tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29670908695283433182024-02-19T03:43:08.613-08:00SexFreedomActiontearing down the walls of stigmaUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967090869528343318.post-34614400984228146412018-12-01T16:17:00.002-08:002018-12-01T16:17:18.808-08:00Genital Integrity for All<div>
This week's <i><a href="http://www.phillyrecord.com/" target="_blank">Philadelphia Public Record</a></i> is calling for a ban on infant genital mutilation -- but only for those born female. I've submitted the following letter:</div>
<div>
</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
There are a couple blind spots in your editorial about genital mutilation.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You
write that female genital mutilation "is sometimes euphemistically
called female circumcision." What this overlooks is that the word <i>circumcision</i> is also routinely employed as a euphemism for <b>male</b> genital mutilation.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Medical organizations around the world have rejected non-therapeutic infant circumcision as not medically indicated (<a href="http://www.cirp.org/library/statements/%20No%20statement%20recommends%20the%20practice%20of%20non-therapeutic%20child%20circumcision." rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.cirp.org/library/statements/ ).</a>
From ancient Egypt to as recently as the Victorian era, it has been
stated quite openly that its purpose is to reduce "excessive" sexual
pleasure -- much the same as with female genital mutilation (<span>
<span>
<span>
<span><span><span><span><a href="http://empathygap.uk/?p=519" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://empathygap.uk/?p=519</a></span></span></span></span>
). There is scientific evidence that it does have adverse effects on
sexual function, as well as increasing propensities for aggression.</span></span></span></div>
<div>
<span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div>
<span><span><span>The vast majority of this mutilation in Anglophone countries is <b>not</b>
done for religious reasons, poor excuse as those are in any case. It's
simply a customary, and lucrative, practice of many doctors.</span></span></span></div>
<div>
<span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div>
<span><span><span>In
addition, thousands of infants born with "ambiguous" genitalia are
likewise subject to genital surgery in which they have no choice and
which is in no way medically necessary, simply to appease cultural
expectations. These procedures, too, create great anguish. ( <a href="https://aeon.co/essays/people-born-intersex-have-a-right-to-genital-integrity" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://aeon.co/essays/people-born-intersex-have-a-right-to-genital-integrity</a> )</span></span></span></div>
<div>
<span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></div>
<span><span><span>There is no legitimate reason for you to be calling for an end only to <b>female</b> genital mutilation. All infants -- male, female, and intersex -- have a right to genital integrity.</span></span></span></blockquote>
<br />
I might add that the adverse effects on sexual function not only reduce men's satisfaction, but also that of their partners.<br />
<br />
You can contact the <i>Public Record </i>at:<br />
<br />
<b>Philadelphia Public Record</b><br />
21 S. 11th Street, Suite 205, Philadelphia, PA 19107<br />
Tel: 215-755-2000 <br />
Fax: 215-525-2818<br />
E-mail: <a href="mailto:editor@phillyrecord.com">editor@phillyrecord.com</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967090869528343318.post-53357621749106708932018-09-20T13:58:00.002-07:002018-09-20T13:58:34.561-07:00Tell Senator Hirono Our Constitutional Rights Matter<div data-contents="true">
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<span data-offset-key="ive4-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="fnkb3-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="fnkb3-0-0"><span data-text="true">I just called Senator Hirono's office to express my outrage that someone sworn to uphold the US Constitution has, in just a few sentences, attacked both the freedom of speech and the presumption of innocence, as well as promoting the false stereotype that men and only men are responsible for sexual violence, something for which women actually show a comparable propensity (see attachment). SAVE's message about this, slightly edited, is below.</span></span></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="3djih-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="3djih-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="evc1m-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="evc1m-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="muhr" data-offset-key="a2d80-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="a2d80-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="a2d80-0-0"><span data-text="true">Hello Eric,</span></span></div>
</div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="dikpr-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="dikpr-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="muhr" data-offset-key="bk2tq-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="bk2tq-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="bk2tq-0-0"><span data-text="true">Most Americans believe free speech and the presumption of innocence are cornerstones of democracy. But not Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawii.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="muhr" data-offset-key="7ut6m-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="7ut6m-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="7ut6m-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="muhr" data-offset-key="54g6b-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="54g6b-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="54g6b-0-0"><span data-text="true">In a recent interview about the sexual misconduct allegations against Judge Kavanaugh, Hirono remarked,</span></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="muhr" data-offset-key="6i49q-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6i49q-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="6i49q-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="muhr" data-offset-key="c769k-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="c769k-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="c769k-0-0"><span data-text="true">"Not only do women, like Dr. Ford, who bravely comes forward, need to be heard, but they need to be believed. Guess who's perpetuating all of these kinds of actions? It's the men in this country. And I just want to say to the men in this country, 'Just shut up and step up. Do the right thing for a change.'"</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="muhr" data-offset-key="c9hm2-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="c9hm2-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="c9hm2-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="muhr" data-offset-key="c8g5e-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="c8g5e-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="c8g5e-0-0"><span data-text="true">Are we going to acquiesce to Hirono's call to end free speech and the presumption of innocence? If not, please call her office now: (202) 224-6361.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="muhr" data-offset-key="ej37o-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ej37o-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="ej37o-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="muhr" data-offset-key="d3u6o-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="d3u6o-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="d3u6o-0-0"><span data-text="true">Sincerely,</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="muhr" data-offset-key="9kflp-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="9kflp-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="9kflp-0-0"><span data-text="true">The SAVE Team</span></span></div>
</div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1l3mh-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="1l3mh-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967090869528343318.post-25152687877717462722017-02-09T14:29:00.002-08:002017-02-09T14:29:15.038-08:00A Civil Rights Bill for Georgia StudentsA bill has been introduced in the Georgia house of representatives
that would restore constitutional protections to students in the state's
universities. This would correct the current lack of due process
protections that has not only damaged or ruined the careers of some
students, but also has a chilling effect on consensual relations by
imposing on them an insuperable burden of second-guessing. I've just
sent a note of support to the five sponsors as follows:<br />
<br />
<div id="yiv2496230214yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1486678151395_3553">
<span id="yiv2496230214yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1486678151395_3554">Dear Rep.-----,</span></div>
<div id="yiv2496230214yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1486678151395_3555">
<br id="yiv2496230214yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1486678151395_3556" /></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="yiv2496230214yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1486678151395_3558">
<span id="yiv2496230214yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1486678151395_3559">I'm
very pleased to learn of your sponsorship of H.B. 51, which will help
restore fundamental constitutional rights to Georgia students. It's
refreshing to see that some elected officials still care about them.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="yiv2496230214yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1486678151395_3560">
<br id="yiv2496230214yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1486678151395_3561" /></div>
