, then he's as guilty as sin. The most secular, trangressive sin there is.

Questioning the validity of her claim should be left in your heads. Try being compassionate in such a delicate situation, not jumping to immediately blame-placing conclusions.
93
Anyone who says false rape claims are worse than being raped...well go out and get raped then go ahead and tell us all about it. Especially when you consider the fact that you will be falsely accused of making false accusations and people will say that you are making it so much worse for real rape victims, blah, blah, blah, as opposed to their sorry ignorant asses, but anyway, many of us would rather be falsely accused than raped thank you.
94
@93: Homework assignment: Go download kiddie porn on a work computer. One where you know somebody will go over your logs. Accusations child molestation are right up there with crying rape as good ways to assassinate someone's character without ever having to do anything as simple as provide any proof.
95
@93 It depends on the end result of the false accusation. One could say that you could try spending 8 years in prison for something you didn't go getting raped not once but over and over again.
96
"false accusations of rape are worse than committing rape"

No.
97
There seems to be a policy among left leaning women to believe, without question, any woman making an accusation of rape, regardless of the circumstances. This is the only time I can recall such women actually questioning an accusation. I think it is because Bristol Palin is the daughter of Sahara Palin who is hated by the left( I'm a liberal myself ). Hypocrites.
98
I think the fact that Bristol never even used the r-word to describe the night in the tent is a masterful move on her part. I have no doubt in my mind that one or more Palin family lawyer combed over that passage to make sure it was as scandalous as possible without legal ramifications. Whether or not it was rape, if she actually said, "Levi raped me," then Levi would have recourse to sue her for slander or to otherwise prove that it wasn't legally rape. Describing a date rape scenario without using the words gives her more leeway, reframing a possible legal matter to a social one. People on the internet could try to push her to press charges on him, which would expose the sham if it is a sham, but she could "take the high road" and leave us all wondering whether it really happened like she said it did.

It's a shame, too, that poor Trig is one day going to read about his father raping his mother, whether or not it was his conception. If it's true, then this is a sad, sad matter for that kid, one that I wish he would not be exposed to. If it's not true (which I think is more likely) than Bristol is trying to destroy her child's relationships with his father, and Levi's reputation as a human being. How like her mother.
99
Take out the Sarah Palin angle, and you have the following story: A 15 year old who was no doubt, experiencing heavy petting and third base marathons with her 16 year old boyfriend, then had clumsy sex with her boyfriend. 5 years later, after she finds herself separated from said boyfriend, it serves her "professional" (i.e., public image) and personal and familial interests to suggest that her 15 year old self was taken advantage of by that 16 year old boyfriend. (Ooooh...those men and their tricksy, lustful ways!) Surprise! She does so.

How many of you would believe your own daughter if she tried to peddle that to you? I wouldn't and I do have a daughter. While she gets my love, she doesn't get my unthinking, asinine support for poorly-constructed personal history revisions.

Women lie about sex, just like men. They may lie for slightly different reason at times, but they all lie about sex. She is lying about sex here, just like she likely did when she was having it then.

See the pattern, folks? She almost certainly lied at 15 to avoid the consequences. Now she is almost certainly lying again, to avoid the consequences. Since the consequences are now different, her lies are different.

But when you Womyn Power feminsists and your Sarah Palin haters/lovers true believes put on your Slutwalk ideological blinders or political hate-screed comment generators, you get 98 or so idiotic messages like the ones above. (Ankylosaur excepted)

Just think about it from the perspective of a young gal with changing incentives to lie about sex. The rest is easy.
100
@97--No, it is not just because of her mother. It is because she is completely changing her story a long time after the fact. In other words, the best evidence against Bristol Palin has been presented by Bristol Palin.

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