Columbia City Paper

In an effort to make budgetary and spending information more accessible to taxpayers, the City of Cayce began posting monthly revenue and expense reports on the city Web site in May, 2009. The city also plans to provide monthly check registers.

The new transparency program has been an ongoing controversy among Cayce City Council members and Mayor Elise Partin. Some city legislators are concerned about what exactly should be posted online and what the mayor should or should not post about her expenses.

“There’s no downside to providing citizens information about what their government is doing,” Partin says. “There are certainly many ways to do that. Councilman Steve Isom felt strongly about having the monthly check registers online and we’re excited about it. Monthly financial reports have been online already on the city’s website and now this offers an additional outlet.”

While there is still no agreement about what exactly should be included in the online check register, Isom said he wants to ensure maximum financial transparency inside city government. He also recently chided Partin, who he said initially rejected the measure.

“Words and actions must match,” Isom said.

Cayce resident, Edward Caldwell, believes the controversy among council members stems more from political jockeying than concerns over fiscal responsibility.

“I feel like there is a classic ‘stalking horse’ game inside the council,” Caldwell said. “It is a classic political strategy.”

In politics, a junior politician often acts as the “stalking horse” to promote the interests of a senior politician who remains silent in case the actions would damage him or her. If the measure proves to be popular or politically beneficial, the senior politician takes credit.

Meanwhile, the financial transparency issue remains unresolved in Cayce and city legislators continue to debate the issue.

“My heart goes out to people to whom nature has given something as powerful and as distracting as a sex drive and no healthy way to express it,” says Dr. James Cantor, a psychologist and the editor in chief of the research journal Sexual Abuse. “Pedophiles are not the only folks in this position, but they are by far the most demonized, regardless of whether they have ever actually caused anyone any kind of harm.”

My heart is going out to you, too. As I’ve written before, we should acknowledge the existence of “good pedophiles,” people like you, KIW, who are burdened with a sexual interest in children but who possess the moral sense to resist acting on that interest. It’s a lifelong struggle for “good pedophiles,” and most manage to succeed without any emotional support—to say nothing of credit—whatsoever.

Unfortunately, science doesn’t know much about pedophiles like you, pedophiles who haven’t done anything, because the social stigma is so great that most nonoffending pedophiles never seek treatment. And what research has been done, says Cantor, isn’t very encouraging if you’re looking to free yourself from your attraction to children.

“There is no known way of turning a pedophile into a nonpedophile,” says Cantor. “The best we can do is help a person maximize their self-control and to help them build an otherwise happy and productive life.”

The psychotherapies that are available, says Cantor, “were designed to assist people who have already committed an offense to prevent a ‘relapse.’ These therapies have less to provide to people who already have the skills and drive to keep themselves from ‘acting out.’” Your best option, according to Cantor, is one you’re clearly not too enthused about (and who can blame you?): “Castration, both chemical and physical,” says Cantor, “can indeed be used to eliminate or take the edge off one’s sex drive.”

If castration doesn’t “take the edge off” a man’s sex drive, I shudder to think what Plan B is. Back to Cantor:

“Nonoffender pedophiles have told me that chemical castration has given them considerable relief,” Cantor adds. “So it’s unfortunate that we use the term ‘chemical castration,’ which evokes all kinds of emotions. When you get right down to it, we are talking only about taking the same medication used by, for example, prostate-cancer patients—some cancers are accelerated by testosterone, so blocking testosterone is part of the treatment.”

And as for babysitting…

“It is true that a regular heterosexual man is not going to commit an offense against every woman he finds attractive. However, most women are capable of recognizing when an interaction is just starting to go south and of getting out of the situation. Most children are not. So although there is every reason to believe that there exist cats that can successfully be in charge of the canary, it’s not a very good idea for the cat to be the one making that call.”

So no babysitting for you, KIW—to protect the kids, first and foremost, but yourself as well. If it ever comes out that you are a pedophile and you were in the habit of babysitting-without-touching, your friends are unlikely to take your protestations—you’ve never touched a child—at face value.

