On December 2, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published final rules governing the labeling of male latex condoms set to go into effect January 9, 2009. The biggest change to come out of the new labeling is the FDA’s conclusion that correct and consistent condom use reduces both the risk of infection with HPV (the Human Papillomavirus) as well as rates of HPV-related disease including cervical cancer and genital warts.
This is an important bit of info for everyone to know about. Hopefully it is also one more nail in the coffin of abstinence only education.
A study in which slices of human mucosal tissue were infected with HIV has partially explained why HIV is caught so much more easily through anal sex than through oral sex. The study, in which tissue samples from the tonsils and the rectum were infected with two different kinds of HIV, found that rectal CD4 cells express five times as much of the CCR5 receptor molecule on their surface as tonsil cells. This is the co-receptor for R5 or M-tropic virus, the variety of HIV that is usually transmitted. Rectal CD4 cells, once infected, also produced more of this virus than tonsil cells.
The study also found that in response to infection with the other kind of HIV, X4 or T-tropic virus, tonsil cells, but not rectal ones, secreted chemicals called chemokines that blocked further access to the CCR5 receptors.
However, while showing why CD4 cells in the tonsils are so much less susceptible to R5 infection than rectal ones, it does not show why these cells – most of which also carry the CXCR4 receptor – are so much less likely to be infected with X4 virus in vivo than in the laboratory. The researchers say that another so far undetected defence against X4 virus must exist.
The research team was led by scientists from the US National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in Bethesda, Maryland, and also included prominent microbicide researchers Ian McGowan from UCLA and Robin Shattock from St George’s Hospital, London.
Throughout the film Eastwoods character kept referring to the visible minorities as spics, chinks, gooks, and niggers, all while he demanded to be addressed with respect. It seems that only whiteness deserves to be acknowledged as human and not referenced by a racial epithet. I continuously marvelled how Eastwoods character was able to assume such a position of superiority based solely in race and have this premise accepted by every single person of colour that he interacted with.
When I started seeing the ads for this movie I couldn't help but notice the casting of characters and the fact that Eastwood was the sole voice of moral superiority in each clip they showed. I guess my initial misgivings where on the money.
SYDNEY (Reuters) – An Australian man broke into three adult shops, had sex with blow up dolls named "Jungle Jane" and then dumped his plastic conquests in a nearby alley, local media reported Wednesday.
"It's totally bizarre. It's a real concern that someone like that is out on the street," said one of the owners of the adult sex shops in Cairns in northern Queensland state.
"He has been taking the dolls out the back and blowing them up and using the dolls and leaving them in the alley," the owner, who gave the name of Vogue, told the Cairns Post newspaper.
Police told the Cairns Post that scientific officers had taken DNA samples, fingerprints and pictures of the crime scene.
(Reporting by Pauline Askin, Editing by Dean Yates)
Who may be making it over this way for the first time. *waves* Nice to see you! Take off your coat, have a seat and stick around for a while. It's usually quite cozy.
I discuss my reasons for supporting this day, namely, the human right not to be hurt or killed while working just because someone does not approve of your line of work or thinks you aren't really human.
Please give it some thought and definitely give some thought to the many people who have been hurt or killed simply because they were (or were thought to be) sex workers.
Annie Sprinkle offers Ten Things You Can Do to Participate(from the SWOP Web site)
Absolutely EVERYONE is invited to participate. Here’s how.
1. Organize (or attend) a memorial in your town. Simply choose a place and time to gather. Invite people to bring their stories, writings, thoughts, related news items, poems, lists of victims, performances, and memories. Take turns sharing.
2. Hold (or attend) a candlelight vigil in a public place.
3. Do something at home alone, which has personal meaning, such as a ritual memorial bath, or light a candle.
4. Call a friend and discuss the topic.
5. Send a donation to a group that helps sex workers stay safer. For example, some teach self-defense or host web sites that caution workers about bad Johns.
6. Go to the Sex Worker Outreach Project’s, www.swop-usa.org, read it, and add something to the site. Do let others know about any planned Dec. 17 events by listing them on the SWOP web site.
7. Spread the word about the Day to End Violence Towards Sex Workers and the issues it raises; or blog, email, call, send a press release, or forward this text to others.
