My examination of Bristol Palin's interview with Harper's Bazaar which includes a very special commentary from Sherry Johnston.

From Harper's Bazaar:

Bristol never expected to find herself here: waking up at 5:00 a.m. to fix Tripp's breakfast (usually eggs), get herself ready — "It takes me so much longer with a baby, it's not even funny" — then head to work from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. as a medical assistant in a dermatologist's office. "I thought I would be somewhere warm at college with my friends," she says. "But that was definitely not possible with having Tripp."

I think it is important to note that in my opinion this whole 8 to 5 job in the dermatologist office is purely for show.  It is clear that the Palin's are working to create an image here.  In fact if Bristol has the financial means to spend the majority of her time caring for Tripp, I think most mothers would agree that she should be doing exactly that.  And of course if she truly HAS to work than the next person who should be called in to parent him is Levi, the child's father, and not somebody else.  Even IF that somebody else is supposedly Track's long suffering girlfriend, Britta:

Her older brother Track's girlfriend, Britta, currently lives in the third bedroom, and her 15-year-old sister, Willow, often sleeps over. "I was scared to live by myself," Bristol explains.

One can only imagine how much scarier it must be in the Palin compound for Bristol to pack up and move all of the way to Anchorage.  And remember this is BEFORE the journalistic "stalker" moved in next door.  No, whatever drove nineteen year old Bristol out of her house in Wasilla has been there all along.

Her neighborhood is not the picturesque wilderness many associate with Alaska; it's a modest cluster of homes halfway between Ted Stevens International Airport and the Great Alaskan Bush Company, where the wildlife accepts tips.

I am somewhat amazed that the writer of this article chose the Great Alaskan Bush Company as one of the landmarks to illustrate where Bristol lives.  The Bush Company is perhaps the most famous strip club in Anchorage. (In the interest of full disclosure I should let you know that worked as a bouncer at the Bush for a brief time in the 80's.  Long story.) Could this be some hidden message to the Palins from the author?

(And by the way, I KNOW where Bristol lives, and this description is very deceptive.  Don't worry Bristol I have no intention of publicizing your address or infringing on your privacy.  Despite what your mother may have told you about me.)

In May of 2009, she began working with the Candie's Foundation, which approached her after her frank interview with Fox News's Greta Van Susteren. Bristol now preaches abstinence as "the only 100 percent foolproof way you can prevent pregnancy."

Detractors have been quick to pounce, but "I don't think it's hypocritical at all," Bristol responds. "Like, if you get lung cancer from smoking, why wouldn't you want to tell people, 'Hey, look, don't smoke.' Why wouldn't you want to be productive and share your story and do something positive with it?"

Did she just compare giving birth to her son ("He's like a Gerber baby. He's the cutest baby in the whole world.") to getting lung cancer?  Number one that is horrible, and number two perhaps a better example would be to compare having a baby to taking a job that turned out to be extremely tough but infinitely rewarding at the same time.  After all having a child is not usually fatal.

But don't worry, according to Bristol the things she says in this interview will NOT emotionally scar Tripp.

She's not worried that Tripp himself might one day read her words and take them the wrong way. "He knows that I love him," she says, shaking her head. There's no doubt that he is a happy baby, making a few cooing complaints only when it nears nap time. He is learning basic sign language to communicate with Trig, including stop, which Trig signs when Tripp tackles him. (Sign language? So it sounds like Trig's hearing is even worse than we thought.)

Her parents seem impressed with their determined daughter. "We're very proud of her for taking responsibility. It's not an easy road, but it's the right road," says Sarah. "Decisions were made, and we can't unwind those decisions. Consequences are being dealt with. I'm sincerely proud of her."

Indeed, if the campaign spotlight finds Bristol again, version 2.0 will be tougher. "There's been so much misreporting and lying about me and my family, it makes me sick," she says. "It proves a lot of reporters just report lies and rumors, so I'd push for more accountability." Meanwhile, she and the rest of the world are speculating about Palin 2012. "I don't know if my mom will run, but she should." (Remember "lies and rumors" is Palin-speak for "truths and embarrassing secrets".)

Unsurprisingly, she's no Obama fan. "I think he is making more Americans become dependent on government, and he's acting like government can and should take care of everyone. That is completely contrary to what made America a great nation. We should be expected to take responsibility for ourselves."

Yeah why can't EVERYBODY just quit their job halfway though and then milk their unsophisticated fanatical supporters of all of their  hard earned money?  Or, if that is not an option,  get knocked up as a teenager and use thier family's famous name to pimp their baby out to magazines for oodles of money?  Isn't THAT the American way?

WHAT could possibly make this saccharine sweet fiction about Bristol and her life with Tripp even more nauseating?

"I just want Tripp to be happy and healthy. But it would be fun if he was an athlete," she says, before picking him up and giving him a hug. "I know I'll be a hockey mom."

Ugh!  Yep that did it!  Gee I wonder who talked her into adding that last part?

In case some of you wonder why it took me until today to write this post, well first of all I was a little busy yesterday (Wasn't it fun?), but the other reason is because somebody e-mailed me and asked if they could weigh in on this topic.

How could I say no?

From Sherry Johnston:

I am simply confused as to just what this photo shoot is all about?

When I looked at this I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. In the interview Bristol refers to herself as a single teenage mother, who does it all by herself, with no help from Tripp’s “dead beat” father, and further states that she struggles with everything from daycare to diaper duty, while continuing to stick with her "stay abstinent until marriage” line.

And yet she also claims that it is Levi who is exploiting Tripp!

Well the only one I have seen exploiting my grandson is his own mother Bristol! I am looking at pictures of her dressed in designer clothes from head to toe, while pretending to cook in her brand new condo, all while standing beside my precious grandson. Who, by the way, is dressed like a slob in comparison and with no socks on his little feet!

And they present this as if it was like any other day in their life, in which everything is just great.

But wait! It seems to have slipped her mind that the queen of abstinence is trying to send the message to young teenagers everywhere that it is NOT glamorous to have a baby. They are supposed to realize that it’s a 24/7 job, and costs a lot of money to take care of a baby, and that it is a struggle every single day.

However the only struggle Bristol has when she wakes up in the morning (in her big brand new condo), is which designer jeans she should wear, and which truck she should drive today.

She apparently enjoys live in child care, and her boyfriend can pop in to visit whenever he likes (And yes she has one). When other teenagers see this layout they are going to think “WOW, now I am definitely going to have a child! I wish I had it TWICE as bad as her because then I might even own an airplane to fly me to all my speeches!”

There was no reason at all for my grandson Tripp to be in that photo shoot. The only reason that I can imagine is that they offered her more money if he was included.

It seems obvious that Bristol is using Tripp to make money, after accusing my son of that very same thing. The message to my son and my family is clear, “Do as we say, not as we do.”