I appreciate your reply, and you aren't long winded at all. The link to pornography troubles me a lot, because it's hard to really judge consent in that venue. The actresses involved are being paid, they aren't really doing it because they enjoy it, and I think the level of tolerance they display isn't…

That all makes sense. I guess my problem is really how do people outside that dynamic really ever judge? I've been told many times I have no right to and I should keep my nose out of it. It's very hard to, though, if one has a sincere dislike of violence against women.

But is the sexualization of violence really about age? I understand this is simulated, but if choking a women is sexualized violence in some cases, and in other cases it is about dominance in kinky situations, it's hard to understand how anyone can tell one from the other. Add to that the fact that the age of…

It's difficult for me to understand how consent enters into being dominated, at least in terms of a third party judging right or wrong. With all the difficulty involved for abused and battered women to admit their situation and seek help, it seems like it could be such an easy way to rationalize it.

=D thanks. Nothing like ending up on the wrong end of an angry internet discussion to make you really understand the meaning of the word.

Makes sense I suppose. I understand the underage thing, but it's bothersome that it has to be an underage person. Seems like sexualizing violence is sexualizing violence no matter the age.

I thought this kind of thing didn't happen because of laws in Europe outlawing the sale of Nazi items. I think Yahoo won a court case to sell the stuff but then voluntarily chose not to. Perhaps Amazon just filters it for buyers in those areas in the same way Youtube blocks me from some videos (sadface).

I feel I have to say to begin with that I have pretty unpopular feelings about sexual sadomasochism. I've been drawn and quartered discussing it in forums like this in the past, and I'd be a masochist myself to express my feelings in detail here. I'll just say I don't understand it, I don't agree with it, I believe…

This has been getting closer and closer for a long time, like two cars approaching a broken stoplight. We are changing the very nature of how the government in the US operates, but people don't consider how the changes they want can be applied in other, previously forbidden, areas.

"No, why would they?"

That's why I am shocked at the statement in the article above. I guess it is just a bit of bitterness with the current level of political debate, but everyone I knew was sincerely disappointed that Hillary wasn't the VP choice. I don't think it would have harmed Obama a bit, and I think they'd have drawn more people…

It honestly sounds like you are making the separate but equal point yourself.

That's not the outcome gay Catholics want, nor will it satisfy them any more than minorities in the civil rights era going off and opening their own restaurants. Sometimes you have to stand and not accept being forced out of where you want to be just because some people are evil.

I've heard almost the exact same thing about the people who went into restaurants and sat where they weren't supposed to during the civil rights era. People still ask why they faced such awful abuse when they could have just gone to their own restaurants. The sad fact of the matter is that without the firehoses and…

"Nice try, HBO. But an America that's still debating birth control won't elect a female Vice President unless they make sure she's not a witch first."

I don't really believe any ethical scientific endeavor would rush people into suicide missions when there's a good possibility it would be a safe trip once we take the time to understand the issues and overcome the problems.

She was a 14 according to this article. [www.radaronline.com]

As I replied to honeydeeew, these people were raised in these churches, it is their faith and their community. They don't want them to die, they want to stay and I think that is very brave.

The thing is, I know gay people who belongs to various religious organizations and they don't WANT them to die. They want to raise their children in the family church, they value it, it's important to them. It's their community and their faith.

If everyone who differs leaves, then the institution will never change.