joycelyn elders, was the 15th U.S. surgeon general from sept 1993 to december 1994 when she was fired for making a remark about masturbation being a part of human sexuality. on my readings i came upon this funny anecdote about the conservative nature of the US and its puritan and hypocritical nature. ironically the president that was insulted by this remark, was not a born-again christian of sorts, but one cowed to show his ” US moral values”…

“in 1994, joycelyn elders was invited to speak at a united nations conference on AIDS. she was asked whether it would be appropriate to promote masturbation as a means of preventing young people from engaging in riskier forms of sexual activity, and she replied, “i think that it is part of human sexuality, and perhaps it should be taught.” this remark caused great controversy and resulted in elders losing the support of the white house. white house chief of staff leon panetta remarked, “there have been too many areas where the president does not agree with her views. this is just one too many.” elders was fired as a result of the controversy by the US president, bill clinton (who just happened to be getting a blow job in the oval office).

one more reason to frown upon those who expect their politicians to be “moral” examples. it’s like expecting to own a pet that never shits. its a nice idea but it will never happen… i’ll be back with an op-ed on dominique strauss-khan. by dd