Gays, Lesbians Oppose Surgeon General Pick

Advocacy Groups Say Nominee Has "Clear Bias"; Supporters Say He Keeps Religion Out Of Work

(AP)  President Bush's nominee for America's top doctor has come under fire from gay rights groups for voting to expel a lesbian pastor from the United Methodist Church and writing in 1991 that gay sex is unnatural and unhealthy.

The surgeon general nominee, Kentucky cardiologist Dr. James Holsinger, also helped found a Methodist congregation that, according to gay rights activists, believes homosexuality is a matter of choice and can be "cured."

"He has a pretty clear bias against gays and lesbians," said Christina Gilgor, director of the Kentucky Fairness Alliance, a gay rights group. "This ideology flies in the face of current scientific medical studies. That makes me uneasy that he rejects science and promotes ideology."

Holsinger, 68, has declined all interview requests.

Blair Jones, a White House spokesman, said in a telephone interview Wednesday night that Holsinger had spent his career in public service and taking care of others.

"On numerous occasions, Dr. Holsinger has taken up the banner for underrepresented populations, and he will continue to be a strong advocate for these groups and all Americans," Jones said.

Holsinger served as Kentucky's health secretary and chancellor of the University of Kentucky's medical center. He taught at several medical schools and spent more than three decades in the Army Reserve, retiring in 1993 as a major general.

His supporters, including fellow doctors, faculty members and state officials, said he would never let his theological views affect his medical ones.

"Jim is able, as most of us are in medicine, to separate feelings that we have from our responsibility in taking care of patients," said Douglas Scutchfield, a professor of public health at the University of Kentucky.

In announcing Holsinger as his choice on May 24, Mr. Bush said the physician will focus on educating the public about childhood obesity.

The previous surgeon general was Dr. Richard Carmona, whose term was allowed to expire last summer. Carmona issued an unprecedented report condemning secondhand smoke.

Holsinger received his bachelor's degree from the University of Kentucky, master's degrees from the University of South Carolina and Asbury Theological Seminary and a doctorate and medical degree from Duke University.

Scutchfield said Holsinger has advocated expanded stem cell research, in opposition to many conservatives, and also has shown political courage in this tobacco-producing state by supporting higher cigarette taxes to curb teen smoking.

Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher commended Holsinger for working to fight obesity and other health problems in this Appalachian mountain state, which ranks near the bottom in many categories. "He helped get the ball rolling and focusing on healthy lifestyles," Fletcher said.

[randalds]

DylanXXV

Three of the earliest known instances of HIV infection are as follows:

1. A plasma sample taken in 1959 from an adult male living in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo.
2. HIV found in tissue samples from an American teenager who died in St. Louis in 1969.
3. HIV found in tissue samples from a Norwegian sailor who died around 1976.

"Given the evidence we have already looked at, it seems highly likely that Africa was indeed the continent where the transfer of HIV to humans first occurred (monkeys from Asia and South America have never been found to have SIVs that could cause HIV in humans)."

Both of these quotes are from THE EXACT SAME PAGE you give as reference for your idiotic idea that AID'S started in the US Ga*y community.

You sir, are a MORON! An IDIOT!

[randalds]

The first recognised cases of AIDS occurred in the USA in the early 1980s (more about this period can be found on our history page). A number of gay men in New York and San Francisco suddenly began to develop rare opportunistic infections and cancers that seemed stubbornly resistant to any treatment. At this time, AIDS did not yet have a name, but it quickly became obvious that all the men were suffering from a common syndrome.
Posted by DylanXXV at 01:51 PM : Jun 07, 2007

Yo Idiot! That was the first recorded cases IN THE USA!!!! Not in the world you moron! AID'S arrived here from Africa where it had been growing for decades!!! Do a little research before you make a bigger as*s out of yourself.

[sy2502]

The surgeon general, like any other American, has a right to his own opinions about homosexuality and in the privacy of his home he's welcome to express those opinions. But as surgeon general, when he speaks in public he is representing his office, and he needs to talk responsibly towards the people he is serving. In quality of surgeon general he demonstrates professional behavior by
1) Giving authoritative opinions only on what concerns his work. Saying homosexuality is unnatural has nothing to do with public health, he should let biologists speak on that.
2) Give informed opinions, backed by facts. What facts does he have that homosexuality is unhealthy? And don't say AIDS, because it can be transmitted by heterosexual *** too.
The problem is that this guy doesn't understand his position is a privilege, and his office is a service to the public, not to himself and his religious agenda.

