Hell hath no fury like a feminist writer directing a hissy fit at the pope.
Bonnie Erbe -- the US News & World Report contributing editor and PBS "To the Contrary" host who argued that Bristol Palin is more "mature" than her abstinence education-advocating mother -- finds the pope "horrifically ignorant" when it comes to HIV/AIDS.
What exactly did the pontiff say that set Erbe off? Try, "AIDS cannot be overcome by the distribution of condoms," hardly a controversial, implausible statement, but one that, to Erbe, showed the pope has "no sympathy" for women in Africa.
Yet in the midst of her sermon, Erbe showed it was she herself who was woefully misinformed:
Story Continues Below Ad ↓The Pope is correct in saying that AIDS cannot be eradicated by condom use alone. Clearly, when young women are raped or otherwise forced into sex against their will, the men abusing them will not commit to use condoms.
But instead of offering these women useless verbiage, the Pope could have offered the vast resources of the Church to distribute anti-viral foam to young married women in AIDS-infested areas. Foam is the only form of AIDS prevention that young wives completely control and can use without their husbands' permission.
Distributing anti-viral foam to young married women would help prevent the spread of AIDS while still creating the babies the Church so desperately needs to fill its pews. But Pope Benedict made no mention of offering such help to African AIDS victims. He showed no understanding of the terrible lives these women endure, or the damage done to their children, many of whom are born HIV-positive or with AIDS.
But wait a minute, these foams are still in the experimental phase and of questionable preventative effect, commenter "Annette of PA" replied, citing the World Health Organization (WHO):
What "foams" are ready to be distributed? Antiviral foam to prevent HIV transmission is not yet available according to the WHO's website:
http://www.who.int/hiv/topics/microbicides/microbicides/en/
The most promising anti HIV gel, PRO 2000 is still in clinical trials. It's most recent efficacy rating in preventing HIV transmission is 30%.
Also, these foams may not have the desired effect as in SubSaharan cultures, "dry sex" is desired. Without changing the attitude of all (as Benedict is calling for), women will still be victimized.
—Ken Shepherd is Managing Editor of NewsBusters
Editor at Large
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Pot vs Kettle
March 18, 2009 - 17:06 ET by Indiana JoeGeez, if "ignorance is bliss," then Erbe must be ecstatic! And she calls the Pope "ignorant?" Moron.
And let me see if I follow this logic: A rapist won't bother with a condom (okay, I can buy that), but he will wait while a potential victim applies an "anti-viral foam" that doesn't even exist yet? Boy, that's one patient rapist! To repeat... moron.
Is the Pope Catholic? Yes, yes he is. And that just kills those on the Left.
"Meet the new boss, same as the old boss..." - The Who
There was a legal case a
March 18, 2009 - 17:13 ET by dborschjr68There was a legal case a while back in which a woman, on the verge of being raped and knowing she was about to be raped, asked the rapist to take a condom from her purse and wear it. He did. Later, he was caught by the police and it went to trial.
It was decided by the court that since she asked the rapist to use a condom, that that made the rape "consentual", and hence, not a rape anymore.
I read about this years ago, so if I am to be taken to task to produce firm and hard evidence of this being a true story, I cannot. However, I remember what I read and the horror that I felt.
======================
To the MSM: It has been said that, "The pen is mightier than the sword". So I'll tell ya what- how's about you hold onto a pen and see if it stops me from slapping your face. I'm just sayin'...
I believe it
March 18, 2009 - 17:20 ET by Indiana JoeConsidering the state of our modern legal system, it isn't even that hard to believe. And "horror" is the right word for it.
"Meet the new boss, same as the old boss..." - The Who
Amen... and horror is
March 18, 2009 - 17:26 ET by bigtimerAmen...
and horror is putting it politely.
BT, and furthermore...
March 18, 2009 - 19:33 ET by goldenthroatHave you ever seen a more arrogant, snobbish picture of a left-coast, bleeding-heart, 'do as I say, not as I do' liberal like this woman? This b***t is a legend in her own mind!
