Orchids to BryanWiggins for concisely and accurately summing up the troll spouting on this thread. Onions to the troll who posts under various names (don, clearskies, etc.) for pulling a Lee Siegel and doggedly pumping rants, buzzwords and other GOP propaganda under the guise of being a "Democratic" party "moderate."

The Democratic Party will be so much more effective when we remove the Zell Miller wannabes like Joe Lieberman from the strategy meetings.

One pungent yet delicious, strongly smelly and flavorful onion to Farnsworth...ahh, the sweet taste of victory...

You wrote:

And on a completely different note, what kind of ass starts to ask about sexual history in the heat of the act? These are great conversations to have, if they must, before things get physical.

What? It's only basic sex education that people ask each other about their sexual history before consumating the act. Ask anybody who teaches sex education. I doubt it would feel natural to ask about someone's sex history while dispassionately sipping lattes at Starbucks.

It would be "perfect" to have a long, revealing pre-physical intimacy conversation about sexual history but alot of people don't get perfect, they get where they are in fits and starts of flawed humanity. These men are to be applauded for due diligence if not for their good timing.

And speaking of sex education, a good national source of sex information is the San Francisco Sex Information Hotline (call information). Though local to SF, they take calls from anywhere on any subject relating to sexuality.

I hear two patterns of behavior/belief among the virgins posting here: those who fiercely defend themselves as well-adjusted adults making sound decisions about their sexual needs and opportunities, and those who have battled shyness, social discomfort, self-image and lack of skills/experience.

For the former, my thoughts aren't about you. For the latter, our culture could help heal if there were therapists who did work with their patients teaching intimacy skills, social and physical. One-on-one role playing with the goal of obtaining comfort initiating and escalating relationships might do some a world of good. Such “hands on” therapeutic role playing could include everything from when to initiate handholding or a kiss, up to full sex therapy. Sex therapy is too narrow a term: intimacy therapy might more accurately describe the range of personal issues and social situations addressed.

Sadly, such a therapist would probably be defined as a sex worker, and be subject to prosecution for prostitution. And no, a prostitute isn’t the same thing as a trained therapist. Prostitutes serving both genders specialize in sexual release, the objective of intimacy therapy would be confidence building and skills development.

Traditional talk therapy, by contrast, nearly always looks for a "unified field" theory about the deep-seated trauma that ails you. Years of counseling prompting self-doubt seem likely.

By contrast, relatively short-term intimacy therapy—a few sessions to give positive experiences for confidence and comfort—could give someone freedom of choice that doesn't seem to be currently available to them.

You wrote: it seems like there's this air of aloofness & superiority...

I've seen people make this mistake all my life: concluding shyness, reticence or introversion is snobbery. Maybe in some cases it is, but maybe just as often you are assuming judgement where there isn't any. How awful to "go negative" on a person's whole character for being themselves, or for something they struggle with.

First the ABC news shop gives us 20/20 correspondent John Stossel, a right-wing shill who takes lucrative payouts for corporate speaking gigs and returns misrepresentations and inaccuracies on air such as the totally false story about the e-coli dangers of organic food. Now we have the corporation itself pumping out a grossly inaccurate, history-twisting piece of propaganda in the middle of an important political season.

I read MSM news the way a citizen of the old Soviet Union might have read the state newspaper: the real news is between the lines. But ABC joins Time magazine late of the Ann Coulter cover story lovefest as a company whose fabricated, ideology-serving products I wont’ touch with a ten-foot pole. Just stay the hell away from anything on ABC.

I’m so disgusted I might boycott Harvey Keitel for lending his name to this project. What next for Harvey, a remake of The Last Temptation of Christ? A pilgrimage to Africa to commune with the spirit of Leni Riefenstahl?

Chris Floyd at Bradblog had an excellent take on this movie:

"The ABC movie – and the much deeper revisionism it represents – is another "stab-in-the-back" myth, such as the Nazis and their fellow travellers on the German Right employed to poison the political atmosphere and demonize their enemies. For them, the lie was that "Jews and liberals" sold out Germany in World War I; today, the myth is that Bill Clinton actually caused the murder of all those Americans on 9/11 by being so weak and liberal and law-abiding."

www.bradblog.com/?p=3409#more-3409

I just bought a Harvey Keitel movie last week (Clockers, Spike Lee directs) that I would not have purchased had I had the information and the conclusions I have now about his participation in this ABC right-wing propaganda fest.

Bill, you're back in my good graces if you stay away from Ann Coulter and stop enabling her as a guest on your show. Try dating a nice liberal woman and putting her on your show all season long. Maybe Joan? Arianna?

I have to wonder how long people in other places in the world can go on holding a distinction between America's policy and American people. At some point, they ought to take us seriously about being a democracy that represents its people. And in that case, I think they are right to hold us (the citizens) responsible for our government.