John McCain..Adulterer? Hypocrite?

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Sex Toys Legal in the Lone Star State!!!

Earthshattering news, IMHO

Texas scraps ban on sex toys

By STAFF REPORTER

Published: 14 Feb 2008

A US appeals court has overturned a ban on the sale of sex toys in Texas.

The state was one of the last in the US South to keep the ban - punishable by as many as two years in jail.

The 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Texas law making it illegal to sell or promote obscene devices violated the right to privacy guaranteed by the 14th Amendment.

Companies which sell the toys sued in 2004 over the constitutionality of the law.

They appealed after a federal judge dismissed the suit and said the Constitution did not protect their right to publicly promote such devices.

“The case is not about public sex. It is not about controlling commerce in sex.

"It is about controlling what people do in the privacy of their own homes because the state is morally opposed to a certain type of consensual private intimate conduct.

"This is an insufficient justification after Lawrence,” the appeals judges wrote, referring to a past case.

The Texas attorney general’s office, which represented the Travis County district attorney in the case, has not decided whether to appeal, said agency spokesman Tom Kelley.

Phil Harvey, president of Adam & Eve Inc., said the 5th Circuit Court’s decision was a big step forward.

He said: “I think it’s wonderful, but it does seem to me that since Texas was one of three states in the country - along with Mississippi and Alabama - that continued to outlaw the sale of sex toys and vibrators, that it was probably past time.”

I just can't get over the fact that this happened in TEXAS.

What'll they think of next?

In the spirit of the last post...

See? That's not so bad, is it?

The Porn Hypocrisy

Just thought I'd post something I found interesting.

The hypocrisy of porn
Matthew Melnyk
Issue date: 1/29/08 Section: Opinion

In public we cringe at the thought of pornography. We turn our noses up to this supposed perverse form of entertainment and present ourselves as being somehow above the low lifes and creeps who view that stuff.

Unfortunately for our mythologized public image, it is more likely than not that we have at some time viewed pornography.

Perhaps more interestingly, it is likely that the person beside you, the professor at the front of the class, your parents or maybe even your girlfriend or boyfriend are avid consumers of pornography.

There are numerous disconnects between the realities of the market for adult entertainment and how people discuss it. It would be hard to find someone who would publicly admit to viewing porn on a regular basis, yet all statistics show that it is popular beyond the scope that most of us realize.

The amount of money people pay to see others frolicking in the nude is staggering. Canadians spend about a billion dollars on pornography a year. Worldwide it is almost a $98 billion dollar industry. To put that in perspective; that is more money than the top technology based companies combined (eBay, Microsoft, Amazon, Yahoo!, Google, Apple, Netflix). For an industry that nobody seems to be consumers of, it seems to be doing well for itself.

*****
People often decry the pornography industry as exploitative, and there are often concerns raised about children and contact with this industry. What people rarely realize is that our own repressiveness is what allows for the industry to be that way it is.

We live in a society that has an identity crisis. In the public sphere people are expected to live by some abstract and impossible moral standard. This expectation comes with certain assumptions about their sexuality that are usually fairly repressive. We aren't comfortable imagining other people as sexual beings, nor are we comfortable with others thinking of us that way. Despite this tension it seems undeniable that the cliché "sex sells" is fairly accurate.

Products of all kinds are sold to us using sexual imagery. Every major form of entertainment emphasizes sexuality, regardless of its relevance to the medium. Businesses do this because it works. As the popularity of pornography shows, people are interested in sex.

Our public denial of this creates the conditions where salacious advertising is both pervasive and effective. It is also why people are driven to seek out sexual entertainment and are willing to pay billions of dollars for it.
I think that before we stand on our soapboxes and denounce the adult entertainment industry for all of its problems we need to take some responsibility.

First, we need to be honest about how we may have directly contributed to it. Secondly, as well as realize that by being sexually repressive we are creating a demand for pornography that rivals or surpasses almost every other form of entertainment.

I agree with Mr. Melnyk up to a point. It's amusing that on the surface, nobody says they consume pornography, but SOMEBODY'S gotta be doing it. As hard as I try, I can't hit all those porn websites that number hits in the millions.

The problem I have with Mr. Melnyk's analysis is that despite his acknowledgment most people are hypocrites when it comes to porn, he seems to fall back on the old stereotype that porn is automatically bad.