8. Go to Washington DC. This December 17, 2008 there will be a National March for Sex Worker Rights. People will converge from all over to take a stand for justice and safety. Info at www.swop-usa.org
9. Organize a panel discussion about violence towards sex workers. Procure a community space and invite speakers like sex workers, police, and families of victims.
The long anticipated regulation changes to slash wages and reduce worker protections under the H-2A agricultural guestworker program are out. The changes, proposed by the Department of Labor (DOL) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) were revealed on the DOL website late Monday evening but have not yet been officially published in the Federal Register.
The changes are horrible. At a time when the jobless rate is at a 15 year high, they reduce obligations for growers to effectively recruit U.S. workers before applying to bring in guestworkers for these jobs. They lower the wage rates for all farmworkers by changing the program's wage formula and, in an industry known for labor abuses, they eliminate or reduce government oversight.
Isn't it lovely that the same year we elect our first African American President we also tell the people who harvest our food "Fuck you".
* Found thanks to Nezua over at The Unapologetic Mexican.
Technorati Tags: human rights, farmworkers, friends
December 17th is International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. This event was created to call attention to hate crimes committed against sex workers all over the globe. Originally thought of by Dr. Annie Sprinkle and started by the Sex Workers Outreach Project USA as a memorial and vigil for the victims of the Green River Killer in Seattle Washington. International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers has empowered workers from over cities around the world to come together and organize against discrimination and remember victims of violence. During the week of December 17th, sex worker rights organizations will be staging actions and vigils to raise awareness about violence that is commonly committed against sex workers. The assault, battery, rape and murder of sex workers must end. Existing laws prevent sex workers from reporting violence. The stigma and discrimination that is perpetuated by the prohibitionist laws has made violence against us acceptable. Please join with sex workers around the world and stand against criminalization and violence committed against prostitutes.
Sexism on Obama's staff? And sorry folks I got the blog wrong on this one in the podcast, it was actually Shakespeare Sister not Feministing, although they did give me the link to the actual post.
Control of Women through threats of violation/violence (more personal disclosure)
One more example of society and the media trying to control women: Amanda Palmer's Belly is Too Fat???
Yes, I know it's been a while. For the sake of making sure you all don't forget about me, I am recording a nice, neurotic brain dump for your listening pleasure. Please don't hurt me! Well OK, you can hurt me but we have to negotiate the terms first. *wink*
Yes! It's another episode of the Postmodern Geek's Guide to Sex! Crazy Girl that I am, I'm participating in Pizzababe's 7 in 7 podcast week which means I will be trying to get 7 podcasts out each day for the next week. We shall see how well that works!
New disclaimer: If you're not 18, you might want to go visit Scarleteen.com since this podcast can be a bit...adult. ;)
I mention that I am currently working on getting Crista to co-host a few podcasts with me. *nudge nudge* We shall see how that goes.
I mention the insanity that is currently the US economy. Check here, here and here for more info.
I mention the current fight over a draft of an proposed HHS rule that clinics, hospitals etc may not refuse to hire someone who believes that contraception is abortion and that that person may refuse to provide services if it is against their beliefs.
That these bastions of the GOP would denigrate the importance of community organizers on the same night their party nominates its first female vice presidential candidate shows an utter disrespect for the people of this country and a laughable ignorance of the power we wield. This is what community organizers do...
They change the world. Block by block, city by city, state by state, nation by nation...
So, GOP, meet community organizer Susan B. Anthony. She helped guarantee women's suffrage in the United States by giving public speeches and uniting with fellow advocates of change...
Meet community organizer Martin Luther King Jr. He helped end racial segregation and discrimination by inspiring a nation to come together and realize their dreams...
Meet community organizer Cesar Chavez. He helped farm workers secure labor rights and fair wages. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy called him "one of the heroic figures of our time." ...