<span id="yiv2496230214yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1486678151395_3566"><a class="enhancr2_d2168d18-5f16-4b82-17fe-3c11cc3fd8d6" href="http://honeybadgerbrigade.com/2017/02/09/support-ga-house-bill-51-to-secure-due-process-in-universities/" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1486675651535_11877">Support GA House Bill 51 to secure due process in universities</a></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLwoXHOKYi3djdIrEGRIylwu1tiAdYqMR1Yx80HdnesMiI-1ziNDD3f__CF3-bFr9J-MCCb4bfMgP9716QtHhzLBw7vHShEp9IL8F3_goJfSM6o_3sIzmhTXcQfuuHhps-y6BxPIxuDaw/s1600/stockfresh_1883052_temida-law-justice_1610X1000.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLwoXHOKYi3djdIrEGRIylwu1tiAdYqMR1Yx80HdnesMiI-1ziNDD3f__CF3-bFr9J-MCCb4bfMgP9716QtHhzLBw7vHShEp9IL8F3_goJfSM6o_3sIzmhTXcQfuuHhps-y6BxPIxuDaw/s320/stockfresh_1883052_temida-law-justice_1610X1000.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span id="yiv2496230214yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1486678151395_3566">You can find contact information for the sponsors, whose names appear at the top of the bill linked from the above article, at <a href="http://www.house.ga.gov/Representatives/en-US/HouseMembersList.aspx">http://www.house.ga.gov/Representatives/en-US/HouseMembersList.aspx</a>. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967090869528343318.post-47726481203301334662016-09-30T14:42:00.001-07:002016-09-30T14:46:53.217-07:00Urge Your University to Preserve Dus Process<a href="http://www.saveservices.org/">Stop Abusive and Violent Environments</a> (SAVE) is urging its supporters to write their alma maters about the worrying trend toward so-called <a href="http://www.saveservices.org/sexual-assault/investigations/">"victim-centered investigations."</a> I've written a letter to Penn's President Gutman laying out the case against this approach:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>I am very concerned about the threat to due process rights and the presumption of innocence posed by the trend toward so-called "victim-centered" investigations, primarily being promoted in connection with accusations of sexual assault on college and university campuses.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>By substituting partiality toward the accuser -- even to the point of deliberately refraining from gathering evidence in some circumstances -- this approach not only increases the likelihood of false convictions, but ultimately can only undermine the public's confidence in judicial processes, and <a href="http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/listen-and-believe-actually-hurts-rape-victims-in-the-long-run/article/2596143">make it more skeptical even of true accusations</a>.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Indeed, inasmuch as the push for this approach is mostly restricted to the context of sexual assault investigations, it could end up making the public even less willing to believe these allegations than those of other crimes.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Please commit Penn to maintaining neutral fact-finding as the standard for all its judicial processes.</i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967090869528343318.post-8197727431165715982016-04-12T16:56:00.003-07:002016-04-12T16:56:54.279-07:00This Metaphor Is Bad for Our HealthIn a solicitation from the <a href="http://cspinet.org/about/contact_us.html">Center for Science in the Public Interest</a>,
I found a reminder of an irritating practice of theirs that I'd always
meant to comment on. I've just done so now in an email to them as
follows:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div id="yiv1630133512yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1460503545502_3371">
<span id="yiv1630133512yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1460503545502_3390">I'm
writing to express my disapproval of your use of the phrase "food
porn." Clearly you are trying to convey the concept of food that tastes
good but isn't good for you. Trouble is, that's not true of porn itself.</span></div>
<div id="yiv1630133512yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1460503545502_3450">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="yiv1630133512yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1460503545502_3631">
<span id="yiv1630133512yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1460503545502_7213">Despite generations of attempts to scientifically prove the "common sense"<span style="color: #cd232c;">*</span>
that porn is bad for us, such evidence is essentially nonexistent, and
sometimes it suggests just the opposite. Here, for instance, is a court
brief debunking the idea that it's "harmful to minors": </span><br />
<a href="http://www.fepproject.org/courtbriefs/ashcroft.pdf" id="yiv1630133512yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1460503545502_7214" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.fepproject.org/courtbriefs/ashcroft.pdf</a></div>
<div id="yiv1630133512yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1460503545502_3632">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="yiv1630133512yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1460503545502_3651">
<span id="yiv1630133512yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1460503545502_3390">And here's a study refuting the idea that the availability of porn lowers women's status: <a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/3812808?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents" id="yiv1630133512yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1460503545502_5273" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.jstor.org/stable/3812808?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents</a></span></div>
<div id="yiv1630133512yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1460503545502_3652">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="yiv1630133512yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1460503545502_3775">
<span id="yiv1630133512yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1460503545502_3390">This
isn't a merely "academic" question. These false notions about porn have
been used to justify restrictive laws and customs which, so far from
protecting people, may well contribute to psychosexual problems and
leave children more vulnerable to sexual exploitation, as discussed by
Judith Levine in her book <i id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1460504666322_3527"><a class="edited-link-editor" href="http://www.powells.com/partner/35751/biblio/9781560255161">Harmful to Minors: The Perils of Protecting Children from Sex</a></i>.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="yiv1630133512yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1460503545502_3793">
<br /></div>
</blockquote>
<div dir="ltr" id="yiv1630133512yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1460503545502_3794">
<blockquote>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1460504666322_4795">
<span id="yiv1630133512yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1460503545502_3390"><span style="color: #cd232c;">*</span>"What
many people refer to as common sense is nothing more than a collection
of prejudices accumulated before the age of eighteen." -- Albert
Einstein</span></div>
</blockquote>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1460504666322_4796">
<span id="yiv1630133512yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1460503545502_3390"><br /></span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967090869528343318.post-15399423553495508302016-01-19T16:42:00.002-08:002016-01-19T17:37:22.004-08:00Call on UC to Reverse Its Sexual Consent Catch-22In a very disturbing development, the University of California system has adopted a <a href="http://www.dailybruin.com/2016/01/11/qa-ucla-title-ix-officer-talks-new-model-to-investigate-sexual-assault-reports/">new policy</a>
on adjudication of sexual assault complaints that compounds the erosion
of civil liberties already brought by its "affirmative consent"
standard.<br />
<br />
Now, any non-consensual recording of a sex
act, even if it's never shared with anyone, is considered a form of
sexual assault. This may seem reasonable until one remembers that verbal
agreement isn't considered proof of consent if the accuser claims they
were under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. Since such influence
isn't always obvious, this means the very act of attempting to create
proof of consent could get someone accused of sexual assault.<br />
<br />
This
prospect looms even larger because of another change. UC is now
abandoning adversarial process in favor of letting a single
administrator hear and decide a case -- an administrator who may feel
pressured to produce convictions to justify Title IX funding. The
accused's only recourse is to appeal to a higher administrative body,
which would have the same institutional bias as the original hearing
officer.<br />
<br />
This isn't only an assault on due process;
it's also an assault on sexual freedom. While encouraging people to be
comfortable talking about sex with prospective partners -- or anyone
else -- is absolutely a good thing, trying to prescribe forms of consent
in this way can only have an intimidating effect on people as they
explore their sexuality, something that typically involves a good deal
of anxiety already. Taken to its extreme, it could lead to involuntary
abstinence for women and men alike.
Accordingly, I've written UC President Janet Napolitano (president@ucop.edu) as follows:
<br />
<blockquote>
Dear President Napolitano:
I urge you to reverse the new policy concerning adjudication of sexual
assault complaints at UC. It is unacceptable to give a single
administrator, possibly under pressure to get "results" to justify Title
IX funding, the power and responsibility to adjudicate such serious
accusations -- especially when the new definition of assault covers the
very recording that the affirmative consent standard makes necessary for
proving innocence. This puts the accused truly in a Catch-22. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
The
option to appeal does not adequately address these concerns, since it
would still leave the ultimate decision in administrative hands. We have
already seen examples of universities' refusing to consider clearly
exculpatory evidence on the technical grounds that the original trial
was procedurally correct, as illustrated here:
https://kcjohnson.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/amherst-complaint.pdf </blockquote>
<blockquote>
Please restore adversarial process and the presumption of innocence without delay.</blockquote>
For further information on this issue, visit Stop Abusive and Violent Environments at http://www.SAVEservices.org<br />
<br />
Here's <a href="http://www.spiked-online.com/newsite/article/affirmative-consent-a-crime-against-liberty/15985#.Vp7iikb082w">an excellent piece by Wendy Kaminer</a> on what's wrong with "affirmative consent" as a legal standard. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967090869528343318.post-81240387552762850092015-10-12T18:56:00.001-07:002015-10-12T18:56:54.475-07:00Stop HB 262Responding to a statement from Sex Worker Outreach Project-Philly, I've written my state representative, Stephen Kinsey, regarding an ill-conceived bill, as follows: "Please vote no on HB 262. It would do little or nothing to help victims of sex trafficking while creating many new burdens and risks for voluntary sex workers. See Sex Worker Outreach Project-Philly's statement here: http://swop-philly.com/2015/10/07/swop-philly-votes-no-on-hb-262/"<br />
<br />
You can contact your state representative via this page: www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/member_information/mbrList.cfm?body=H&sort=alphaUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967090869528343318.post-40274351561367989312013-11-01T17:08:00.001-07:002013-11-01T17:08:49.779-07:00Deny Deni Again<a href="http://stripey7.blogspot.com/2007/11/update-on-rape-enabling-judge_04.html">I wrote six years ago</a>
about the effort (unfortunately unsuccessful) to unseat slut-shaming
judge Teresa Carr Deni from Philadelphia Municipal Court. Well, she's up
for retention again next Tuesday, so I've moved that the <a href="http://www.gpop.org/">Green Party of Philadelphia</a>
call again for a "NO" vote. The party endorsed my proposal and asked me
to write a letter to the local papers. Here's what I submitted to the <i>Inquirer</i> and <i>Daily News</i>:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div id="yui_3_13_0_1_1383350135878_6848">
<span id="yui_3_13_0_1_1383350135878_6847">On
Election Day next Tuesday, Philadelphia voters have the chance to take a
stand against sexual violence and send a clear message that everyone's
human rights must be respected.</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_13_0_1_1383350135878_6765">
<span id="yui_3_13_0_1_1383350135878_6764">Six
years ago, in what the chancellor of the Bar Association called "an
unforgivable miscarriage of justice," Municipal Court Judge Teresa Carr
Deni threw out sexual assault charges in a multiple rape, at gunpoint
and without protection, simply because the victim was a sex worker.
