Month: February 2012

According to recent polls, Conservative Republican Rick Santorum is the new leader among Republican presidential candidates.  Over the years, Santorum has alienated people from just about every political constituency.  For example, here is what Santorum says about Gay Americans:  “Gay relationships destabilize society” and that he (Santorum) “wouldn’t offer any legal protections to gay relationships.”  If elected President, Santorum has pledged to annul all same-sex marriages.  (Not sure how he will accomplish this since marriages are legislated by the states.)  Santorum also said that, “the ultimate homeland security issue” is making sure sodomites and homosexuals cannot marry each other.  In a 2003 interview, Santorum likened sodomy to adultery, polygamy, and incest as “antithetical to a healthy, stable, traditional family”.  Santorum has compared the idea of homosexual marriage to “man on child, man on dog, or whatever the case may be,” and said, “If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual [gay] sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything.”

During his recent campaign tour in Iowa, Santorum frequently compared same-sex relationships to inanimate objects like trees, basketballs, beer and paper towels and even tried to blame the economic crisis on Gay Americans.  Santorum said last August that religious people have a constitutional right to discriminate against gays:  “We have a right, the Constitution of religious liberty but now the courts have created a super-right that’s above a right that’s actually in the Constitution, and that’s of sexual liberty. And I think that’s a wrong, that’s a destructive element.”

During an appearance on Fox News Sunday last October, Santorum defended his support for “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” by saying that gay soldiers would disrupt the military because, “they’re in close quarters, they live with people, they obviously shower with people.” He also suggested that “there are people who were gay and lived the gay lifestyle and aren’t anymore.”  Santorum is apparently saying that being gay is a “choice” that can be overcome.

Santorum has also alienated African Americans with his racist rhetoric and his obvious hatred for President Obama.  During an appearance on Christian television in January 2012, Santorum said he was surprised that President Obama didn’t know when life began — given his skin color. “I find it almost remarkable for a black man to say ‘now we are going to decide who are people and who are not people.”

Also in January 2012, Santorum told an Iowa audience that, “Diversity creates conflict. If we celebrate diversity, we create conflict.”  He went on to say that, “Having that strong foundation of the faith and family allows America to be in a position where we can be more free. We can be free because we are good decent moral people.”  Although it’s difficult to understand the basis of Santorum’s comment, it appears that his concept of a “more free” America includes making Americans less dependent on government assistance such as food stamps, Medicaid and other forms of aid, especially African Americans.  After all, Santorum singled out African-Americans by saying, “I don’t want to make black people’s lives better by giving them somebody else’s money. I want to give them the opportunity to go out and earn the money and provide for themselves and their families,” a comment he denies.  The number of Medicaid recipients has surged in recent years because of high unemployment and a weak economy, but the majority of recipients are white. Nationally, 43 percent of those who received Medicaid in 2009-2010 were non-elderly white Americans.  African-Americans make up only about 12 percent of that total population.  It is not surprising that Santorum routinely associates programs like food stamps and Medicaid with “black people” and as President, he will improve “American lives” presumably by making it harder for low-income families to eat and get necessary medical care.  A rather subtle form of racism.

Santorum has also alienated women, one of the largest electorate constituencies.  He says that he would repeal all federal funding for contraception, and he supports states laws to outlaw birth control, insisting that, “it’s a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be.”  Santorum also said that, “One of the things I will talk about, that no president has talked about before, is I think the dangers of contraception in this country.” And also, “Many of the Christian faith have said, well, that’s okay, contraception is okay. It’s not okay. It’s a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be.”  Santorum would repeal federal funding for women’s contraception devices yet would not repeal federal funding for male vasectomies.  Since Santorum is so adamantly opposed to female contraceptive devices, I wonder what his stance is on condoms!

Santorum’s blatant attack on women with life-threatening pregnancies is disgusting.  During his time as a Senator in the 90s, the debate was not on banning abortion procedures but on what exceptions would be allowed under the law.  Santorum and some of his cronies “refused to allow an exception even to protect the woman from serious harm to her health,” but President Clinton refused to sign the bill without one.  Last June while discussing his record as a defender of partial birth abortion, Santorum dismissed exceptions other senators wanted to include to protect the life and health of mothers, calling such exceptions “phony.” “They wanted a health exception, which of course is a phony exception which would make the ban ineffective,” he said.

Although there are a number of serious medical emergencies that might require a woman to terminate a pregnancy to protect her own health, Santorum and his allies said that “health is nothing but a loophole for women who would abort a pregnancy to fit into a prom dress.”  An outraged Santorum screamed that this procedure “is killing a little baby that hasn’t hurt anybody!”  But the whole point of a vote about a health exception is that this fetus — however unintentionally well or deformed — is hurting someone – the pregnant woman.

Given Santorum’s deep-seated opposition to women’s reproductive rights, he probably supports the proposed bill in Virginia that requires every woman seeking an abortion to undergo an invasive trans-vaginal ultrasound medical procedure whether she wants to or not.