Geesh, hand me the barf bag!
"Who am us, anyway?" - Firesign Theatre
Seems to me...
March 18, 2009 - 20:50 ET by jdlybrandnarcissism is becoming the most rampant social disease of our time. Just look at that pose.
"I spit in your general direction".
Erbe Python
jdlybrand, and all God's people said...
March 18, 2009 - 21:15 ET by goldenthroat...yea and amen!
"Who am us, anyway?" - Firesign Theatre
Close...
March 19, 2009 - 02:13 ET by Indiana JoeI'd say that narcissism is the most rampant LIBERAL disease of our time.I can't think of a more arrogant, self-righteous group of people.
They make Puritans look tolerant.
"Meet the new boss, same as the old boss..." - The Who
Joe: That and the
March 19, 2009 - 07:46 ET by BDJoe:
That and the constant liberal desire to live lives of no consequense due to lack of responsibility.
They wish to have lots of anonymous sex, but do not wish to suffer any personal consequense due to those actions.
THey wish to take lots of fun narcotics, but do not wish to suffer any personal consequense due to it.
THey wish to hold non-productive jobs because they are following their "Bliss", but living in poverty is not a consequense they wish to endure.
Maybe I am 'Horrifically Ignorant' but is Ms Erbe
March 18, 2009 - 17:20 ET by JTPsuggesting distributing foam to all the young women that feel they may be a rape victim? Or give it to the rapist prior to raping? I am confused with her solution to this problem.....Also, is she suggesting that the Pope is encouraging rape to fill church pews? My tax dollars are paying for this wench.
"I need more cowbell!" SNL
She should read up on
March 18, 2009 - 17:18 ET by taterShe should read up on Uganda...the one African nation who has seen AIDS go down because of abstinence programs and not using condoms.
www.theholyrosary.org
"There is no problem, I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we can not resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary." -Sister Lucia
Erbe is a typical liberal
March 18, 2009 - 17:19 ET by c5thenIf someone mentions an idea that goes against their ideology, they immediately attack the idea as stupid or evil.
Aides is spread through unprotected pre- or extra- marital sex for the vast majority of cases. The liberals focus on the unprotected part of the equation. The Pope and the Catholic Church as well as other religeous programs choose to focus on the pre-marital and extra-marital part of the equation.
Here's how it breaks down...condoms are approximately 95% effective in preventing the spread of STDs including Aides. Abstinence is 100% effective. So the liberals have chosen to back the method that is guarenteed to still spread the disease while the Pope has chosen to point that out and to suggest the method that is sure to completely prevent it's spread. Who is "Horrifically Ignorant"?
Hey, I got the wrong "CHANGE"!
www.loyaltoliberty.com
What if . . .
March 18, 2009 - 21:49 ET by WingletDriverthe promise of "protected" sex encouraged more people to engage in risky behavior that wasn't so protected, couldn't that make the problem worse? Why, yes it certainly could.
What if people who are told that condom use is a panacea don't use those condoms all the time, wouldn't that somehow make the problem worse? Why, yes it would. This isn't some inane hypothetical. These previous questions have been studied and been shown to be true. If condom use indicates lower incidence of AIDS, why has it grown in the District of Columbia to 3% despite the free distribution?
How dare
March 18, 2009 - 17:21 ET by legacyrepublicana man who abstains from sex and has lead a long life in the service of others and holds a deep concern for their physical and spiritual health dare argue with a woman of the world who knows so much truth and can articulate that truth too about what is best for the African nations. \sarc
Let's just say that I
March 18, 2009 - 17:28 ET by mostlymoderateLet's just say that I personally disagree with the Pope because I think condom use is a good thing. My dream is that some of these Catholics would stop having more than 6 kids when they can't afford or care for them (i.e. immigrants from Mexico et. Al.) However, I don't think he is "ignorant" but instead very loyal to his religious beliefs and I can respect that. Bonnie Erbe is out of line.
