Rape is never about lust. It's about power, control, anger, mental illness, and more. Then add the hate onto it like these men did.

That quote was a sarcastic statement in reference to a discussion of a republican who was caught soliciting gay sex in a bathroom. This republican was stripped of his chairmanship, yet people keep pointing out him as an example of corrupt republican politicians. While I agree that this politician should not have broke the law, and that it is good that the republicans stripped his chairmanship, I think it is rather silly that he has been getting so much national publicity about this issue over the past couple years.

Redykeulous,

Thank you for the excellent explanation.

That actually does make sense, although I still do not think that hate crime legislation is a good idea. While the goal of trying to punish criminals for the fear they put into others in their community is laudable, I see to many problems with these laws.

Equal treatment under the law is a vital part of our legal system. I am very hesitant to start messing with this aspect of the legal system for several reasons, including how difficult it was to extend equal protection to Americans of African descent.

While I understand the legal differences between certain premeditated crimes, compared to the same crime committed in the heat of the moment, I am not yet convinced that hate should be given the same consideration. Even if we ignore any concerns about determining that a specific type of hate was the motivation for the crime, I do not think that we should start criminalizing thought in that manner.

When it comes to teaching, to children, I’m with you. Children are motivated by curiosity and it should be encouraged, in an appropriate manner. But the ‘things’ needed to promote curiosity include money and mentoring, and all too often neither are made available.

As for fear; there are different kinds of fear, and not all fear is of the unknown. Here’s an example, I have a friend who didn’t like coming into the area I live in. I live in a town that is somewhat influential, and everywhere around me are pockets of homes in $250,000 to 1,000,000 range. I happen to live in a tiny neighborhood, one of the first built about 35 years ago, smaller home. When I asked why she didn’t want to come to my house, she said it wasn’t my house that was the problem, it was the police in the town. You see she’s a very dark African American, and she drives a pretty nice new car. Every time she comes into town she is either stopped by the police or followed, presumably they are checking to make sure the car was not stolen. She’ll drive around the town at night to avoid being pulled over.

Do you think she fears the unknown? Where do you suppose she got these fears? Has it affected her life? You bet it has, but she is one the loveliest people I know, in spite of STILL being treated in the worst way. It’s not the unknown she fears, it’s what she KNOWS, and has experienced that affects her behavior.




Think, for a moment, about your statements….where have heard that before, how many times, for how long has it been said? What does it really mean? Don’t you really think we should already know? Your words are not new concepts, they are the “common sence” we’ve been taught. They are the words that shrug off responsibility, not necessarily by you, you’re just repeating them, and they’ve been repeated for generations.

What really divides us so much that a neighborhood less than 20 miles away can live in poverty while the other end of that stretch lives in million dollar homes? Why don’t the people in those big homes associate with those people, 20 miles away? What’s the difference between them besides 20 miles? Education, color, prejudice, money, all of the above?

Question of the day, if you could take away one of those things away from everyone and add one of those things to everyone, would the other two matter?





Are you saying we are “programmed” to view the unknown as a threat? Programmed by whom? I’m not sure what an overactive sense of self preservation means, unless you are speaking about an attitude. Maybe that one feels the need to protect an attitude? But why?

They are still not “equally” protected but it’s only been a law since 1964 – a long way to come considering the number years blacks were slaves.



What kind of thinking goes into hate? What kind of thought is transferred to society through prejudice? Do you really believe people actually ‘think’ about how to be prejudiced?

Actually, as far as prison goes, the whole concept stinks anyway. Look at it this way, who goes to prison? Why do people end up there, repeatedly?

So let’s consider this, if every child had the exact same prenatal care and nutritional environment and the exact same educational opportunities, – how many less would end up in prison?

How much prejudice would remain, if the children from the rich part of town and the children 20 miles away, in the poor side of town, had access to all the exact same benefits growing up?

But maybe when people DO THINK they think it’s cheaper to pay to keep all those prisoners fed, and clothed, housed, and healthy than it would be to have healthy intelligent children.

