Special Report: Bad Medicine - Doctors of Intolerance

Posted on June 2, 2008

It’s surprising how many high-profile physicians have latched onto the Right-wing political agenda. Honestly, they’re like leeches - sucking the lifeblood from civilized discourse on the fair treatment for LGBT Americans or women’s health issues. Below are some nauseating examples:

Longtime LGBT foe Dr. Steven Hotze of Houston, who helped Mike Huckabee raise money for his presidential bid, signed off on the Coalition on Revival’s Manifesto for the Christian Church that included the following proclamations:

• A wife may work outside the home only with her husband’s consent.
• “Biblical spanking” that results in “temporary or superficial bruises or welts” should not be considered a crime.
• No doctor shall provide medical service on the Sabbath.
• All disease and disability is caused by the sin of Adam and Eve.
• People receiving medical treatment are not immune from divine intervention or demonic forces.
• Physicians should preach to their patients because salvation is the key to their health.
• Treatment of the “physical body” is not a doctor’s highest priority.

NC state Senator Dr James Forrester certainly has his priorities straight. (If you’ll pardon the pun.) From News&Observer: In Raleigh, just one day into the 2008 legislative session, state Sen. Jim Forrester, R-Gaston, filed an anti-gay marriage state constitutional amendment, and a similar bill is expected to be introduced into the state House. This is the fourth consecutive session such an amendment has been filed in Raleigh.’ (Forrester’s bill would outlaw any recognition of civil unions - so don’t deceived by conservative Christians who tell you they’re only interested in ‘protecting’ marriage.)

Focus on the Family’s Dr. James Dobson lathers his hate like ultrasound gel on an expectant mother’s stomach. “Homosexuals are not monogamous. They want to destroy the institution of marriage. It will destroy marriage. It will destroy the Earth.” (Take 100 aspirin and call us in the morning.) PFAW has more: ‘While Dobson made a name for himself as an avuncular purveyor of parenting advice, he now uses that power to promote a range of troubling views and candidates who share those views. He says the gay rights movement is seeking the “utter destruction of the family” and likens proponents of marriage equality to the Nazis. He has backed candidates who call for the execution of abortion providers…’

Dr. Bill Frist, the former Senate Majority Leader and Tennessee surgeon who famously diagnosed Terri Schiavo without having met her, supports torture (in the form of waterboarding) and in 2006 considered gay marriage and flag burning to be the nation’s most pressing issues. The New York Observer observes: ‘Cultivating his image as a kindly and caring physician, he never failed to mention his pious concern for patients while casting his vote against their interests. He is the most reliable Senate ally of the pharmaceutical and insurance lobbyists.’

It’s probably a good idea to know if (or how fervently) your personal physician embraces Right-wing politics.  Woe betide the gay man who undergoes prostate surgery from a conservative hack that puts his religious principles before the sexual health of his patients. (Good luck with those nerves being spared.) And lesbian couples seeking fertility treatments? Fuggedaboutit. 

 

E! Update: Tatum O’Neal, Kung Fu Panda, Dancing Dog

Posted on June 2, 2008

Actress Tatum O’Neal, who wrote about her struggle with drug addiction in the 2005 autobiography, A Paper Life, has been arrested after buying crack cocaine near her Manhattan home. Publisher’s Weekly said this about the memoir: ‘Much of the book’s second half covers her fraught marriage to volatile tennis champ John McEnroe; these passages alternate between recollections of the pleasure of being in love and having children and the pain of living with McEnroe, whom she depicts as controlling and demeaning… She also zips through her recovery, abruptly claiming “rebirth” in the final chapter.’ Used copies of A Paper Life are available at Amazon.com. Going cheap.

Early reviews for the upcoming animated film, Kung Fu Panda, have been good. The Hollywood Reporter writes: ‘Though aimed primarily at youngsters, KF Panda embraces humor that plays well across age groups and nationalities. Certainly the sustained applause at its Palais debut here in Cannes bodes well for international box office success.’ Groucho Reviews notes: ‘DreamWorks Animation’s latest has the right stuff to make audiences laugh but also care about the film’s characters.’

This is amazing.  If you’ve ever wanted to see a dog dancing on its hind legs - backwards - check out this clip from Britain’s Got Talent 2008.  Judge Simon Cowell is stunned, and the audience gives this pooch a standing ovation!

Zipper Exclusive: The Agony Column Reviews

Posted on May 22, 2008

It is an irony of human nature that the people who most often seek advice are the ones least likely to take it. Nevertheless, advice columns have been dispensing wisdom since the middle of the19th century when they were commonly called ‘agony’ columns. People have always enjoyed reading these gossipy screeds because they provide a fascinating (and blessedly brief) window into the lives of strangers. Ann Landers and Dear Abby are probably the two most recognized advice givers, appearing in thousands of newspapers daily, but advice columns in general have enjoyed a resurgence in popularity ever since the Internet broadcast that first bare breast to millions of mesmerized teenagers.

Below we’ve reviewed six of these popular online fonts of profundity so that now you’ll know where to find a disinterested opinion on that unfaithful lover, overbearing boss, or nosy neighbor. (Rated one out of five stars.)