And really, this helps point out the issue that the current GOP has with community organizers, they help the powerless, the poor, the dark skinned and disenfranchised stand up to the true elitists: the rich, straight, white men holding positions of power and that is an unforgivable gaffe. When you allow the people at the bottom to see the power they wield, understand what can happen when they unite and speak truth to power, they are no longer scared, they are no longer easily cowed and they are no longer easily controlled. They will hold you responsible for the crimes and injustices you have committed against them in your quest for ever more riches and power and you will be forced to answer to them. Perhaps that is why the GOP have trotted out this self loathing, well trained attack dog, AKA Sarah Palin. They're hoping all her barking will help keep people scared and easily swayed but as Obama said, there is something stirring in this country now and we, the people, will no longer be so easily led by the corrupt elitsts in power.
Texas does not require sexuality education. However, Texas Education Code states that if a school district does teach sexuality education, HIV/AIDS prevention, or sexually transmitted disease (STD) prevention education, then it must:
present abstinence from sexual activity as the preferred choice of behavior for unmarried persons of school age;
devote more attention to abstinence from sexual activity than to any other behavior;
emphasize that abstinence from sexual activity, if used consistently and correctly, is the only method that is 100% effective in preventing pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, infection with human immunodeficiency virus or acquired immune deficiency syndrome, and the emotional trauma associated with adolescent sexual activity;
direct adolescents to a standard of behavior in which abstinence from sexual activity before marriage is the most effective way to prevent pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS);
teach contraception and condom use in terms of human use reality rates instead of theoretical laboratory rates, if instruction on contraception and condoms is included in curriculum content;
not distribute condoms in connection with instruction relating to human sexuality; and
separate students according to sex for instructional purposes.
Sexuality education and STD/HIV-prevention education are also included in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Health Education, which are written by the Texas Education Agency.
Sounds all lovey dovey and Christian like doesn't it? And yet when you look at the real life stats about teens and sex behavior, it's a lot scarier and messier:
The Status of Adolescent Sexual Health During the last year, a series of data concerning the sexual health of adolescents has filled newspapers, startling the public as statistics reveal a quarter of female adolescents have a sexually transmitted disease (STD), and for the first time in 15 years the teen birth rate is on the rise. Also disturbing, the worst health outcomes are often segmented along racial, ethnic, and geographic lines, with minority communities and southern communities experiencing the highest rates of STDs and teenage birth. These communities, already made vulnerable by cultural and structural barriers, experience the worst sexual health outcomes.[2] By examining the major data released throughout the last year, this becomes more apparent.
This is why I am constantly bitching and moaning about this. We have spent millions of dollars on abstinence only funding and yet despite this, STDs/HIV prevalence and incidence are not improving and in fact are worse than we thought. And while I know some people might be tired of the whole "race issue" (because of course it isn't really an issue XD) I can't help but believe that a huge part of the problem is that people perceive that this is all a problem faced by poor, young, black/brown people and hence those in charge of funding decisions don't really give a damn. After all, if only we "hot blooded" types would learn to curb our sexuality like all those nice, Christian, white people do-*cough*Larry Craig Eliot Spitzer*cough*- then we wouldn't have these issues! *sigh* The major problem with all of this is tha tit has to do with sex and especially with the sexuality of young people and nothing freaks out Americans more than that combination of topics. As a whole, we are incapable of discussing and confronting issues related to sex without making all kinds of moral/religious/highly subjective judgments regarding "other people" and their sex lives. It is almost impossible to get implement sound, sane sensible health policy as a result and that means more STDs, more HIV, more teen pregnancies and all the ensuing complications which in the end, hit the most vulnerable among us the hardest: young people, poor people, people of color.
I had an exchange with someone on my Friends list about this recently. I agree with the author of this piece but my friend seemed to feel that a person's infidelity was relevant to their campaign. I continue to strongly disagree with that and I would be more than happy to see the media keep out of politicians' sex lives. Aside from it being none of our business or irrelevant, it's just not something I want to know. Seriously folks, who else felt they needed to bleach their brain after the details of Monica and Bill's escapades were released?
