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Letters, 11/14: Taxes targeting adult sex

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Tuesday, Nov 14, 2006 - 12:12:56 am CST

At what point does “conservative” cross the line and become “oppressive” or downright loony?

It seems the federal government’s abstinence message isn’t just for kids anymore. Now the feds are targeting unmarried adults up to age 29 as part of its “no sex before marriage” programs which include millions of dollars in federal money available to states under revised federal guidelines for 2007.

Is this change a “clarification” as federal officials claim, or is it a new policy targeting the sexual behavior of adults?

To paraphrase a quote from James Wagoner, president of Advocates for Youth, a nonprofit group that supports sex education, the federal government has stepped over the line of common sense and lost touch with reality to be preaching abstinence to an age group (18- to 29-year-olds) in which 90 percent are having sex.  It’s an ideological campaign that has nothing to do with public health.

As one wag with whom I correspond put it: “If you’ve reached the age of 25 without having lost your virginity, you don’t exactly need lessons in how not to have sex. You’re probably an expert at it.”

Your tax dollars at work. Just thought you should know.

Jessica Schultz, Lincoln

Here’s hoping for change

While the Democrats may have won both houses of Congress last week, it remains to be seen if they have the will or desire to reverse the damage done to our country.

Things like the Iraq occupation and corruption scandals are the visible effects of more serious problems. Most Americans aren’t even aware of the basic constitutional rights that have been forfeited by our Congress over the past few years.

Most people are not aware that the president of the United States now has the legal right to have any U.S. citizen declared an “enemy combatant,” detain them for any length of time without a charge, and then try them in secret via a military tribunal.

You hear people say words like, “The president would use something like this only in matters of national security,” but the fact is that the president can, without any legal rebuke, declare a U.S. citizen an “enemy combatant” and make them disappear.

The framers of the U.S. Constitution built a set of laws around the premise that men cannot be trusted and that the laws of the people should be the ultimate protector of the individual citizen. Because of our fear, fear often amplified for political purposes, the American citizen has given away our freedoms in exchange for the illusion of safety and security.

I only hope that this new Congress can shine a light on the secrecy that’s been a trademark of the Bush administration. I hope they have the courage to open our government up to the people and give us back the freedoms that we let go while our heads were buried in foreign sand.

Keil Wilson, Lincoln

A right-wing lie machine

What is it about the right-wing media that really annoys and makes it different from any other media? It’s not that it has a bias, or that it’s getting its message out, unless it’s that its message is to engage in serial lying and misrepresentation to the point of absurdity.

I’m not talking about a few lies now and then. I’m talking about a constant avalanche of ridiculous lies that can be found out with the simplest of searches.

Don’t believe me? Check it out for yourself. Compare their Web site, mediaresearch.org, which supposes to document “liberal bias” in the real media, with what they call a “far-left” Web site, mediamatters.org.

See which site documents page after page of lie after lie, and which pathetically engages in overusing adjectives to complain about their talking points not being talked about enough and how not everyone is with them.

As long as their lie machine exists they can only get more and more ridiculous as they get further and further away from reality.

Brian Mary, Lincoln


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Meh wrote on November 14, 2006 2:16 am:
" I know what Brian Mary means. It's like they realize that their words are recorded. Bush will spend months and mouths droning "stay the course" in countless speeches, then turn around and tell George Stephanopoulos, "We’ve never been stay the course, George!" Astounding. "

 ET wrote on November 14, 2006 2:41 am:
" Wow, I hadn't been keeping up with how our whacko right-wing government was continuing to intrude on adults' sex lives. If what Jessica says is true, then we are at scary times indeed. At what point will it be enough? When are people going to finally say ENOUGH! with having the government tell people what to do when it comes to sex? I'm sure that 100 comments after mine will be along the lines of, "Well, your IMMORAL LOSERS shouldn't be having sex anyway!"....Well....as I've said 1001 times before, it is a free country. I fail to see how making sex for people under the age of 30 be just another vice like alcoholism or drug addiction is going to make the country any better. I don't pay the government to tell me what I can or cannot do in my bedroom, or deny people funding or information based on what they do in their bedroom. I really wish more people would pick up this cause and start screaming the same - and start voicing your opinion when you are smacked across the face with the typical anti-sex message that seems to be everywhere right now. "

