The Obnoxious, Unrepentant Anti-Gay Bigotry Of Tennessee Rep. John Ragan

You can not reason with an idiot. Ragan has an opion and he will stand behind his reasoning.. He is a dodo, Idiot.

#5:Fear this, Fear that...Really...how many bogeymen can they come up with? Perhaps they should be drug tested AND take a psych test BEFORE taking office. Paranoia is a sign of drug abuse and mental instability..

And don't leave out: heterosexuals (unmarried!) are having sex; the sky is falling!

This paranoia the right are experiencing is the result of the Obama Derangement Syndrome (which is a mental instability)!

Porn in the USA: Conservatives are biggest consumers
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16680-porn-in-the-usa-conservatives-are-biggest-consumers.html

I wonder what percent of that is gay porn ?

no offense, but this article and your comment are both flawed. They analyzed anonymous credit card numbers and used zip codes. You cannot infer that because a state voted for a certain candidate, and I live in that state and purchased porn, therefore I voted for said candidate. It reaching like this that lends little or no creedance to your opinions or those that wrote this article.

By the way, I am independant and love porn. ;)

How can someone who is woefully ignorant be in a position to create laws?

The villagers must believe the village idiot is the smart one in their group...

#6.1:The villagers must believe the village idiot is the smart one in their group...

That is funny and the truth! I think they call them "fearless leaders"! Pitiful and sad.

“My understanding is that it is virtually — not completely, but virtually — impossible to contract AIDS through heterosexual sex.”

This is a very dangerous statement to be throwing around and a dangerous message to send to the younger generation.

It is better to say nothing and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.

- Abraham Lincoln

My thought exactly, and the basis of my post. Thank you. And thanks for citing Lincoln. I never knew where that quote came from, although I use it frequently - mostly on myself. :)

Someone should tell them not to hold hands during the "show"

Someone should tell them not to hold hands during the "show"

What makes you think it was "hands" that they were holding?

The sad truth is that politics have been like this for thousands of years. There are records of ancient Roman politicians using the same sort of dehumanizing tactics.

This sort of behavior can be found can be seen, to one degree or another, in an group of people larger than two. It is human nature to find faults in each other, and create insular cliques. The Us versus Them mentality is a deeply rooted part of our social psychology. Clannish behavior made sense when humans competed for the same hunting/foraging grounds, but it isn't very compatible with our modern, civilized societies.

Zen-Hydra

This sort of behavior can be found can be seen, to one degree or another, in an group of people larger than two.

I do try to proofread my posts, but I guess sometimes mistakes like this still slip through the gaps.

What I meant to say was: This sort of behavior can be seen, to one degree or another, in any group of people larger than two.

Primal behavior for a primitive mind.

So..we have no control over our actions?

So..we have no control over our actions?

Of course we can control actions. My arguement had nothing to do with whether or not we can or cannot.

It had to do with people using false terminology and false explanations in order to support an unfounded or weak arguement. The arguement against homosexuality is weak unless the person can make it seem AGAINST ALL EVIDENCE AND ESTABLISHED MEDICAL AND SCIENTIFIC FINDINGS that:

1. All gay people choose to be gay

2. Sexual orientation does not exist

3. Homosexuality is just a behavior, a practice, a lifestyle like clubbing or knittng or perhaps an addiction like smoking or gambling. So there are not gay people just straight people who are going "astray" or have an addiction.

4. Homosexuality is harmful, a disorder but treatable and reversable

4. Given the above, homosexuals are not deserving of ANY protections, rights or legal recognition.

It is your belief that gay people do not choose to be gay?

Sexual orientation is not a choice. It is determined by a complex mix of emotional, environmental and biological factors.

It manifests during puberty and only strengthens from there on.

Some people start getting crushes on the opposite sex.

Some people start getting crushes on the same sex.

Some people start getting crushes on BOTH.

The only "choice" you have is whether or not you will act on it and be honest about it or repress it and stay in the closet.

Is there a homosexual gene?

Independent Voter, nope. Neither is there a "black" gene. You do know that is not how genes work right? You know that genes often need to work in tandem with other genes to create certain traits. They can mutate, become dormant or active dependent on hormonal and other biochemical signals.

Human sexuality is an ongoing study and what the most respected biologists and geneticists are finding seems to suggest there may be a mix of hormonal and genetic components.The Nuffield Council on Bioethics produced a report on genes and behaviour. Google it why don't you?

Geneticists like Richard Dawkins hold to the findings of US Reserachers in the 90s who said any genetic trait related to orienation is most likely passed on by the mother. Recent studies are also suggesting that homosexuality may have a link to fertility in women (more fertile women produce more gay children). Women who had gay sons and all the female relatives on her side of the family produced more estrogen/progesterone than women who did not have gay sons.