Basing your vote on a candidate’s sex life is a dicey proposition in any election. Not only because it’s hard to have knowledge about such things, but more important because it doesn’t seem to be a good indicator of a person’s performance as a public official. Many people voted for Bush in 2000 because of his pledge to "restore honor and dignity to the White House" after Bill Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky. So far, the Bush administration has been a grand success in this regard. Not even one hint of sexual indiscretion. Of course, the war in Iraq has lasted longer than World War II, we have the largest trade-deficit of all time, a budget surplus that was turned into the largest budget deficit of all time, a devalued currency, high unemployment, a housing and financial market meltdown and subsequent bailout, stagnant wages and record gas prices. You might lose your house, but at least you can be comforted in knowing that the prez is not fooling around with the interns.
I am constantly amazed how frequently people meet legitimate concerns women have for their well being with "OMG you're such a drama whore shut up!" as if somehow the numbers of rape, stalking, harassment and domestic violence are all made up. Even worse are the men who laugh at us for being such silly girls and then drag out the usual bullshit about how "men get raped too and you don't see me worrying about it so much!"
Uh huh. With the exception of prison, the numbers of male rape do not begin to compare with female rape victims. Add to that the fact that from the time we are old enough to understand danger, we women are taught that we are prey and that we must be careful lest something we do/wear/say causes some vicious animal of a man to attack us. A rather effective means of control, dontcha think?
gazpacho…a light tomato soup made simply with tomatoes, bread, olive oil, vinegar and garlic.
When it comes to late night/early morning food therapy, nothing beats Gazpacho de Andalucia. Here in Texas, it's tomato season so y'all need to try this recipe because OMG. It is DIVINE! Even at 2 AM when you are drunk on vodka and sleeping pills this stuff is like a bolt of lightning on the road to Damascus. And even better? It is so simple as to be ludicrous.
Trust me, it is so worth it. The utter fail of my day has been reversed by the luscious, tart, garlicky goodness that is this recipe.
Jorge Saavedra, director of Mexico's HIV/AIDS program, said political leaders worldwide need to follow epidemiological and scientific evidence when planning HIV strategies
Imagine that. We should listen to the facts and the evidence in order to do prevention and not ideology and religion. What a novel concept.
That's right sexgeeks! I'm back. Today's podcast is a random hodge podge of things and is basically just me coming back and saying hello and letting you know what's up in my world. Some of the things I discuss are:
Why I've been gone so long and some changes I am planning to make
Among the revelations from their focus groups in which men talked about what influenced their sexual desire and arousal: one man's turn-on is often another's turn-off; an erection doesn't always signal arousal; and not every guy wants to jump into bed at the drop of a hat.
OMG! You mean men aren't the Borg? They actually, like, you know, have individual preferences and stuff? What a novel concept...
Really, if you are someone who has sex/falls in love with men, I'd say this is hardly news despite all the (often sexist) jokes we may make to the contrary. And thank god for variety because that means there really is someone for everyone.
What I really loved was this:
And for many men, a self-confident partner was also more desirable than one who didn't feel good about herself. In addition to a nice body and a pretty face, many men found intelligence "really attractive" and "a big turn on."
Imagine that, a woman with confidence is sexy. Go figure. Now I've been as guilty as the next woman of having poor body image and feeling really ugly/fat/too old/etc. but even on those days, I know that this is a truth. Yes, guys (and girls) really do make passes at sexgeeks who wear glasses.
What I do think is interesting is that studies like this are done so rarely. I think our society does men a disservice by trying to paint them all with a broad brush when it comes to discussing men's sexuality. And this study was only done with predominantly white men who were all straight. Can you imagine the richness of variety they would find if they were studying men of all ethnicities and orientations?
MEXICO CITY — The United States has significantly underreported the number of new H.I.V. infections occurring nationally each year, with a study released here on Saturday showing that the annual infection rate is 40 percent higher than previously estimated.
And yet the president has asked for a cut in HIV prevention funding for the US. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.
And a point of clarification: This isn't info from a study. It's information from a new form of HIV surveillance that is now a permanent part of our stat gathering here in the US.
The prevalence of HIV infection in several communities is affected by and affects all of the above and you cannot separate one from the other. The solutions are never simple, as we would like them to be. They instead require every one of us to not only look deeply into ourselves for how we contribute to these problems but it also requires us to call others out when they evidence thoughts or actions that contribute to the problem and that, dear readers, is fucking difficult! I have no easy answers for you on how to go about this. All I can say is that we need to take action ASAP or before you know it, it will indeed be knocking on your door, if it hasn't already.