“I wish I had better news,” concludes Cantor. “I also wish that more people did good research on this so that one day I could have better news to give.”

First, I was in the preparatory seminary—a high school for boys considering the priesthood—not a full-blown seminary, WHIP. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that some of my classmates were fully blown seminarians—there were an awful lot of priests around—but I didn’t go on to the full-blown seminary myself.

As for the link between Catholicism and sadomasochism, well, considering the way Jesus died, and the gruesome deaths of so many early Christians at the hands of Romans, what other choice did Christians have but to view suffering as evidence of personal virtue? And two thousand years of hearing about how Jesus suffered and died for our sins couldn’t help but have an impact on the erotic inner lives of the faithful. But BDSM predates Christianity—go read your ancient Roman sex comedies—so you can’t pin all the kinksters out there on the Catholics.

Speaking of whipped saviors: Mike Gerle was International Mr. Leather in 2007—and, yeah, his last name is pronounced “girly,” what of it?—and he’s had it with the goody-two- shoeing of the gay BDSM scene. Leather bars are hosting more fundraisers than dark-and-cruisy beer blasts, and the guys entering leather-title contests today seem more interested in raising money for charity than BDSM sex.

“This has got to stop,” Gerle writes on Leatherati. “If for no other reason, it is driving the kinky men I want to hook up with out of the few spaces we have left. This is cock-blocking on an enormous scale.”

My two cents: I think the fading away of the anti-BDSM bigotry once so prevalent in the gay community—yes, in the gay community—and the advent of the internet have done more harm to the gay leather scene than Toys for Tots drives. Kinky guys don’t have to sneak into leather bars and pray that their friends don’t see them anymore; they can post personal ads at sites like Recon and GearFetish—and they do, in droves. And thanks to the destigmatization of kinks generally, and thanks to concepts like GGG (you’re welcome, kinksters!), kinky gay guys don’t have to limit themselves to other kinky gay guys.

Still, platitude-spouting leather-title contestants are contributing to the general lameness. Gerle has thrown down the gauntlet on Leatherati. And in Minneapolis, a young gay kinkster, disappointed by the leather scene, decided to do something about it. Check out his blog at www.tynanfox.com for details.

mail@savagelove.net

By Baynard Woods

Jim DeMint believes in the sanctity of the family. He lives in Christ. South Carolinians would be surprised to learn that DeMint may not mean the same thing they mean by these words.

The Fellowship Foundation, an influential religious group, held the National Prayer Breakfast last week. The Foundation is also called the Family.  Governor Mark Sanford brought a lot of attention to the secretive group when his scandal broke.

The Foundation’s spiritual leaders, Doug Coe and his son David (who is not, unfortunately, David Alan Coe) knew of Sanford’s affairs. They helped him. Jeff Sharlet lived with the group and wrote a spectacular book “The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power” about them.

According to Sharlet, David Coe guided John Ensign, the RepublicanSenator from Nevada who screwed an advisor’s wife and then paid him off for it, through the entire process. Sharlet was at the house when the younger Coe asked one of their members, “Let’s say I hear you raped three little girls. What would I think of you?”

According to Sharlet “the man guessed that Coe would probably think that he was a monster. ‘No,’ answered Coe, ‘I wouldn’t.’ Why? Because, as a member of the Family, he’s among what Family leaders refer to as the ‘new chosen.’ If you’re chosen, the normal rules don’t apply.”

The personal ethics part is surprising. But the political view is even weirder. Sharlet reports that Doug Coe often talks about the “totalitarianism of God.” Apparently, he doesn’t mean this figuratively.

On Salon.com, Sharlet makes this astounding claim: “Counseling Rep. Tiahrt, Doug Coe offered Pol Pot and Osama bin Laden as men whose commitment to their causes is to be emulated. Preaching on the meaning of Christ’s words, he says, ‘You know Jesus said ‘You got to put Him before mother-father-brother sister? Hitler, Lenin, Mao, that’s what they taught the kids. Mao even had the kids killing their own mother and father. But it wasn’t murder. It was for building the new nation. The new kingdom.’”