Foreshadowing the recent outrageous comments of some politicians, she
said to do otherwise would be a disservice to the victims of "true
rape."</span></div>
<div>
Judge Carr Deni
has never repudiated her actions in this case. While she may prefer to
forget the matter, Philadelphia voters have no reason to either forget
or forgive. Let's all vote NO on Judge Carr Deni's retention November
5th.</div>
</blockquote>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967090869528343318.post-80164983631078264962013-03-24T14:13:00.001-07:002013-03-24T14:21:05.304-07:00Stop Iceland from Banning Internet "Violent Pornography"<div id="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_54">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_72">As recently reported on FetLife, the government of Iceland is considering a ban on online "violent pornography," in the name of protecting children from its putative harm, of course. You can read the UK Guardian article here: </span><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/16/iceland-online-pornography" style="color: cyan;"><span class="db l mbn"><span itemprop="name">http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/16/iceland-online-pornography</span></span></a>.</div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_54">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_72">And here's what I've written the Prime Minister of Iceland at <a href="mailto:postur@for.stjr.is" style="color: cyan;">postur@for.stjr.is</a></span>:</div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_54">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_72"> </span></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_54" style="color: cyan;">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_54" style="color: blue;">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_72">Dear Minister:</span></div>
<div class="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_92" id="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_88" style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<br />
<span id="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_72"></span></div>
<div class="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_98" id="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_91" style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_72">I
am greatly concerned by the news that you are considering a law to ban
Internet "violent pornography" in the name of protecting children.</span></div>
<div class="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_101" id="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_97" style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<br />
<span id="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_72"></span></div>
<div class="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_138" id="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_82" style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_72">In
the first place, contrary to your statements, there is no consensus
among researchers about this alleged harm. Consider, for instance, this
statement by US scholars:</span><span id="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_72"> <a href="http://www.ncac.org/media/related/20011205%7EUSA%7ELetter_to_AAP_Concerning_Media_Violence_Statements.cfm" id="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_260">http://www.ncac.org/media/related/20011205~USA~Letter_to_AAP_Concerning_Media_Violence_Statements.cfm</a>.</span></div>
<div class="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_141" id="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_137" style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<br />
<span id="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_72"></span></div>
<div class="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_197" id="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_140" style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_72">In
the second place, this is unquestionably an issue of free expression.
Efforts to "protect" children with computer algorithms have had
notoriously imprecise results -- including, for instance, the censoring
of any and all gay-positive material -- so the only way to implement
such a law would be to use human screeners, guaranteeing that those
screeners' biases would come into play. Even terms like "violent" or
"hateful" are construed in very different ways by different people. What one woman may call misogynistic, another finds arousing.<br />
</span></div>
<div class="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_200" id="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_196" style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<br />
<span id="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_72"></span></div>
<div class="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_231" id="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_199" style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_72">Thirdly, this goes beyond the desire of lone individuals to view erotica
on their computers. Many people network online on the basis of shared
erotic interests, such as BDSM (bondage and discipline/dominance and
submission/sadomasochism). I belong to one such network based in the US.
I am appalled at the thought that Icelanders with similar interests
would become unable to find one another if this proposed law went into
effect.</span></div>
<div class="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_234" id="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_230" style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<br />
<span id="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_72"></span></div>
<div class="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_241" id="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_233" style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_72">With a view to protecting their civil rights, I am determined that if this legislation is adopted, I will not buy any products from Iceland.</span></div>
<div class="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_244" id="yui_3_7_2_33_1364157181601_240" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967090869528343318.post-38121961438044502252012-03-03T10:49:00.000-08:002012-03-03T10:49:36.188-08:00Tell Radio Stations to Take Rush Limbaugh Off the Air<span id="yui_3_2_0_16_1330800350375145" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"> I got this message yesterday from Michael Morrill of Keystone Progress. When I signed, I added the comment that slut-shaming is actually unacceptable in any context:<br />
</span> <br />
<br />
<div id="yiv25509080"><b>It was bad enough that Republicans in Congress wouldn't let Georgetown student Sandra Fluke speak about contraceptives at an all-male hearing...</b><br />
<b>But then Rush Limbaugh called her a "slut" and "prostitute" for wanting to get reproductive healthcare for all women. Here's just a part of what Limbaugh said:</b><br />
<i>LIMBAUGH: What does it say about the college coed Susan Fluke [sic], who goes before a congressional committee and essentially says that she must be paid to have sex? What does that make her? It makes her a slut, right? It makes her a prostitute. She wants to be paid to have sex.</i><br />
<i>She's having so much sex she can't afford the contraception. She wants you and me and the taxpayers to pay her to have sex.</i><br />
I<b>t's time for Limbaugh to be taken off the air. </b> <a href="https://secure3.convio.net/pn/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2063" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click here to send a message to all of the PA radio stations carrying Limbaugh.</a> You can alsohear the audio of Limbaugh making his disgusting comments on the site.<br />
Pleae take action and send this email widely.<br />
Enough of Limbaugh and the Right's attacks on women!<br />
<a href="https://secure3.convio.net/pn/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2063" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://secure3.convio.net/pn/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2063</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967090869528343318.post-88024563533399256962012-02-08T17:45:00.001-08:002012-02-08T17:55:43.100-08:00Candye Kane Seeking Help with Cancer Costs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyUDVJ2IjstAz2CgDqDO6shY00v9E8Cp6_wnej41Uv1QQ-ywkHGwLhUaYV8uW6RkzDEp3Yjgx9UPT93wOu_Sc2jc1iY19iGGSEUcUOZKTDChcbJqHTBtD0k6ZklTvd_bUQMHUTiTriDR5j/s1600/Sister+Vagabond.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyUDVJ2IjstAz2CgDqDO6shY00v9E8Cp6_wnej41Uv1QQ-ywkHGwLhUaYV8uW6RkzDEp3Yjgx9UPT93wOu_Sc2jc1iY19iGGSEUcUOZKTDChcbJqHTBtD0k6ZklTvd_bUQMHUTiTriDR5j/s320/Sister+Vagabond.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The blueswoman (and former porn star) sent this news to her fans. I'm chipping in:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,Serif; font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<div class="yiv1366989509MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,Serif; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,Serif; font-size: medium;"> </span><br />
<div class="yiv1366989509MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,Serif; font-size: medium;">Hello Everyone ---</span></div><div class="yiv1366989509MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,Serif; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="yiv1366989509MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,Serif; font-size: medium;">As you may know, I have been diagnosed with a recurrence of the pancreatic carcinoid neuroendocrine cancer I had in 2008. <a href="http://www.carcinoid.org/" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1328751501_0">www.carcinoid.org</span></a> I will be giving myself injections of Sandostatin three times a day subcutaneously for eleven days, at the end of February, graduating to one injection a month after the initial trial. Sandostatin is used to stop the progression of this disease and the subsequent surgery will be used to remove the tumor (s) and unblock the duct that has been causing me so much pain. There are no guarantees that they will be able to alleviate all of my pain permanently, or that they will be able to remove all of the cancer but this is the best chance I have to rid myself of this cancer again and get back to a better quality of life. If they are successful, I could be in remission for many years. Of course, this is our hope.</span></div><div class="yiv1366989509MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,Serif; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="yiv1366989509MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,Serif; font-size: medium;">Because so much money has already been spent on flights and deposits for this upcoming European tour, I have chosen to postpone my surgery until the last week of April, first week of May. I will likely have surgery at Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles on April 27th. My doctors agreed that it is okay for me to wait for the surgery to be performed until this time.</span></div><div class="yiv1366989509MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,Serif; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="yiv1366989509MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,Serif; font-size: medium;">It is my hope that by the last week of June, I will be ready to resume my busy touring schedule. It may be sooner than that, but I am planning on making the Simi Valley blues festival my first official appearance back.</span></div><div class="yiv1366989509MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,Serif; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="yiv1366989509MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,Serif; font-size: medium;">I am sorry for this interruption in our schedule. I know how many of you depend on me to be the workhorse I am. I plan on letting this disrupt my life as little as possible. I have a good chance of recovering from this surgery quickly, the same way I recovered very quickly from the whipple procedure in 2008. My doctors at Cedars Sinai think I am a good candidate for this surgery, also called a whipple revision and that I will be able to work again a month later, just as I did, the last time. If you'll recall, I had surgery April 18, 2008 and was on tour with United by Music by June 18th.