The right wing of the Republican Party (increasingly all that exists of the Republican Party) has a general problem of starting with its platform and reasoning back from it to a premise from which it would follow, no matter how absurd and fantastical the premise.Excellent commentary from Juan Cole at Informed Sources. The Republicans come together to decide on a desired conclusion and then offer twisted truth and outright lies as evidence for arriving at their conclusion.
So, the GOP knows it supports Big Oil. Since burning petroleum puts carbon dioxide in the air, which causes global climate change and potentially great harm, Republicans should rethink their partisanship for oil, coal and natural gas. Instead, they deny that increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere causes a greenhouse effect and climate change.
Likewise, Akin started from a premise that a fertilized egg is a legal person, and that abortion is always forbidden. Presented with the conundrum of whether a woman should be made to bear the child of her rapist, he tried to deny that women can get pregnant from rape. Actually, on the order of 32,000 American women get pregnant that way every year. Akin’s position, and his reasoning, are common among Republican representatives and senators today.
....
Many politicized evangelicals in the United States have led a bizarre charge against Muslim law (sharia) being recognized by the courts here.
They are shameless, however, in wanting to impose on all Americans the Christian version of sharia. If they don’t believe in abortion, why don’t they just not have one? Why are they busybodies, wanting to make laws for the rest of us?
Akin is not alone.
Rep. Steve King, one of the most staunchly conservative members of the House, was one of the few Republicans who did not strongly condemn Rep. Todd Akin Monday for his remarks regarding pregnancy and rape. King also signaled why — he might agree with parts of Akin’s assertion.Someone needs to tell King the story which remains tattooed in my brain - that of the nine year old Brazilian girl who conceived twins as a result of being raped by her step-father. Because of her size, her own life was at risk, and she could not have carried the twins to viability. What would King recommend in such a situation?
King told an Iowa reporter he’s never heard of a child getting pregnant from statutory rape or incest.
“Well I just haven’t heard of that being a circumstance that’s been brought to me in any personal way,” King told KMEG- TV Monday, “and I’d be open to discussion about that subject matter.”
Oh, and the girl's mother and the medical staff who performed the abortion were excommunicated by the Roman Catholic Church. The step-father was not, because repeatedly raping a nine year old girl is not an excommunicable offense.
I wonder if Republicans will amend the tax code to reflect their stance that a fertilized egg is a person...
ReplyDeletemargaret, think of it. A tax deduction upon conception. Please include ultrasound with tax return. What about the year of the census? Will the fertilized eggs be counted?
Delete". . . raping a nine year old girl is not an excommunicable offense." OMG. And these people claim they are the ones who value human life the highest???
ReplyDeleteOh, the powerful odor of mendacity!
That's the way it is, Russ. Unbelievable.
DeleteThe whole Republican business continues, as yesterday, to leave me pretty-well speechless.
ReplyDeleteThe whole mess of them are such clowns that it's a wonder to me how anyone takes them seriously.
DeleteAh, but looks like God is fixing to smite them pretty hard, and how would they explain that? See the Weather Channel for details.
DeleteHey Russ, I have relatives Missouri. Even if I didn't, I wouldn't wish a smiting with bad weather on the Missourians.
DeleteI'm talking about the hurricane heading for Tampa and the Republican convention, which the mayor says he may have to cancel: http://bcove.me/kcwiz4tz
DeleteBut at the very same time, the Republican God is busy at work drying up all the crops so we'll starve and repent of all our evil ways: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tz0_VN0XPoQ
So what can I say?
Russ, I realized what you meant after I wrote my comment, and I meant to say so, but I never did. By the way, all my relatives in Missouri are Republicans, except one of the younger women.
DeletePS: Pat Robertson is FOS.
DeleteWell the RCC has a very long history of marginalizing women in every way, every day. They seem to be accustomed to dwelling in the confines of warm, very deep and blinding horse poop.
ReplyDeleteStories like this just make you weep and wonder weather they actually ever knew or understood, at least in my humble opinion, that COMPASSION would be the epitome of Christ's mission and message.
Compassion is what's missing, Bonnie, the essence of Jesus' message.
DeleteHere is a little blessing that my rector likes to give on occasion at the end of the service. I like it lot.
DeleteGo forth into the world in peace;
Be of good courage;
Hold fast to that which is good;
Render to no one, evil for evil.
Strengthen the fainthearted;
Support the weak;
Help the afflicted;
Honor all.
Love and serve God rejoicing in the power of the Spirit.
And the blessing of God almighty, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
Be upon you this day, and remain with you forever.
I especially love, "Honor all." Maybe we should send this to Akin, Ryan, Romney, the Pope.
And, here is a quote from a news story about Akin on his lame excuse for his comment.
"Akin, who has been frantically trying to salvage his once-promising bid against incumbent Democrat Claire McCaskill, said the uproar surrounding the remarks was out of proportion with his mistake — misspeaking "one word in one sentence on one day."
Out of proportion with his mistake? This man definitely needs a reality check.
"Honor all"--"Who is honored? He who honors all others"--one of the four statements of Ben Zoma recorded in the portion of the Mishnah known as Pirkei Avot. (Who is strong--he who can control his passions. Who is wise--he who can learn from all men. Who is rich--he who is content with what he has.)
DeleteMimi, you don't understand. It's not sharia law because it's ours!
ReplyDeleteSeriously--this same sort of thinking has allowed the GOP to claim not allowing the Catholic bishops to force everyone else to go along with a double layer of fallacious theology (that is, one bit of false theology used to defend a second pice of false theology) is an attack on religious freedom. I have an Internet friend of long standing who recently claimed that throughout its history the Roman Catholic Church has been a firm advocate of religious freedom. Well, I suppose if you define that as "free to be Catholics and nothing else", it has been. But the only reason he is not yet an ex-friend is that I haven't been able to come up with a polite way of suggesting that was a sign of mental illness. This man, btw, is a sort of convert to the RC Church--he's not formally swum the Tiber because he doesn't want to go through the hocus pocus demanded by the Church to make his current (and third) marriage acceptable to the RCs.
BTW, CNN this morning reported the GOP draft Platform contains a call for a Constitutional Amendment extending legal personhood back to conception, no allowances for rape, history, medical danger, etc.
Was it in Texas that I heard there is a funded-through-state-vouchers Islamic school. The Republicans who passed the voucher law are SHOCKED! "We thought vouchers-for-religious-schools meant CHRISTIAN!!!"
Delete***
If I may, a comment I left at Doug/Counterlight's:
I think I've figured it (the wingnuts) out:
There's a right-to-life from conception. But as human life---w/ bodily autonomy---for those conceived as XX, this human life CEASES at menarche (puberty). From then on, her life is determined by the contents of her uterus. And, being this lesser "Human, Female Subclass" status, her autonomy to give LACK of consent to sexual intercourse, is automatically suspect (hence "False Rape").*
*Unless she's white, and he's black. Then it's "Hang the Rapist High!"
Sound about right?