I'm just the messenger
Oral Sex Can Lead to Throat Cancer

I had a mouth full of water and nearly did a spit take when I read that. Okay, no, but if the visual fits...

Human papillomavirus (HPV), which is believed to be responsible for most cervical cancers, may also be at the root of many cancers of the mouth and throat, new research suggests.

Dr. Erich Sturgis, an associate professor of head and neck surgery and epidemiology at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, in Houston, says:

"Oral sex can't be considered safe sex."

I'm beginning to hear a collective scream across the city state country world.

"We always thought, to prevent these cancers, all we had to do was get people to stop smoking and drinking excess alcohol, and stop chewing tobacco, and that we'd eliminate most head and neck cancers," said Sturgis. But, he added, future prevention efforts will likely focus on the HPV vaccine and on safe sex practices. For now, he said, women who've had an abnormal Pap smear and their partners probably shouldn't engage in oral sex.

And no, this article isn't tongue in cheek.

Okay, I'm going now.

UPDATE: In a related story, NRA board member and Senate point man for the gun industry, Larry Craig, arrested for solicitation of gay sex in airport washroom. You can read about it here and here, and just about everywhere else.

UPDATE #2: He has been one of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's top Senate supporters, serving as a Senate liaison for the campaign since February. (H/t to AMERICAblog)