'Zaimph'was the veil on the statue of Tanit,the Phoenician-Punic goddess of Carthage that required child-sacrifice. Her ritual was immortalized by Gustav Flaubert in his novel "Salammbo". I was in 7th Grade when I first read "Salammbo".
As a child,I was sexualized by a priest. I am a member of SNAP,Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. http://snapnetwork.org/ I became an atheist in 7th Grade. Later,I went on a tour of world religions. Today,I have a relationship with the Chicago Archdiocese because of my conversations with Michael Bland. http://www.usccb.org/...
I am a survivor of suicide. I attempted suicide in 7th Grade.
I am a survivor of predatory politicians and their lackeys. In 1994, I was the Press Secretary/Publicist to (R) Michael Patrick Flanagan and we beat (D) Rostenkowski for the IL5 Congressional seat. After the '94 Republican landslide, now-Congressman Flanagan replaced me with Michael Scanlon.
I hope you find my diary engaging, my writing compelling. I want you to work with me, to understand and heal, the fear and the shame, of the phenomena of child sexualization.
As I watch and read about the candidates, and anticipate who will win on Thursday, my overwhelming issue, child-sexualization is not on anyone's radar. All the Presidential candidates are astute enough to know that most people would never approve adult-child sexual relations.
To the public, the politicians defend children from sexual predators.
There are two notable exceptions.
Giuliani has a pedophile priest working at his law firm. Link to recent article, http://insidecatholic.com/...
Obama, on the sex crimes bill, cast the lone "present" Illinois Senate vote in a 58-to-0 vote. Mr. Obama’s campaign spokesperson said he believed that the bill violated the First Amendment. The bill passed 112-0-0 in the House and 58-0-1 in the Senate. Obama was the ONLY vote in either the Illinois House or Senate to vote to protect the perpetrator/predator's rights. Link to recent article, http://www.nytimes.com/...
My nightmare scenario is that our Presidential choice will be between the two, (R) Giuliani and (D) Obama. That would give me no choice at all.
Since the 1950's when sex researcher/scientist Dr. Alfred Kinsey lobbied the Illinois legislature and Governor Stratton's Sex Crimes Committee, Illinois has been at the vanguard of the movement to normalize adult-child sex. Illinois' most recent foray into this sexual frontier was the University of Illinois Press's publication of William A. Percy's "Pederasty and Pedagogy in Ancient Greece" promoting institutionalized sexual mentoring.
As a survivor, I can't see how allowing the ruling oligarchs to have sexual access to children as being good for anyone; not the child, not the predator, not society.
As a survivor, I have to live with PTSD, depression, and flashbacks. The quality of my life is profoundly disturbed. As I reach for my dreams, I shatter them in my grasp.
William Percy, the author of "Pederasty and Pedagogy in Ancient Greece", contends that what made ancient Greece the greatest society that had ever existed until ours, was that the ancient Greeks allowed the old men to sexually mentor the young men. Percy however fails to give even one example of such an event. No great Greek is identified as having passed-down-the torch of greatness through sexual mentoring. http://links.jstor.org/...
In Flaubert's novel "Salammbo", the boy of noble birth - Hannibal - is saved from the Punic sacrificial altar by a surrogate, a slave boy.
Historically, the Hebrew's monotheistic god eschewed human sacrifice. The Hebrews used non-human surrogates. In Genesis 22:13, Abraham's sacrifice of his son Isaac was substituted by provision of a ram as a surrogate.
In the United States, must we sacrifice children to the sexual predator in order to be the greatest nation that ever existed?
It is clear that child sexualization is not going away.
There is evidence that with the increased availability of pornography, there is going to be more-and-more child sexualization. Who will decide which child is the sacrificial lamb, whose life and dreams are, to be devored by the sexual predator.
I look forward to your responses to my poll. Or even better, reply with a comment. I really want to know what you think should be done.