</span></div><div class="yiv1366989509MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,Serif; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="yiv1366989509MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,Serif; font-size: medium;">Of course, this is a scary time for me and my family and closest friends. Michael Kinsman, Janiva Magness, Joey Scruggs, Barbara Hammerman and many others have already offered their assistance with benefits for me. I will definitely need financial help to survive both during the last two weeks of february whilst I endure these injections and also during the month of May and possibly the first part of June, when I am home healing and convalescing. Any help that any of you can give me to get the word out about needing assistance would help greatly. My paypal account is <a href="mailto:candyekanetour@aol.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">candyekanetour@aol.com</span></a></span></div><div class="yiv1366989509MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,Serif; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="yiv1366989509MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,Serif; font-size: medium;">My insurance has a $2500 deductible when I am hospitalized and I am still not sure whether the injections will be completely covered. They are between $1500 to $5000 each injection. We are proceeding as if they are covered, unless we hear otherwise but I think it wise to plan ahead in case they are not covered.</span></div><div class="yiv1366989509MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,Serif; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="yiv1366989509MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,Serif; font-size: medium;">Anyway, I am scared, sad and grieve for the changes that this will make to my body. I am lucky that I have some extra body weight still, that I can afford to lose during this time. </span></div><div class="yiv1366989509MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,Serif; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="yiv1366989509MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,Serif; font-size: medium;">Please keep me in your meditations and prayers and encourage others to do the same. I will need as much of your positive energy during this time as I did before. Maybe even more so this time, because I still remember clearly the intense pain of 150 stitches and the aftermath of my recovery period. It was the most intense challenge of my life. I am up for this next challenge and I know I will emerge triumphant. I am blessed to be a role model to so many, proving that anyone can overcome adversity with sheer guts and determination. I hope to continue to be able to do my job and spread love and hope through music around the world, for many more years to come.</span></div><div class="yiv1366989509MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,Serif; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="yiv1366989509MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,Serif; font-size: medium;">If you can't come to a live show, please consider joining the National Blues Foundation at www.blues.org Kids under 18 can join for FREE and you can join for just $25! The Blues Foundation is committed to helping promote blues music and giving aid to blues musicians all over the world with their various programs. While you are there, you can cast a vote for me! I am nominated for BB King Entertainer of the Year and Best Contemporary Blues Female. You have until March 1st to join and vote. I am honored to be nominated amongst some of the best of my hardworking sister and brother musicians.</span></div><div class="yiv1366989509MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,Serif; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="yiv1366989509MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,Serif; font-size: medium;">On a personal note, in spite of this latest family crisis, my sons Tommy and Evan are doing very well. Evan is playing in several local San Diego bands and working hard teaching music at the Boys and Girls Club in Carlsbad. Tommy has graduated from UC Berkeley and is now living in Oaxaca, Mexico, teaching English and Music to students at the Liberty Language School. Both of my boys are healthy and thriving and I couldnt be more proud of them.</span></div><div class="yiv1366989509MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,Serif; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="yiv1366989509MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,Serif; font-size: medium;">Thank you again for all of your wonderful emails and words of encouragement during this difficult time in my life. I can win this battle with cancer. I have done it once and I will do it again! I have cancer. Cancer DOES NOT HAVE ME. Sending boatloads of love, strength, and white light to you in your own struggles!</span></div><div class="yiv1366989509MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,Serif; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="yiv1366989509MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,Serif; font-size: medium;">Big Love and Gratitude,</span></div><div class="yiv1366989509MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,Serif; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="yiv1366989509MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,Serif; font-size: medium;">Candye </span></div></blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967090869528343318.post-4769572573281805082011-01-23T21:28:00.000-08:002011-01-23T21:54:13.765-08:00Tell Ira Glass: Ignorance is not bliss!The episode of <em>This American Life</em> broadcast today included a segment he told us was "not suitable for children." I've responded to this profoundedly wrongheaded "warning" with the following message:<br /><br /><blockquote>How on Earth can you say that your story from Westword (about the man who wanted to kill the rapist from his childhood) is unsuitable for children?<br /><br />Do you honestly believe it's better that children <em>not</em> be aware of how they might be victimized if they're not careful? How is that going to protect them? It will, to the contrary, leave them that much more vulnerable.<br /><br />Were you concerned that the material might be too disturbing for children? That admittedly is a possibility worthy of consideration — although children are often able to handle (and already aware of) more than adults give them credit for. But if that was your concern, you should have said so plainly and not left it open to the other interpretation, which reinforces an appallingly irrational and misguided, if still too common, attitude.<br /><br />Ignorance is not bliss. It is danger!<br /></blockquote><br />You can hear the program at <a href="http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/425/slow-to-react">http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/425/slow-to-react</a>. You can write Glass at <a href="mailto:web@thislife.org">web@thislife.org</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967090869528343318.post-67502123858877170842010-12-16T20:43:00.000-08:002010-12-16T20:44:44.823-08:00Give It Away for NinaNina Hartley is facing an urgent financial situation: she needs funds to pay for her recovery after upcoming surgery. The appeal follows.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.giveforward.com/giveitawayfornina">http://www.giveforward.com/giveitawayfornina</a><br /><br />Help Our Friend Nina<br /><br />If you’re reading this you’re likely already a friend, or fan, of Nina’s. Thanks for taking the time to be here. She’s always made an effort to connect on the personal level with all she meets, and it’s from that personal level that I write this. If you’ve ever had a moment’s fun with any of her work there’s something real, concrete and life saving you can do for her and it won’t take much.<br /><br />She is seeking funds to cover her recovery from surgery, tentatively scheduled for late January/early February 2011. Recovery will take 2-4 weeks, depending on how it goes.<br /><br />As some of you already know she has fibroid tumors in her uterus. They’re genetic and are not cancer, nor will they turn into cancer, so that’s a blessing right there. However they are unsightly and are starting to cause other, negative side effects. After dealing with them for nearly twenty years the time has come for a permanent solution. She thought that nearing menopause would cause them to shrink but they show no signs of doing so. So, surgery is the next step. She’s lucky enough to have medical insurance to cover the cost of the operation. What she needs is money to cover her expenses during recovery. In twenty-six years she’s never needed help more. As an example of how easy it could be, if each of her Twitter followers donated just five dollars that<br />would cover everything.<br /><br />Some may ask, “What about Ernest?” Her darling husband is facing his own medical crises, as well as a cut back at work. He won’t be able to help her financially, though he’d very much like to do so. He’ll be there to take care of her when she comes home from the hospital. Anything we raise here will be a big help to both of them at this difficult time.<br /><br />She’s never asked for help before, and it’s hard for her to do so now, which is why I’m doing this, but this counts as an emergency. She’s been hit by the recession as badly as the next person and her reserves won’t cover what she’ll need. Her family is not in a position to help, though they would if they could. That leaves, in the words of Tennessee Williams, “the kindness of strangers.” “Strangers” being you. Of course, Nina doesn’t think of her fans as strangers, only friends she’s not yet met in person, so I like to think I’m asking her friends for help.<br /><br />After all she has given me, taught me, been there for me, it is my pleasure to give back to her. If she has ever taught you anything, been there for you when nobody else understood, or just made you happy with her sweet, wonderful demeanor, please donate at least five bucks. You can help her continue to give from the depth of her being to make you happy.<br /><br />Please, let’s all show her how much we love her…<br /><br />LesleyUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967090869528343318.post-48549314064617384622010-06-04T21:21:00.000-07:002010-06-05T13:16:19.785-07:00Tell a Principal to Set the Right ExampleDan Savage has brought another example of puritanical persecution to our attention with the case of a high school coach who was fired for sending "adult-oriented pictures" to his girlfriend, a college student.<br /><br />The principal, Donna Richardson, defends her action with talk of teaching students to become "good characters," but evidently needs some instruction in this department herself. In a case like this it seems appropriate to emphasize the pedagogical issues, so I've sent the following message to her email address (richardsod@duvalschools.org):<br /><br /><blockquote><p>Dear Ms. Richardson:<br /><br />I am very disappointed by your dismissal of Jason Robinson. By taking this action, you have set a very bad example to the students under your supervision. You have modeled:<br /><br />1) Endorsing and rewarding the violation of someone's privacy;<br />2) Punishing other people's consensual activity; and<br />3) Worst of all, by implication, attempting to coerce other people's consensual activity through threats to their livelihoods.<br /><br />By doing these things, you have sent all the wrong messages to students about responsible behavior as members of a democratic society. It is urgent that you rehire Mr. Robinson, which would have the added merit of modeling the ability to admit when you have made a mistake.<br /><br />To refresh your own appreciation of these principles, you might do well to re-read the Declaration of Independence. For a more in-depth treatment of them, you could also read John Stuart Mill's <a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/9780486421308?