Alan Keyes, quoted in the S-T: “In a homosexual relationship, there is nothing implied except the self-fulfillment, contentment and satisfaction of the parties involved in the relationship,” said Keyes, who holds a Ph.D from Harvard University. “That means it is a self-centered, self-fulfilling, selfish relationship that seeks to use the organs intended for procreation for purposes of pleasure. The word pleasure in Greek is hedone and we get the word hedonism from that word.”

“In an interview with CNN, Mary Cheney’s sister, Elizabeth, responded to Keyes’ remarks by saying, ‘I’m not going to dignify it with a comment.'” State GOP chair Judy Barr Topinka called the statement “idiotic” (stupid, yes, hateful, yes, but I dunno about idiotic) and demanded an apology. During a speech to the Illinois delegation at the convention, “some delegates clapped enthusiastically. Other rolled their eyes and clapped silently. Topinka stayed in another room during his speech.”

When asked if childless heterosexuals are also hedonists: “The heterosexual relationship is haunted by the possibility of the child, which means you have to commit yourself somewhere to your head to the possibility of a lifelong commitment that involves not only selfish pleasure but sometimes sacrifice.”

Sorry for the absence — I spent the weekend in New York City. Photos from Sunday’s demo (“manifestation massif” — Le Monde) coming soon. Speaking of which, 100,000 — the AP’s count — is a mathematical impossibility.

Aerial photos showed that the march stretched over two miles long at its longest — over 10,000 feet long. Are we to believe that the march was only ten persons wide? In fact, it filled three of Manhattan’s broadest avenues shoulder to shoulder and even spilled onto adjacent sidewalks and streets. The half-million figure cited by UFPJ (and, according to the Times, confirmed by police) sounds more reasonable.