She’s in favor of teaching kids about condoms. Good for her — one of the few times I’ll say that about her, I wager (as you’ll gather if you follow the link).

CNN reports that evangelicals are rallying around Bristol Palin. And I’m glad to hear it. I’m glad that nobody is portraying her as a slut or whore. I’m glad that the evangelical community is reacting to the news with compassion given that they believe her to have engaged in what they see as immoral behavior, and I hope that they would demonstrate that compassion to all other women who have engaged in similar behavior — both on a micro-level (in personal relations) and a macro-level (in terms of public policy).

And I, along with everybody else who identifies as pro-choice, respect her choice to keep her child. That is, of course, implicit in the definition of “choice”.

Read the rest of this post

The recent ban on advertisements on “longer lasting sex” is being described as the triumph of public opinion in Australia. And the best part is that the advertiser has accepted the ban in good grace.

“Three weeks after billboards advertising ‘longer lasting sex’ were banned in Western Australia, the slogan has been outlawed nationwide,” says a news report.

A company representative said “his company would comply with the ruling. He said it was a fair decision, agreeing that the billboard could prompt children to ask questions.

He added: “Now it’s been brought to a head and we have to find a new message. The challenge is for us to come up with something clever.” More here…

With the hormone levels peaking at the Beijing Olympics, what would the young participants from the world be up to when they mingle freely for the last time before heading home?

Here is the peep show…

The Times of London makes an interesting study of 10 political personalities who were involved in sex scandals. Of these 10 leaders, five got away with it and five couldn’t. Beginning with the Profumo Affair in Britain in 1963 to the latest one concerning John Edwards in the US, the affairs have attracted a lot of public attention. More here…

If you are pro-choice, and wish to preserve reproductive rights for women, you need to take a closer look at McCain’s record on reproductive rights and other issues affecting women’s health.

Read the rest of this entry »

I have posted a couple of columns on the subject of gays serving in the military and, in particular, about the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that has been in effect for 15 years and is now being reviewed by Congress–a policy that is also being vigorously discussed in the media and in the blogs.

I have made my personal views on this issue quite clear. In one of my posts, I wrote:

But even President Truman’s 1948 Executive order, commendable and progressive as it was, left “without regard to sexual orientation,” out of his promise that ”there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services.”
It is this omission that our legislators are now addressing in the hearings on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” And, predictably, the same tired and repudiated issues and arguments that were used 60 years ago are now being raised again to prevent gays and lesbians from enjoying “equality of treatment and opportunity …in the armed services.”

The future of the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy will not be decided based on my personal views. Rather, it may be decided on what a majority of the American people feel is the right thing to do. I say, “may” because even though several reputable recent polls have found that a vast majority of Americans feel that homosexuals should be allowed to serve in the military, there will be other powerful factors and factions at play.

One of these will be the judgment and recommendations of present and recent military leadership in our country. While many high ranking and prestigious military officers, both active duty and retired, have expressed their views on this issue, it is not clear yet which way the pendulum will eventually swing.

Another factor may, or should, be the judgment and thoughts of the men and women who will have to literally live with the outcome of this debate: The men and women presently serving in our military. A Zogby poll conducted in 2006 surveyed 545 military personnel who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan and found that only 37% of the respondents opposed openly gay military service. The views of those who have served in the past will also be, albeit to a lesser extent, a factor in the debate.

In fact, the Military Officers Association of America, MOAA, the nation’s largest and most influential association of military officers with about 370,000 members–active duty and retired–is planning to survey its members on this issue shortly. MOAA is a powerful lobbying organization on matters and legislation affecting the career force and veterans. The opinions of MOAA and its membership will undoubtedly be influential on the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy discussions and decisions. We will keep you posted.

Since the initial Congressional hearings were held a couple of weeks ago, those who are or have been “on the ground” are already expressing their opinion. And what better place to get a sense of those sentiments than in the Letters to the Editor section of the for-the-military newspaper the Stars and Stripes.

The following are excerpts from the letters on this issue that appeared in the Stars and Stripes chronologically during the period July 30 through August 8. The names have been deleted (with one exception), and, for brevity’s sake, only the sections that best summarize the writers’ opinions and intent have been quoted:

July 30— ‘Don’t ask’ a slap to patriots

I praise Stars and Stripes for its article on the “don’t ask don’t tell” policy hearings…In my view, this policy has hurt our military readiness, hurt the morale of the estimated 65,000 lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender troops serving around the world, including in the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters of war. It does a disservice to them, as it says to them you can join, you can risk your lives, and you can die, and many have…
.
.
I feel in long-overdue time these people will have their justice. The military will have a black mark the likes of which it may take 60 years to recover from, as the recent anniversary of desegregation in the ranks shows. These gay and lesbian heroes serve a nation that gives them neither the comfort of freedom, nor the time of day, and I, for one, thank them for their service in defense of the freedom of others that they cannot enjoy themselves. And they do so in total silence.
Spc….Camp Adder, Iraq

August 1— Gays deserve military equality
.
.

