Those imperfect moralizers: 5-17-12

Some months ago, with my asking for it, I received a hardback review copy of Bristol Palin's memoir (can you really write a memoir when so young?), Not Afraid of Life.

I immediately put it in a stack of books I'd never bother to review just as I'd never bother to read them because, if I did, when I finished I'd just be several hours closer to my death.

Then the other day the publisher's representative sent me the paperback version of the book. Into the same stack it went.

My choice was reaffirmed this week when I read this Frank Bruni column in The New York Times. He describes a blog entry Sarah Palin's in-your-face daughter Bristol wrote about President Obama's (laudable) decision to announce that he favors same-sex marriage.

Here's Bruni (pictured at right) quoting Bristol on Obama and then Bruni's comment about what she said:

“It would’ve been helpful for him to explain to Malia and Sasha that while her friends (sic) parents are no doubt lovely people, that’s not a reason to change thousands of years of thinking about marriage,” wrote Bristol, making her heady debut as the new Dr. Spock for a nascent millennium. She added that “in general kids do better growing up in a mother/father home. Ideally, fathers help shape their kids’ worldview.”

Fathers like...Levi Johnston? It’s with him that she conceived her child — out of wedlock, at the age of 17 — and by most accounts, his relationship with her and the Palin family isn’t any warmer than Juneau in January. A mother/father home is not what he and Bristol have succeeded in creating.

Bruni went on to make a point about how many morally compromised people seem to be in the business of offering moral advice today, Bristol Palin among them.

And, of course, he's right.

The problem, however, is that if all columnists, bloggers, radio talk show hosts and other public commentary folks had to have a clean moral record to say anything, the world would be silent. Utterly silent. And I would be among those silenced.

I wish Bruni had mentioned that. Still, among the noisy world of commentary available today, we need not stoop to hearing sermons from Bristol Palin.

And just like Elvis took all those drugs so the rest of the world wouldn't have to, I may hang on to my copies of Bristol's book so they won't fall into the hands of people tempted to read them.

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IS THIS A BOYCOTT OR A GIRLCOTT?

Some Baptist churches over near St. Louis have refused to let their softball teams play against a congregation that has a bisexual pastor. This is the sort of bigotry that results when you misread scripture. For my own essay on what the Bible says about homosexuality, look under the "Check this out" headline on the right side of this page.

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P.S.: Join me at 2:30 p.m. this Sunday at the Plaza branch of the Kansas City Public Library as I speak about my family's 9/11 experience of losing my nephew. This event is the monthly meeting of Anger Alternatives.

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Another P.S.: My latest National Catholic Reporter column now is online. To read it, click here.