In a recent trip to South Africa, Pope Benedict told reporters that AIDS, "cannot be overcome by the distribution of condoms; on the contrary, they increase it."
It is a statement that once made makes you wonder if this guy is really serious because it would seem to go completely counter to what the latex product was designed to do. In fact, Merriam-Webster define a condom as, "a sheath commonly of rubber worn over the penis (as to prevent conception or venereal infection during coitus)." I would like to repeat that definition as it seems to be vaguely important. "To Prevent Venereal Infection During Sex".
Long ago it was important to have as many children as possible because the chances of these infants surviving to adulthood were pretty slim. There was no understanding of germs as the cause of disease and there were also no anti-biotics or vaccines. Diseases that a shot or a tablet can eradicate today claimed many young lives in the Middle-Ages.
An ancillary benefit to all of this fornication and procreation was a swelling of not just genitals but also of populous. Strength in numbers played a vital role during the Crusades which in turn increased the wealth of the Church and the power of the Papacy.
Fast forward to 2009. The Church still teaches that fidelity in a heterosexual marriage and abstinence are the best way to stop AIDS because condom use somehow promotes loose morals. Meanwhile, health experts say there is no scientific evidence showing that condom use spurs people to take more sexual risks and in fact studies show that condom use reduces the risk of acquiring HIV infection. To make any claim contrary would be disingenuous, misleading and just plain wrong.
But who would know more about sex than the people not having it.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Win, Lose or Draw?
President Obama's trip to Europe left many Americans with a bittersweet taste in their mouth.
His inability to secure commitment from any European nation to help with the fighting in Afghanistan was viewed by many as a colossal failure, especially in conjunction with the fact pretty much all of Europe disagrees with the size and scope of the White House's plan to jolt the global economy out of recession.
The President was however able to signal to the world the United States is no longer interested in the "go it alone" strategy that marked much of the Bush Administration stance on foreign policy. In cities from London to Prague to Istanbul, Obama received a raucous welcome to his promise to listen and consult more, as he took his first turn on the world stage as president.
Then there is the whole issue of whether or not Obama bowed to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. The bow should not be viewed as anything more than a show of respect. What some Americans need to understand is we are in the dawn of a new era and we can no longer afford to treat the rest of the world with contempt and disrespect.
I'm proud of our President for being so considerate of other peoples and cultures and those peoples' leaders. It's a highly intelligent course of action, to treat others with respect. I guess after eight years of conservatives labeling everyone they met with brown skin a "terrorist," it's hard for people, especially conservative journalists, to accept such mature behavior.
His inability to secure commitment from any European nation to help with the fighting in Afghanistan was viewed by many as a colossal failure, especially in conjunction with the fact pretty much all of Europe disagrees with the size and scope of the White House's plan to jolt the global economy out of recession.
The President was however able to signal to the world the United States is no longer interested in the "go it alone" strategy that marked much of the Bush Administration stance on foreign policy. In cities from London to Prague to Istanbul, Obama received a raucous welcome to his promise to listen and consult more, as he took his first turn on the world stage as president.
Then there is the whole issue of whether or not Obama bowed to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. The bow should not be viewed as anything more than a show of respect. What some Americans need to understand is we are in the dawn of a new era and we can no longer afford to treat the rest of the world with contempt and disrespect.
I'm proud of our President for being so considerate of other peoples and cultures and those peoples' leaders. It's a highly intelligent course of action, to treat others with respect. I guess after eight years of conservatives labeling everyone they met with brown skin a "terrorist," it's hard for people, especially conservative journalists, to accept such mature behavior.