The details of Matthew Limon’s record make him a lousy poster boy for the issue at the core of his case. But what the U.S. Supreme Court has said on this issue and what the Kansas Supreme Court said Friday on Limon’s case should compel state legislators to do the right thing and fix state law so that it treats consensual sex between teens who are close in age equally, regardless of whether the act was heterosexual or homosexual. Though Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline is no fan of Limon, whom he terms a sexual predator, what Kline said two years ago still applies: “I would be the first to say the Legislature should change the law. . . . It should be orientation-neutral.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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19 Comments
Mr. Corkins was hired by the State Board of Education-
“Corkins, 44, was hired on a 6-4 vote by the state board’s conservative majority. He replaces Andy Tompkins, who retired in June to teach graduate studies at the University of Kansas”.
The State Board of Education was elected by YOU, the voters of this state.
Get a clue!
Oops, wrong thread. Sorry.
See “Corkins credentials bites the dust?”
Oh but I am sure that he will be saying something about teen sex!
I don’t like law’s that say when you turn 18 you are suddenly an adult. More than half of high school seniors are 18. If many of them are having sex with boyfriends or girlfriends who may be under 18, they are breaking the law. But they can get married. Not much logic in that.What makes gay sex any different? It just makes more people uncomfortable, there shouldn’t be a stiffer penaltly for it.
This is none of my business, but Kansas in general and Witchita in particular must be one hate-filled place. (The Hateland as opposed to the Heartland?) Why do you faux “Christians” in the Bible Belt demonize and loathe gays and lesbians so much? You have the idiot Fred (Kill F*gs) Phelps and an attorney general (Kline is it?) whose agenda seems far more political than legal.
Sorry the Supreme Court forced you to let Matthew Limon out of jail. How “Christian” of you to cooperate. A friend of mine who is gay and teaches at San Diego State was recently approached by Kansas State about a faculty position there. After I sent him a package of Matthew Limon, Phil Kline and Fred Phelps clips, not only did he decline to be considered for the job, he was afraid to go to Kansas for the interview.
No matter how much you people hate queers, you might want to look at the issue in terms of dollars and cents. Intolerance is bad for business. There’s a reason companies like Google and Intel are located in California. The knowledge workers they require wouldn’t live in Kansas. Thanks for listnening. Don’t let me keep you from church.
Bill from San Diego
So Bill, you judge the population of an entire state by the words and actions of 3 or 4. How enlightened of you, I would think that someone from the State of California would loathe being judged by the actions of a few.
I think that your friend would be suprised to find that the people of Kansas, including us crazy Christians, are pretty tolerant and libertarian in our views. We really dont give a shit how people live their lives as long as they’re not hurting anyone or expecting special treatment based on some special group status that they claim.
The weather kind of sucks sometimes though.
A fair point, Heckler. Too bad that there aren’t more Kansans like you to provide a counter opinion to idiots like Kline and Phelps who have defamed your state in many people’s eyes for years. Nothing, however, excuses the evil Matthew Limon has endured at the hands of the righteous state of Kansas. To keep him in jail for five years longer than a straight kid who committed the same crime is unspeakably sick. No offense, but a belated “gee we’re sorry about that” just doesn’t cut it. When in God’s name are you going to let the kid out of jail?
Bill from San Diego, your first opinion was correct, witness that a clot like Kline ever got in office in the first place. Look at our Board of Education, for God’s sake. The “good” people of Kansas elected these nutcases. If your gay friend ever had any question about coming to Kansas, here’s some advice. DON’T! This is an intollerant place. We have our own version of the Talibahn right here in Kansas. They call themselves the conservative wing of the republican party. And thank you for making the point about why Business doesn’t want to come here.
You know I grew up here, I have lived here about all my life. And here in the last year I sometimes wonder if while I was asleep I was taken to a parallel dimension. The Kansas I woke up in is not the one I went to sleep in.