Wow the evolution of humankind is astonishing ... insert sarcastic tone here ...


It is outrageous! When will being human ... be enough?

I don't think it ever will be, I've been thrown so much hate because I'm gay in my life that I really doubt peace will ever come. It takes enough out of me just to get out of bed everyday and go out into this world that would rather see me hurt or die than be happy and loved. I am staying out of this topic just because I've seen enough of this ignorant hatred & don't want to get angry again etc. Your a good person ArtGurl...

That makes me sad ... and inspired by your strength of spirit Kaysi...

Happy holidays to you!

I didn't want to make you sad, I was only being honest

Rape is not about sex, its about power over someone. (either male or female rape)
Why do you think there were four of them? Because one of the spineless, chinless wonders didnt have enough power from his own scrotum to hustle up enough nerve to do it on his own.

They are nothing more than sub-human cowardly scum.

.......

I read with interest that there has to be some xtian in here bleating about how they are all so hard done by
A poor woman gets brutalised and he is moaning about how a group of people with an imaginary friend are getting marginalised!
... only here!!

It was in reference to another issue but still said the same thing, and I wasn't sure some one that said that would understand anything related to homosexuality but I took a shot. It's still in the news because that's the news, they rarely let things die. Though it might be a reminder to those on the Right that they aren't immune to the same things that happen on the other side. Personally I think the guy is a coward but there are more important things to worry about than him, of course.

Now there's a man....

I wouldn't know a gay person from Adam unless they announced it. I feel sorry for this poor woman and what it says about our society as a whole.Stop raising hate filled children while hiding behind Jesus.My prayers go out to this young woman.

When my daughter was 13 she was attacked on a public street by and older boy who attempted to rape her.

As disturbing as that was the public reaction was even worse. Cars drove by including the security patrol of the hospital just across the street.

No one intervened.

A small group of kids gathered and chanted "Rape Her Rape Her"

She only managed to escape because on child finally challenged the boy.

She was badly injured.

Until society changes it's attitudes towards rape and starts discussing it and in general raising their children to respect each other it will never stop.

Rape is horrible and there is no condoning it period.

As for Gays and Lesbians. As a True Conservative, I do not feel that ANY group should be discriminated against, nor should any idealogical or theological mindsets be allowed to bar these people from having the same rights, the same priveleges as all the citizens of this country have, most especially the ones guarunteed to us by the Constitution of the United States.

Do I have to agree with being gay? no. Do I have to even like it? no. However, I will support them in gaining the rights they deserve, because once you let the Government usurp the rights of one segment of the population, you leave the door wide open for them to do it to all of us.

I know few conservatives that believe as you do, War, sadly. I am a tree hugging liberal, though I do share certain conservative values fiscally and I will always see it the way you do, even if I had not chosen to share my life with women.

I don't think many conservatives see the usurping of rights as you do. They can't see that when you go down the road, one day you might be caught up in the same cycle. If I said that right.

It's what happens when you only view the world through a certain perspective provided by Idealogical processes... and yea, you said it right.

I am sorry Lynann, and I would not have been one to stand by and watch something like that. What's sad is that is nothing new.

There was a guy beating a woman half to death while his buddies watched. I had just come around the corner on my motorcycle with another friend on his motorcyle and I barreled right into the S O B.

The cops hauled the boyfriend and me and the woman off to jail, leaving the guy's friends to go on their way. She did not press charges. She had three broken ribs and a gash to her head. I stayed overnight in jail and almost got charged with assault myself, and the woman was patched up and guess what? She went back the S O B. So in too many cases women are part of the problem, they do not demand respect.

I see that all the time where I now live, women allow men to treat them like absolute dirt and the men just keep doing it and the women keep letting it happen. And one might wonder why I prefer to stay gay?

But I would have done it again. The guys that stood by were never charged and the cops thought the whole thing was amusing. Go figure.