Joe gets some schoolin’

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Day 21

But all in all, it’s been a fabulous year for Laura and me.

DC, 2001

Year in review

Mugged by reality

Another one for the “duh” files, this isn’t exactly new news, but it’s good to repeat.  Chastity pledges are bogus.

The new analysis of data from a large federal survey found that more than half of youths became sexually active before marriage regardless of whether they had taken a “virginity pledge,” but that the percentage who took precautions against pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases was 10 points lower for pledgers than for non-pledgers.

“Taking a pledge doesn’t seem to make any difference at all in any sexual behavior,” said Janet E. Rosenbaum of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, whose report appears in the January issue of the journal Pediatrics. “But it does seem to make a difference in condom use and other forms of birth control that is quite striking.”

In other words, chastity pledges and other such silliness do nothing to keep kids chaste, they do, however, increase the likelyhood that any sex they do have will be risky and have unfortunate consequences.

Other voices:

Pam Spaulding:

Why on earth are states (and the federal government) still funding abstinence-only education?! Uncle Sam gives $176 million of your tax dollars each year to fund ignorance as study after study comes out dispelling the efficacy of abstinence-only ed.

Dan Savage:

I consider condom and birth control use to be aspects of sexual behavior, so it seems to me that virginity pledges do make a difference—a negative one, a harmful one. It’s time to level with America’s moms and dads: It’s unlikely that your kids will save themselves until marriage—you didn’t, why should they? But if you want to make sure your kids arrive at the alter with a history of STIs and a baby or two in tow… by all means coerce them into making a “virginity pledge.”

Matt Corley:

Rosenbaum’s study isn’t the first to indicate that virginity pledges are ineffective. In 2005, a study by Yale and Columbia University researchers found that “adolescents who pledge to remain virgins until marriage are more likely to substitute high-risk sexual behaviors that increase the likelihood of transmitting sexually transmitted diseases.”

Steve Benen:

After a while, this just gets repetitious — the right insists that abstinence programs work, objective research shows they don’t. Conservatives, not satisfied, demand more objective research, which further proves abstinence programs don’t work. No evidence, no matter how overwhelming, seems to be enough.

But reality just won’t budge.

Atrios:

While the fact that virginity pledges and abstinence-only sex “ed” don’t stop teens from having sex is unsurprising, I doubt that even proponents are particularly surprised. They aren’t interested in abstinence, really, they’re interested in making sure “bad girls” get punished for having sex by being subject to the appropriate consequences. So it actually works as designed.

Leading from the bottom up

The Hill reports that state GOP parties are starting to flex some muscle:

For the first time in party history, members of the Republican National Committee have called their own unscheduled meeting without the aid of the Washington-based party apparatus.

Organized by North Dakota Republican Party chairman Gary Emineth, the meeting will convene for the specific purpose of hosting a forum for candidates running to chair the national committee. Members will meet at an as-of-yet-undecided location in Washington on January 7.

The unscheduled and unexpected meeting, plans for which were first reported by The Hill, was called by Emineth and 21 other RNC members from 18 states, according to a memo from the RNC counsel’s office. Party rules stipulate a meeting must be called by at least 16 members from 16 different states.

But Karl Rove and the loyal Bushies have done so well for them to date…

Perfection achieved

Of a sort…

The Lions completed their perfect season, becoming the first team to go 0-16 in the NFL. I have to confess to being almost happy about it.

Day 22

I knew it might put [Senator John Breaux] in an awkward position that we had a discussion before the – before finality has, you know, finally happened in this presidential race.
TX, 2000

Scoring the census

Planning is already underway for 2010.  Kos lists expected winners and losers in the reapportionment.

Losing a classic

Eartha Kitt passes away at 81.

Here she is performing at age 79.

Her last performance was recorded for PBS just six weeks ago, and will air in February.

A Merry Christmas to All

This rocks.
Hat tip: Oxdown Gazette

Not shutting up

Maddow again on the latest Obama pastor scandal.

more about “msnbc.com Video Player“, posted with vodpod

A different kind of president

Hadn’t thought of it this way.  Melissa elaborates:

A picture of the American president, on holiday and shirtless, posted at a celebrity gossip site, eliciting comments like “I’d tap that.”

I’m not saying that’s a good thing. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, either. (I do have an opinion, but that’s a whole other post.) Here, I’m just saying it’s…profoundly unexpected, lol.

An airing of Festivus grievances

ROFL and read in full.

Day 28

I’m not the expert on how the Iraqi people think, because I live in America, where it’s nice and safe and secure.

DC, 2004

Williams on Obama