Here is a funny segment form the Daily Show about Congress' hearings on the Don't Ask Don't tell policy. It's quite amusing and yet also depressing. How is it possible that educated people can be so dumb????
any woman could be denied contraception under HHS' new science
Yes. Re-read that and commit it to memory. This is Bush's big "FUCK YOU" to women in the US on behalf of the fundies. I especially hope that some of the eejits out there threatening to vote for McCain because Hillary lost read this because this is the sort of bullshit science and misogyny that will be nurtured under McCain. As far as I am concerned, any Democrat who votes for McCain out of spite deserves to hung by their genitalia while we are all allowed to point and laugh. How dare you? How dare you bargain with my body just because your person didn't win the primaries??? Fuck you and your stupid sense of entitlement. Don't dare talk to me about the unfairness of it all. How your voices weren't heard and that is why you're voting for McCain. You might as well require to wear a chador and forbid me to drive or go to school for all the good you're doing my gender. You women supporting this PAC especially need to be held accountable because you are betraying all the things you claim to stand for by supporting that Bush wannabe.
Christ have mercy but I want to punch someone right now.
Of all the industrialized countries in the world, the U.S. has, by far, the highest instance of teenage pregnancies with a rate that more than doubles the nearest competitors.
Imagine that. Complete and honest communication about sexuality and access to prevention methods helps reduce teen pregnancies and abortions. Who'da thunk it? Now granted, I know that all is not perfect and shiny in those other countries mentioned but the numbers show that they have managed to do a better job of controlling unplanned pregnancies in teenagers and THAT is definitely something. What I especially loved is the assertion that they do not allow religious agendas to make public health policy, an utterly stupid thing to do anyway. And yet, we as Americans tend so see any information coming from other countries as suspect and tend to scoff at it as being elitist and not applicable to us because we are all very special little snowflakes indeed.
*sighs*
Perhaps someday we will finally acknowledge that humans are-well-human and that fucking around is simply one of the things we do and needs to be treated as simply another, ordinary aspect of being human.
The question is, will the people of California insist on being frightened, reactionary bigots who cannot conceive of two people of the same gender wanting to be married?
An interesting article that popped up in my email today and one that I think EVERYONE needs to read. By equating sex work and workers with those who have been forced or tricked into coming here for the purposes of prostitution and/or other labor, we are undervaluing the experiences of those being exploited as well as patronizing those who have chosen sex work as a means of making a living.
This is so utterly right on that I cannot even add to it so just fucking read it.
Sometimes it is not about you. If you have ever received a LiveJournal response anywhere along the lines of "your life, so hard", or "let me tell you, internet, it is tough being a white man", or "get off the cross, we need the wood", this is a sign that you have been That Guy.
Does this make you angry? Does it make you feel upset? Do you feel like your right to speak, like your right to be heard, has been silenced?
That's the space many women live in all the time. And we can't put it down and go back to a place where that silencing doesn't exist the way you can. Because for us, the conversation you just took over was that space, and we are sick and tired of repeating this fact over and over and over again.
I looked this up because I just have a conversation with a client about the best way to keep and carry condoms with you so that you are always prepared. There are quite a few nifty options out there, many of which I'd be more than happy to keep in my own purse. Finally, condoms have become fab! Now if I could just get more people to actually use them!
I found this on in my email today thanks to the sex workers advocacy email list and thought it was by far one of the better musings on the Spitzer situation.
Up to now it has all been hand wringing and condemnation but, being the sexgeek that I am, I am more interested in the whys and wherefores of why powerful people take such chances with their career and life. After all, men in positions of power have always had access to willing (and occasionally unwilling) women and men for sexual purposes. Why do they need to pay for it? What is that all about? According to the writer, who is also a therapist, they do it because when you pay for it, there is no need to worry about "her" satisfaction because you've already taken care of her therefore, it's ALL about you. Now even though I realize how that may sound, I'd be lying if I said I didn't understand. As someone in a position where I often feel responsible for other people, regardless of whether that's true or not, the idea of being able to have someone else focus on me without my having to expend any emotional energy whatsoever is highly seductive. Now granted, for me that means a professional massage as opposed to sex but the concept is the same. I pay the RMT his/her fee and I can lay back and relax and not worry about trying to engage them in conversation or whether I am being compassionate enough or if I am listening actively enough. It's a nice break from the usual dynamic I have with human beings on an everyday basis.