[witchybreeze]

What you should be talking about however, is the seperation of Church and State. What this man believes, is technically not allowed in Government and vice versa. Think about who is coming into office. What if you are Catholic and they have a Protestant man there. All of a sudden he mentions that Catholics are over zealous biggots and their views are corrupt, how would that make you feel? This is supposed to be the Land of the Free where we have freedom of religion, freedom of speech, the right to bare arms...etc! Yet, we are taking freedoms from people every day! Let homosexuals get married! It is not hurting you if they do. Letting them not marry is not going to turn them hetero, people! Geez..

[witchybreeze]

I have to say that I am amoung "God-fearing" people today! Oh, my Goddess Diana save me! This is, to say the least, beneath all of you. Does not your God say, "Judge yea not least yea be judged."? Does not your God say, "He who is without sin cast the first stone."? I don't think anyone here can do that. Homosexuals are people. Neither good nor bad. They are what they are. Who are you to say what they are doing is wrong. No one! Who is to say that 5,10, 20 years from now they don't find "another" part of your Bible that says if you breath too hard you are sinning. All of you love your God so much, but if he is a just and loving God like your Bible protrays he is, how could he let anything NOT have a soul, how could he let homosexuals perish into your eternal fires of HELL? Get with it. MAN wrote your Bible people and if you want another chapter, grab a pen. It disgusts me that ya'll hide behind blind faith, because I bet that 1/10th of the population delves a little bit below the cover to see what is really there.

[sy2502]

Darwinists know that the mutation-selection mechanism can produce wings, eyes, and brains not because the mechanism can be observed to do anything of the kind, but because their guiding philosophy assures them that no other power is available to do the job.
Posted by singinrick at 11:58 PM : Jun 07, 2007

I don't have time to answer since you can easily find the answers in Internet. For example for the evolution of the eye see
http://www.talkorigins.org/indexcc/CB/CB301.html
Notice that "All of these [intermediate versions of the eye] are known to be viable because all exist in animals living today." Also see the gross flaws in the eye demonstrating it was the product of nature's trial and error rather than of a perfect creator:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/change/grand/page04.html

So as you can see, there is nothing philosophical about evolution, it is an obvious conclusion drawn through observation. The fact something looks complex doesn't mean it is in any way special. Of course us arrogant humans would love to think we are special, superior, distinct from the rest of biological world. The fact we would like it to be so doesn't make it so.

[toolmangler-2009]

I know you can't help being **** or Lesbo any more than you can help being a Klepto or Psycho and I do not 'hate' you for being that way. However I do not think that you changing the laws of this country to justify your particular bent is a very good thing either. If we have to allow all forms of aberrant behavior to be incorporated into our society then soon no type of behavior will be deemed "not fit for public use".
-----------Disagreements?

[cozzicon]

"-WRONG MinMinMin, homosexuality is homosexuality, it is all wrong, whether it be 2 men doing it or 2 women.

I for one am willing to speak out and say that is wrong period, regardless of the ***. With this being said however, homosexuality is no greater a sin than adultery, pornography, pedophiles, etc,etc.

They're all sexual sins and immoral acts." -- Posted by singinrick

What's your take on hermaphroditics? Being both male and female- who can they marry? If a male falls in love with one, is he half homosexual? Or only half straight? If a male married a hermaphrodite and also liked his partners male parts, is that homosexual? Is it sin?

And what about the God who created the hermaphrodite? Who will judge this person? Who will judge who loves them? Is the hermaphrodites soul male or female?

That in a nutshell is the moral problem with treating homosexuals as second class humans.

You people with all your appeals to the "word of God" have missed the spirit of the law- as Justice Renquist once wrote.

