loosening the belt-way

The latest "victim" of the DC Madam is Louisiana Senator David Vitter (Rep). His name was one of the first leaked to the press by Deborah Jeane Palfrey, former owner of the "Pamela Martin and Associates" escort service. Sen. Vitter is actually the second, in what will be many, high profile clients that Ms. Palfrey has "outed" publicly. The first name that leaked in the scandal was Randall Tobias, Bush's AIDS czar, and a man responsible for implementing a ban on funding international NGOs that refuse to condemn sex workers or hand out condoms.

In a society where sex and sin are almost synonymous, how are people supposed to learn about healthy sexuality? Does it fall to the sex worker to educate as well as please? Does sex work=social work? Just as tutors teach us to read and add, maybe sex workers are in the frontlines of teaching men how to express their sexuality and needs (and maybe beg and grovel) in the place of a traditional sexuality education that is lacking? Although we can all see a little bit of hypocrisy, in a man like Sen. Vitter, who, according to his official website is dedicated to making life better for his young family and all Louisiana families. getting caught in an extra-marital affair with an escort, who cares? I mean, I'd rather have him pay for sex than get paid to change legislation. And while, he probably does both, the former makes me more comfortable.

His wife has a different view, as her response to the Clinton affair indicates. "I'm a lot more like Lorena Bobbitt than Hillary. If he does something like that, I'm walking away with one thing, and it's not alimony, trust me." And while I like her spunk, I have to wonder if Vitter felt comfortable talking about sex with his wife or if his problem stems from separating sex into "appropriate spousal sex" and "kinky escort sex"? The "archetypal" political wife isn't exactly Jenna Jameson.

What I'm really dismayed about is the fact that these repressed men who push sex into the shadows are deciding our policy on sexuality education. Isn't it about time for something different? One that shows more than old dichotomy of the frigid, docile, middle-aged "saint" and the young, skanky, hyper-sexualized "whore" model. So forgive the "sin", but not the "sinners" who will have atoned only upon pushing for comprehensive sex education. Maybe, if they do, we can start focusing on real political scandals.