I can also agree with the writer in that this particular way of seeing the world tends to interfere with one's personal relationships. When you often see interpersonal relationships as one more responsibility, one more life for you to be responsible for, is it any wonder that you might shy away from them? Even the ones you already have?
Yeah, fucked up, I know, but it is what it is. At the very least I acknowledge this and it helps me to stop my "stinking thinking", as they call it in the world of rehab, and start to acknowledge that yeah, most of my loved ones are capable of taking care of themselves. Gee what a thought. :)
At any rate, the article gave a different look at what happened and it was thought provoking, to me. Give it a read and tell me what you think.
Hey all you sexgeeks! This is just a quick note to say "Hi!" and direct you over to Pizzababe.com to hear me in my first ever co-host spot with the Pizzababe herself! Have fun and XOXO!
Voicemail: 206-339-3297 Email: postmodern.sexgeek@gmail.com Blog addy: postmodernsexgeek.blogspot.com or marieb.libsyn.com My RSS URL is marieb.libsyn.com/rss My Freak Network Forum: Sexgeek Salad
Voicemail: 206-339-3297 Email: postmodern.sexgeek@gmail.com Blog addy: postmodernsexgeek.blogspot.com or marieb.libsyn.com My RSS URL is marieb.libsyn.com/rss My Freak Network Forum: Sexgeek Salad
Yes yes, I'm on my soapbox again but damn! Sometimes I just can't help it!
And don't forget.... FEEDBACK FEEDBACK FEEDBACK!
Voicemail: 206-339-3297 Email: postmodern.sexgeek@gmail.com Blog addy: postmodernsexgeek.blogspot.com or marieb.libsyn.com My RSS URL is marieb.libsyn.com/rss My Freak Network Forum: Sexgeek Salad
First off, a huge THANK YOU to my new show producer, Ash B. who I found on SL. This is now a podcast by a woman, produced by a woman. That's a whole lotta estrogen, baybee!
The first topic I discuss is the trend towards the Medicalization of Sex i.e. everything is a disease and needs a drug rather than better communication and more sexual imagination. Go to this website and this article for a more reading on the subject.
The next topic I discuss is ENDA: The Employment Non Discrimination Act. In order to get it passed through congress, proponents have decided that removing protection for trans gendered folks is necessary. WTF?
No music today but if i find good stuff, I will be bringing it to ya on my show.
Love you all!
And don't forget.... FEEDBACK FEEDBACK FEEDBACK!
Voicemail: 206-339-3297 Email: postmodern.sexgeek@gmail.com Blog addy: postmodernsexgeek.blogspot.com or marieb.libsyn.com My RSS URL is marieb.libsyn.com/rss My Freak Network Forum: Sexgeek Salad
Work: Yay we got funded so I won't be losing my job! And yes, I am one of the people who helped write the grant requesting funding. All UR HIV FUNDS R BELONG TO ME!!!
Coffee is my fuel! Without it I would be a a Romero Zombie unless I've used my asthma inhaler in which case I'm a 28 Days Later zombie.
Voicemail: 206-339-3297 Email: postmodern.sexgeek@gmail.com Blog addy: postmodernsexgeek.blogspot.com or marieb.libsyn.com My RSS URL is marieb.libsyn.com/rss My Freak Network Forum: Sexgeek Salad
No really, I am. A huge, horrible event occurred in LA this weekend and I was blissfully unaware of the entire thing.
Demonstrators for immigrants rights were at a rally in Macarthur park when the LA police went in and began firing rubber bullets and tear gas into crowds of men, women and children, knocking down people left and right and attacking news reporters.
What is this country coming to? Is this what our country's idea of immigration reform is? Beat up those who speak up and demonstrate for the rights of the people? Of the worker?