&PID=31784" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">On Liberty</a>.<br /><br />Sincerely,<br />Eric Hamell<br />Philadelphia, PA</blockquote><br /><br /></p><p>You can read more details of the case in Savage's column here:<br /><a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/SavageLove?oid=4180588">http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/SavageLove?oid=4180588</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967090869528343318.post-23449467347536259942010-05-26T21:11:00.000-07:002010-05-26T21:24:12.268-07:00ScrewSmart -- Sex Education from Soup to NutsThere's a new group in Philadelphia called ScrewSmart, which aims to present sex-positive, queer-positive sex education to the public. Last Friday I attended what must have been one of their very first events, a workshop titled Porn You Can Salute. It opened with an erotic "exquisite corpse" exercise which was followed by a description and screening of several sorts of alternative to mainstream porn.<br /><br />You can learn more about them from their website at <a href="http://www.screwsmartly.com/">http://www.screwsmartly.com</a>. They've developed printed materials on such topics as Porn You Can Salute Resource List, Movie Suggestions by Category, and Talking to a Partner About Porn.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967090869528343318.post-65449695824001427612009-11-01T13:00:00.000-08:002010-09-15T18:01:57.858-07:00Just Say No to South Carolina AG's Shamelessly Punitive PruderyThe recent multiple scandals exposing sexual hypocrisy on the part of South Carolina's politicians seem to have done nothing to diminish their repressive impulses. The latest example involves an assistant deputy attorney general named Roland Corning who was found by a police officer spending his lunch break in his car with a stripper. The officer himself acknowledged that no illegal activity was occurring; as far as I can tell from the news story, the man isn't married, so it's not even a case of infidelity. Nor is it hypocrisy on Corning's part, at least in his present life as a prosecutor (he was previously a state legislator), since he worked on securities cases. Nonetheless, he was fired the same day by Attorney General Henry McMaster.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2009/10/28/2009-10-28_police_south_carolina_state_attorney_caught_with_stripper_sex_toys.html">The AP story</a> willingly repeats a number of details that may have added fuel to the puritanical fires, and which you can read there if you're so inclined. The bottom line, however, is that nothing illegal, non-consensual, or even unsafe appears to have been going on, yet Corning has lost his job over it.<br /><br />I've sent McMaster an email expressing my disgust at his action, and also written him a letter. The contact information as it appears on his website is:<br /><br />The Honorable [sic] Henry McMaster<br />P.O. Box 11549<br />Columbia, SC 29211<br />Email:<a href="http://www.blogger.com/info@scattorneygeneral.com">info@scattorneygeneral.com</a><br /><br />My thanks to my friend <a href="http://lite.facebook.com/jleslie.redphilly">John Kirkland</a> for posting the link to this story to his facebook page.<br /><br />Eric HamellUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967090869528343318.post-83160541090523078062009-10-20T18:59:00.000-07:002009-10-25T18:22:49.580-07:00Call Chomsky on His Sexual BigotryI've received an email from Cindy Sheehan, informing me that she will have Professor Noam Chomsky on <a href="http://www.cindysheehanssoapbox.com/">her radio show</a> shortly and inviting listeners to submit questions for him. I've submitted this one:<br /><br /><div id="yiv994715188">"Hi! Here's what I'd like to ask Professor Chomsky:<br /><br />"'In light of <span style="font-style: italic;">Hustler</span> magazine's long history of offering both editorial and financial support to antiwar causes; in light of the fact that most of their readers, like those of other mass publications, need more not less education about the true US role in the world; and in light of the fact that women have made the most economic, legal, and political progress, as measured by the Gender Equality Index, precisely in those states where publications like <span style="font-style: italic;">Hustler</span> are most widely available* — in light of all this, how can you justify your repudiation of the interview you gave them? How can you put your personal prejudices ahead of both scientific fact and the needs of the antiwar movement?'<br /><br />"Eric Hamell<br />"Philadelphia, PA<br /><br />"* The following can be read at <a href="http://libertus.net/censor/rdocs/candle2.html">http://libertus.net/censor/rdocs/candle2.html</a>:<br /><br /> <p>"'In 1990, findings of more recent research by Dr Larry Baron were published. He examined "the relationship between the circulation rates of soft-core pornographic magazines and gender equality in the 50 American states. Gender equality is measured with the Gender Equality Index (GEX) which combines 24 indicators of the status of women relative to men in the three institutional domains of politics, economics, and legal rights. Multiple regression analysis is used to test the hypothesis that the higher the circulation rate of soft-core pornographic magazines [such as <span style="font-style: italic;">Hustler</span> — E.H.], the lower the level of gender equality. Several additional variables are included in the analysis to control for spurious relationships. Contrary to the hypothesis, the results show that gender equality is <span style="font-style: italic;">higher </span>[my emphasis<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>— E.H.] in states characterized by higher circulation rates of pornography. This relationship is interpreted as suggesting that pornography and gender equality both flourish in politically tolerant societies."' And:<br /></p>"'Also, in 1991 Cynthia Gentry found no relationship between rape rates and circulation of sexually oriented magazines across metropolitan areas in the USA.'"<br /><br /></div>My interest in confronting Dr. Chomsky about this arises from an email exchange I had with him -- itself triggered by learning about his repudiation of the interview from a reference on <a href="http://www.nina.com/vboard/">Nina Hartley's discussion board (not safe for some workplaces!)</a>. Amazingly, he refused any responsibility to define the terms he used, such as "degrading," in justifying his decision. He also repeatedly misrepresented my plainly expressed positions -- something that particularly tends to drive me up the wall. I can provide a full transcript of our exchange to anyone who's interested.<br /><br />The interview will air Sunday, October 25 [postponed to November], 2PM Pacific at <a href="http://www.cindysheehanssoapbox.com/">www.cindysheehanssoapbox.com</a> or 3PM Central at 1360am Rational Radio, Dallas, TX). You can submit your own question for Professor Chomsky by writing Sheehan at cindy@cindysheehanssoapbox.com.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967090869528343318.post-81256057567834257592009-10-09T19:12:00.000-07:002010-04-24T16:04:20.324-07:00Protest Rape at Movie Theaters TomorrowActions are being organized nationwide for Saturday, 10 October 2009 to protest the denial and belittlement of sexual violence that has been exhibited by many in connection with the Roman Polanski case. They are taking place at movie theaters and you can get information for your area at <a href="http://promotingawarenessvictimempowerment.wordpress.com/nationwide-cities/">http://promotingawarenessvictimempowerment.wordpress.com/nationwide-cities/</a><br /><br />The information is presented in a confusing fashion and I initially had the false impression that nothing was planned for Philadelphia. I recommend using your browser's search function to find all occurrences of your city's name, so as to be sure you don't miss anything.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967090869528343318.post-58271350044756278582009-10-03T22:46:00.000-07:002009-10-03T22:50:48.699-07:00Protest One-Sided Coverage of Consent Question in the Polanski CaseIt seems the mass media's Polanski coverage has been rather biased. Most inexcusably for NPR, their news briefs have often mentioned that he claims the incident was consensual, yet don't mention that the victim told a grand jury just the opposite. Since he's described as having pled guilty only to "having sex with a 13-year-old girl," this leaves the listener (including me, until I saw Deb's link about it on facebook) with the false impression that this case arose solely because of the girl's age. Whatever you think about age-of-consent laws, presumably everyone agrees that this makes a big difference.<br /><br />I posted a comment on <a href="http://www.npr.org/">their website</a> a few days ago. I also called <a href="http://www.npr.org/ombudsman">their Ombudsman's office</a> Thursday, and was informed that they'd received many complaints along the same lines and were looking into it. Good! But I haven't heard any correction yet.<br /><br />You can contact the NPR Ombudsman at http://www.npr.org/ombudsman or 202-513-3245.<br /><br />Thanks to my friend <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/profile.php?id=696865176&ref=nf">Deborah Seeley</a> for bringing this to my attention.<br /><br />Eric HamellUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967090869528343318.post-49363213901985723732009-04-13T17:42:00.000-07:002009-04-13T17:46:48.542-07:00Contest the Reactionary Rhetoric of "Consequences"Dr. Dan Gottlieb, the house psychologist of WHYY radio, revealed his erotophobia again in the interview he gave this morning on the Pennsylvania "sexting" case. I just submitted the following comment to the station:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I was disappointed, but not surprised, by Dan Gottlieb's comments on the "sexting" case. Not surprised, because the promo had made no mention of the nature of the court case, in which the judge threatened not just three, but dozens of teens, mostly girls, with charges of "child pornography" for sending pictures of themselves, not engaged in any sexual activity, to their friends -- unless they submitted to "sexual violence awareness" classes. Are we really supposed to believe that boys are less eager to show off their looks? Or isn't this clearly a case of one judge's attempt to enforce traditional standards of female modesty?<br /><br />Yet Gottlieb made no mention of this context. Instead, he urged parents talk to their children about "long-term consequences," taking for granted that those same traditional norms of modesty, clearly already being challenged, will still be in place "when they're thirty."<br /><br />By implying this, and urging parents to convey the same to their children, Gottlieb was in fact perpetuating the same puritanical attitudes as the judge is trying to enforce. It's time he thought about the long-term consequences of his own actions.</span><br /><br />You can listen to the original story and post your own comment by going to <a href="http://whyy.org/cms/news/health-science/behavioral-health-health-science/2009/04/13/teens-technology-and-sex/6032/comment-page-1#comment-177">http://whyy.org/cms/news/health-science/behavioral-health-health-science/2009/04/13/teens-technology-and-sex/6032/comment-page-1#comment-177</a>.<br /><br />Eric HamellUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967090869528343318.post-34116550974667811312009-03-15T19:59:00.000-07:002009-03-15T20:00:53.446-07:00Support Freedom Through Ethics Education<span style="font-size:100%;"><strong><span style="color:red;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal;"> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The <a href="http://www.woodhullfoundation.org">Woodhull Freedom Foundation</a> recently forwarded this from the <a href="http://www.siecus.org">Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S.