In revisiting “don’t ask, don’t tell,” our country is addressing “equality of treatment and opportunity” for gays in the military. Many of today’s arguments to keep gays and lesbians from openly serving in our armed forces are the same or similar to those advanced more than 60 years ago to keep our military segregated.
.
.

Thousands of homosexuals are serving honorably in all our military branches, being injured and most probably dying for us in battle.
.
.
Let us hope U.S. leaders will remember [Secretary of Defense Gates’ words, “We must make sure the American military continues to be a great engine of progress and equality.”]when debating the rights of gay and lesbian service members.
Maj. Dorian de Wind (USAF, Ret.)

Aug 3—Why accommodate gays?
I am writing this letter to say that I think it is so absurd that people are bending over backward to try and accommodate people that are homosexuals that are in or want to join the military.
.
.

So if the “don’t ask don’t tell” policy can be revisited because of the attempt to draw competent servicemembers to remain in or join the military, let the policies that deny entry to people who want to serve but may have a visible tattoo or a spouse who is enlisted already [also be revisited].

Andersen Air Force Base, Guam

August 6— Against gays in military

After reading the latest pro-gay views…I would like to go on record as firmly opposing gay service in the U.S. military.
Men and women are thrown into close confines aboard ships and aircraft where even heterosexual contact and ensuing sex can lead to loss of unit cohesion. A homosexual undercurrent blatantly allowed to co-exist with good military order and discipline will not work.
What if a gay soldier, sailor, Marine, airman or Coast Guard individual decides to flaunt his or her tell-it-to-the-world, everybody-out-of-the-closet lifestyle? Chaos. No barriers — right. Orgies on demand. Dream your own dream of wild sex on demand and homosexuals and the threat of homosexuals preying on friends and foes and casual acquaintances at sea.
And the backlash? Straight folks, in and around the military taking matters into their own hands to rid the environment of this deviant behavior. It would happen.
Homosexuals in the military. Sure, maybe in 50 or 150 years.

Lt. Cmdr. (retired) Rota, Spain

August 8— Don’t wait ‘to do what’s right’

After reading “Against gays in military” I got a sick feeling in my stomach. The letter writer suggests that if homosexual sailors were allowed to be open with their sexual orientation, it would result in “homosexuals preying on friends, foes and casual acquaintances at sea.”… There is no reason to believe that a gay person is any more likely to “prey” on another than a straight person, and to suggest otherwise is slanderous.
He also states that if gay servicemembers were allowed to serve openly that there would be “orgies on demand” and “wild sex on demand.” In my view, the discipline of a unit is a direct reflection of its leadership. As a company commander, I am responsible for everything my company does or fails to do. Perhaps the writer didn’t see leadership in the same way.
There are undoubtedly numerous gay soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen serving our country honorably.
.

.
I think most leaders could handle someone coming out of the closet.
Why do we ask these young men and women to violate their integrity by hiding who they really are as they serve their country in the same honorable manner as every other servicemember? Why should we wait “50 or 150 years” to do what’s right?
Capt. … Forward Operating Base Fenty, Afghanistan

Aug 8—Keep policy on gays as is
The author of “Against gays in military” (letter, Aug. 6) is right, but only in one respect: Gays shouldn’t be allowed to serve “openly” in the military.
The picture the writer paints of all gays as immoral is likely inaccurate and surely comes from a place of prejudice and dated thinking. “Orgies on demand”? Give me a break.
Unfortunately, he is not the only one. Many members of our fine military have personal views that strongly conflict with that of alternative lifestyles. I can say with certainty that letting many of our outstanding soldiers out of the closet will create a strained environment and a hostile working place, to say the least.
It’s unfortunate, but in an organization that has many of its values rooted in Christianity, it may be a long time before many of those dated thinkers come around. It’s not that I feel they don’t deserve to serve openly, but for the safety of these individuals, to protect them from people who fight “deviant behavior” like superheroes, just keep it like it is.
Spc. …Camp Victory, Iraq

Well, there you have it. Not a comprehensive nor a scientific survey by any stretch; just six letters from those who are serving and who have served, covering virtually the entire spectrum of possible attitudes on a very important and controversial issue.

Last week a California judge ruled that trying a 14-year-old boy accused of murder in an adult court does not violate the constitution:

“I cannot say that this is unconstitutional,” said Ventura County Superior Court Judge Douglas Daily.

Teenage defendant Brandon McInerney of Oxnard is charged with first-degree murder and a hate crime in connection with the Feb. 12 killing of classmate Larry King, 15, who sometimes wore makeup and told friends he was gay.

