Tristero discusses a Sunday NY Times Magazine article "detailing the right-wing's attempt to limit access, if not entirely ban, contraception." Yes, and I concur that the battle isn't about saving the unborn, the spiel of the Right, so much as the war is against sexuality. Tristero's nugget:
So-called "Christian" sex manuals go into considerable detail as to what intimate activities are permitted or not - to opposite-gender married couples only, naturally. Speaking about one rather popular leisure activity, Tim and Beverly LaHaye, "don't recommend or advocate oral sex" but they can find nothing in the Bible that prevents a married couple from "enjoying" it. Actually, this is a bit of a dodge, because if you read what Tim LaHaye has to say elsewhere, it's clear he finds oral sex disgusting. These clowns not only want to limit sex to state-approved coupling, but also dictate to the rest of us where we can put our lips, vulvas, penises, hands, asses, and breasts. And if we don't do sex their way, we are immoral. They fervently hope, once again, we'll be subject to arrest.
Yesterday, I noticed an atypical visitor to my site in my web analytics so I went to see what Shelly The Republican was up to and quickly learned that she believes oral sex has advanced the moral decay of American society. I would have guessed just the opposite--more oral sex--would contribute to better intimate relationships, wedded bliss, happiness in general, and perhaps save some marriages from divorce court. But there it was, Shelly's diatribe against oral sex. Who has caused the nation's descent into moral debauchery? Liberal judges, liberal media, the "liberal government under Clinton" that "stole America's "remaining decency," and the "consiquences of the destructive liberal politics" [sic]... all nonsense talking points of sexocrites regurgitated from Iowa (not that my home state is any better). Shelly's solution? Abstinence, of course. That's good advice for teens but let's get real. A smarter solution would incorporate education about STDs, contraception, safe sex, self-esteem, and the harsh realities of unwanted pregnancies--not a rant on how liberals "are morally just not fit to lead the nation" and the ineffective johnny-one-note advice to abstain. Shelly might really blow a gasket if she knew that "[h]onest upstanding republican politicians" such as Newtie Poot practiced oral sex with a mistress just so Newt could say he did not sleep with her, that woman, Ann Manning. I also betcha Shelly can't explain why there isn't one case of HIV/AIDS as a result of woman-on-woman sex. Glory, praise the Lord! Lesbians are God's Chosen Ones. I think I'll make a T-shirt... Thank you, God, for making me lesbian!
Seriously though, controlling sex, who has it and how, has been and will always be the agenda of the repressed sexocrites and the motivation behind the assault on gay equality. Bashing Bigots (like dueling bangos) discriminate against gays, the reason why hate crimes legislation continues to be stymied. Sen. Ted Kennedy was forced to withdraw a hate crimes amendment to the sex-offender bill just passed in the Senate. Kennedy's provision-- "a new federal charge for violent acts based on race, religion, national origin and sexual orientation"--is something he has fought for since 1999 (Thanks, Ted).
"Congress can't ignore the problem," Kennedy said Thursday of hate crimes. "They send the poisonous message that some Americans deserve to be victimized solely because of who they are."
But that's exactly what they want, Ted. Who is perpetrating the victimization? Liberals? No. Republicans are out to defend themselves and their gay-bashing bigots.
But Republicans complained that the provision could doom passage of the registry, which they said should have its own vote.
Sexocrites ran away from a hate crimes amendment that included sexual orientation for fear that their precious evangelical gay-hating base would shriek like chimps if they didn't stonewall its passage. American justice? Forget about it. Republicans use the "law and order" slogan like a pickup line. Can't have GOP constituents turned into felons, incarcerated, unable to vote in states like Florida. The sex offender bill could have passed a long time ago if not for homophobia and gnashing of teeth over a backlash from Dobson and company. There's also the legal implication of identifying GLBTs as a legit civil rights group worthy of protection.
"It was unfortunate that Sen. Kennedy tried to block the bill, but we are pleased he decided to stop his obstruction of this important piece of legislation that will keep our children safe from dangerous predators," said Aaron McLear, spokesman for the Republican National Committee.
You know what's unfortunate? So many kiddie perverts are conservatives and Republicans hire them. It's old news that Homeland Security hasn't been too good about protecting children from predators:
The arrest of Brian J. Doyle, 55, raised doubts about the ability of an agency responsible for safeguarding the country to ensure the security credentials of its own people.