And then there's Maudlin...
March 18, 2009 - 17:37 ET by MotherBonnie's picture will give me nightmares now. Thanks. *shiver*
Mother... I've watched
March 18, 2009 - 17:53 ET by bigtimerMother...
I've watched her shows on an off for about three or four years by accident over time waiting for the McLaughlin Group to come on....only posted about it few time since I have been here...
What gives me the 'shivers' as you say is we tax-payers are forced to pay for this leftist bull-crap!
Maybe . . .
March 18, 2009 - 21:52 ET by WingletDrivershe was going to the Rock Horror Picture Show
I wish...
March 18, 2009 - 22:56 ET by Mother...I could refund you the original shipping charge for the amount of gray matter you had to waste on this frightmare.
Just for the record,
March 18, 2009 - 17:48 ET by dervishI apologize if this has been posted in another thread, but these foaming-at-the-mouth critics of the Pope might be interested in what he actually said:
"If the soul is lacking, if Africans do not help one another, the scourge cannot be resolved by distributing condoms; quite the contrary, we risk worsening the problem."
Bristol Palin 'more mature' than her mother?
March 18, 2009 - 17:50 ET by Lord ErondThere are so many things wrong with that lame-brained statement that I can't get to all of them but let me start somewhere.
First off, I love the Palin family to death. I hope that Sarah is our first female President. Second, I have nothing but sympathy and compassion for a young Bristol Palin who is a mother at the age of 18. I think the media needs to stay out of her life and Levi's life as it is COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT to today's current more pressing issues. I don't want criticism of this statement by a militant feminist dyke to sound like I'm attacking Bristol.
To make the statement that she is 'more mature' than her mother is the dumbest thing I've ever seen printed, and that includes anything I've ever seen written by Paul Krugman or Frank Rich. A mature woman would have realized that when you have sex YOU CAN GET PREGNANT. A mature woman would have taken proper birth control precautions. Now she is a mother at 18 with all of her life taken away because she couldn't think properly for 10-20 minutes of physical pleasure. Then to go ahead and compare her to her mother who is an accomplished politician, a loving mother and all? It astounds the imagination for any supposedly intelligent person to make such a ridiculous statement or comparison!
I loved what Sarah Palin said with regards to her daughter's pregnancy at the convention. They are a normal family experiencing life's ups and downs. I do not and will not judge Bristol Palin for her choices. I'm marvellously glad that she gave life to that adorable little child who will probably be a real knockout later, especially when one looks at the genes in that family.
I DO want moronic left wing media to GET THE HELL OUT OF WASILLA until the time comes that they should be back there. These dumb statements saying that Bristol Palin is 'more mature' than her accomplished mother are just more political venom to be hurled into the path of having one of the most charismatic, accomplished leaders of our time be our first female President. It's just another Palin smear and I wish these morons would jump off a cliff already.
"To sin by silence when we should protest, makes cowards of men" -Ella Wheeler Wilcox
The irony of ignorance
March 18, 2009 - 18:08 ET by KC MulvilleWhy doesn't the church spend its every last dime on ... fill-in-the-blank? This is an old, childish complaint. They argue that the church is hypocritical to keep money while anyone in the world is suffering. If the church really cared, they would give all their money away.
Typical loony liberal ... when it comes time to talk about values (which is what the pope is doing), the loony liberal thinks only in terms of money. Perhaps moved by the success of the stimulus package so far, she wants the church to launch a worldwide stimulus!
If you look into Erbe's
March 18, 2009 - 18:14 ET by mostlymoderateIf you look into Erbe's history, she basically hates anything that is Christian and especially Catholic. I'm not sure if she is Jewish, but she sets a very bad example for "tolerance".
Bingo. And one by
March 18, 2009 - 19:37 ET by lotrBingo.
