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Dr. Laura is one of those unpleasant folks who makes a career out of telling other people how they ought to think, act, live, and believe, and her edicts are naturally grounded in the strictest right-wing Judeo-Christian values imaginable. She has a wildly-popular nationally broadcast radio show. She is shortly to have a nationally broadcast television show. Her new magazine, "Dr. Laura Perspectives," debuts this month. And her rictus grin gapes at millions of readers from the pages of their daily newspapers, heading up her syndicated column. BuckcuB thinks we ought to chat about the lady in question for a moment. Let's start off by pointing out that the "Dr." in front of her name appears to be deliberately misleading. Ms. Schlessinger is not a doctor of medicine, or psychology, or psychiatry. She possesses a Ph.D. in (of all things) physiology, and a B.Sc. in biological sciences. An odd choice for a lady who has such a horror of all things fleshly! Let's turn to her opinions. Dr. Laura recently called on her listeners to deluge the Vermont Legislative Council, and the state's governor, with faxes and phone calls and emails condemning the Vermont Supreme Court's decision in Baker vs. Vermont. The court ruled that Vermont's legislature must afford gays and lesbians the same joint matrimonial rights as heterosexuals, either by allowing gay marriage or by enacting some equal form of domestic partnership.
This unpleasant lady approves of killing teenagers in the name of sexual abstinence. In a recent syndicated column, she savagely attacked an American Medical Association report. The report said that giving teens free condoms was more successful in preventing sexually-transmitted diseases than school-based abstinence-only programs. BuckcuB thinks any idiot who still remembers being a teenager could have figured that out, yet Dr. Laura howled in outrage. Teens having sex?! It must not be permitted! Of course, she ignored the likely (if not certain) consequences of withholding condoms from teens and teaching them to just say no to their intense adolescent sexual urges. Teens will have sex anyway, only they'll have unprotected sex. Along with minorities, HIV infection is growing fastest among gay male teens. But disregarding both the proverbial raging hormones of adolescents, as well as their perennial "it won't happen to me" attitude, Dr. Laura attacked the AMA's report and called on readers to "...get ready to fight." Too bad that kids will contract AIDS, but we can't allow condoms to be handed out in schools, oh my no. Dr. Laura's nauseating opinions would be bad enough simply as the prejudice and ignorance they represent. But they're more than that. They are an industry. SHE is an industry! How much money do you suppose rolls in from the radio show, the magazine, her books, her upcoming television show, her syndicated column? Notwithstanding that avalanche of cash, this woman even has the colossal nerve to sell the "Dr. Laura Merchandise Collection" on her website! (www.drlaura.com) Those so inclined may purchase, for example, a "Choose Life" license-plate frame, although BuckcuB is a little mystified why anyone would stick "Choose Life" on a two-ton hunk of metal that will be frequently hurtling down freeways at doom-inviting velocities. The Dr. Laura website informs us that "A portion of the proceeds of your purchase helps fund the Dr. Laura Foundation, which supports children in need and strengthens families." Hmm. So let's have a look at this foundation, eh? Turns out if gives the part of the money which doesn't go into Dr. Laura's pocket, to charity -- with "special attention" to those charities which "...discourage abortion and teen sexuality." BuckcuB imagines she meant "teen sexual behavior," since "sexuality" is something we all possess from birth.
Well, Dr. Laura, two can play at that game. BuckcuB thinks it would be endlessly amusing if gay and lesbian folks called in to her contact number, in hordes large enough to choke the lines. And so, he suggests that's just what you do, folks! The number: 1-800 DRLAURA. She's fond of insulting those callers she detests, but don't be intimidated, dear reader. They're the empty slurs of a bigot. Shut Dr. Laura's empire of prejudice down. Before there's another Matt Shepard. Before another teenaged boy contracts HIV. Before another already-distraught woman is viciously harrassed in front of an abortion clinic. Before her hate can infect one more person. Dr. Laura herself, however, may have inadvertantly provided the most fitting comment on her vicious prejudices and messages of hate. Splashed all over every page of her website is a logo consisting of a circular scribble, with little lines radiating out from out. It is probably intended as a childlike depiction of the Sun. In BuckcuB's opinion, it looks a whole lot like an asshole viewed close up -- just like watching Dr. Laura. |