Today a Ventura County Star editorial pleads with District Attorney Greg Totten to use his discretion to rethink that decision:

The Star Editorial Board respectfully asks Mr. Totten to step out of his office, ask for counsel outside his prosecutor peers to lessen the real influence of groupthink, look at the question anew and reflect again on the circumstances before making a final decision. (His initial decision was made within just two days of the shooting and his office had left open the possibility it could change as more facts were learned.)

We hope Mr. Totten also considers the information that has come forward recently in the national discussion of whether children should be tried as adults. A November 2007 report by the Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit law organization in Montgomery, Ala., stated that the United States is one of the few countries in the world that allows children to be prosecuted as adults and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

The majority world opinion of civilized nations is that juveniles should not be subject to dying in prison — certainly not 14-year-olds.

There is science on the competence of 14-year-olds that ought to inform our legal and ethical decision as to whether or not we should declare kids adults fit for trial. William Saletan, for example, has reported:

In a forthcoming review of studies, Laurence Steinberg of Temple University observes that at ages 12 to 13, only 11 percent of kids score at an average (50th percentile) adult level on tests of intellectual ability. By ages 14 to 15, the percentage has doubled to 21. By ages 16 to 17, it has doubled again to 42. After that, it levels off. […]

Steinberg reports that on tests of psychosocial maturity, kids are much slower to develop. From ages 10 to 21, only one of every four young people scores at an average adult level. By ages 22 to 25, one in three reaches that level. By ages 26 to 30, it’s up to two in three.

Emphasis mine. The case at hand presents a psychosocial challenge that was daunting for all involved. In fact, the evidence indicates it pretty much overwhelmed all of the adults involved.

Arguably, what we have here is the scapegoating of kids for the inability of adult individuals and institutions to cope with the complexities of psychosocial challenges of our own making. We built this society; we birthed those kids; we raise and educate them!

Some of the indicators become clear in last week’s Newsweek Cover Story — no matter what your political persuasion (or perspective on the objectivity or lack thereof of the reporters of the story). Extended illustrative excerpts follow. Read the rest of this entry »

Cohabiting among older people increased 50 percent from 2000 to 2006, the McClatchy Newspapers report today:

“The total–1.8 million–counts only couples who live together full time and were willing to admit it to census interviewers. Part-time cohabiting–traveling together, sharing a summer house, spending weekends together–is up at least as sharply, according to seniors and people who work with them.”

This news about the growth of “love expectancy” may come as a shock to younger generations, whose sophistication does not extend to the notion that parents and grandparents, despite all the evidence of Viagra commercials, may not be immune to a culture of supersex on TV and in the movies.

Read the rest of this entry.

If puberty happens in middle school, why shouldn’t we expect lgbt awareness would begin then too?

From today’s WaPo, Owning His Gay Identity — at 15 Years Old; Youths Coming Out Sooner, but Protections Against Harassment Lag:

Saro, who first said he liked boys to a classmate in sixth grade, is like many of today’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youths who openly discuss their sexual orientation and identity with friends, and sometimes family, before entering high school. In doing so, experts say, these youths are escaping the isolation of generations before them but also finding themselves vulnerable to harassment — or worse. A California eighth-grader who expressed interest in asking another boy to be his valentine was fatally shot in February in a case that drew national attention.

“Within any given school system, there may be a very accepting crowd and a very hateful crowd,” said Robert-Jay Green, executive director of the Rockway Institute in San Francisco, a national center for LGBT research and public policy. “You have to find a way to avoid the people who will hurt you and keep close to the group that will accept you.”

In recent years, 110 Gay Straight Alliance clubs, which are common in high schools nationwide, have sprouted in middle schools, including nine in Maryland and Virginia. Kevin Jennings, the founder of the first club, said he “never anticipated” they would also form in middle grades. His organization, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, is creating age-appropriate pamphlets to respond to the trend.

This year, students in 1,046 middle schools took part in the Day of Silence, a protest against LGBT intolerance, organizers said, double the participation level of the previous year.

“Unlike people of my generation, where there was very little visibility and a great sense of sadness, these kids know gay people are out there,” Jennings said. “They have a language now to understand their feelings.”

And there’s this:

The first time Saro said aloud what he had always felt — that he liked boys — came when he lived in Prince George’s County. The words tumbled out, Saro said, as he and another sixth-grader were walking home. The boy shrugged it off with a “So?”

Later that year, that boy called him an anti-gay slur. When Saro ran to tell the teacher, according to a letter his parents wrote to the school, he was told: “Well, you act like one, so you should be used to it by now.”

The issues are difficult and complex — for parents and for kids. The article is sensitive and complete. Please read it.

In his hilarious post Monday noting that the American Family Association’s OneNewsNow website auto-replaces the word “gay” with the word “homosexual” — which led to some blogger fun when a sprinter named Tyson Gay won the 100 meters at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials — Jazz asks:

Is the word “homosexual” somehow perceived to be more pejorative than “gay” these days?

