Part-Time Pundit

My Column Next Week: Sex Out Loud

Here’s a heads-up to what I’m writing on this week, the annual festival of debauchery, Sex Out Loud. Below is the email they sent out, read for yourself.

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Dear Organizational Representative,

Please forward this to your organization, coworkers,
friends, classes, staff or faculty:

The Fourth Annual Sex Out Loud! Sexual Health Awareness Fair
will be taking place on Wednesday, March 1, from 9a - 3p in
the Union rooms A, B, and C.

This exciting, free event provides an open and safe
environment for people to learn about, discuss, and explore
sexual health information and resources. This year’s event
will feature a live DJ, a teen dating violence skit
performed by the Teen Awareness Group, an excerpt
performance of the Vagina Monologues, interactive games and
activities, prizes, and information on topics including:

Abortion
Abstinence
BDSM
Birth Control
Body Image
Body Modification
Emergency Contraception
Healthy Relationships
HIV/AIDS
International Women’s Rights
Intersexed People and Sexuality
LGBT Issues
Men’s Health
People with Disabilities and Sexuality
Sex Toys
Sexual Myths and Facts
Sexually Transmissible Infections
Violence Against Women
Women’s Health

And Much More!

Sex Out Loud! is cosponsored by:

Annie Hopkins, Rehabilitation/Disability Studies Student
Champaign County Health Care Consumers
CIL-KY
Greater Community AIDS Project
Fantasy’s
Feminist Majority
Interfaith Religious Leaders
Kim Rice, Sexuality Educator at McKinley Health Center
Lamba Pi Upsilon
Men Against Sexual Violence
New Life Tattoos
NOW, UIUC Chapter
Office of Women’s Programs/CARE
Planned Parenthood of East Central Illinois
PRIDE
Pure Romance
Rape Crisis Services/A Woman’s Fund
Reverend Karen Bush, United Church of Christ
Sexual Health Peers
Sexual Orientation Diversity Ally Committee, Counseling
Center
TAG
Tim Shea, McKinley Church

Help support sexual health awareness and come to the Fourth
Annual Sex Out Loud! Sexual Health Awareness Fair on March 1
in the Union.

Thank You!

Megan Kough

President Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance at the
University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign

February 26th, 2006 Posted by John Bambenek | DailyIllini, University of Illinois | one comment

DI Article Up: Race-Baiting for Fun and Profit

Here it is. I think it kinda sucked. I was tired.

February 26th, 2006 Posted by John Bambenek | DailyIllini | no comments

Universal Health Care and Euthanasia

There are two events that should give people pause when considering universal health care. First is Hurricane Katrina and several facilities euthanisizing patients not because of terminal illness, but because they didn?t think they could move them. Second is Charlotte Wyatt who doctors want to euthanize (or more accurately let die) because they don?t think she is worth saving. A court has rules that the doctors can make this decision even though it is contrary to the will of the parents. In the first case, it is people making mistaken practical judgments. In the second case, it?s little more than outright eugenics.

It is one thing to let some one commit suicide because they’ve lived a full life and have little hope of recovery. It is another to mandate death to people because they aren’t worth taking care of. The first case can be called “right to die”. The second case is more properly called the “right to kill”. Confusing the two makes it easier for the “right to die” crowd to be a “right to kill” crowd.

Right now it is particularly difficult for people to be put to death against their stated (or their family members) will in the United States; that is until universal health care is introduced (and hopefully it never will be). To summarize, the government can’t be trusted to know which phone calls belong to terrorists and which belong to moms planning on getting their kids to soccer practice. The government can’t be trusted to get industry advice and not sell out to the rich. The government can’t be trusted even to hold prisoners captured on the field of battle. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE TAKE ALL MY MEDICAL RECORDS AND HAVE COMPLETE CONTROL OVER MY HEALTH CARE!!!

The problem comes in that the government uses different priorities to make decisions than people do. For instance, the Irish Health Service had other priorities in mind when deciding on health care for the elderly. Or stateside, an Illinois pension fund seems to be operating under different priorities then actually keeping pensions around for teachers. Bureaucrats like wasting money, when they waste too much there isn?t enough to take care of business. Apply this to health care and it means people without money who have come to rely on public health care will get screwed.

What happens when people get screwed by the health care system? Well they’ll be euthanized more often than they are now. New Orleans medical professionals decided that it was too much effort to try to keep them alive so they killed them. Not because they were terminally ill. Not because they were in incredible pain. It was because they assessed the situation and didn?t think it worth trying to find a way to help them. The difference is when they aren’t the government, they’ll be prosecuted. When they are operating with a government imprimatur, they’ll get away with it more likely than not. The government will decide who is worth treating and who should die based on some dollar calculation.

If the NSA can’t be trusted to listen to some phone calls, what makes people think that this health care calculus will be honest?

February 26th, 2006 Posted by John Bambenek | Economics, National, Politics, Pro-Life | 2 comments