The Lifetime Original Movie "Girl, Positive" addresses teenagers' awareness and misconceptions of HIV, by focusing on an average high school senior who discovers she may be infected. It premieres June 25. Watch the preview at RH Reality Check!

In this day and age, our politicians spend far too much of their time looking for campaign contributions and not enough communicating with their constituents.  Far too many campaigns (like CA-50) spend an obscene amount of money per vote they receive.  This not only give the appearance of corruption (and all to often the reality as well), but it shapes the kinds of candidates that run for office.  Too many of our candidates are rich or very well connected.

We need to seek solutions, and ones which improve politicians' ability to communicate to their constituents, and decrease the time they spend begging for money.   As I have mentioned before, we should consider requiring television and radio stations to provide advertising to candidates as part of the broadcast license.  We should also reduce the connection between money and access, as well as reduce the contribution limits.

Unbeknownst to one another, Father Richard Rohr (a wonderfully progressive Franciscan of the New Mexico province and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation) and former Vice President Al Gore were having an incredible conversation this past weekend. Coming from what many consider to be opposite worlds - the spiritual and the political - I couldn't help but notice how precisely their voices converged.

They talked about two modern cultural realities which are doing our democracy in: 1) the need to be constantly entertained rather than educated and 2) television as communication's zenith, broadcasting what many believe is All They Need to Know.

Stats, thoughtful quotes, and ruminations of the Rohr & Gore Show below the fold....