The answer, Jazz, is YES! There is a linguistic battle going on. And in my circles it’s got a long and contentious lineage.

While, as gays and lesbians, we seek to expand ourselves and our relationships to become whole people and full participants in broad communities, the Religious Right seeks to reduce us to nothing more than a sex act.

It’s as if we reduced every heterosexual to that too explicit coupled moment we all wish we hadn’t been forced to watch taking place on the park bench or at the beach or in the movie theater or any place else in public! Only with the gay person, the Religious Right hopes to evoke that moment — to force us to witness it — with just that one little word…

H o m o S E X u a l

For that — or whatever reason — the Religious Right has fought to keep the word homosexual in use in newsrooms across the country. And I have been following their fight for decades. In February The Washington Times, pretty much the last big hold out, tossed ‘homosexual’ out and approved the use of the word ‘gay’ instead.

Most everywhere else long ago accepted the use of ‘gay’ and/or ‘lesbian.’ In 2006 the AP updated its stylebook. Here is a history of LGBT-related Stylebook entries. Here the New York Times, Washington Post LGBT-Related Style Guidelines.

In 1982 I wrote a paper on the etymology of the word gay. I’ve excerpted a good bit of it again below…

Read the rest of this entry »

Following up on yesterday’s post about the Georgia Supreme Court considering proportionality in a sex offender case, there were some hopeful signs in the courtroom yesterday.

Significantly, the court was asked to consider its ruling that freed Genarlow Wilson last year:

The request was unusual in that it was made by both the prosecutor who wants the life sentence upheld as well as the public defender who contends the sentence is cruel and unusual punishment.

At issue is a mandatory life sentence imposed in December on Cedric Bradshaw in Bulloch County for failing to register as a sex offender for the second time…

[Public defender Robert L.] Persse asked the justices to look to their decision in the Genarlow Wilson case. In October, the justices ruled Wilson’s 10-year prison sentence was unconstitutional. Wilson was given the sentence in Douglas County for having oral sex with a 15-year-old girl when he was 17.

If the state Supreme Court follows the same reasoning it used in overturning that sentence, it should throw out Bradshaw’s life sentence as well, Persse said…

But Assistant District Attorney W. Scott Brannen told the justices that the Wilson decision was handed down after the Legislature changed the law. Lawmakers lessened the sentence for such a crime from a 10-year prison sentence to no more than one year in custody.

Brannen argued that in this case the legislative intent was to increase prison time for a second offense. In 2006, the prosecutor noted, lawmakers increased the sentence for failing to register for the second time from three years in prison to life.

The Legislature’s action reflected the will of the community and should be given great deference, Brannen said…

But Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears asked whether legislative intent should always carry the day. “What if the Legislature had said of this crime, ‘We give the death penalty’?” she asked…

Justice Carol Hunstein also expressed concern the law makes no distinctions between “fixated pedophiles and teenagers” convicted of sex offenses. The court is expected to issue its decision in the coming months.

The AJC:

The judge had only one option when he sentenced Cedric Bradshaw: life in prison.  Bradshaw had not committed murder, rape or armed robbery.  His offense was failing to properly register as a convicted sex offender for a second time — even though he had repeatedly tried to follow the law….

On Monday, the state’s highest court will consider whether the law is unconstitutional on grounds it is cruel and unusual punishment.

No other state calls for a life sentence for failing to register as a sex offender the second time, and even rape and armed robbery convictions in Georgia do not carry mandatory life terms, said Bradshaw’s lawyer, Robert L. Persse, the circuit public defender in Statesboro. “The punishment for a second violation is grossly disproportionate to the offense,” Persse said.  “That is particularly true when this is essentially a paperwork offense not accompanied by aggravating circumstances like violence, sexual deviance or being out in a schoolyard hunting for children.”

The Bulloch DA’s office is urging the state Supreme Court to uphold the life term. “The courts look at the Legislature’s intent in determining the best evidence for the appropriateness of the sentence,” Assistant District Attorney W. Scott Brannen said. “When they increase it [to a life term], that too is evidence of the intent and the will of the people.”…

Brannen, the prosecutor, said the law is on the books and “it’s not my place or the court’s place to decide what we like and don’t like and what we want to enforce or not enforce.”  Bradshaw, Brannen said, broke the law by failing to give a valid address within the 72-hour reporting deadline.  “There are no exceptions in the law,” he said.

Sentencing Law and Policy wonders doesn’t Kennedy suggest life in prison for failing to register is unconstitutional?

I am not sure what I find more remarkable: the fact that Georgia punishes this regulatory offense with a mandatory life term, or the fact that in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Kennedy ruling the defendant here could have sexually molested and beaten a dozen children without facing a harsher sentence.