I don't know how I never heard of this and I don't remember seeing it on the blogs of any of my friends but do me a favor and pass it on. We all need to see this and recognize that something is very wrong in this country.
According to The Nation, the firings of those 8 US Attorneys may have been because they thought that prosecuting child pornographers was more important than prosecuting legal porn. The following excerpts were in the blog Dispatches from the Culture Wars.
Ward's endless stream of mandates, the source revealed, were a source of frustration to many US Attorneys. "There were countless child obscenity cases crying out to be prosecuted," the source told me, "but [Brent] Ward wanted to focus on cases involving consenting adults. That's just not a good way of dedicating resources. When you have so many children being harmed, why not allocate your resources towards that?"
Ward's heedless prosecutions of legally available pornography reflected more than his ideology; they also defined his power within the Justice Department. Once Bush began his second term in the White House, Gonzales declared the prosecution of pornography portraying sex acts between consenting adults "one of the top priorities" of his department. He signed off on an FBI headquarters memo that recruited agents for an anti-porn task force. That memo stated that prosecutions would focus particularly on material depicting "bestiality, urination, defecation, as well as sadistic and masochistic behavior." These acts, according to the memo, were most likely to offend local juries.
Christian right organizations, from the Family Research Council to Concerned Women for America, lavished praise on Gonzales's anti-porn initiative. "We will watch closely, though with a growing sense of confidence in our new Attorney General, to see who is appointed to direct the effort," said Family Research Council President Tony Perkins.
When Gonzales met with Phil Burress, a self-described former porn addict who directs the anti-pornography group, Citizens for Community Values, Burress praised Ward for an aggressive and single-minded attack on sexually explicit material over nearly three decades, which had earned him the adulation of the Christian right. "He's one of my heroes," Burress said in describing Ward to the Salt Lake Tribune . As Utah's US Attorney during the 1980s, Ward prosecuted phone sex operators, shut down Utah's last two porn theaters by nailing their owner on tax charges, and tried unsuccessfully to force nude art-class models to wear bikinis. When Gonzales tapped Ward as his top porn cop in 2006, the Christian right's confidence soared.
To support Ward's task force, Gonzales and FBI Director Robert Mueller diverted ten FBI agents, four prosecutors and a postal inspector. Ward soon secured his biggest score, the successful prosecution of the Girls Gone Wild series producer Joseph Francis for knowingly including footage of two young women without receiving legible documentation, on paper, of their ages. Francis's company, Mantra Films, Inc., was slapped with a $500,000 fine--a drop in the bucket for an operation that rakes in at least $40 million a year.
Many veterans of the FBI consider Ward's efforts a burden on their ability to fulfill serious departmental priorities. "I guess this means we've won the war on terror," an anonymous FBI agent sarcastically remarked to the Washington Post about agents diverted to Ward's task force. "We must not need any more resources for espionage."
Though his anti-porn crusades rankled the FBI agents and US Attorneys compelled to participate in them, Ward produced an unintended benefit for the White House when it needed to fire politically "chafing" federal prosecutors. Ward's complaint against Charlton, filed by Sampson for use at a later date, was unsheathed by Rove and Gonzales to smear a competent professional prosecutor--and a Republican--for political purposes.
The revelation of Ward's participation in the dismissals arrived as the Christian right clamored that more resources be funneled to him. "Give him some gas and he'll win the war," Burress told the Salt Lake Tribune. "I wish the Department of Justice was full of Brent Wards." The prosecutor purge may have backfired, but Burress and his allies can take heart that the Bush White House is devoted to their culture war, even at the expense of its "war on terror."
My thanks to Violet Blue (not the Porn Star) who blogged it first.
I also mention Nobilis' erotica podcast which can be found at http://nobilis.libsyn.com
And as a treat I read Alison Tyler's short Story "Edit Me".
And don't forget.... FEEDBACK FEEDBACK FEEDBACK!
Voicemail: 206-339-3297 Email: postmodern.sexgeek@gmail.com Blog addy: postmodernsexgeek.blogspot.com or marieb.libsyn.com My RSS URL is marieb.libsyn.com/rss My Freak Network Forum: Sexgeek Salad
Voicemail: 206-339-3297 Email: postmodern.sexgeek@gmail.com Blog addy: postmodernsexgeek.blogspot.com or marieb.libsyn.com My RSS URL is marieb.libsyn.com/rss My Freak Network Forum: Sexgeek Salad
Hello boys and girls! Just dropping a quick note to you, my listeners, to make sure that you all don't forget about me.