And one by one dropped the revellers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall. -- Edgar Allan Poe
KC
March 18, 2009 - 19:04 ET by lotrNot to mention the fact that much of the Church's "wealth" lies in sacred art, vessels, sanctuaries, real estate, etc. I guess they expect the Church to sell the Pieta, the Sistine Chapel, etc. Never mind the fact that these pieces of art, etc., were not meant as museum pieces, but rather tools to help elevate the heart and mind to God in prayer, presumably leading to good resolutions such as almsgiving, etc. In this sense, the Church's "wealth" is a transcendent gift that keeps on giving. Popes (and people) come and go, but the Sistine Chapel is timeless (and priceless).
And one by one dropped the revellers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall. -- Edgar Allan Poe
Agreed
March 18, 2009 - 22:45 ET by KC MulvilleThat's on the sacred side.
On the profane side, the fact that some of the biggest holdings are churches and the land they sit on. However, a church building isn't the kind of thing that you can just sell. It's not like you can make condominiums out of them. If you bought the land, you'd have to tear down the church, and that cost alone (not to mention the insurance) would prohibit the deal. The church has a lot of wealth, but it isn't like you can take the parish to the pawn shop and get a good deal.
Back to the sacred ... The church paid him, but Michelangelo gave his soul in those works. Who wants to pawn Michelangelo's soul for the sake of a sale? Take the Sistine Chapel. I know I'm place-dropping, but I've been there. You can't take any of those pieces away from that place. That's where they belong. They would have a fraction of their current meaning if they were taken from there.
And Erbe wants to sell that for some anti-viral foam? No wonder these people can't figure out an economy ... they can't understand value.
Worth of a "soul."
March 19, 2009 - 02:22 ET by Indiana Joe"Who wants to pawn Michelangelo's soul for the sake of a sale?"
Liberals, that's who. They don't even understand the concept of souls, let alone believe in them.
And speaking of preaching about giving, don't forget that every survey done shows conservatives (or Republicans) give more to charity than liberals (aka Democrats). This is their money of course.
When it's our money, LibDems are very generous.
"Meet the new boss, same as the old boss..." - The Who
pimple
March 18, 2009 - 18:58 ET by lotrI've said it before, and I'll say it again: This anti-Catholic bimbo doesn't make a pimple on the Pope's ass. If she feels so strongly about distributing toxic chemical foams for women in
Third World countries to insert into their bodies, well, she's free to go there and do something about it, rather than bitch about the Pope. But of course, the reality is that this type of feminista really has ulterior anti-Catholic agendas.
Condoms are most emphatically NOT the answer, as they have dismal failure rate (dismal when considering the wager on the table).
And one by one dropped the revellers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall. -- Edgar Allan Poe
Wow. Where has Bonnie
March 18, 2009 - 19:09 ET by motherbeltWow. Where has Bonnie Erbe been all these years?
It's mind-boggling to think of the number of issues Pope Benedict, and Pope John Paul before him, could have used her advice on!!
And Ken:
Hell hath no fury like a feminist writer directing a hissy fit at the pope.
That is just GOLD!
I didn't think it was physically possible, but this both sucks and blows. -Bart Simpson
When gun-control advocates
March 18, 2009 - 21:00 ET by moderncommentaries83When gun-control advocates shoulder the blame for gun violence (and the increase in crime in strict gun-control states/nations) then it'll give some weight to the argument of the anti-Catholic folks who blame us for the spread of HIV/AIDS.
More to the point - when Erbe (or other critics) are willing to sleep with someone who's HIV positive with a condom as their only means of protection, then we'll see how much they actually trust and believe that condoms are going to stop the spread of HIV.
People, pray. This, the flap over the SSPX excommunications, the now-dead Bill 1098 in CT, and all the bias in the MSM is building toward a full-on assault of the rights of Catholics and the Catholic Church, especially the Pope. Anti-Catholic secularists, non-Catholics, and "Catholic" dissenters are gearing up to strip us of our right to free expression of religion.