As regular readers know, I have long been troubled that the U.S. Supreme Court’s eagerness to hyper-regulate the reach of the death penalty through the Eighth Amendment has not extended to regulating extreme prison terms for relatively minor crimes.  The Georgia high court has previously shown the courage and wisdom to do something about a seemingly crazy prison sentence, and this would seem to be another case calling out for some remedy.

Read the whole AJC story. The facts are pretty darned sad. Barely more than a child himself at 19, Bradshaw was charged with statutory rape for having sex with a 15-year-old girl. Fine. That’s punishable. I’d prefer it had been kept out of the criminal justice system (see here for more) but its punishable. He gets 5 years.

After he gets out he gives an invalid address. For that, too, he pleads guilty and is sentenced to time served. When released he moves in with his sister but can’t live there because Georgia’s draconian sex offender law won’t let him live within 1,000 feet of a recreation center!

He moves in with an aunt but can’t stay there because the home is within 1,000 feet of the First Baptist Church! Growing desperate, he finds a family friend but this time inadvertently transposes the street address!

Now the cops move in. Bradshaw is arrested because he hadn’t moved into the friend’s single-wide trailer within the legally required 72 hours — and lied and said he did! His mandatory sentence for this infraction is life in prison.

This is not proportional punishment! This is sex offender hysteria gussied up as protecting children. And it’s great big a waste of tax payer money.

Knowing that it hasn’t got the slightest chance of passage, I completely ignored the introduction of a marriage protection amendment in the U.S. Senate this week.

Now of course this is old news to all of you, but it only hit me just now that two of the principal sponsors are a far-right Republican who hired prostitutes and another far-right Republican who was arrested for soliciting gay sex in an airport men’s room.

I couldn’t let it pass without posting. What kind of gay blogger would I otherwise be???

IN OTHER MARRIAGE NEWS: The LATimes reports that same-sex unions have boosted California’s June wedding totals — more than two and a half times the usual number of couples were issued a license.

Arizona Friday, “In the final hours of one of the longest state legislative sessions on record, state Senators approved a measure sending a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage to the fall ballot.”

Presbyterians are considering a gay marriage initiative too. Anglicans face a wider split.

Today Gloria Borger said on Chris Matthews that pollsters are wondering if, for the first time in history, young voters will outnumber those over 60. Whether this time or next, beware their wrath! They will take their country back!

As lgbt pride marches step off in big cities across the country, it’s important to note what takes place at some of the smaller ones.Central Pennsylvania was a focal point in the Democratic primary for its white working class voters. Those same voters are made uncomfortable by gays on the march.While this year marks the 38th pride march in San Francisco and New York, it will be only the third time that gays march in Pennsylvania’s state capital, Harrisburg.

When marchers there were greeted that first year by a strong chorus of opposition, a husband and wife team spontaneously set up a program rooted in their church’s teachings. [See clarification below.]

The Silent Witnesses:

Silent Witness PA (SWPA) is an organization of gay and straight allies dedicated to providing a non-confrontational buffer between those who condemn others based on their sexual orientation or identity and those they condemn. We provide visual protection from “street preachers” and protesters at events such as Pridefests…using our bodies and rainbow umbrellas as shields. In times of need, we intervene to prevent confrontations between protesters and event participants, often acting as escorts for those who would like to attend such events. Where there are those who publicly promote hate, we will be there to help provide a loving, supportive front opposing them. We are not counter-protesters. Instead, we provide a visual representation of support for those in our society who may feel marginalized… Our purpose is to act as a “human spiritual firewall” between GLBT folks and those individuals who believe GLBT’s are an abomination on the face of the earth.

They travel to pride events throughout PA. Their event schedule is here. Their training schedule is here.

RELATED: Those Pennsylvania protesters hit the big cities too. They lost a court battle in Philadelphia in January 2007. Said the judge, “There is no constitutional right to drown out the speech of another person.”

UPDATE: Alanna Berger emails a clarification:

We did not spontaneously set up a program rooted in our church’s teachings.  Originally, Silent Witnesses, organized by MCC of the Spirit in Harrisburg, held up signs welcoming the GLBT community to the PrideFest.  In 2005, this tactic no longer proved adequate in preventing angry and violent responses to the protesters, so Blaise and I worked with one of the original Silent Witnesses and brainstormed new tactics.  We came up with ideas in the spring of 2006, purchased safety vests that we modified to be easily identified as Silent Witnesses, found a donor of 24 rainbow umbrellas and trained more than 70 additional people from four Unitarian Universalist churches as well as members of the Greater Harrisburg Area in responding to spiritual violence with non-violence.  The teachings are similar to Gandhi’s and Dr. Martin Luther King’s and not exclusive to Unitarian Universalism.  We were asked by the Harrisburg Parade organizer to lead the parade, so this was not spontaneous – we knew months in advance.

