public radio

Is virginity cool again? That was a topic of discussion on my favorite radio station KPCC, a public radio channel in Los Angeles. Karen Sternheimer, sociology professor at the University of Southern California specializing in youth and media spoke about a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which states more people are keeping their clothes on. The sweeping survey of American sexual behavior looked at 13,500 people between the ages of 15 and 44 and found that more than one-quarter of those interviewed had never had sex. Although 97 percent of women and 98 percent of men reported “losing it” by the time they were 25, virginity seems to be making a come back. And that’s not all. It turns out more people are claiming to be monogamous, women are ‘fessing up to having more same-sex liaisons than men, and twice as many men reported having more than 15 sex partners over the course of their lives.

I use the soothing tones of common sense, discourse and deliberate discussion of the KPCC hosts to guide me to my work destination. As much as I may grow angry with a topic or two I know that at least via public radio some kind of consensus will be sought and some kind reason requested from its speakers. God knows the traffic in LA is aggravating enough that I don’t want to hear ranting and raving from the airwaves of my radio to make it worse.

But today I almost had to pull over and indulge in a valium or two as I listened to the responses of the callers to this discussion of virginity. It seemed that somehow the right wing Christian Conservatives had discovered Public Radio and decided to call in and speak. (For a moment I thought FOX TV had purchased the commercial rights of KPCC). Suddenly, a caller considered that since some women were ‘fessing’ up to having more same sex liaisons, that perhaps the rest of America should begin to worry about the GAY AGENDA. He knew the Gays were out to recruit kids, but somehow their recruitment graduated to young women.

A woman then lashed into Planned Parenthood as THE den iniquity sighting their carefree and careless manner in supplying condoms and discussion of contraceptives. The same holier than thou woman also went on to say how proud she was of Bristol Palin’s frank discussion on abstinence.( Bristol had her cake and is eating it too so it seems). And in the same breathe she gave a big shout out to Mike (do as I say not as I do) Huckabee in chastising that hussy, immoral Natalie Portman for swaggering on stage at the Oscars with her pregnancy belly and bragging how sweet it is to have a child out of wedlock.

Both callers somehow ignored the semi scientific research about virginity and as Randy Jackson of American Idol fame says, made their discussion on the issue of virginity---their own.

My sanctity of grounded conversation based on facts not on bias was invaded and KPCC had been infiltrated with people who find little fact to rely on and instead rely on plenty of folly. Now relevance was being replaced with irreverent regard for truth or honest. Suddenly God was in the conversation and God was eager to point out the misbehavior of some Gays and Women, while he had the back of those Christian Crusaders so ready to accuse.

There has been a concerted effort to thwart the independence of mostly women, and Gays, as to how they handle their life. It seems that women’s reproductive rights are not rights owned by women but rather a collective ownership of rights by Conservative Christians who think they can and should interpret the Bible usurping the Constitution thus deciding the appropriate morals and ethics for women. From laws being bandied about in Georgia (making abortion the legal equivalent of murder and require miscarriages to be investigated by authorities, to the ex Attorney General of Kansas using his office to harass, intimidate and arrest anyone seeking an appointment or physical check up at woman’s clinic which can perform legal abortions) many Conservative Christians who beg for smaller government control, scream for a tighter big government censorship of rights.

And once again that boogie man from under the bed the Gay Agenda is brought back to life to dispel any freedoms or rights for Gays because all that the GAYS want to do is recruit, ruin and remove straights from American society. We are the cause of divorce, the chaos in family values, the catalyst in economic downturn and the downfall of religious values in this country. Look no further for the destruction of America then the LGBT community and their AGENDA!

My sanctuary of sanity, my higher plane of pleasure, my political refuge of sense and sensibility KPCC was turned topsy-turvy and invaded by people who care less about fact and love to languish in fiction.

The Republican/Baggers want to stop funding for all public radio and television in this country. So in their quest to follow the footprints of dictators and despots around the world in controlling fair and balanced reporting and replacing it with biased and bogus banter they must have unleashed their minions of truth deniers to call in to KPCC. And today they followed their orders of deleting the details and destroying decency.

The conversation regarding virginity turned into a 700 Club lecture filled with hate and hypocrisy.

I am not sure how safe my drive home from work will be this afternoon.