The marriage ammendment, evolution Verse I.D. and the actions of the state school board in general.For that matter what has been happening with the politicans coming from our state to washington. The actions of the President of the United States, the war in Iraq and the lies that got us there. I understand how the religious right and Neo-cons got into power. The fact was we were asleep as a nation. What I do not understand is how they manage to continue? If they are re-elected, then maybe God has curse us…The curse of stupidity!
All I know is I miss the Kansas I was proud to have came from.”Here dog, Toto we are not in the real Kansas anymore.”.
Let me click my heel, “There is no place like home….There is no place like home!”
Bill just a warning, these nuts are making this a national movement.Heading west and coming through the churches. Save your state before it happens there. They lie or at least they just will not tell you what they are really doing.If they had the only ones that would have voted for them would have been the R.R. and Neo-cons.The real Kansasans have alot of routing out to do, I hope it is not too late!
RD, I totally agree with you, this isn’t just a Kansas thing, it’s spreading across the entire country. Reasonable people have got to wake up, become active in issues, and vote. The future of our country depends on it.
RD, Damoon, have you considered that they have control of the voting system; Debold and their insistance on voting machines that leave no paper trail?
Bill from S.D., Thanks for your post. The reactionaries need to be reminded that discrimination costs them money.
Unfortunately it also costs the rest of us money too.
BTW, the actions of a few? Nice cop out, Heck. Why don’t big states like California have “actions of a few” too?
No, this is a pervasive attitude that the fundy conservatives use to whip up their base. If you don’t believe it, watch Terry Fox at Immanuel Baptist Church go off on “homos” sometime.
Jubal, yes I have wondered about that myself. But not just the lack of a paper trail. From the first time I heard about the electoral college.
There is just something odd about a system where a handful of people make the decision as to who will be President. It was shocking to learn that the delegates to the college have no requirement to vote for the person that they are to represent. They could be a delegate for the duly choosen Democratic candidate. But vote for the Republican candidate to be President. Making the popular vote mean nothing.
The way that politics is played seems more to make the public feel they have a voice. But the real power is in the hands of a few behind the scenes. Much like a company that states that they have an “Open door policy”, there is no intention of listening just bobing their head and thanking you for expressing your concerns.
It sounds like the Congressman Tiehart townhall meeting I went to.Agree with what ever was said, thanked us for talking to him, then back to D.C. to follow the game plan he had as if he had never been here.
Did anyone read the GAO’s reports on the evoting systems?
Yeah!, Give the Priest a break!!
You may not like the electoral college, but it was set up with a purpose. The United States has always tried to balance the power, rights, and responsibilities of the states against those of the people. Representatives were originally elected by popular vote, but senators were appointed by state legislatures. Representation was determined by population while the senate has always had two members per state. The electoral college is another such device..the president is elected by the states, not by the people directly. You may not like this, and it may change in the future, but there was a valid reason for its implementation at the time of the founding of the country.
The federal government and perhaps even the state governments should never be tied to an irrevocable pledge of balanced budgets. Balanced budgets should be earnestly strived for, but they should not bind governments to no deficit spending when it is required. Deficit spending in times of severe recession or depression is now one of the standard tools for helping to mitigate the length and severity of these economic downturns. The federal government needs to be able to deficit spend in times of war or national emergency.
I think, at least at the federal level, a line item budget veto would be a welcome change. Somehow coming up with a system where states are rewarded for minimizing their budgets might work. For example, in many US based institutions there is a push to overspend on current budgets as “proof” that they are too low so that more will be allocated in the next budget cycle. In Japan, however, the government and most large corporations do it differently. Money is budgeted, but if a department or organization comes in under budget, about 2/3 of the money is returned, but 1/3 or so is used as a reward or incentive to the organization or the individuals in the organization. This system has resulted in great efficiency improvements in the budget process and in happier employees who are rewarded for finding ways to makke the system operate more efficiently rather than less efficiently.
Wrong thread..take away my bonus.
Dang Brian….I just nominated you for the Blogging Nobel.. and then you go and post on the wrong thread! Sigh… I’m sooo disappointed in you…… LOL!!!