The original founder is Yvonne Wilson from MCC of the Spirit in Harrisburg, and we refer to that group she started as the Original Silent Witnesses.  Blaise and I – along with Rosemary Mirocco from MCC – came up with the ideas to use the safety vests and umbrellas.  We consider this the second generation of silent witnesses, which we refer to as Silent Witness PA.

It is funny how the mind can wander, especially on a slow, hot, lazy Saturday afternoon.

Joe Windish’s column, “Gay plot for hijacking America uncovered!” certainly got my mind “awandering.”

My mind started thinking of the infamous Senator Larry Craig, then of Conservatives, then of hypocrisy, and then of “family values and moral values”–perhaps not in that exact order.

Then, my mind somehow wandered back to the 2,000 and 2004 elections, and how, during those elections, Conservatives blanketed the electronic and printed media with messages of how our country had lost its moral compass; how Americans had lost their family and moral values; how Republicans and Conservatives–if elected–were going to re-instill those values in government, in society and anywhere else they could; how our new president would “restore honor and dignity to the White House.”

As a matter of fact, just prior to the 2004 elections a whole new class of voters was created, the “values voters,” and political analysts claim that moral values and family values trounced every other value or issue in the 2004 elections–even the economy, the Iraq war, and terrorism–and were responsible for the Republican victories that year.

Our great, fair and balanced Fox News proudly proclaimed on November 4, 2004,

“Though the airwaves preceding the election were rife with talk of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, the management of the war in Iraq, job creation and even the so-called legions of angry, young voters — it turns out good old ‘family values‘ may have been the key to President Bush’s successful Election Day strategy.”

The Democrats were “doomed” until they can woo the voters who belong to this new political force, the values voters.

But wait, it is now 2008 and the presidential campaign is in full swing. It is awfully quiet out there when it comes to “good old” family values and moral values. Where are the Republicans to once again tout their moral and family values superiority and to claim such values as Conservatives-only territory?

The last time I remember a Republican presidential candidate addressing that issue was Mitt Romney back in December of 2007.

A December 18, 2007, USA Today article, “’Family values’ lower on agenda in 2008 race,” took note of such a phenomenon and offered a couple of possible explanations:

… there are signs that family values have lost their punch as a campaign issue. Most voters say family values in general are important to them, but a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds they don’t care much about candidates’ personal lives. Political analysts say voters and candidates have broader, more immediate concerns: the ongoing U.S. action in Iraq and Afghanistan, nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea, the threat of terrorism and an economy that’s putting stress on low- and middle-income people.

And,

The “traditional” family — a married couple with kids — made up fewer than 22% of U.S. households last year, according to the Census, down from 40% in 1970. Roughly one-fifth of Americans have been divorced. Nearly two in five U.S. births last year were out of wedlock, more than twice as high as in 1980. More than half the country says same-sex partners should be able to marry or form civil unions.

It could also be that when comparing the major Republican presidential candidates against the major Democratic presidential candidates during this year’s elections in terms of “family values,” the Republicans do not fare as well as the Democrats. According to USA Today:

Among the Republicans, Giuliani is in his third marriage while McCain and Thompson are each in his second… Romney and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee are married to their high school sweethearts. On the Democratic side…Dennis Kucinich, 61, is in his third marriage…Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, former North Carolina senator John Edwards and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson are married to their original spouses. So is New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, despite her husband’s affair while he was president…Overall, “the Democratic candidates actually have more stable family lives than the Republicans,” says Tony Fabrizio, a GOP pollster

On Giuliani, in particular, USA Today said:

The most surprising candidate this year has been Giuliani. He remains a top GOP contender despite his longstanding support for abortion rights and his widely publicized extramarital affair with Judith Nathan — to whom he is now married — during his previous marriage. He’s even been endorsed by Pat Robertson, a leading Christian conservative who says the key issue is who can best fight terrorism.

And finally,

Americans also have seen major cultural changes become woven into society. Divorce, blended families and women in the workforce are common, and polls show most people support gay civil rights. “First we had the feminist and the sexual revolutions, and then we went through a long period where so much of politics was a backlash against those movements,” says Frances Fox Piven, a sociologist and political scientist at the City University of New York Graduate Center. “That’s kind of been worked out now. People have adjusted.”

Yes, these are all plausible explanations as to why Democrats are not being lectured as much on “values” by Republicans. But on a lazy, summer Saturday afternoon in Texas, the mind does funny things, like recalling names such as:

David Vitter, Jack Abramoff, Mark Foley, Bob Packwood, Bob Ney, Randy “Duke” Cunningham, Ted Haggard, Rick Renzi, Bob Allen, and, yes, the one that got my mind wandering to begin with, the inimitable Larry Craig.

And the mind comes up with additional and interesting explanations.

A note to my gay friends and readers: This lazy afternoon’s epistle should in no way be viewed as critical of anyone’s sexual orientation. On the contrary, I find it distasteful when people cover-up their God-given sexual orientation for political purposes, and I find it morally unforgivable when people misuse their positions of power to legislate against, prosecute or punish the perfectly legal and human actions and behavior of those of their own sexual orientation.

