Steve Shaw, you post at 6:54 AM was very rational...not that I'm very rational at that hour...

You speak about "moralising at people and hectoring them about how they're promoting HIV." I think you might be surprised that you won't hear that kind of moralizing in most Catholic churches. I don't agree with its prohibition of birth control, but the Humanae Vitae encyclical of Pope Paul VI in 1968 is a good example of how the Catholic Church speaks of sexual intercourse as something sacred and beautiful. Even if you don't agree with all its conclusions, it is a very rational and respectful document. You won't hear the "tsk, tsk" moralizing from the pulpit very often, not even about abortion. The "tsk, tsk" stuff comes from small-minded, rigid people who have their own agenda.

As far as I can tell, Catholic charities do not spend a lot of money on "abstinence only" education programs - that silly project was paid for by American taxpayers, courtesy of the Bush Administration. Catholic charities DO expend a lot of money treating HIV victims. No, they don't promote condoms, but I've never heard of a Catholic-sponsored program intended to oppose the use of condoms.

So, please don't paint the Catholic interests with such a dark brush. They're far less doctrinaire and far less moralistic than some people assume them to be. Certainly, we have our extremist idiots - but so does every group.

-Joe-