Aut viam inveniam aut faciam
Abstinence, Be faithful, OR use Condoms (in that order) works
March 19, 2009 - 06:00 ET by ekslibhttp://www.usaid.gov...
Uganda Leads by Example on AIDS
AIDS in the Phillipines v. Thailand
March 19, 2009 - 08:16 ET by moderncommentaries83Also, let's compare and contrast the Phillipines and Thailand.
As reported in Volume 328 of the British Medical Journal (April 10th, 2004), some interesting statistics:
So this has nothing to do with stopping the spread of AIDS and everything to do with the left's absurd desire to have sex whenever, wherever, with whom/whatever - consequences be damned. Also, it doesn't hurt that the victims here (including the children not born due to contraception) are all...how shall we say it...of different ethnic origin. So the left doesn't really care if they drop dead from AIDS or don't reproduce. More resources for them!
Connect the dots. The left loves Margaret Sanger because of all she did for contraception and abortion rights...yet Sanger was an evil proponent of eugenics and an ardent racist.
They haven't come much further, have they?
Aut viam inveniam aut faciam
New bumper
March 19, 2009 - 06:27 ET by HockeyKidNew bumper sticker:
Condoms: Liberals can't think of a better solution.
"Beauty is only skin deep, but liberal's to the bone." - me
Foam? Ha! In Muslim Somalia,
March 19, 2009 - 07:46 ET by SickofLibsFoam? Ha!
In Muslim Somalia, rape victims, being "guilty", often get forty lashes, may be stoned... and may or may not get to retain their heads.
AIDS is the least of their problems.
Take a Second
March 19, 2009 - 07:56 ET by Sprice2586I just took a minute to find the comment section on PBS for her show and gave my two cents.... I know, they will just delete it, but at least it may annoy them a little....
It's time for Saul Alinsky tactics with the Secular Goats.
IT'S NOT JUST CATHOLICS IT'S ALL RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS
March 19, 2009 - 13:45 ET by Rod PatrickThis Government is ON SET to destroy religious institutions by maligning the core beliefs of its members and their trust to their religious leaders.
MSM is the main drumbeater of this Government!
This search for New Society is forcing all Americans to become lukewarm, "cultural Christians", if not outright atheists. It aims towards the permanent rule of a Liberal Government in the fabrics of American politics.
So, to all Catholics and Protestants, stop your petty bickerings. Your most dangerous enemy is NOW READY TO DEVOUR you all:
LIBERALISM AND ATHEISM under the protection of the Democratic Party.
IF YOU DON'T FIGHT TODAY.... YOU'LL NEVER HAVE A CHANCE to defend yourself by tomorrow.
You'll wake up one day to find out that you are all marginalized for the sake of common good.....i.e., anything liberals find good for themselves.
You speak the truth,
March 19, 2009 - 16:28 ET by lotrYou speak the truth, brother.
And one by one dropped the revellers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall. -- Edgar Allan Poe
Harvard AIDS Prevention Research Project lines up with Pope
March 22, 2009 - 03:20 ET by PharmerEdward Green of the Harvard AIDS Prevention Research Project concurred with the Pope in stating that condom distribution could exacerbate the problem of HIV infection at the population level. He attributed this in part to the behavioral change of increased risk taking when protection is thought to be present. Condoms are about 80 percent effective in preventing pregnancy, and cannot be expected to be any better than that in halting transmission of the much smaller HIV virus (often under more strenuous conditions).
Antiviral foam would be a poor choice for HIV prevention, such that it would not be worth the expense of distribution.
Why do these leftists go ballistic at the slightest suggestion that their lifestyle be modified for the sake of public health?
Pharmer
March 22, 2009 - 19:29 ET by lotrVery interesting -- would you happen to have a link? I would be most interested. This has been my hypothesis all along. The Pope ain't no idiot that they play him for.
And one by one dropped the revellers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall. -- Edgar Allan Poe