I don't quite agree. I've posted here on several occasions about the possible social benefits of porn, (reduced crime rates, empowerment of otherwise sexually repressed segments of society), not to mention the fact that every single consumer or producer of porn is a stand-up supporter of freedom of speech and expression. Not sure what else to say except that more people ought to talk about porn a lot more often.

Just my opinion. I could be wrong.

FUCK YOU, MITT ROMNEY

I told a Romney fan last year he wouldn't make it to Valentine's Day, and it's nice to be right again, but I still almost wish this fucker'd been the G.O.P. nominee so his humiliating defeat would be all that much more enjoyable. (These are excerpts. The emphases are mine)

Asshole.

Mitt Romney Suspends Campaign Published: February 7, 2008
The following is a transcript of Mitt Romney's speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C., during which he announced he is suspending his presidential campaign, as provided by CQ Transcriptions via The Associated Press.

As I said to you last year, conservative principles are needed now more than ever. We face a new generation of challenges: challenges which threaten our prosperity, our security and our future.

I'm convinced that unless America changes course, we could become the France of the 21st century.
*****

Perhaps the most fundamental of the challenges that we face is the attack on America's culture.

*****

(APPLAUSE)

The threat to our culture comes from within.

In the 1960s, there were welfare programs that created a culture of poverty in our country. Now, some people think we won that battle when we reformed welfare. But the liberals haven't given up.

*****

ROMNEY: The attack on faith and religion is no less relentless. And tolerance for pornography, even celebration of it, and sexual promiscuity, combined with the twisted incentives of government welfare, have led to today's grim realities: 68 percent of African- American kids born out of wedlock, 45 percent of Hispanic kids, 25 percent of white kids.

How much harder it is for these kids to succeed in school and in life. A nation built on the principles of the founding fathers cannot long stand when its children are raised without fathers in the home.

(APPLAUSE)

The development of a child is enhanced by having a mother and a father. Such a family is the ideal for the future of the child and for the strength of the nation.

I wonder how it is that unelected judges, like some in my state of Massachusetts, are so unaware of this reality, so oblivious to the millennia of recorded history.

It's time for the people of America to fortify marriage through a constitutional amendment, so that liberal judges cannot continue to attack it.(APPLAUSE)

Europe -- Europe is facing a demographic disaster. That's the inevitable product of weakened faith in the Creator, failed families, disrespect for the sanctity of human life, and eroded morality.

And finally, let's consider the greatest challenge facing America, and for that matter facing the entire civilized world: the threat of radical, violent jihad.

(APPLAUSE)

As you know, in one wing of the world of Islam there's a conviction that all governments should be destroyed and replaced by a religious caliphate. These jihadists will battle any form of democracy because to them democracy is blasphemous, because it says that citizens, not God, shape the law.

Today we are a nation at war. And Barack and Hillary have made their intentions clear regarding Iraq and the war on terror: They would retreat, declare defeat.

And the consequence of that would be devastating. It would mean attacks on America, launched from safe havens that would make Afghanistan under the Taliban look like child's play. About this, I have no doubt.

Now, I disagree with Senator McCain on a number of issues, as you know.

But I agree with him on doing whatever it takes to be successful in Iraq, and finding and executing Osama bin Laden.

(APPLAUSE)

And I agree with him on eliminating Al Qaida and terror worldwide.

Now, if I fight on, in my campaign, all the way to the convention...

ROMNEY: ... I want you to know, I've given this a lot of thought -- I'd forestall the launch of a national campaign and, frankly, I'd make it easier for Senator Clinton or Obama to win.

Frankly, in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign be a part of aiding a surrender to terror.(APPLAUSE)

Thank you so very much. I love you. Thank you.

Fuck you, Mitt Romney.

Where shall I begin?

The France of the 21st Century? Let's see, France has a higher standard of living, lower costs in virtually every aspect of life, higher life expectancies, lower infant mortalities, lower crime rates, and national health care.

The only thing France has going against it is they were too smart to get involved in our grand adventure in Iraq.

Most people are up in arms about Romney's crack that voting for Sen. Clinton or Sen. Obama is surrendering in the war on terrorism.

