Christina's thoughts on the "male pill"

It ain't for me.

And before I go any further, let me just say that it's nice that on some level there's a spark of thought that contraception can be an equally shared responsibility between men and women.

However, in the case of the "male pill" I think it's still somewhat of a flawed concept. Why? Because men can't have babies! If they get someone pregnant, they don't have to endure the additional stress of knowing that THEIR body will have to pass a bowling ball, to say nothing of having to swear off alcohol, caffeine and cigarettes. And let's be honest about who ends up bearing most of the childrearing responsibilities, regardless of whether or not the pregnancy occurs in a marriage, long-term relationship or whatever the arrangement is.

So I'm all for men sharing more of the responsibility in the birth control, HOWEVER, I would have a hard time giving up all other contraceptive methods JUST because my man was on the "male pill".

How many men could lie and tell some girl that they're on the "male pill" when they're not just to sleep with her faster?

It's a step in the right direction: promoting this idea that men share birth control responsibility. I don't think a male pill is the silver bullet answer though.

Another political blog posting

Brian McLaren: Compassion and Hope in the Haggard Scandal

As a representative of the Red Letter Christians, I was asked the other day to participate in an NPR dialogue about the recent resignation of Ted Haggard. Two things struck me about the dialogue.

First, compassion. The tone of the conversation was not glee at the fall of a hypocrite, but rather sadness and empathy at the suffering of a fellow human being - before and after his resignation. I'm sure there has been some glee, both among secular people who saw Ted as their political enemy, and among religious people of a certain type who find it easy and legitimate to disregard the words of I Corinthians 13, the "Golden Rule," and the Sermon on the Mount. I have been especially moved, both on the NPR program and elsewhere, by the compassion expressed by many in the gay community and by many evangelicals, both of whom may have found reasons to respond otherwise.

Second, hope. A number of people on the program expressed hope that this trauma in the evangelical community will increase understanding about the issue of homosexuality, that it will bring to light the complexity and depth of pain experienced by people for whom heterosexual drives are not inborn and exclusive. Perhaps this painful story will help more preachers (like myself) to back away from the easy answers and binary thinking that are so easy to dispense, and to reject the simplistic moralism Jesus diagnosed in the Pharisees, who, he said, loaded up burdens on the backs of others that they themselves couldn't bear. I've met Ted on a few occasions and he impressed me as a compassionate and hopeful person himself. I join millions of people - Christian and non-, straight and gay - who pray for God's presence, strength, and guidance for him and his family - and his church and NAE colleagues too, as they grapple with the complex realities of the human condition which we all share.

It's Sunday as I write these words, and in an hour or so, I'll be in church, and we'll pray, "Lord, have mercy." The older I get, and the more I experience, the more weight and meaning those simple words carry.

Brian McLaren (brianmclaren.net) is an author, speaker, and board member of Sojourners/Call to Renewal.

love it love it love it!

If you want explanation as to why, let me know, but this just adds to the pleasant experiences of my day.


Columnist Coulter in hot water over voting


WEST PALM BEACH, Florida (AP) -- Conservative columnist Ann Coulter has refused to cooperate in an investigation into whether she voted in the wrong precinct, so the case will probably be turned over to prosecutors, Palm Beach County's elections chief said Wednesday.
Elections Supervisor Arthur Anderson said his office has been looking into the matter for nearly nine months, and he would turn over the case to the state attorney's office by Friday.
Coulter's attorney did not immediately return a call Wednesday. Nor did her publicist at her publisher, Crown Publishing.

Knowingly voting in the wrong precinct is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
Anderson's office received a complaint in February that Coulter voted in the wrong precinct during a February 7 Palm Beach town council election.

Anderson said a letter was sent to Coulter on March 27 requesting that she clarify her address for the voting records "or face the possibility of her voter registration being rescinded." Three more letters were sent to Coulter and her attorney, but she has yet to respond with the information requested, Anderson said.

In July, Anderson said, he received a letter from Coulter's attorney, Marcos Daniel Jimenez D'Clouet. The letter said the attorney would only discuss the matter in person or by telephone because, he complained, Anderson had given details to the media. Anderson said the matter had to be discussed in writing.

The right-wing commentator also authored a book that said some September 11 widows were "enjoying their husbands' deaths."

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.