Miss California USA posed topless

[DrPhil]

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LOL...I've decided that this really isn't about the pageant or these specific young ladies. This has become something greater. People have used this to reinforce liberal vs. conservative (those categories and "battles" annoy me, but okay) values.

Yes, he was asking her personal opinion but on a very specific application--not a general one. This young lady said "everyone has a right to choose" which as someone already noted, isn't true based on the legality of it all. But if she had stayed on this route, she could've perhaps said that people SHOULD have the right to choose and that states have the right to weight the pros and cons ON THEIR OWN and follow Iowa's lead, if need be. Or express that she thinks states SHOULDN'T but do so without being personal. Then we wouldn't know or care what she personally thinks about gays and/or gay marriage.

This isn't about political correctness, absent freedom of speech, or denying Christianity (which, as a Christian, I find to be the dumbest platform for Christians to jump on--conservative or not). It is about being smart enough (despite nervousness) to know what you are being asked and think about the context. That applies to pageants where they are trained to do so, and for nonpageants where adults learn how to discuss topics with others.

If you stick your foot in your mouth, just acknowledge that you did that. Don't make yourself into a martyr and pretend you did it on purpose. I also don't think people should be trying to ruin this young lady for incorrectly answering the question with her opinion. Afterall, incorrectly answering the question was her only gaffe. What she actually thinks about gay marriage is of no concern, unless she were to turn her opinions into discriminatory actions.

/end too damn long post