Following on from the last couple of posts,by David and Belly.

I wonder why people bother to have children at all these days. Years ago ,before contraception, a couple fell in love married and children were the natural result. These days there are options available and couples do not have to have children.

So it makes me wonder. after seeing the daily news, if any more than half the kids turn out OK. There are rapes and murders,robberies and car theft, home invasions and king hit assults. Then it appears that most of the young that attend dances these days are on drugs of one type or another.

So if only half the kids are OK with very few the parents can be proud of, what is the point in having them at all. What a disappointment most would be to their parents after all the hard work of raising them and the sleepless nights, not to mention the costs of feeding and clothing them and education. It all seems a gigantic waste.

If I have horses instead of kids, I can at least sell those that turn out no good.

Why not just not have kids and spend the money on ski holidays?

Porn may be a contributer but not the only reason for our social deteriation.

Dear Belly,

I agree with you. If one is hurt in the making then the activity, whatever it is, may not be good. Sometimes we cannot avoid hurt. A medical procedure may hurt, but it may be necessary for a person's health.

You wrote: “A news story about a filthy thing sharing his sexual attacks on his own kids.” Those acts are criminal acts and should be prosecuted as criminal acts whether or not a recording was made of it.

The wowsers of our society would censor porn. H L Mencken defined Puritanism as "The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.” I believe that is part of the source of the opposition to porn.

Another part of the opposition is the desire to control what people see or think about. If one looks at the Catholic Index one finds that they have put some of the greatest works of the human mind on it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_authors_and_works_on_the_Index_Librorum_Prohibitorum

The above lists some of those great works. Those works can contribute to a wide –ranging education.

Don’t kid yourself. The wowsers would stifle freedom. It sounds innocent. They just want to protect the kiddies. They speak about the desperation of the porn performers. They want to decide what other people should see or think about.

If we want freedom of expression we have to allow what others find offensive. We have to allow porn. We have to allow Israel Folau’s offensive remarks about those his religion condemns. We have to allow religions to be questioned. We have to allow atheism to be questioned.
We can pass legislation to ensure that workers in all industries including porn are not exploited. However, the banning or restriction of porn is more harmful than any damage that porn can do.

We are very blessed with our children.

They have grown up to be decent human beings.

We were involved in their lives from birth.
Sports played a vital part. Especially basketball.
We kept them busy after school and on week-ends
in all sorts of activities. And today we help
with the grand kids.

During their teenage years - there was a time when
they went through the period of hiding the usual
magazines from me. I ended up buying Playboy for
them - because I thought it was in better taste than
the other stuff. They watched some porn - but they
grew out of it.

I didn't make a big deal of things and always ensured
that they could talk about anything with us - no matter
what, we were there for them.

And we still are.

We've been lucky.

Why don't we let people run their own lives and concentrate on our own and those of people close to us. The person who started this thread needs Big Brother to tell him what to do and what to think. Po-faced do gooders give me the pip. Don't approve of something? Don't do it.

David f,

I note that Barnaby the Buck Rabbit and the missus are expecting again.

David F,
Why would you find Israel Folou's remarks offensive?

It seems that you want to deny him his right to an opinion which is contrary to what you are saying.

For me I was not offended. I simply was of the view that he has a right to his opinion and left it at that. If a muslim said the same I would think the same and no offense taken.

What is you opinion about the number of kids that turn out no good or are on drugs these days and why. That nice looking girl that was killed in a Melbourne park is an example.

Dear HenryL,

I find the belief that one is consigned to a place of eternal torment whatever one has done as offensive. You asked why I find it offensive.

I consider the punishment out of proportion to the offense. I find it a silly, stupid religion that maintains that position.

I do not deny him his right to have such an opinion. I do not maintain he should be shut up or punished. Objecting to an opinion is not the same as censoring an opinion. I believe he is in error. However, it is not my right nor anybody's right to censor anybody because one believes they are wrong.

Thomas Jefferson wrote to John Sullivan in 1805. "Truth is the proper and sufficient antagonist to error, and has nothing to fear from the conflict, unless, by human interposition, disarmed of her natural weapons, free argument and debate; errors ceasing to be dangerous when it is permitted freely to contradict them."