CHEERS FOR LETTERMAN

To my surprise, David Letterman apologized for his crude remarks about Sarah Palin and her 14-year old daughter, Willow. In an earlier blog on this whole sorry mess, I predicted he would not. I'm glad to have predicted wrong, not only for Willow and her parents, but for all children exposed to that kind of insulting verbiage.
Letterman's quip that Palin's daughter was "knocked up" by Alex Rodriquez during the seventh inning stretch of a Yankees game, attended by the Palins, implied statutory rape. Given his proclivity for headlines, Rodriquez probably looked at such attention from the likes of Letterman as a reason to put another notch on his sexual conquest belt.
While the apology was welcomed from Letterman, and graciously accepted by Sarah Palin, it does not obviate the need for laws to protect children under the age of 18 from being the target of crude jokes that imply sexual permissiveness.
And it is encouraging to see the response to the blog, Weeping for Willow, by members of Smaller Indiana. When people feel strongly about an issue involving children, even children of public figures, ideas flow and often, resolutions are found. Smaller Indiana is a web link of people seeking new approaches to solve problems, present and future. I'm am glad to be a member.