[cozzicon]

"I know of no hate crimes legislation for religion or religios practice. Send me a link of this information."-- Posted by Klingon69

Try Wikipedia:

"In the United States federal prosecution is possible for hate crimes committed on the basis of a person's race, color, religion, or nation origin when engaging in a federally protected activity. 45 states and the District of Columbia have statutes criminalizing various types of hate crimes. 31 states and the District of Columbia have statutes creating a civil cause of action, in addition to the criminal penalty, for similar acts. 27 states and the District of Columbia have statutes requiring the state to collect hate crime statistics"

[kansas1946]

slim1h2o,
We really don't want to get rid of Bush prior to 2008. He is the best thing that ever happened to the Democrats. He put them in control of the house and the senate, and will put a Democrat in the Whitehouse in 2009. Besides, getting rid of Bush would only make him a martyr for the pitiful few that still support him. "This too shall pass" and we can get on with the job of repairing the damage that he has done. Won't be quick or easy, but it can be done.

[olebd]

If it wasn't natural, other animals wouldn't do it, and yet homosexuality does exist in nature, in a variety of species. Are you going to tell them they are wrong? And if it wasn't a product of evolution, then it was god that made them that way: why, if he hates homosexuality, would he make animals do it?
Posted by sy2502 at 09:07 PM : Jun 07, 2007


Really? Which animals do you speak of? Do they claim life partners and demand equal rights from their other animal freinds -LOL I have heard of a-sexual reproduction but not what you seem to think is repeated homosexual behavior by some animals. I have a femal dog who humps my wife's leg but I really think we need to remain intolerant of that behavior. The dog is not intelligent enough to really know what it is doing. Plus, there are very few animals that actually experience pleasure while mating.

[olebd]

I do have tolerance. Maybe less as I get older or maybe it's because the increasingly blatant disregard for all things decent that are crammed down our throats through the mainstream media these days. How the PC crowd tries so hard to label us as guilty or hateful or intolerant for not having the same beliefs.

[sy2502]

And what would happen if all humans didn't obey the rules of mating? Why, as the supposedly most intelligent creaturs on the earth do some of us feel the need to simulate mating with the same *** for more than a brief, experimental/immature period of time? From an animalistic sense, it is not natural and cannot support complex life.
Posted by olebd at 08:59 PM : Jun 07, 2007

If it wasn't natural, other animals wouldn't do it, and yet homosexuality does exist in nature, in a variety of species. Are you going to tell them they are wrong? And if it wasn't a product of evolution, then it was god that made them that way: why, if he hates homosexuality, would he make animals do it?

[olebd]

Anthropology explains it very easily. Many intelligent animals (elephants, whales, primates) are social. A community helps survival. For a clan to survive, certain behaviors like murder, cannot exist. Look at other animal communities: they cooperate, help the weaker members, raise each other's young, etc. Did god give them morality and conscience too? They don't even know they are doing it. They do it because the communities that didn't obey those rules wiped themselves out.

Posted by sy2502 at 08:22 PM : Jun 07, 2007

And what would happen if all humans didn't obey the rules of mating? Why, as the supposedly most intelligent creaturs on the earth do some of us feel the need to simulate mating with the same *** for more than a brief, experimental/immature period of time? From an animalistic sense, it is not natural and cannot support complex life.

[slim1h2o]

Hense, evolving Thats my poetic nature coming into play.

your friend slim

[slim1h2o]

Sorry, I got confused with the posts sy2502

mea culpa, slim

[slim1h2o]

Well come on rick, we all change evreyday, right?

To some degree, or anther

[sy2502]

What does sy2502 mean?
Posted by slim1h2o at 08:23 PM : Jun 07, 2007

I may tell you if you tell what slim1h2o means... ;)

[slim1h2o]

What does sy2502 mean?

[sy2502]

My main question is why do you have the ability to think, to reason, and to distinguish between right and wrong???
Posted by singinrick at 08:00 PM : Jun 07, 2007

Anthropology explains it very easily. Many intelligent animals (elephants, whales, primates) are social. A community helps survival. For a clan to survive, certain behaviors like murder, cannot exist. Look at other animal communities: they cooperate, help the weaker members, raise each other's young, etc. Did god give them morality and conscience too? They don't even know they are doing it. They do it because the communities that didn't obey those rules wiped themselves out.