 Cb wrote on November 14, 2006 6:11 am:
" Talk about lies and misrepresentation - heck talk Rush Limbaugh. That program should be filed under comedy. "

 ed wrote on November 14, 2006 6:55 am:
" I too hope for change from our newly elected congress. We need to give them the tine to remove the roadblocks the Bush & GOP unamerican group have put in the path to a better more open world. We need to be watchful of the action over the next two years to see who is helping and who is not. Then we need to continue to vote and (re)elect people who care about a more open and positive world along with a President that will be honest and forward looking to a world view of open positive and green ways. See UN report on climate change. "

 sa wrote on November 14, 2006 7:29 am:
" Those two websites don't sound that much different to me. I think you see them through whatever color glasses you wear. (meaning whatever side you fall on, that site seems better than the other.) From the research website: Limbaugh regularly feeds his audience a diet of falsehoods, misstatements, distortions, invective, and childish put-downs in service of the conservative movement. From the matters website: When gas prices approached historic highs over the summer, the media couldn’t stop talking about the inept Republicans and failed Bush administration policies. Then gas prices plummeted. Celebratory coverage? Nah. Any credit to the Republican party or this administration? None whatsoever. Instead, they -- yes, you CNN; and you, NBC, and you, CBS -- shamelessly advanced Lyndon LaRouche-style conspiracy theories about how Republicans somehow were manipulating gas prices downward in order to get themselves elected. I'd laugh -- except it worked. I guess I feel both are very slanted to their view. "

 jason wrote on November 14, 2006 7:39 am:
" This most infuriating thing I hear day after day is the phrase 'Liberal Media'. Its so ridiculous because of the total corporate ownership and control of all 'media'. When was the last time you heard of a 'liberal' corporation. There are those that will point to some study that shows there is a greater percentage of self identified 'liberals' working in the press. The problem with the argument is that people who have jobs in the 'media' also have college degrees, and having a college degree and its quite clear that the more education you have the more likely you will identify yourself as 'liberal.' The right-wing corporate press need to be stopped, a return of the Fairness Doctrine is desperately needed. "

 Dave K wrote on November 14, 2006 8:30 am:
" So Brian Mary wrote five paragraphs about the right-wing media lie machine without giving one specific detail. I'd be interested to hear an example of what he's talking about. The underlying difference between right wing and left wing media is that the right wing media is pretty open about its biases. While CNN, CBS, ABC, The New York Times, and pretty much every other newspaper in America claims to be unbiased sources of news, right wing talk radio and blogs openly admit their leanings. If you want to talk about lying in the media, maybe we can start with the left wing propaganda machines hard at work every day misleading Americans. "

 jb wrote on November 14, 2006 8:33 am:
" Are you trying to say that Republican politicians are the only ones who lie? Please. Have you ever seen Michael Moore's so called "documentary"? "

 Jan wrote on November 14, 2006 8:51 am:
" The extreme right wing has never been in touch with reality so no one should be surprised by them wanting to control the sex lives of everyone. Adult, children who cares. The only time you should even think about sex is if your trying to have a baby. "

 And the Truth is.... wrote on November 14, 2006 8:59 am:
" Jessica (and others), in case you didn't know, abstinence is the only proven method that is 100% effective against such diseases as AIDS or STD's, and unwanted pregnancies. You must live down at the planned parenthood where your salary depends on killing unborn children and treating social diseases (of course, some, like liberalism, are completely incurable!). You are living like an ostrich - head in sand -to believe that sexual free for all is a good thing! No one seems to want to take any kind of responsibility anymore, it has truly become a "if it feels good do it" society. "