</a>--</span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span> ACTION ALERT</span></strong></span><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" align="center"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" align="center"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>Tell <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1237171537_0">Superintendent Ed Turlington</span>: Teach Respect!</strong></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" align="center"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>Reinstate Teacher Debra Taylor!</strong></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" align="center"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"> A number of organizations have been monitoring a school controversy in Grandfield, OK where a teacher was recently suspended for teaching <span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1237171537_1"><em>The</em> <em>Laramie Project</em></span>, an award-wining play about the murder of <span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1237171537_2">Matthew Shepard</span>, a young man in Wyoming who was killed because he was gay. </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> </div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"> Debra Taylor, who teaches the Ethics and <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1237171537_3">Street Law class</span>, was using pieces of the play to help her students examine how hatred and intolerance can be justified by attitudes within a community, a church, or in the home. Midway through the unit, Superintendent <span style="border-bottom: medium none; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1237171537_4">Ed Turlington</span> told her to stop teaching the material. She held a mock funeral for the play to give her students closure and was subsequently suspended. She has now accepted a resignation agreement, as she feared that she would otherwise be fired. </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> </div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"> Her students are standing behind the play and their teacher. “She always taught us to speak our minds and have our voices heard,” said one student. We need to tell Superintendent Turlington that Debra Taylor is a dedicated teacher who is willing to confront issues of respect and acceptance for all people regardless of sexual orientation and that she deserves to be immediately reinstated.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> </div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" align="center"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong><br />Tell Superintendent Turlington: Teach Respect! Reinstate Teacher Debra Taylor!</strong></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" align="center"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" align="center"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong><em>Advocates in Oklahoma, Texas, and surrounding states are strongly</em></strong></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" align="center"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong><em>encouraged to call or email in support.</em></strong></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" align="center"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>TAKE ACTION NOW…call Superintendent Turlington at</strong></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong><span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1237171537_5">580-479-5237</span> or send an email to <a rel="nofollow" ymailto="mailto:eturlington@grandfield.k12.ok.us" target="_blank" href="http://us.mc325.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=eturlington@grandfield.k12.ok.us"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1237171537_6">eturlington@grandfield.k12.ok.us</span></a> and tell him:</strong></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in;"> </div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in;"><span style="font-size:100%;">“Debra Taylor did not deserve this kind of treatment. Young people need dedicated teachers willing to confront issues of respect and acceptance for people of all sexual orientations. She should be commended for creating a safe space for all her students and should be reinstated immediately.” </span></div></div></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;font-family:Verdana;font-size:100%;" ><div style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;font-family:Verdana;" ><div style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;font-family:Verdana;" ><div style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;font-family:Verdana;" ><div style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;font-family:Verdana;" ><div style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;font-family:Verdana;" ><div style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;font-family:Verdana;" ><div style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;font-family:Verdana;" ><div style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;font-family:Verdana;" ><div style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;font-family:Verdana;" ><div style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;font-family:Verdana;" ><div style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;font-family:Verdana;" ><div style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;font-family:Verdana;" ><div style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;font-family:Verdana;" ><div style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;font-family:Verdana;" ><div style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;font-family:Helvetica;" ><div style=""><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(16, 2, 255);">=============================</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(16, 2, 255);">Ricci Joy Levy, Executive Director</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(16, 2, 255);">The Woodhull Freedom Foundation</span></div><span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1237171537_7"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(16, 2, 255);">1325 Massachusetts Avenue</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(16, 2, 255);">Suite 700</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(16, 2, 255);">Washington, DC 20005</span></div></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(16, 2, 255);">p: <span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1237171537_8">202.628.3333</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(16, 2, 255);">f: <span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1237171537_9">202-330-5282</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(16, 2, 255);">Direct Line: <span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1237171537_10">610.212.5555</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(16, 2, 255);"><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.woodhullfoundation.org/"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1237171537_11">www.woodhullfoundation.org</span></a></span></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 37px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;font-family:Verdana;font-size:30px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica;"><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 37px; text-align: center; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;font-family:Verdana;font-size:30px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica;"><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 37px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 37px; text-align: center; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;font-family:Verdana;font-size:20px;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">Affirming Sexual Freedom as a Fundamental Human Right.</span></span></span></i></b></div></div></span></div></span></div></div></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span><br /></div></span><br /></div></span><br /></div></span><br /></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967090869528343318.post-17179844987711778702009-03-10T17:35:00.000-07:002009-03-10T17:42:10.928-07:00Counter Ageist "Warnings" Before BroadcastsAnother kind of "everyday action" against sex-negativity is prompted by "warnings" like the one I heard at the start of a segment on Weekend Edition Sunday, saying it was "inappropriate for children" because it dealt with sex. I sent them the following message:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Your story concerning a novel about an SS officer opened with a warning that the segment was "inappropriate for children." This statement was false and dangerous.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">There is no evidence that information about sex is harmful to children. On the contrary, there is considerable evidence that hiding such information puts them at increased risk for psychosexual problems, and makes them more vulnerable to abuse.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">If you feel the need to insure yourselves against complaints by erotophobic listeners, may I suggest you adopt the approach taken by Ira Glass of This American Life? When sexual subject matter is coming up, he advises listeners that what follows "mentions the existence of sex." This warning allows people to indulge their irrational fears without according them any legitimacy.</span><br /><br />If you heard this segment too but didn't think to register an objection, it's not too late. (And if you didn't hear it you may be able to online at npr.org.) Sadly, there are sure to be plenty of future opportunities to do so as well.<br /><br />Eric HamellUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967090869528343318.post-39931208828887588502009-02-10T17:47:00.000-08:002009-02-10T18:36:23.936-08:00Support Deputy AG NomineePresident Obama's nominee for the position of Deputy Attorney General, David Ogden, is under attack by conservatives for his strong record of support of sexual and reproductive freedom. Copied below is the article by Mark Kernes forwarded to me by the <a href="http://www.woodhullfoundation.org/">Woodhull Freedom Foundation</a>'s newslist. It appeared originally in Adult Video News at <a href="http://avnmag.avn.com/articles/34406.html">http://avnmag.avn.com/articles/34406</a> (warning: some graphical components of this site may not be safe for workplace viewing). I encourage people to write the White House and their U.S. Senators to support his confirmation.<br /><br />White House: (202)456-1414 or leave a comment at <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/">http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/</a><br /><br />Capitol switchboard: (202)225-3121 or find your Senators at <a href="http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm">http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm</a><br /><br />Eric Hamell<br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Obama's Deputy AG Nominee Under Fire for Porn Industry Ties</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">By Mark Kernes</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">WASHINGTON, D.C. - If you thought the attacks on Attorney General nominee Eric Holder were fierce, you ain't seen nothin' like the God-wrath visited upon David Ogden, President Obama's choice to fill what was Paul McNulty's job under Alberto Gonzales.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">McNulty, together with Kyle Sampson, Gonzales' Chief of Staff, were instrumental in the firings of nine U.S. Attorneys. At least two of those attorneys got the shaft, and another likely forced out of her job, because of their lack of interest in mounting anti-porn cases for Obscenity Prosecution Task Force czar Brent Ward, a former U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Ogden was part of the defense team that helped scuttle the Justice Department's last attempt to prosecute Adam & Eve for mailing obscene materials to Utah. It's no surprise that Ward's supporters are up in arms against him.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Ogden's representation of Adam & Eve is just a small part of his dedication to the First Amendment. He has also represented Playboy and Penthouse, among others.