As lesbian and gay people are streaming into cities across America — Anchorage, Chicago, Columbus, Houston, Minneapolis/St. Paul, NYC, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Wichita — for what are billed as Gay Pride events, what Pat Boone sees is an invasion coming to hijack his America!!!WorldNetDaily:

It’s been tried before, in a variety of ways. Starting with the time of our American Revolution…and continuing through the War of 1812, the Mexican army attack on the Alamo, the Spanish American War, and the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor – through two world wars – this country, when united, has never been defeated.

In fact, history will show that each time America has been attacked from without, she has grown notably stronger!…

The Communists took a different tack. … they devised a cunning plan to establish Communist cells in this country, made up almost totally of Americans…

By changing the moral compass of our country, especially in the young generation, they would literally take over our culture – and eventually our government – from within.

That’s right folks! Like the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and the cunning communists, we’re sneaking into your towns to recruit the young!

And now, according to facts just revealed by Focus on the Family, a frightening new assault is well under way, on our very processes of government. Focus is the leading family advocacy outfit in the country and happens to be based in Colorado, where they’ve had a ringside seat for the activities of a multimillionaire named Tim Gill. This man and other extremely wealthy men who share his priorities have demonstrated that enough money can buy virtually anything … maybe even a country.

Tim Gill founded Quark, a very successful software company, and 14 years ago began pouring much of his massive wealth into the homosexual rights movement. Dozens of gay rights organizations owe their existence to Gill. That list includes the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN – the nation’s leading homosexual activist group in America’s schools). I’ve written here before about the goals GLSEN has for our schools and the minds of our young; they are determined to see that all teachers imbed acceptance, even admiration, for every kind of deviant behavior into the curricula and permanent perceptions of America’s students.

I’m sad to say how many people in my rural Georgia community agree with Pat Boone. We’ve got some real work to be done here.

RELATED:  It was nice to see Peter Wehner write in the WaPo today that Christian conservative “critics of Obama have an obligation to provide a fair and honest critique, and the attacks leveled by Dobson fall terribly short of that standard.”Morbo has the entire James Dobson salvo against Barack Obama and detects an air of desperation. I certainly agree.

Scott at World o’Crap has some fun walking us through WorldNetDaily CEO Joseph Farah showing us how to sniff out the subversive elements infesting America’s vital news organs. He begins with a quote from a Dobson radio ad:

“Mom…”

If the Colorado legislature has its way…

“A man in a dress came into the girl’s restroom at school today.”

We could all be dealing with a new type of predator.

“Honey, there was a man in the women’s showers at the gym today, and the management said it was, it was Colorado law.”

And instead of our kids worrying about class work, they’ll be worrying about who might be in the restroom with them.

“No way I’m going in there (school bell), I’d rather wait all day if a guy’s in there.”

Our children must be protected from predators, but if Governor Ritter won’t veto Senate Bill 200, all public restrooms, including those in our public schools, will be open to anyone of any sex.

Have you ever opened up your local newspaper and wondered why there is so much coverage of homosexuals and issues of concern to homosexuals?

Grand Central Political published this column by Jennifer Nedeau of New Media Strategies and Human Folly, “Could A Little “Sex” Help Female Political Candidates?” Here’s a tease:

Since Barack Obama took the Democratic Presidential Nomination, I have come to wonder: if Hillary had harnessed some of the powerful imagery of SATC, could she have done better among women like me who think she just wasn’t female enough to earn the title of “First Female President?”

…

In the SATC movie, Miranda remarks to Carrie as she looks for a Halloween costume - “These are the only two choices for women - witch or sexy kitten?” Currently, the ability for a female leader to rise above these stereotypes is difficult, if not impossible. If we are ever going to get past these stereotypes, we need a female leader who is brave enough to prove that being powerful and female isn’t a detrimental condition corrected by a short hair cut, a figure less suit and emotionless campaigning. I think Hillary in particular would have had more success if she had tried to embrace her gender instead of treating it like a handicap. Perhaps then, the females turned off by her decision to fit in all too nicely with the male political paradigm, might have decided she was someone worthy of their vote.

Before you start rolling your eyes, or wondering what Jill is saying she thinks, remember the following:

The next female who wants to be commander-in-chief could try to embrace her gender as a plus, rather than a minus. Simple things such as an upside down stiletto could easily take the place of the “V” in “Vote for Me” as a start. Instead of stuffy suits, add some fashion to the political stage and allow a popular female designer to dress the candidate for a day. Work with Mommy Bloggers, admirable female celebrities, female sports stars, and sorority girls to create the solid base of female support to carry the campaign. Most importantly, meet women in their element. Organize the female electorate such as Mobilize.org did with a voter registration drive at the Sex and the City Movie Premieres. Or host a Cocktail Caucus at CHANEL similar to what Polichicks Online has done.