 Gary B wrote on November 14, 2006 9:30 am:
" Well, Keil Wilson, it appears to me that if President Bush wanted to lock anybody up, folks like you would be at the top of his list...so unless you wrote that letter from a jail cell, I have a hard time believing that President Bush wants to throw people in jail for the hell of it. "

 No the real truth is... wrote on November 14, 2006 9:35 am:
" A real head in the sand approach is to believe that humans won't desire and pursue sexual freedom and sexual pleasure. I will make an assumption that you identify yourself as an active Christian. Well make sure to study the history of your religion. The push against sexuality and sex outside of procreation isn't from the original Biblical days. It's from Saint Augustine who himself had been a wild man and his pendulum swang to the oppposite end. His writings reformed the church all because of his self-hating guilt. Sexual freedom is a very good thing; puritanical attitudes that make children grow up to fear sex cause marital and social problems when people try to fight their very natural desires. Study the Jewish attitude toward sex (they read the old testament too remember) - contrary to stereotypes they celebrate sexual pleasure and rabbis recommend keeping things active and full of variety in the bedroom. It's very sad that somehow Jesus' message has been twisted in so many ways. "

 Patriot wrote on November 14, 2006 9:44 am:
" OK. You've finally convinced me. I MUST become celibate to save the world from liberalism! If I get a prefrontal lobotomy, become a eunuch, and listen to Rush Limbaugh all day, can I be a neo-con too? "

 CountryGal wrote on November 14, 2006 9:45 am:
" as a public health professional, I'd much rather have my tax dollars used for prevention of STDs than for treating them. Prevention is much more affordable (monetarily and otherwise.) Not to mention that having an STD puts you at more risk for acquiring AIDS - and that costs us ALL money not just in taxes, but also in insurance premiums and lives. "

 I'll believe the media isn't biased to the left wrote on November 14, 2006 10:20 am:
" when they start reporting About ADULT STEM CELLS & Cord Blood cells and how they have already helped create treatments for diseases and conditions. The media is mysteriously quiet about these innovations because they are so obsessed with Embryonic Stem Cell research! "

 Sex Ed wrote on November 14, 2006 10:22 am:
" Jessica, your a smart responsible adult and as such you can have sex with whoever and whenever you want, right?. No one should tell you what you can or can't do because you are smart enough and old enough to take full responsiblity for your actions, right? So I don't think MY tax dollars should go to support your abortions and/or dozen kids, none of which you know who the father is, and treat all your STDs when you're over the age of 18, because your a smart responsible adult, right? But just maybe not all "adults" are as smart and responsible as you are, and a little tax funded education might help save ME a lot more tax dollars, right? "

 Mark wrote on November 14, 2006 10:30 am:
" It's amazing people have this mentality that we live in this safe bubble and nothing bad can happen to me, someone I know, or anywhere around here. It's amazing people have thier heads buried so far in the sand they don't realize we are at war with and idoligy, much like in WWII with Hiltler, and in Korea and Vietnam with communism. Radical islamic's all over the world want American's dead, one way or another. This is one of the world's largest religion. They will not stop till they suceed. To turn our backs on them would be very, very foolish. Running around blamming President Bush like Keil Wilson's does, and so many peoples silly letters claiming the damage done to this county, it's all Bush's fault..whatever...The damage was done by people wanting us dead.The damage is being done by na sayers We need not forget sight of that. Running around playing a role of bring em home in the middle of battle is the best way to go, or lets just all live in peace is just so far out in left field it's not even funny. The downfall of America someday will not come from a foreign enemy, but from within our own country from people who just dont' get it. Thank god they never had to lay their own lives on the line defending our freedoms in a time of war, because my guess is these folks would throw up their arms in peace, and we all would be living under a very different rule than the democracy we enjoy now. "

