European Tribune - Community, Politics & Progress.

A red sash, and a hearty prayer

by ThatBritGuy
Wed Nov 1st, 2006 at 08:31:11 AM EST

BushCo seems to be drifting further and further into madness. According to the Washington Post, sexual abstinence isn't just for teens any more.

The federal government's "no sex without marriage" message isn't just for kids anymore.
Now the government is targeting unmarried adults up to age 29 as part of its abstinence-only programs, which include millions of dollars in federal money that will be available to the states under revised federal grant guidelines for 2007.
The government says the change is a clarification. But critics say it's a clear signal of a more directed policy targeting the sexual behavior of adults.

Fans of dystopian fiction will be cheered by yet another move which seems to be trying to turn despairing satire into reality.

Fans of small government will also appreciate that millions of tax dollars are being spent on an ideological program - instead of something useful, such as promoting contraception as the best way to avoid unwanted pregnancy. And making sure that an excellent education - an established predictor of deferred parenthood - is available to everyone.

As one expert says:

"They've stepped over the line of common sense," said James Wagoner, president of Advocates for Youth, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit that supports sex education. "To be preaching abstinence when 90% of people are having sex is in essence to lose touch with reality. It's an ideological campaign. It has nothing to do with public health."

But the news isn't entirely bad. This PR coup has been timed to be a guaranteed crowd pleaser in the run-up to the mid-terms.

It's sure to go down particularly well with younger voters.

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A red sash, and a hearty prayer | 10 comments (10 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: A red sash, and a hearty prayer (4.00 / 4)

Yeah, I really don't get the abstinence thing, even for kids. When I was a young teen in Sweden I had to suffer through very detailed sex-ed by my not-so-attractive 50 something bio teacher, with plenty of information on how sex is healthy and good for you, and how orgasms are just great. It really took the cool out of sex. That is how you promote abstinence.

by someone (s0me1smail(a)gmail(d)com) on Wed Nov 1st, 2006 at 08:53:21 AM EST

Re: A red sash, and a hearty prayer (4.00 / 2)

Forgive my schadenfreude, but LOL!!!

When locusts move on, they leave nothing behind

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Wed Nov 1st, 2006 at 09:15:10 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: A red sash, and a hearty prayer (none / 1)

Sounds like the way that Catholic boarding schools are the best thing to turn people off Catholicism.

Those whom the Gods wish to destroy They first make mad. -- Euripides

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Nov 1st, 2006 at 09:21:29 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: A red sash, and a hearty prayer (4.00 / 2)

It's a religion thing, it ain't supposed to make sense. In fact the less sense it makes the more it proves your faith to believe in it.

Fact is, appeals to your base only work when the base is supposedly more than 51% of the voters. When it's fallng below 1/3 of the electorate it's pretty dumb. I hope this really is a one-trick pony and not a bluff.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Wed Nov 1st, 2006 at 09:47:55 AM EST

This just in... (none / 1)

The Australian:

Promiscuity ... it's nothing to fret about
CONCERNS about rises in promiscuity and premarital sex in modern society are unfounded, with monogamy still the dominant pattern of behaviour.
The first global survey of sexual behaviour, published in British medical journal The Lancet yesterday, shows there is no universal trend towards having sex at an earlier age, despite reported increases in under-age sex and teenage pregnancy.
The research, which included data from 59 countries, shows most people have had only one recent sexual partner, even with the move towards later marriage and cohabiting relationships in most parts of the world.

by someone (s0me1smail(a)gmail(d)com) on Wed Nov 1st, 2006 at 10:03:18 AM EST

Re: This just in... (4.00 / 2)

On the same study...

Innovations report: First global analysis of sexual behaviour (01.11.2006)

A groundbreaking study, which provides the first ever comprehensive analysis of sexual behaviour around the world, is published today in the Lancet, as part of a major series on sexual and reproductive health.
...
The paper contains a number of unexpected findings. In an age in which scare-stories about underage sex and promiscuity abound, there has in fact been no universal trend towards earlier sexual intercourse.
Another surprising finding is that it is the developed nations that report comparatively high rates of multiple partnerships, not those parts of the world which tend to have higher rates of HIV and AIDS, such as African countries. This has led the authors to suggest that social factors such as poverty, mobility and gender equality may be a stronger factor in sexual ill-health than promiscuity, and they call for public health interventions to take this into account.

Those whom the Gods wish to destroy They first make mad. -- Euripides

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Nov 1st, 2006 at 10:16:10 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: A red sash, and a hearty prayer (4.00 / 2)

and failure to properly secure your domain name

We are for Justice and Mercy, and Truth and Peace, and true Freedom. Edward Burroughs 1659

by edwin on Wed Nov 1st, 2006 at 10:39:25 AM EST

Re: A red sash, and a hearty prayer (none / 0)

snigger

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Wed Nov 1st, 2006 at 11:06:11 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: A red sash, and a hearty prayer (none / 1)

It's never too late to embrace a 'second virginity'.

by Sassafras on Thu Nov 2nd, 2006 at 05:25:42 PM EST

Re: A red sash, and a hearty prayer (none / 0)

you gotta love the brazenness...

here's a repug party with more sex crimes and allegations than any before it, preaching eternal childhood to children and adults alike!

do humans make up taboos, for the extra frisson of breaking them secretly later?

gotta wonder sometimes...

There are no blank spots on the map any more, anywhere on earth. You want a blank spot on the map, you gotta leave the map behind. Jon Krakauer

by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Thu Nov 2nd, 2006 at 06:12:26 PM EST

A red sash, and a hearty prayer | 10 comments (10 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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