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">"David Ogden is a hired gun from Playboy and ACLU," charged Brian Burch, president of Fidelis, a consortium of conservative Catholic groups. "He can't run from his long record of opposing common sense laws protecting families, women, and children. The United States Senate has a responsibility to the American people to insure that Mr. Ogden's full record is fully reviewed before any vote on his nomination."</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Within the past few days, nearly every conservative and religious censorship group and spokesperson has added his/her own charges to the mix.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">"Why did [Obama] tap the publicly venal Ogden to head his U.S. Justice Department transition team?" asked Meese Commission "researcher" Dr. Judith Reisman. "Ogden must hire lawyers with fealty to the Big Porno conglomerate.... Harvard lawyer President O would never expect justice for blacks from lawyers whose income derived from wealthy Klansmen -- nor could he expect justice for women and children from lawyers whose income is derived from wealthy pornographers. No Ogden team lawyer has ever defended a single woman, man or child alleging victimization by Big Porno.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">"The one thing Barack Obama's nominees to the Department of Justice seem to have in common is a disrespect for human life," said Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">"He's everything the pro-family movement has fought against," claimed former DOJ prosecutor Patrick Trueman, now of Alliance Defense Fund. "Yet as deputy attorney general, he will be the chief executive officer of the U.S. Department of Justice. Certainly, he reflects President Obama on Obama's positions on pornography, homosexuality and abortion. We can see this from the nomination. And I believe David Ogden is being groomed for a position on the United States Supreme Court, with this appointment to a high office.... He will use his office of legal counsel, which interprets the law, to change the law.... He would, of course, be in charge of whether or not the Department of Justice enforces the laws against pornography; and we've seen both on adult pornography and on child pornography, he is not with us."</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">"Our research uncovered a lot of troubling details about Ogden -- not the least of which is his long history of extreme anti-family views," said Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council. "On the issue of life, he has fought for taxpayer funding of abortion, for jailing peaceful protestors, against notifying parents whose minor children are seeking abortions, and against informing women of the emotional risks of abortion. He's been an outspoken proponent of specials rights for homosexuals, the repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' and unfettered access to pornography -- even in public libraries."</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">So what did Ogden actually do in the situations cited by Perkins?</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">For one thing, he represented People for the American Way, the National Education Association and others in the landmark case </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Rust v. Sullivan</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">, filing a brief supporting the Petitioner's position that the government could not properly prohibit government funds from being used by family planning agencies to counsel, advise or promote to clients that abortion was a viable method of family planning. The Supreme Court, however, ruled for the Respondent -- who in this case was represented by the man who would later become Chief Justice, John Roberts.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">However, while most think of </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Rust</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> as a loss for reproductive freedom, Adam & Eve founder Phil Harvey holds a more nuanced view.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">"That decision, which is generally a good one, is often thought of as a bad one because everybody misreads it," Harvey told AVN. "That decision made quite clear that Planned Parenthood was able to and was entitled to say whatever it wanted and do whatever it wanted on the subject of abortion as long as it did not use any federal funds to do so. However, the underlying principle that a government grant recipient may not be de-funded because of what they do with their own funds apart from the federal funding was upheld. But because the decision on its face was negative, it tends to be read, I think, much more negatively than it should be."</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">More recently, Ogden co-authored the respondents' brief for the National Organization of Women (NOW) during the Supreme Court case involving Joseph Scheidler and others, who had been convicted of RICO violations for having participated in 21 acts of extortion for using threats and violence to shut down women's clinics that performed abortions. The Roberts-dominated Supreme Court threw out Scheidler's conviction.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">In 1987, Ogden co-authored an amicus brief for the American Psychological Association (APA), which argued that forcing adolescent girls to notify their parents when they planned to get abortions was an unconstitutional burden on the girls. The case was <span style="font-style: italic;">Hartigan v. Zbaraz</span>, and the Supreme Court found the notification requirement to be unconstitutional.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">In the case of <span style="font-style: italic;">Planned Parenthood v. Casey</span>, Ogden wrote: "Abortion rarely causes or exacerbates psychological or emotional problems. When women do experience regret, depression, or guilt, such feelings are mild and diminish rapidly without adversely affecting general functioning.... [I]t is grossly misleading to tell a woman that abortion imposes possible detrimental psychological effects when the risks are negligible in most cases, when the evidence shows that she is more likely to experience feelings of relief and happiness."</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Ogden's position was recently borne out by the results of a "meta-study" conducted by a team at Johns Hopkins University. Reviewing 21 studies involving more than 150,000 women, the Johns Hopkins team found no significant differences in long-term mental health between women who choose to abort a pregnancy and others.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Ogden represented the American Psychiatric Association and the National Association of Social Workers in an </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">amicus</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> brief filed for the plaintiff in the famous case of </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Lawrence v. Texas</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">, which dealt with state anti-sodomy laws.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">"Although a shift in public opinion concerning homosexuality occurred in the 1990s, hostility towards gay men and lesbians remains common in contemporary American society," Ogden wrote. "Prejudice against bisexuals appears to exist at comparable levels. Discrimination against gay people in employment and housing also appears to remain widespread. The severity of this anti-gay prejudice is reflected in the consistently high rate of anti-gay harassment and violence in American society."</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Ogden also filed an </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">amicus</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> for the APA in the case of </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Watkins v. United States Army</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">, arguing that "prejudice against lesbians and gay men in the Army is likely to be reduced by encouraging contact between homosexuals and heterosexuals." Ogden argued that there was "no rational basis for the Army's exclusion of gay people."</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Ogden has a long track record in supporting free sexual speech. He represented several groups at the appeals court level in a challenge to the Child Protection and Obscenity Enforcement Act of 1988 - the legislation which created the 2257 record-keeping regulations.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">As an associate at the D.C. law firm of Jenner & Block, Ogden famously assisted P.H.E./Adam & Eve attorney Bruce Ennis in thwarting the Justice Department's multi-jurisdiction prosecution strategy.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">At the time of Ogden's involvement with Adam & Eve, the Justice Department had already forced seven adult mail-order companies out of business by simultaneously prosecuting them in numerous far-flung jurisdictions. These government prosecutions were designed to bankrupt porn companies through the cost of legal fees. Only Adam & Eve stood its ground, and in the case of <span style="font-style: italic;">P.H.E., Inc., v. United States Department of Justice</span>, forced the Justice Department to abandon that strategy.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Ogden was also instrumental in obtaining federal funds for use in translating articles in and other adult publications into Braille so they could be read by the blind. Later, he succeeded in removing</span> <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Playboy</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> from a list of magazines branded as "pornographic" by the Meese Commission.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Also for Adam & Eve, Ogden filed an </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">amicus</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> in </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Ft. Wayne Books v. Indiana</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">, a case which established the principle that pre-trial seizure of the entire contents of a business when only some of its items were charged as obscene was unlawful. He filed a similar brief in the Ferris Alexander case, which attorney Clyde DeWitt described as "outstanding."</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">On behalf of P.H.E. and the American Civil Liberties Union in </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Pope v. Illinois</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">, Ogden helped establish the principle that "community standards" played no part in a jury's determination whether an allegedly obscene work has literary, artistic, political or scientific value; that such value is independent of whatever "the community" may think of the work.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Ogden also played a part in </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Virginia v. American Booksellers Association</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">, which involved a Virginia statute that criminalized the commercial display of certain visual or written sexual or sadomasochistic material that is harmful to juveniles. The Supreme Court remanded the case to the Virginia Supreme Court for a limiting construction of the statute.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Ogden was also involved, at the appeals court level, in the fight against the Children's Internet Protection Act, which forced public libraries to put filtering software on their computers to censor adult material and other material considered harmful to minors in order to continue receiving federal funds. The Supreme Court, in the case of </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">U.S. v. American Library Association</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">, upheld the Act.