 Tax dollars wrote on November 14, 2006 10:58 am:
" Jessica, I don't like my tax dollars going to fund contraceptive education as much as you don't like your tax dollars funding abstinence programs. I have a novel idea. Let's not use our tax dollars to fund either, then we can get along nicely on the issue. To keep everyone happy, I would suggest removal of all sexual education programs from all public institutions. Parents will be responsible for educating their children on this issue. Parents can consult their physicians for information, a church of their own choosing, or planned parenthood. Responsibility begins at home. That's where my children will be learning about it. Unfortunately, many parents shirk their responsibilities to help form their curious childrens mind by being open and honest and TALKING with their kids. They hope MTV and their kids' school will do the work for them. "

 Sue F. wrote on November 14, 2006 11:04 am:
" For everyone who has no problem with Bush having the "legal right to have any U.S. citizen declared an “enemy combatant,” detain them for any length of time without a charge, and then try them in secret via a military tribunal". Would you still have no problem with it if it was President H. Clinton, President Gore, President Kerry, or President T. Kennedy? I have a feeling that those of you on the far right would be scared to death of that possibility. That is how I feel knowing Bush has that right. "

 Wonka wrote on November 14, 2006 11:07 am:
" Brian Mary fails to recognize the hypocrisy of his own letter. Let me help by clarifying that BOTH sides spin, misrepresent, outright lie, and create fiction they believe to be true. Some media is left, some is right. The trick is to not believe everything you read, see or hear. Think critically and quit being such a lemming for your political party. You'll be much less stressed out and even may develop a sense of humor when you read, hear, or see something that is so totally outlandish that it's funny. Some journalists just seem to have trouble with the truth. Never forget that the bottom line is money for all journalism...the truth was left in the dust long ago. "

 Andrew wrote on November 14, 2006 11:34 am:
" "the right-wing corporate press need to be stopped". Jason I see you're an avid first amendment supporter. Hmmm, maybe not, but I'd bet you'd jump on the bandwagon right away with these other loons to fight for rights for terrorists. I'm also wondering if you think people without college degrees are to simple to understand the complexity of liberalism? Thats what it sounds like. "

 Keil defender wrote on November 14, 2006 12:09 pm:
" We live in a police state. Prisons are big business. The more crime they can invent, the more tax dollars go to help the 'Good ol' boy' network profit. As govenor of Texas, Bush sent far more people to their deaths than a certain mid-east dictator. I don't believe in god but if he should suddenly show up I sure would like to see the looks on the faces of those who are proponents of killing and torturing of your fellow man just because they think different. "

 Josh2 wrote on November 14, 2006 12:23 pm:
" I take the responsibility to watch CNN, MSNBC and FOX news, read the LJS and other papers and magazines to inform myself about issues. If all you do is watch Fox or only CNN - of course you're gonna think the media is slanted one way or the other. Instead of always complaining, take the time to inform yourself instead of relying on particular talking points - then you won't need to waste our time with your stupid comments. "

 Zoomie wrote on November 14, 2006 12:41 pm:
" Sex ed? I like my tax dollars going to BOTH programs, as ONLY both together have been shown to work fairly effectively with kids! Abstinence only (the Bush and Christian Right way) is a near-total failure; sex ed only is better, but gets much better when combined with abstinence emphasis. Problem is - we're not talking about kids, we're talking about tax dollars going to try and convince 25, 26, 27 yr olds, to abstain! A total WASTE of money! As someone already said - if you've abstained to 25, you don't need educating; otherwise, you're likely long past it and ain't listening! Andrew - you've learned well at the feet of Rush and the gang. No one said people without college degrees can't understand liberalism (as you claim), they said people with college degress are more likely to be liberals (which is a simple and well documented fact). And no one said anything about dumping free speech to support terrorists (except you). Indeed, I'd say you've made the case of what's wrong with the right-wing brand of media (dishonest, conflation and deceit), vs those who at least try to engage in traditional journalism (objective reporting of facts). Problem is, today, in reaction to the GOP's "gaming the ref", the press no longer objectively report facts. Today, they report "he said, she said" with all sides having equal value. Hence, 99.9% of the worlds scientific experts can say one thing, and Bush can trot out the sole scientist who dissents, and the press reports it as "Scientists disagree such and such is happening". Americans have no way to judge context any longer, because the press gives them none! Indeed, right-wing conservative luminary William Kristal stated almost a decade ago that there was no "liberal bias" in news reporting, but that gaming the ref as the GOP always does, creates a bias toward the right! And before you say so, yes there are liberal news magazines (The Nation, Mother Jones), and conservative magazines (American Conservative, NewsMax), but there are also objective news magazines (Economist, Time, Newsweek, etc.). And please don't confuse Editorial Commentary with news, PLEASE!!! "