I chose to be a Barack Obama supporter in part because I did not agree with Hillary’s misogynistic branding of her campaign. When Obama took the nomination it became clear that in targeting the 20 to 40 year-old demographic he found success - they wanted to have a beer with him and listen to his policy - something Hillary could not seem to achieve. However, when another female wagers for the White House - instead of seeking a candidate to drink a beer with, why not a one who might sip a Cosmopolitan? Bridging the gender gap in politics is not impossible; it just takes a little creativity.

See the sense? I do. And this isn’t an easy topic or a stupid or silly one either. I know there are women who will always bristle at the suggestion Nedeau makes because they’ll see it as selling out or not pursuing gender neutrality.

However, if our gender - whether man or women - offers us the potential to have advantages, as political candidates, and re-brand otherwise negative images connected to our gender which we reject, why not manipulate these images and definitions ourselves? That’s taking control, and I can’t argue against it (and have in fact argued for it before).

It’s never too late to try out strategies like the ones Nedeau suggested. Maybe the next step is to start a website that encourages women who are running for office or will be running for office to figure out their level of comfort with these suggestions and see how she fits them in, and whether they work, or fail.

If I run for something, I promise to be a guinea pig for this tactic. You?

As an example of turning images on their heads, here’s the White House Project’s baby doll fit t-shirt (which I wear constantly):

Works for me.

Next year is my ten year “anniversary” with my spousal equivalent — though we’ve always had to wonder, anniversary of what??? In our case we chose the date that made the difference. (There’s also the question of which finger to wear the ring on — by wearing it on the traditional wedding finger am I trying to pass as a married straight man in this rural Georgia town?)We’re thinking maybe to celebrate that decade we’ll pack up a dozen of our best friends and head for California:

Ride a cable car. Visit Alcatraz. Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. Get hitched?

Massachusetts was the first state to legalize same-sex weddings, but California is the first to allow nonresidents to marry - and 87 same-sex couples from other states and countries have already filed marriage licenses during their trips to San Francisco.

The number of non-Californians getting married in the city is expected to spike today as tourists arrive in advance of this weekend’s gay pride events. As of Thursday afternoon, 206 same-sex couples had appointments to get marriage licenses at City Hall today, making it the busiest day so far.

Already, the same-sex pairs have come from all corners of the United States, including liberal places like Seattle and New York City and conservative bastions such as South Carolina, Kentucky and Kansas.

We wouldn’t be the first from Georgia:

David Whatley, 31, and Michael Potts, 34, live in Atlanta and know Georgia won’t recognize their marriage anytime soon. But when they saw the California weddings on the news June 17, they bought their plane tickets immediately. They purchased wedding rings two days later, arrived at SFO last Friday morning and were married within hours - with a stranger serving as their witness.

“We figured we couldn’t wait for Georgia to get onboard. We had to come across the country to do it instead,” Whatley said. “We’re tired of intolerance. San Francisco’s a very forward-looking city, and we’re glad to be a part of it.”

Catching up in other gay marriage news: the Arizona Senate rejected a proposed ballot measure to amend the state constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage.

Obama disappoints.  Sadly. Not unexpectedly.

Mormons ask LDS members to fight same-sex marriage in California.

Openly gay chief marketing officer for Kmart leaves to join California marriage fight.

Baldilocks says “screw them” to the Supreme Court (for rejecting the death penalty for child rape) and “fry them” to all child rapists. Baldilocks’ entire post is framed in her devout Christian beliefs. And even though I’m not a Christian. And even though I identify more with the transhumanism crowd than the religious crowd, I agree with her 110%.

I’ve seen victims of child rape while growing up in southeast Michigan. Drug dealers and pimps who indoctrinate young girls into sick harems by raping them. Young boys being raped as punishment for not doing a “dirty deed” right or just as some toy for a wackjob. Drug addicts pimping their own children to feed their habits. These light brown eyes have seen the horrific results first hand. And I say the following without a shred of compassion:

Child rapists need to be executed.

The mental destruction of a child by rape is almost unbearable to see. Those children either become shells of themselves that do anything without protesting or sick and angry projections of themselves that seek to do harm to any and everyone in anyway (or both). And when (if) they grow up, many are very dysfunctional adults with massive trust, relationship, and sexual issues. Frequently they become criminals themselves. So why do the men and women that commit this terrible crime still get to see the light of day after effectively destroying another human being? Why?

To me, there are certain criminal acts that have to send the perpetrator(s) to the other side quick, fast, and in a hurry. And child rape is one of them. I’m terribly disappointed in the Supreme Court’s decision. Terribly and completely disappointed. And what’s happening to state’s rights?

* NOTE: Even though I feel very strongly about this issue, I won’t attack people that comment to the contrary. That’s not the way I roll here on The Moderate Voice.