For myself, the wife and I do use them, and we have been together now for 12 years. I know he won’t cheat on me, nor will I, on him. Yet we still use them, and I think it comes from fear. YES, fear, because there is no way of knowing for sure, how long a virus can remain dormant in our systems. That is why we still practice Safe Sex.

Both of us, have had our moments before we hooked up, so I don’t know, I simply don’t want to get him sick. He feels the same way, so yes we use Condoms, yet if you listen to the various forums, discussions, more and more Men are opting to forgo using Condoms.

The arguments are varied, but for most it seems to be that one, they don’t feel as natural as doing it without protection. Another excuse is that well, it is inconvenient to stop and put one on. Now, there are other reasons, but for the most part those are the two main one’s that I hear, and more than likely are what you might be thinking as well.

Truth of the matter is, IT IS YOUR LIFE. And no, not just talking about HIV either. That is just one of the many diseases that one can contract if you don’t use a condom. YES, they are not 100% guaranteed safe, you can still contract a disease, but the simple fact is, IT REDUCES DRAMATICALLY THE RISK OF INFECTION. Now that may not mean much, because after all, there are pills or shots to take, that can clear it up.

Course that assumes you get regularly tested for those diseases, and that your system hasn’t built up an immunity to the cure, or that the disease isn’t a strain that has built up a resistance to the treatment. The rise of super bugs is real, so it isn’t just a matter of getting a shot anymore.

The rate of P&S syphilis among men has risen 54 percent over the past five years (from 3.7 per 100,000 in 2002 to 5.7 per 100,000 in 2006), driving overall increases in syphilis rates for the nation. Several sources of data suggest that increased transmission of P&S syphilis among MSM may be largely responsible for these increases. Over time, the disparity between male and female case rates has grown considerably. The P&S syphilis rate among males is now nearly six times the rate among females, whereas the rates were almost equivalent a decade ago. (source – Center for Disease Control)

Now I don’t know about you, but that is scary shit. It is like the whole world has gone a bit over the edge, between flooding, warmer than normal temperatures, colder than normal in spots, and just, well everything. From falling house prices, to increase reposessions of cars, and foreclosures. Yet while they might be things we can’t do something about, infections are something we can try to limit, to mitigate.

Using Condoms might not feel natural, but then again, if your dick falls off or gets cut off because it’s diseased, ain’t nothing gonna feel natural again, now is it?

Sure, you might have to stop for a minute to unroll a condom, but if you do it the way my wife does, it can make the other person even more ready, hotter in fact. It can be fun, be very erotic too, or you can simply ignore it, and well so what if your groin is covered in ugly sores? I mean that’ll sure get that hot stud wanting to go down on you, won’t it?

Syphilis, a genital ulcerative disease, is highly infectious, but easily curable in its early (primary and secondary) stages. If untreated, it can lead to serious longterm complications, including brain, cardiovascular, and organ damage, and even death. (source – CDC)

So Is Your Life Worth It?

STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases) can be killers. They can blind you, make you impotent, or cause serious harm internally, and of course, THEY CAN KILL.

Lack of concise information, OF EDUCATION, is needed and it has to begin at an early enough age to have an impact. This dribble of teaching about Abstinence, of saving one’s self is nice, in theory, but in Practice it really had no visible impact on teenage sex. It doesn’t curtail it, and it certainly doesn’t lessen it, but what it does do is give a false sense of security, of invincibility that leads to serious health risks.

In Pennsylvania, one district, there is an unbelievable rate of infections, but what is scary about the story, is that on a national basis, the rates aren’t declining. That after EIGHT YEARS OF BUSHISM, the health of the young has gotten worse. This is from a lack of EDUCATION.

It’s estimated that 10 percent of the 3,000 middle and high school students in the Delaware Valley School District in Milford, P.A., are infected with an STD — including one confirmed case of HIV, Times Herald Record reported Friday. (source – Fox News)

It really is confusing. I mean there is outrage over the Supreme Court Ruling that Child Reapists can’t be Executed, and yet these same people are allowing their children to become infected with life threatening illness, because somehow sex is dirty, and not to be discussed.

It really makes no sense.

Lately some important recalls have happened, but it is strange, how they happen on a weekend, not during the week. Like the huge beef recall, was on a Sunday (if I recall) and yesterday there was a recall on Cantaloupe.

I really am wondering about the values that have somehow, gone astray. Such anger exists in the world today, and all around us, things are falling apart. There is the Economy, Politics, Religion, and now our very own Food Safety. I don’t get it, but seems to me that MONEY is the GOD OF THE DAY. We are forgetting the principles of Faith, of Religion, when we ignore the safety of those who rely on us. Food companies that turn a blind eye to improper sanitary conditions, Drug companies who don’t bother to even check the quality control in factories making essential drugs like Heparin.

Government, that is too busy to point the finger at who is to blame, than to PROTECT ITS CITIZENS from these companies. Like why do we even believe that a country like China can provide safe goods, given how out dated and huge its industrial base is? I mean isn’t that rather naive as well as stupid? Yet here are our business elite rushing to China to get us everything from food to toys, without checking to see if the goods are safe.

The syphilis numbers are shocking because just a decade ago, the U.S. was on the verge of eliminating the disease. Now 3.7 out of every 100,000 Americans – and 6.4 out of every 100,000 American males – carry the infection, which can cause blindness, brain damage, and death if untreated.

Rates among men are six times higher than rates among women. This, Fenton said, is largely because of huge increases in syphilis infections among men who have sex with men. About 60 percent of all recent U.S. syphilis infections occurred in these men. (source)

Now I don’t know about you, but that is rather scary stuff. I also fear that if this news is picked up, and is sensationalized as only the Media can do, that we will wind up having another round of Gay Bashing. I mean look at how Abstinence Only came into being, thanks largely in part to the HIV epidemic of the 70′s.

Like we need to give the religious right more ammunition?

[For more, read Gay Persuasion 'Syphilis Among Gays Rising']

A large portion of it by Students, as the company supplies beef to the Federal School Lunch Program. (more at Gay Talk)

Seems it doesn’t matter these days, whether the FDA, CPSC, or USDA, none of these protection agencies are doing their job. It is amazing at how they continue to claim to be the best in the world, with such news flooding the news wires.