Who's minding the candy store?

As the media sensationalized New York governor Eliot Spitzer's involvement with a prostitution ring, it was also noted, however softly, that 1 in 4 teenage girls have a sexually transmitted disease. 

This is an alarming discovery that should be considered an epidemic, but it doesn't seem to make the news that gets to the general public.  As I visit teenage correctional facilities, public high schools and private colleges, I am told countless stories of incest, sexual abuse and rape.  These stories don't make headline news unless they are confessed by celebrities, who after pouring out their souls in tabloids and the electronic media do not address the issues that make the dreaded statistic a reality for so many young women.

As a minister, first and foremost, I find it offensive that in America our women are stamped "for entertainment purposes only." The young woman in the Spitzer fiasco was marinated in a "Girls Gone Wild" culture that is broiled by the heat of MTV and VH1 videos and hip hop culture.

The young women who are infected with STDs fall in the age group that will not likely get exams, probably don't have insurance, and could possibly become sterile due to the nature of the HPV virus.  They are unaware of what is happening to them, and they are the pawns in a gang culture that often subjects them to gang rape by some so-called "loving male" who desires to climb the rungs of the ladder to chief, or whatever the term is for gang boss.

Not included in the devastating number of STDs among our young girls is the high percentage of HIV and AIDS among that age group and those who are 24 to 35.  Although the sampling of the number girls for the STD study is low, the incidence of sexual violence against women is high.

Our country has tried to use women's rights to condone a war against terrorism in the Middle East because women were mistreated by the Taliban.  But who will invade the United States brothels and gentlemen's clubs, 900 call centers and porn video maker's studio to rescue our young women?  Who will unchain them from the dance poles, unstaple them from the centerfolds of Playboy and free them from the Penthouse Magazine? 

In a study done on women who swing the poles, most women were trying to lift themselves from poverty, some wanted attention, a lot were sexually abused, and some, well, just wanted to be professional pole dancers.

Now don't get me wrong, a woman's greatest gift from God is her sensuality. And one of the greatest sins is when her sensuality is exploited for capital gain by a male culture that refuses to give her equal pay for equal work and doesn't really believe that women's rights are human rights. A social culture that does not take domestic violence seriously and says nothing about second-grade girls giving oral sex on their young male counterparts is wicked.

Two weeks ago I was in Texas watching an episode of the Oprah show about a mother who climbs a pole in a strip club to house, feed and educate her three children.  The mother has a college degree from Clemson, and her husband left the family in financial ruin. The mom's full-time job would not allow her to maintain, watch over and administer to her school age children. "I couldn't make ends meet, she explained, "and my hours kept me from home. I am embarrassed about what I do and hope to do something different soon."

When I talk to young college girls who end up dancing lap dances to pay for college tuition, they admit it is not something they want to put on their resumes.

The other night I had the misfortune of watching a show called "Parental Control," where I hope the parents on the program were actors. I watched in disgust as they set up their teen daughters for dates. The parents were ridiculed and disrespected by the young prospects.  The young men were no quality catch. Only Flava Flav could be considered beneath them as desirable boyfriends.

Is this the mentality that informs our young girls about their choices in life? I know this is not true for most households, but when you have 1 out of 4 teenage girls with an STD, as the eyes of the world are upon adulterous adults, I want to ask this question to somebody out there: "Who is minding the candy store?

Obviously we aren't.