 Josh wrote on November 14, 2006 12:52 pm:
" It's not really true that right wing biased media is open about this. After all, Fox News- the most slanted (in any direction) of all media, proclaims themselves to be "fair and balanced" when we all know they are anything but. Heck, Bill O'Reilly was on Jay Leno a few weeks ago and was talking about his show, and made some sort of comment about "hey, we're fair and balanced" with a smile on his face as the audience laughed. "

 Lindsay wrote on November 14, 2006 2:06 pm:
" I agree with Zoomie. Everyone will have varying opinions about sex ed, but what we have here is a program the Bush Administration is willing to spend $50 million on (I guess conservatives are no longer fiscal) to convince 20-somethings to wait until marriage. Now, science and morality aside, isn't this a waste of money? For one, most people who are over the age of 22 or 23 who do have children and who do not come from low income economic backgrounds will very likely not require or ask for public assistance. Two, in response to someone saying they don't want to support all 18 children and all dozens of abortions sexually active twenty somethings will have are presenting illogical fallacies. As opposed to teens, we are more likely to make better decisions, and more than likely are familiar with contraceptives. I just think that this program is plainly a waste of money, and it's motives are thinly concealed ways for the government to control sexual morality. "

 24 wrote on November 14, 2006 2:18 pm:
" Where on earth is this abstinence program anyway? I have NEVER seen any sort of abstinence message directed towards me. Makes you wonder what exactly this money is going for. Regardless of what you think 29 year olds should and should not be doing, it should bother EVERYONE that we are spending money on such a small segment of the population for such a trivial matter. Even if abstinence is a value you cherish, it should bother you that the government is willing to spend money on people who don't want it. I don't know anyone in their 20s who would honestly be swayed by such ridiculous political propaganda. If you want to stop the spread of STDs, chose an approach that is likely to work. "

 Works wrote on November 14, 2006 4:37 pm:
" I get any information I want concerning contraception, std's abortion, et al. I would appreciate the information on abstinence as well. After all, I appreciate someone helping me to know all my options. I don't understand the uproar about this. Federal money goes toward education in these other areas, so why not abstinence as well? Are the folks complaining about it worried I might not have sex and not have to have an abortion? What agenda are you trying to sell by attacking an abstinence program? How many young women never get access to any information because of lack of education, environment, poverty, etc? I am not certain the letter written in even has their facts straight. "

 whatever wrote on November 14, 2006 7:41 pm:
" Promoting abstinence isn't a bad thing, it promotes responsibility. All normal human beings enjoy sex and have temptations, but sometimes these temptations lead to greater problems. I'm sure everyone in this forum knows at least 5 people where a casual "devil may care" attitude towards sex has led to great heartache, broken relationships and families or a lifetime of regrets. Secondarily, it can lead to increased taxes, pressures on social service agencies and charitable organizations. To be sure sex education material and birth control options should be available to all that want it, but the material should be presented with a strong abstinence message and the consequences of immature and irresponsible sexual activity. And this message is appropriate and necessary for all age groups. "