[...]
Authorities said Doyle also sent non-sexual photos of himself. They included one of him in Homeland Security headquarters, wearing an agency pin on his lapel and a lanyard that says "TSA," which stands for the Transportation Security Administration, a branch of the department for which he once worked.
Homeland Security also oversees an Operation Predator unit, which investigates child predators and pornographers.
See more here. WaPo disproved those quick to blame Democrats although it took Wonkette a bit to own up to her specious gossip:
Originally hired as a spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration in 2002, [Brian Doyle] was detailed to Homeland Security the next year and became deputy press secretary cleared to handle top-secret material in November 2005...
Even Fox got it right. Wonkette kinda confessed she was wrong. Still, I join Digby in welcoming the newest member of the kewl kidz club. By the way, TSA, a new federal agency in response to 9/11, was created by the Bush Administration. Just an FYI for the kewl kidz.
But the point is GOP sexocrites have been busy whoring their priorities to the evangelicals and discriminating against non-heteros including kids:
House Republican leaders, who stripped hate crimes provision from its national registry bill passed in March, pledged to hasten the legislative reconciliation process between the two chambers if the Senate bill omitted hate crimes legislation.
Kennedy said Thursday the hate crimes provision would enhance child safety -- a focus of the registry -- and blamed the Republican leadership for delaying a vote on the whole package.
I bet this teen wishes that Kennedy's amendment hadn't been blocked. And more here and here and here. Especially here. Forgot about 21-year-old college student, Matthew Shepard, didn't they?
What I think unconsciously galls the Right in its misguided and hypocritical anti-gay stance is that they can't admit (to their way of thinking) that God screws up their game. If God created hetero and gays, lesbians, bisexual, and transgendered people, then their tiresome hatred couldn't be self-righteously justified using God's name in vainglorious pursuit to bash GLBTs and sexuality overall. "Uptight, keep it out of sight" bigots can't have that. How dare a group of people, a naturally-occurring minority born that way, be defined by sexuality! Of course, as a matter of religion, the right-wing extremists don't believe that their god made people like me gay despite my opposing faith (and many others) that God did create me gay. As more people get a better idea about God, the superstitious god of gay-hate will fade in power. I'm appalled by Rev. Phelps and his pickets, but at the same time, Westboro Baptist shocks people into waking up from the trance of the hateful god.
Whose god will win? Funny, there's this thing called the U. S. Constitution that says we all can believe in whatever kind of god(s) or no god we want. I object to the intrusion of religion into the inalienable rights of personhood. Nonetheless, my Creator comes closer to objective truth. Science has already proven and continues to compile evidence on a biological, genetic basis for queerdom. The Right doesn't give much capital to science or the American Psychological Association, which affirmed that being gay was "normal" back in the 1970s. The American Psychiatric Association weighed in with the same conclusion in 1980. Sexocrites won't hear it. They plug their ears, cover their eyes, and refuse to speak of equal rights for God's minority, or worse, grab their baseball bats. Homophobic politicians also signal that if it's OK to not protect gays in America, it's OK to bash gay American tourists and kill gay teens in Iraq, not that that place is any safer for heteros.
I hope that Democrats will realize the obvious, that an overwhelming majority of Americans have sex and that the well-being of our nation depends upon treating sexuality seriously and with respect. Sex isn't a cheap toy one hides in a closet or a pet to be kept chained to a stake. C'mon, that's not grown up or healthy. Denial disempowers people as any credible health care professional will testify. Democrats could exploit the anti-sex agenda of the Right to end the tyranny of the sexocrites if only they would wise up and stop with the cowardly lion act. Hurry up. Adults are needed. Now. Let the long overdue de-shaming of sexuality begin. Extremists have hamstrung us from solving a lot of our problems, a topic I will explore in a follow-up post.
James Duree, a former prosecutor in Washington state who knew self-loathing closet queen, Republican Mayor James West, offers us this wisdom:
Politicians who take extreme positions on sex are not always what they seem, said Duree, 87.
“I saw people like West when I was a prosecuting attorney,” said Duree. “These people who were so goosy towards sex.….. They’re the ones you’ve got to watch,” he added.
So true and so perceptive.
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