Dear Prudence - Emily Yoffe’s columns can be addicting. Her advice on ‘manners and morals’ is both clever and perceptive. I wish I could say the same for the animated videos that occasionally accompany them. Lose the vids, Slate, or hire better animators. ****

Dear Mrs. Web - Dreary and provincial, Mrs. Webb offers unimaginative advice to equally unimaginative questioners. There’s a ‘clippings’ section where her website is praised by the right-wing nuts at  World Net Daily. That alone should tell you where her buns are buttered. Progressives beware. **

Since You Asked - Cary Tennis at Salon is probably the most reflective adviser of the bunch. The letters he receives are long and published without any apparent editing - and his responses can be even longer! But Mr Tennis always tackles readers’ queries in a thoughtful and amusing manner. *****   

Savage Love - Rude, crude and often hysterical (in both senses of the word), Dan Savage counsels folks with sexual problems and hang-ups. Although the probers’ questions would make a Portuguese sailor blush, Dan’s responses - equally raw - contain enough humor to render them entertaining.  ****

Dear Uncle Ezra - This column is part of the Cornell Information Network. Although the questioners are mainly attendees of that university, Ezra’s levelheaded advice should appeal to students everywhere. ***

Ask Dog - While ‘Dog’s’ advice isn’t absolutely meritless, his attempts at humor feel strained and sophmorish, which is probably appropriate since his fan base seems comprised of middle schoolers. (And the cadence of their sentences is suspiciously like the columnist’s.)  **  

Cute Animals: Jerry’s Amazing Ball Machine

Posted on May 20, 2008

G! Update: Gay Playboy, Bullying, Friendly Companies

Posted on May 14, 2008

- Financially troubled Playboy Enterprises is going after gay money: “Playboy plans to initially offer Time Warner Cable subscribers 20 hours of gay male programming. The service is slated to begin operating next month.”

- Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley signed a new bill protecting lgbt students against bullying: “Maryland becomes the seventh state to protect students on the basis of gender identity or expression and the 11th state to do so based on sexual orientation, according to a news release from the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network and Equality Maryland.”

- Prime Access and Planet Out have released their 2008 consumer study of gay-friendly companies. Topping the list were Bravo, Apple, Showtime, HBO, Absolut, and Levi’s. At the bottom were WalMart, Dunkin Donuts, Cracker Barrel, Exxon Mobil, and Frito-Lay.

Levi’s Gay Ad:

That Virgin Pledge

Posted on May 11, 2008

Almost everyone agrees that high-schoolers should try to refrain from having sex until they’re older and in a committed relationship. But the welfare of children is not served by a misguided social policy that keeps them in ignorance. Mathematica Policy Research Group, funded by the Dept. of Health and Human Services, found that “abstinence-only programs had no effect on the sexual abstinence of youth.” Another recent study found that young people who took the so-called ‘virginity pledge’ were one-third less likely to use contraception when they did become sexually active than their peers who had not pledged. The study also showed that pledgers were not only less likely to use condoms to prevent STDs, they were less likely to seek medical testing and treatment, thereby increasing the possibility of transmission.

The Washington Independent reports: “Marcella Howell, a vice-president for Advocates for Youth, a nonprofit organization devoted to sex education, said abstinence education was an early priority of Bush’s social agenda. ‘He kept saying during the 2000 presidential campaign he was going to triple abstinence funding,’ Howell said. ‘It was a component of his faith-based initiatives…’ She added that ‘for the funding to end, the debate must shift away from conservative ideology and toward accurate information.’”

Accurate information! What a concept!

Cute Animals: Everyone Loves Pizza

Posted on May 9, 2008

The Vatican’s Web

Posted on May 8, 2008

In an effort to lure a new generation into its fold, the Catholic Church is setting up a social networking site similar to Facebook. God help us. From The Gazette: “Pope Benedict will text message thousands of young Catholics on their mobile phones during World Youth Day in Sydney in July, hoping going digital will help him connect better with a younger audience.” (Like that’s gonna happen.)

CrunchGear has this bit of hilarity: “Wait, I can get a text message from the Pope!? I’m not even Catholic but that sounds so awesome! Think he’ll use texting shorthand? Like for the Lord’s Prayer? to: god n hvn: u r kool. we want kool & 4 earth 2b like hvn. giv us food 2day & 4giv r sinz like we 4giv sinz. lol! save r souls, cuz we kno u r tight, u r strong & u r kool 4evs. werd.”

Jane Goodall: What separates us from the apes?

Posted on May 6, 2008

Jane Goodall began studying chimpanzees in 1960. In this TED talk she discusses similarities between humans and primates, along with conservation and environmental issues.

Culture Warriors Fracture

Posted on May 5, 2008

According to the Associated Press, Conservative Christian leaders will be releasing their curiously titled ‘Evangelical Manifesto’ on Wednesday. The document “condemns Christians on the right and left for using faith to express political views without regard for the Bible.”

On the right and left? Oh please. Everybody knows it’s the right-wingers who cannot keep their self-righteous paws out of public policy. Liberally minded Christians don’t use the Bible to justify intolerance, or enact laws against those they perceive as sinful.

“All too often we have attacked the evils and injustices of others,” they wrote, “while we have condoned our own sins.” They argue, “we must reform our own behavior.”

Well yes, that would be a good place to start.

The story notes that “some champions of traditional culture war issues are not among the supporters” of the manifesto. “Richard Land, head of the public policy arm for the Southern Baptist Convention, said through a spokeswoman that he has not seen the document and was not asked to sign it.” Focus of the Family founder James Dobson also shuns the declaration. (And, I betcha don’t see Pat Robertson’s name written down with a red Crayola.)

Still, it’s heartening to learn that not all evangelicals are the shrill sex-obsessed banshees they appear to be.

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