A Step Forward in the Fight Against Restrictions on Foreign Aid

Two of the things that pissed me off the most in the Bush Administration were the Global Gag Rule and a law that required US groups working internationally to fight AIDS to denounce prostitution in order to get federal funding.  I was very happy last week to hear that one court, at least, found the [...]

Sadomasochism, Violence, and Pacifism

I started this post thinking about how one can reconcile being an ardent pacifist with being turned on by pain.  Actually, as I thought about it I determined that the answer to that question itself is pretty simple (hint, it has to do with consent) but I made some more interesting observations when thinking about [...]

Polyamory, Marriage Rights, and Social Control II

So, part two.  Part two is about socialism, among other things. But let’s start with capitalism.  What are capitalist values?  Well, capitalism encourages things like individual achievement and responsibility.  It also encourages competition and jealousy as byproducts of the achievement value–your goal should be to outperform your peer, and if your peer is doing better [...]

Polyamory, Marriage Rights, and Social Control I

So as same-sex marriage and same-sex partnership rights spread, there has been a lot of talk about benefits.  People in queer relationships, like those in heterosexual ones, now have the dubious privilege of being able to marry for health insurance.  And of course, there’s a big valid point here about equality. But I’ve been thinking [...]