 Bill wrote on November 14, 2006 9:57 pm:
" RE: Non existence of liberal media bias......Nice try. I've been a television anchor for well over 20 years working in markets from the size of Lincoln to NY. Anyone who thinks newsrooms don't have a liberal bias is delusional. The documentation of this bias is overwhelming...documentation and studies from major players in the business as well as university studies is there for those "willing" to accept it. If you've drank the kool-aid you likely don't fit into that catagory. If you haven't worked in a major market newsroom you have NO CLUE what goes on when it comes to story selection as well as how the story is presented, but more importantly, what is left out. You likely aren't aware that a large percentage of journalism students state they are in this field to "change the world". "Change the world"?? Why not give us the facts (as a professional is supposed to do) and give us enough credit to take those facts and draw our own conclusions. Hey, are you an adult? Can't you be given that responsibility? Talk about the "right" if you like, but Rush is not a journalist, Shawn is not a Journalist and neither are the rest of them. On the other hand, your nightly news anchors are, the reporters are as well as the producers. There is not "right" media (even though people like to paint FOX into that corner). FOX is considered "Right" because they don't follow the same template all the others do. In other words, if you don't drink the left wing media kool-aid, which they believe to be the "norm" as well as "what is right and correct" they you are obviously "right wing". Well, from someone who has been part of thousands of newscasts and news meetings I can tell you...if the media is 80% or more liberal democrat there's no way in you know what that doesn't bleed into their product. "

 No wrote on November 15, 2006 12:12 am:
" I've heard time and time again from individuals claiming to be television anchors saying that broadcast news has a liberal bias. Invariably these individuals turn out not to be journalists, but right wing whack jobs trying to embellish what little credibility they have by pretending to pass themselves off as journalists. "

 Jody P. wrote on November 15, 2006 10:21 am:
" Sorry kiddies, but it is a fact that Fox News takes bias to the extreme. Take this doozy just out today. Someone obtained a copy of an internal Fox News memo from a Fox VP. It sets forth their strategy for the day, which is basically to attack the Democrats. It looks like it was written by the RNC. This is absolutely laughable. I always knew this kind of stuff must be going on there at Fox, but to actually see one of these outrageously pro-GOP anti-Democrat memos is like icing on the cake. Fox News - for those so dumb they don't know they're being lied to. "

 Hilarous wrote on November 15, 2006 3:05 pm:
" I'm a democrat and I love Fox News! It is pretty balanced and I enjoy the format and banter. I'm smart enough to switch my remote between all the major networks, CNN and Fox and still manage to figure out what's what. Glean the news from as many sources as possible - if you don't, THAT'S DUMB! "

 Tea wrote on November 15, 2006 4:48 pm:
" I get my news divining tea leaves cast on the ground. Then I drink some tea. "

 DP wrote on November 17, 2006 12:57 pm:
" UCLA (which is definetly not a conservative college) did a study of the top 20 media outlets and 17 out of 20 leaned to the left. Yes, Fox may lean to the right but there are 17 others tipping the boat the other direction. The problem isn't that they support the democrats, it's that they won't admit it. The majority of the public thinks they are getting unbiased coverage when they are actually getting slanted coverage. Shows like Hardball and Keith Oberman are as Liberal as they come, but people think they are just stating facts and go along with it. "

 Matt wrote on November 19, 2006 8:39 pm:
" Sex Education? For 18-29 year Olds? To me that sounds ridiculous because for as long as I have grown up my parents have taught what is wrong and what is right. But When I move out into the real world(college) I am now on my own and can make any decision I want to. The government is now trying to step in and take millions and millions of dollars of our tax money and blow it on teaching abstinence to 18-29 year olds. People that old should be able to make their own decision whether to have sex or not, they don’t need guidelines telling them how to run their sex life. We're not talking about teenagers, we're talking about trying to convince 25, 26, 27 yr olds, to abstain by us paying taxes for it! A total WASTE of money. "

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