You might think that DeMint’s connection with these people is just the Kevin Bacon variety, like Obama and Weatherman Bill Ayers. No.

Sure, but maybe it’s just a convenient and cheap place to live.   Actually, DeMint said that living at C street was one of the “best parts of being up here,” in Washington.  He said: “I have a small group I meet with, and we continue to pray and encourage each other.”

Greetings!!!  Black History Month is underway and the time keeps rolling.  A big thank you to every person out there reading this CCP, and to those around the world for helping out your fellow human beings.  May God bless you all tremendously.  The Grammys just wrapped and this one was definitely a testament to ‘Power of Woman’.  Much love to Beyonce’ (6) for breaking the Grammy Award winning record (5) previously held by Lauryn Hill for winning the most statues. Lil Wayne has dropped his follow-up to Tha Carter III, Rebirth (you be the judge?).  Being that this is the 1st quarter of music releases, labels are working gearing up for February & March dates, I figured I’d give you a list of the 5 best songs that speak to the ‘revolutionary’ in all of us.  Although I wish you would (Ha!)…don’t take my word as law.  People are still at war, losing their livelihoods, without food & water, lying dead, and the President is still being typecast and blamed for problems he’s not responsible for.  The greatest ‘Song of Protest’ has yet to be written. Let’s get it!!!!

5 Best Songs Of Protest!!!!! (In No Particular Order)

Public Enemy- Fight The Power….I’m a Hip Hop head for life, so you knew this had to make the cut.  Created as song to appear on the seminal film, Do The Right Thing by Spike Lee, this song has become a cultural and generational anthem.  Dubbed by VH1 as the greatest Hip Hop song of all time, I am hard pressed not to disagree.

Bob Marley- Get Up, Stand Up…Appearing on the 1973 album, Burnin’, this song was written by the late Robert Nesta ‘Bob’ Marley and the magnificent Peter Tosh.  Becoming the last song that Bob Marley ever performed live (he died Sept. 23rd, 1980), this song has lasted the test of time in relating to the common man that you should never CHOOSE to remain on your knees.  Get Up, Stand Up!!!!

John Lennon- Imagine… “Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can.  No need for greed or hunger, a brotherhood of man.  Imagine all the people sharing all the world…” Minimalist, yet poignant.  Almost the rivaled the Nefertiti with its beauty!!!

Donny Hathaway- Someday We’ll All Be Free/Marvin Gaye- What’s Going On/Sam Cooke- A Change Gonna Come….Although it is 3 separate songs, the all entail the same message.  Life is a b*tch right now, but the ‘Sun’ always comes out.  Some of the greatest songs ever recorded!!!

James Brown- Say It Loud! (I’m Black and I’m Proud)…James Brown literally and physically was the soundtrack to Civil Rights movement.  Nuff Said!!!

WORDS OF WISDOM

Remain strong as you strive to remain free.  Stay Up!!!!

DJ Kingpin-Villain Of Vinyl        kingpinvillianofvinyl@gmail.com

Lucero needs no introduction in these parts so, we’ll keep it short and sweet: The boys from Memphis roll through town next Monday. Still touring 1372 Overton Park, their first release on a major label, and arguably their strongest release to date. Promises to be one of the more kick ass shows to come through Columbia in a while.  (Interested to see if we hear anything from Ben Nichols’ latest solo release The Last Pale Light in the West, inspired by Cormac McCarthy’s brutal epic novel Blood Meridian.) Catch them in an intimate venue while you still can.

Glossary, from Murfreesboro, TN, opens the show. They are somehow mellow and power packed at once.

Expect lots of beards, beat up Telecasters and songs about whiskey. In fact, just go ahead and take off work the next day.

-Todd Morehead