Voicemail: 206-339-3297 Email: postmodern.sexgeek@gmail.com Blog addy: postmodernsexgeek.blogspot.com or marieb.libsyn.com My RSS URL is marieb.libsyn.com/rss
Apologies for how long it took me to get this out! Life kinda got in the way...
Today I talk about:
Inspiration and the swift kick in my ass that I needed that was delivered courtesy of Sami Blackmire.
My thoughts on being in the Pink Ghetto, as described by Melissa Gira on Sexerati.
My new SL Business, the PMG Cafe, has it's grand opening tomorrow. Pizzababe Goes Global Orgasm Day! Call her and leave her a naughty, inspirational message.
Voicemail: 206-339-3297 Email: postmodern.sexgeek@gmail.com Blog addy: postmodernsexgeek.blogspot.com or marieb.libsyn.com My RSS URL is marieb.libsyn.com/rss
Voicemail: 206-339-3297 Email: postmodern.sexgeek@gmail.com Blog addy: postmodernsexgeek.blogspot.com or marieb.libsyn.com My RSS URL is marieb.libsyn.com/rss My Freak Network Forum: Sexgeek Salad
And then...a little surprise... A Postmodern Sexgeek erotica reading
FEEDBACK FEEDBACK FEEDBACK!
Voicemail: 206-339-3297 Email: postmodern.sexgeek@gmail.com Blog addy: postmodernsexgeek.blogspot.com or marieb.libsyn.com My RSS URL is marieb.libsyn.com/rss My Freak Network Forum: Sexgeek Salad
Voicemail: 206-339-3297 Email: postmodern.sexgeek@gmail.com Blog addy: postmodernsexgeek.blogspot.com or marieb.libsyn.com My RSS URL is marieb.libsyn.com/rss
Voicemail: 206-339-3297 Email: postmodern.sexgeek@gmail.com Blog addy: postmodernsexgeek.blogspot.com or marieb.libsyn.com My RSS URL is marieb.libsyn.com/rss
And a special congratulatory shout out to Violet Blue, who has a new column in the SF Chronicle.
FEEDBACK FEEDBACK FEEDBACK!
Yay! You sent me feedback!
XOXO to John, The Diva and Gideon Television for the LUV they sent this Sexgeek. Keep it coming people! I love the way you love me.
Voicemail: 206-339-3297 Email: postmodern.sexgeek@gmail.com Blog addy: postmodernsexgeek.blogspot.com or marieb.libsyn.com My RSS URL is marieb.libsyn.com/rss
Hey boys and girls! It's another episode of the Postmodern Geek's Guide to Sex.
There's no theme to this show. It's just a an amalgamation of various interesting or fun things I've found recently, listener comments and a bit of soapboxing.
I mention the site I talked about in the masturbation podcast: Homemade Sex Toys
Thanks to Billy Hicks from Second Life for sending me those comments. I love it when you all share with me!
I also share comments from Rob, also of Second Life, about his first cybersex experience.
Voicemail: 206-339-3297 Email: postmodern.sexgeek@gmail.com Blog addy: postmodernsexgeek.blogspot.com or marieb.libsyn.com My RSS URL is marieb.libsyn.com/rss
Voicemail: 206-339-3297 Email: postmodern.sexgeek@gmail.com Blog addy: postmodernsexgeek.blogspot.com or marieb.libsyn.com My RSS URL is marieb.libsyn.com/rss
Hey all! Here's a little note from your Postmodern Sexgeek. Please forgive me for running behind. I know, I've been bad. Go ahead and punish me. I deserve it. :P
And just in case you don't catch it on the audio, the upcoming topic is: Masturbation! So send me some love (and your ideas and suggestions):
Voicemail: 206-339-3297
Email: postmodern.sexgeek@gmail.com
Blog addy: postmodernsexgeek.blogspot.com or marieb.libsyn.com