There is an article on it here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3735668.stm

I believe however the most important evidence is in observing sexuality and gender and seeing and hearing the testimony of the people themselves. "From the horses mouth" so to speak. And the respected medical and scientific community have after decades of psycho-analysis and physiolgoical response tests have confirmed that sexual orientation is not a choice....behavior is.

Their findings are on the following sites: The American Psychological Association, The American Pediatric Association, The American Psychiatric Association or you can always just go to Scientific American, American Journal of Medicine, American Medical Association or even National Geographic.

No singular environmental, cultural, domestic circumnstace can be identified that causes someone to feel attracted to the same sex instead of the opposite sex. There are gay people from all walks of life, all cultures, all environments (accepting and very violently opposed). If it were a matter of choice why would someone choose to be gay in Iran, Jamaica, Uganda or Alabama when self-preservation/self-interest and acceptance by the tribe/clan is a fundamental survival trait of all humans?

Joking aside, I expect people people who hold public office to be held accountable for their words and actions. As a lawmaker, this man influences the lives of millions. In my opinion, suggesting that it is almost impossible for heterosexual sex to spread AIDS (HIV) is akin to shouting 'Fire' in a crowded theater (i.e. unprotected, criminal speech).

Authority figures that abuse their celebrity status, like Ragan (and the Roman Catholic Pope), need to be criminally prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, and then destroyed in civil court.

I do, too. Straights, the ones who primarily spread HIV, should have to fund the research themselves. They're such filthy, disgusting perverts.

I do, too. Straights, the ones who primarily spread HIV, should have to fund the research themselves. They're such filthy, disgusting perverts.

This is from the CDC

•HIV disproportionately affects certain populations. Men who have sex with men (MSM), blacks/African Americans, and Hispanic/Latinos are the groups most affected by HIV infection.

oMSM represent approximately 2% of the US population. However, MSM have an HIV diagnosis rate more than 44 times that of other men, and more than 40 times that of women [8,b].

oMSM account for more than half of all new HIV infections in the United States and nearly 30,000 MSM are newly infected with HIV each year [2]. oMSM is the only risk group with increasing annual numbers of new HIV infections [2].

oFrom 2005-2008, estimated diagnoses of HIV increased approximately 17% among MSM [6]. This increase may be due to a combination of factors: increased incidence, increased testing, and diagnosis earlier in the course of infection [9,c]. These increases may also be affected by the degree of uncertainty inherent in statistical estimates.

oBlacks/African Americans are the racial/ethnic group most affected by HIV. Blacks/African Americans represent approximately 12% of the US population, but account for almost half of all new HIV infections [2].

oAt some point in their life, 1 in 16 black/African American men will receive a diagnosis of HIV, as will one in 30 black women [10].

oThe rate of new HIV infection for black/African American men is six times as high as that of white men, nearly three times that of Hispanic/Latino men, and more than twice that of black/African American women [11].

oThe rate of new HIV infection for black/African American women is nearly 15 times as high as that of white women, and nearly four times that of Hispanic women [11].

oFrom 2005-2008, estimated HIV diagnoses increased approximately 12% in blacks/African Americans [6]. This may be due to increased testing or diagnosis earlier in the course of HIV infection; it may also be due to uncertainty inherent in statistical estimates.

oFrom 2005-2008, the rate of HIV diagnoses among blacks/African Americans increased from 68/100,000 persons to 74/100,000 [6].

oHispanics/Latinos represent 13% of the population, but account for an estimated 17% of new infections [2].

oThe rate of new HIV infection among Hispanic/Latino men is more than double that of white men [11].

oThe rate of new HIV infection among Hispanic/Latina women is nearly four times that of white women [11].

oFrom 2005-2008, estimated HIV diagnoses increased approximately 5% among Hispanics/Latinos [6]. However, this increase is within the boundaries of normal fluctuations and may be due to uncertainties inherent in statistical estimates.

oThe rate of HIV diagnoses among Hispanic/Latinos decreased, most likely reflecting the growing population of Hispanics/Latinos in the United States [6].

•Despite many prevention and treatment successes, people are still dying from AIDS. HIV remains a significant cause of death for some populations. For example, in 2006, HIV was the third leading cause of death for black males and black females aged 35-44 and the fourth leading cause of death for Hispanic/Latino males and females in the same age range [12].

Further, MSM are strongly affected by HIV and represent the majority of persons with an HIV diagnosis who have died in the United States.

Where is the information that is the basis for your opinion that Straights, the ones who primarily spread HIV?

I will wait