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">In what may have been his most controversial position, Ogden filed an </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">amicus</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> on behalf of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression and others in the case of "child pornographer" Stephen Knox, whose conviction revolved around the question of "whether videotapes that focus on the genitalia and pubic area of minor females constitute a 'lascivious exhibition of the genitals or pubic area' under the federal child pornography laws... even though these body parts are covered by clothing." Part of the controversy was the fact that Drew S. Days, the Solicitor General during the Clinton administration, refused to support the government's position that videotaping the clothed genital areas of children should be illegal -- essentially agreeing with Ogden's position. However, after Congress voted to censure Days, Attorney General Janet Reno found another attorney to argue the case to the Supreme Court. Eventually, the Third Circuit, on remand, affirmed Knox's conviction.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Lest anyone mistake Ogden's views on child porn, he testified yesterday before the Senate Judiciary Committee: "Child pornography is abhorrent.... Issues of children and families have always been of great importance to me."</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">As for non-sexual issues, Ogden has an equally impressive track record. In </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Roper v. Simmons</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">, Ogden argued successfully before the Supreme Court that applying the death penalty to juveniles was unconstitutional , and came under fire from conservative groups at that time for suggesting that the high court look to the fact that all but two United Nations members, as signatories to the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, had already abolished that punishment.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">In fact, there's hardly any position Ogden holds that passes muster with conservatives. Ed Whelan of National Review Online has "unearthed" a memo which Ogden, then a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun, wrote to his boss concerning the constitutionality of a federal law prohibiting the unsolicited mailing of advertisements for contraceptives.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Eventually, the high court held that such a prohibition was unconstitutional (</span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Bolger v. Youngs Drug Product Corp.</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">), but in his memo, Ogden argued to Blackmun that, as far as the First Amendment is concerned, "there is no distinction between commercial and noncommercial speech that would render potential offensiveness 'a sufficient justification for prohibition of commercial speech.'"</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">According to Whelan, however, Ogden sought to push that principle much too far, quoting from Ogden's memo to the effect that, "[I]t will prevent the 'morality'-based type of regulation at issue here from being employed to stop the advertisement of a host of products of which the 'moral majority' types of their successors-in-interest disapprove. If they are deprived of the 'offensiveness' excuse, they will have to come up with more creative excuses."</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">"Ogden was using his position as a law clerk," Whelan charged, "to advocate an expansive reading of the First Amendment in order to impair citizens whose legislative objectives he displayed contempt for, and those legislative objectives prominently included a crackdown on porn, including limiting solicitation for porn products. There's ample reason to believe that he's ideologically aligned with the positions of the porn industry that he advanced in Knox and other cases," though Whelan admitted that Ogden's views may have changed somewhat over the 26 years since that memo was written.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Several attorneys who represent the adult industry have praised Ogden's work, as has one of his frequent clients, Phil Harvey.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">"I got to know him somewhat at that time [of our Utah case], and subsequently," Harvey said. "He is a superb lawyer and he is a good soldier. I mean, if the AG tells him to go out and pursue an obscenity case, he will do it. But he is psychologically and emotionally a strong supporter of free speech, so he certainly isn't going to be pushing, himself, for these cases, with the possibility of really extreme material, or of course anything involving children.... I think [his nomination is] a signal that this Justice Department is not going to be loading up on adult obscenity cases, and that the President doesn't expect them to."</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">"The people I've talked to feel that Eric Holder has had many opportunities to go after obscenity and related cases in the past and hasn't often done it," Harvey continued. "As for David, I think he's just an all-around good guy, and I think his being there will serve the country well irrespective of what happens in our industry."</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967090869528343318.post-66899367068838477172008-12-07T17:51:00.001-08:002008-12-07T17:51:29.646-08:00Help Keep Sex Worker Media Alive<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOofekX9l0BxfVSBNQhp-YGFW5D3T4L_4AIFsVsCuERjBDbAuuU0QWwI21LA9b8A0ciwkQokOrrpOHJRUNKq_0vUo6jS2Eg7bUDuJ7qd-dJIbcKzFn1xYfqQ1x9xoL0k7N36Rggjo_xL0/s1600-h/totebag2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOofekX9l0BxfVSBNQhp-YGFW5D3T4L_4AIFsVsCuERjBDbAuuU0QWwI21LA9b8A0ciwkQokOrrpOHJRUNKq_0vUo6jS2Eg7bUDuJ7qd-dJIbcKzFn1xYfqQ1x9xoL0k7N36Rggjo_xL0/s320/totebag2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277230012456610930" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.spreadmagazine.org/">The nation's premier magazine by and about sex workers</a>, maintained by an all-volunteer staff, is in serious financial trouble. I'm going to help them in whatever ways I'm able and hope you will too. Here's a recent communication from outgoing editor-in-chief Rachel Aimee, including some special premium offers to loosen you generosity:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 153, 255);">Help Us Keep the Hustle Up–And Get Cute <a href="http://www.spreadmagazine.org/">$pread</a> Stuff!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 255);">Back in August, I sent an email to the <a href="http://www.spreadmagazine.org/">$pread</a> staff list saying I thought we were going to have to stop publishing. Within the space of a year, most of our core staff members had left, and I was feeling burned out to the point where I had to accept that it was time for me to leave too. When we started this magazine, we optimistically figured it would only be a couple of years before we were able to start paying our staff. Turns out the publishing industry is a brutal place for an independent magazine like <a href="http://www.spreadmagazine.org/">$pread</a>, and four and a half years on this ass-kicking project is still completely dependent on an all-volunteer staff, many of whom put in 20 plus hours a week on top of their day—or night—jobs.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 255);">Fortunately the new team of $preadsters are still enthusiastic enough to see our daily struggles as challenges instead of defeats. (2008 has certainly brought its fair share of challenges: On top of our collective mass burnout, we’ve had to move offices twice in the past six months and are now operating our of a six by six foot closet packed from wall to wall with boxes of magazines.) The problem is that <a href="http://www.spreadmagazine.org/">$pread</a> is not going to be able to carry on like this forever. Eventually even our most devoted volunteers will burn out, and it’s really difficult to keep morale up—and the magazine going—with such a high staff turnover. We’ve talked about cutting our Outreach Program to move toward financial stability, but we don’t want to have to stop sending free magazines to low income sex workers. That’s why we need your support.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 255);">To inspire you to support <a href="http://www.spreadmagazine.org/">$pread</a> this holiday season we have two new cute giveaway items to tempt you with, both available until January 31st.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 255);">DONATE $50 or more to get the cute <a href="http://www.spreadmagazine.org/">$pread</a> tote bag, pictured above!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 255);">Or, DONATE $25 or more to get your very own <a href="http://www.spreadmagazine.org/">$pread</a> magnet.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 255);">You can also get your hands on either of these items by becoming a Member or Lifetime Member, and of course, you can always support us the old-fashioned way by subscribing!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 255);">The holiday season is upon us! A subscription to <a href="http://www.spreadmagazine.org/">$pread</a>, t-shirt, tank top, tote bag, back issues, and art posters are the perfect way to give to your friends while supporting an organization you love. Please help us keep the hustle up—and your favorite magazine in print—by buying, donating, and supporting. Thank you!</span><br /><br />Eric HamellUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967090869528343318.post-68768856220383447392008-10-18T15:45:00.000-07:002008-10-18T15:56:03.909-07:00Can a girl sexually abuse herself?That's the question asked by Tracy Clark-Flory in column for salon.com (at http://www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/2008/10/11/child_porn/index.html) She writes:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">This is unbelievable: A 15-year-old Ohio girl currently faces juvenile child pornography charges for allegedly taking and distributing nude photos of herself.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">After Licking Valley High School officials discovered the photos on the girl's phone and tipped off police last Friday, she was arrested, held in jail over the weekend and charged with possession of criminal tools and illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material, ABC reports. If convicted, she could spend several years in juvenile detention and be forced to register as a sex offender for the next 20 years of her life (although, since she is a first-time offender and a minor, the judge could decide against making her register).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">What's more, charges might still be filed against the students who received the photos, regardless of whether they received them unwillingly. State law holds that "anyone possessing material that shows a minor in a state of nudity is guilty of a fifth-degree felony," according to the Newark Advocate. If convicted, they could face registration as a sex offender for 10 years....</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">[C]alling this girl a sex offender for distributing pornographic images of herself is crazy-talk. We have to acknowledge that, however unprepared she was to make the decision, she does have ownership over her own body; her sexual choice is not the same as an adult making a sexual choice for her.</span><br /><br />I'm as outraged as Clark-Flory is, and I've written the prosecutor. His name is Kenneth Oswalt and he can be contacted at:<br /><br /><table width="100%"><tbody><tr align="center"><td class="normalText">Licking County Prosecutor's Office</td></tr> <tr align="center"><td class="normalText">20 S. Second St, Newark, Ohio 43055</td></tr> <tr align="center"><td class="normalText">Hours of Operation (M-F, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.)</td></tr> <tr align="center"><td class="normalText">General Telephone number: (740) 670-5255 - Fax 740-670-5241</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Eric HamellUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0