I'm just as pissed off as anyone about that, but there's more. The stuff about embracing pornography is a cheap shot, but that's no biggie. As usual, Mitt isn't letting facts interfere with a good soundbite. Nor does it bother me that he's digging the whole "marriage is for making babies so gay marriage is bad" schtick. Same shit, different day.

What gets me is the rant on which he went about religion. America's turning away from religion, and that's bad. We're becoming just like Europe, and that's bad. (What's going on in France, for example. All that healthy living and cowardly common sense). (And what the hell's a "demographic nightmare?" Sounds like something Ralph Reed would rant about. "Not enough white people out there! That's bad! Bad!")

And yet, a few paragraphs later, he's ranting about how evil the jihadists are because they hate democracy. What was it he said?

These jihadists will battle any form of democracy because to them democracy is blasphemous, because it says that citizens, not God, shape the law.

What was that, Mitt? Less religion is bad, but jihadists are bad because they want more of God in government?

Make up your fucking mind!

But you can't, Mitt! You're the main entree at the Waffle House! You were pro gay rights before you were against them, you were pro choice before you were anti-choice, and you were a middling-average governor before you decided to whore yourself out to Dobson and his ilk and turn yourself into a hypocrite. Or, I should say, a bigger hypocrite.

You're one of the reasons the Dems are going to win this year, Mitt. You're an example of how the party of Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt has become a cabal of neo-pseudo-fascists who want to turn back the clock to when religious zealots ruled Europe (remember them, Mitt? The Dark Ages? The Inquisition? Feudalism? The Black Plague? The Hundred Years War? The Divine Right of Kings? The Crusades?)

The people didn't want to believe anyone could be so stupidly anti-American, but now that they've seen you and your ilk for what you are, that'll be the end of it.

Like I said before, I almost wish you'd been the nominee so you could suffer even more humiliating pain this November.

As it is, good riddance to bad rubbish.

Fuck you, Mitt Romney.

High Heels Are Good For Sex??

Sweet! My lovely wife hates wearing them, but hey! Science!

High heels 'may improve sex life'

An Italian urologist and self-professed lover of the sexy shoe set out to prove that high heels were not as bad for women's health as some suggest.

The shoe has been linked to a range of problems - from corns to schizophrenia.

But in a letter to European Urology, Dr Maria Cerruto said her research showed it was time to stand up for the heel.

She said her study of 66 women under 50 found that those who held their foot at a 15 degree angle to the ground - the equivalent of a two inch heel - had as good posture as those who wore flat shoes, and crucially showed less electrical activity in their pelvic muscles.

This suggested the muscles were at an optimum position, which could well improve their strength and ability to contract.

The pelvic floor muscles are an essential component of the female body. As well as assisting sexual performance and satisfaction, they provide vital support to the pelvic organs, which include the bladder, bowels and uterus.

But they often weaken after pregnancy and childbirth, and as the woman gets older. There are exercises to strengthen them, but Dr Cerruto hopes her findings may eliminate the need for these.

"Women often have difficulty in carrying out the right exercises for the pelvic zone and wearing heels could be the solution," she said.

"Like many women, I like high-heeled shoes," she added. "It's good to know they have potential health benefits."

Gill Brook, a women's health physiotherapist in Bradford, stressed the findings did not suggest that stilettos were a good thing for those keen on improving their pelvic floor function.

"But for women who like a slightly higher heel, these are reassuring findings - although we haven't yet done away with the need for regular exercises to maintain what is such an important part of the female body."

Not that I need a pretext to show images of women in high heels...
















but it's nice to have one anyway.

Conventions Are Good For The Local Service Economy

I don't have much to add to this. Speaking as a resident of the Mile High City, I'm looking forward to this summer.

DNC boost for sex biz
Denver can expect prostitution spike during convention
By Daniel J. Chacon

Originally published 12:30 a.m., February 4, 2008
Updated 03:33 p.m., February 4, 2008

Political tricks may not be the only ones turned during the Democratic National Convention in Denver this August.

The sex and adult entertainment industries are expecting a boom in business when an estimated 35,000 visitors descend on the Mile High City for the presidential nominating bash.

At the Pepsi Center, the focus will be on a single nominee.

But outside the event, the choices available to the delegates, journalists and others are unlimited, giving new meaning to the term "conventional sex."

More than six months before the convention comes to Denver, the offerings already online range from Claudia the "she- male porn star" to Erin the "adorable college cutie," whose $300- an-hour services are guaranteed to "leave you breathless."

Surprised?

Don't be.

Denver is, after all, home to Mike Jones, the beefy male prostitute who claimed to have bedded the Rev. Ted Haggard in his Capitol Hill apartment.

Jay Watson, who promises an unforgettable milk bath and lotion massage for $125 an hour, said he's expecting to be busy during the DNC Aug. 25-28.

Why?

"Because look at me," said Watson, a 25-year-old Aurora man with a Mohawk. "I'm cute. I'm sexy and I deliver it all."

'More business' from GOP

Too bad for Watson and others like him that Denver didn't land the GOP convention instead, said Carol Leigh, a San Francisco prostitute "over 50" who has traveled to previous Democratic conventions in Los Angeles and Atlanta.

"It would be a lot better for the sex workers if it was the Republican convention," she said.

"We get a lot more business. I don't know if they're just frustrated because of the family values agenda," she said.

When the Republican convention was held in New York in 2004, some sex workers offered limited-time discounts, according to New York Magazine, which ran a feature story titled "The Girls in Their Summer Hot Pants."

Officer Ana Aguirre, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles police, which hosted the DNC in 2000, said there's "definitely a spike" in prostitution during large events like political conventions.

In Denver, said police spokesman Sonny Jackson, "We're preparing to handle a variety of issues that may come up."

Even though they attract a lot of people, political conventions aren't the most profitable for the men and women in the world's oldest profession, Leigh said.

"Computer conventions can be lucrative," she said. "There's a lot of nerds that don't get out much."

But money is money, and the Democrats are expected to inject millions of dollars into the metro area when they flock into town.

"We're preparing to be busy for that convention," said Tracy, a manager for Bare Assets, a Denver-based adult entertainment agency that does everything "from singing telegrams to novelty acts to topless to nude."

Tracy declined to give her last name or say whether the agency had any DNC-related bookings.

"Whether it be because of the convention or because it's somebody's bachelor party, it's just private (information)," she said.

Jumps in advertising

Beverly Chastain, a door girl at the Diamond Cabaret & Steakhouse, a gentleman's club downtown, said reservations should start picking up this month.

"When it comes to conventions and stuff, we do free entry for it and then we just plan on advertising our lunch buffet and stuff more," she said.

Taylor Wheeler, classified sales manager for Westword, a weekly that includes an escort and body rub section, said his staff is expecting an increase in personals as the DNC approaches.

"I can't say it didn't cross our mind with all the delegates in town that they might be kind of on their own," he said.

Advertising for escorts and other personals jumped when the NBA All-Star game was in town, he said.

Oregon Joins The Cause

What a difference four years makes. Last Presidential election cycle, states were running away from the idea of giving gay couples their rights. Now they're running in the other direction.

Domestic Partnerships Allowed in Oregon
By JULIA SILVERMAN – 2 days ago

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A state law allowing gay couples to register as domestic partners belatedly took effect Friday after a federal judge ruled the state's process of disqualifying petition signatures was consistent enough to be valid.

The state quickly announced that the domestic partnership applications were available online, and jubilant gay-rights activists predicted hundreds of couples would line up on Monday morning at county offices to register.

"We're a family. We've been waiting for this for a long time," said a beaming Cathy Kravitz of Portland. She said she and her partner of 21 years will be among those registering on Monday.

The law passed by the 2007 Legislature was to take effect when the new year started, but U.S. District Judge Michael Mosman suspended it to hear testimony about a petition drive that sought to put the law before voters.

*****

Oregon becomes the ninth state to approve spousal rights in some form for gay couples, joining Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Maine, California, Washington and Hawaii. Massachusetts is the only state that allows gay couples to marry.

One thing to keep in mind is that all this good news won't go very far until states start honoring reciprocity agreements with each other on this issue.

For example, Colorado recognizes common law marriage. New Mexico doesn't. However, if a common-law married Colorado couple goes into New Mexico, New Mexico will consider the Colorad marraige valid through the states' reciprocity agreement.

In other words, for now a Massachusetts gay marriage is valid only in Massachusetts. Once other states start recognizing valid gay marriages from other states, then we've got progress.