Santorum claims that he is a Christian and espouses Christian principles, but given his extreme right-wing radical lies, hypocrisy and negative comments, his spirituality must be entwined with a different theology.  For example, Proverbs 6:16 talks about the things the Lord hates and include a lying tongue, a heart that devises wicked schemes, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.  While many of these characteristics can be applied to others in the Republican Party, Santorum continuously brings his religious beliefs into the campaign.  In recent remarks on the Glenn Beck show, Santorum’s wife, Karen, apparently received a revelation from God that husband Rick has been ordained by God to “save our nation from President Obama.”  And I thought Michelle Bachmann was the fanatical one.

Rick Santorum has such extreme radical views that less than 38% of the electorate views him favorably.  His overall “hatred” for and vilification of President Obama, his drastic position on Nation security including launching an attack on Iran, his position on education that kids shouldn’t go to college because they are being indoctrinated by liberal teachers that he blames on President Obama, his irrefutable desire to force his religious beliefs on all Americans, and his disgraceful comments on Gays, African Americans, and Women make him an undesirable choice.  Santorum’s rhetoric borders “craziness” and it’s frightening.  Consequently, there is no way that sensible Americans will ever elect Santorum President of the United States, but that’s just my take.

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Under the guise of “protecting religious freedom,” state legislative bodies and Congressional Republican Conservatives have launched a comprehensive and merciless war on women’s health.  For example, last October, House Republicans led by their radical Tea Party component, passed the “Protect Life Act”, known by women’s health advocates as the “Let Women Die” bill.  This bill allows hospitals that receive federal funds to refuse any woman in need of an abortion procedure even if it is necessary to save her life.  Federal law already prohibits federal funding of abortions but Conservative Republicans insist that the health care law “contains a loophole that allows those receiving federal subsidies to use the money to enroll in health care plans that allow abortion services.”  However, there is language in the law that says subsidies from the government can’t be used to pay for abortion services, except in cases of rape, incest or danger to the life of the mother. It’s true that many women who now lack insurance might obtain private policies that cover wider abortion services as a result of the new legislation and with the help of federal subsidies. But insurance companies must keep any subsidy money they receive segregated from premium payments made by private individuals, and must use only private money to pay for abortion coverage.  This Bill has been held up in the Senate.

Although defeated by voters last November, Mississippi lawmakers attempted to pass a “personhood” amendment to its constitution that defines a person as “every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning, or the functional equivalent thereof.”  Not only would this proposed amendment ban all abortions, it could potentially outlaw birth control, stem cell research, and in-vitro fertilization for couples trying to conceive. Even though Mississippi voters rejected this amendment, personhood activists are enthusiastically moving forward with versions for other states.  Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich is in favor of a national personhood amendment.  Imagine his actions if elected President.

Several Republican-led states have proposed bills that force doctors to show a woman seeking abortion services an ultrasound of the fetus, and in some cases, describe the image to her. The Kentucky bill, for instance, requires doctors to describe the image if the woman chose to turn away her eyes or face a $250,000 fine for disobeying the law. The purpose of these bills is to discourage women from undergoing any abortion procedure, and in Michigan’s case, provide a “gift to the medical device industry” by forcing doctors to use “the most advanced ultrasound equipment available” to get the most “distinct image” of the fetus possible.  Fortunately, North Carolina Democratic Governor Bev Perdue vetoed her state’s version of the bill, viewing it as “a dangerous intrusion into the confidential relationship that exists between women and their doctors.”  However, the Republican controlled Commonwealth of Virginia  is on the verge of passing into law a bill that requires every woman seeking an abortion to undergo a completely unnecessary and invasive trans-vaginal ultrasound medical procedure whether she wants to or not.  This means that the Republican Virginia legislators will require every woman seeking an abortion to undergo an evasive “trans-vaginal” ultrasound medical procedure and she has no say so in the matter.  Governor Bob McDonnell said that he would sign this bill into law once it reached his desk.  The Obama administration recently announced a significant expansion of the FBI’s definition of rape, which will now cover several forms of sexual assault.  It could be that non-consensual, trans-vaginal penetration of an ultrasound device may meet the definition of “rape” under this expanded definition.

A most recent and covert attack on women’s rights occurred a couple of weeks ago when Republican Committee Chairman Darrel Issa decided to hold a hearing that was supposed to be about religious freedom.  Issa said the hearing was meant to be more broadly about religious freedom and not specifically about the contraception mandate in the Health Reform law. Although the hearing was “not specifically about contraception,” only men who were supporters of Issa’s position were invited to testify.  Even though this “sham” hearing was about women, the one woman the Democrat minority asked to testify, Sandra Fluke, was rejected by Issa as “not qualified to testify” because she was not a member of the clergy but a third-year Georgetown Law Center student.  Fluke would have talked about a classmate who lost an ovary because of a syndrome that causes ovarian cysts.

The Issa cause gained momentum when the Obama Administration proposed a rule to require Catholic organizations to offer contraception services in their employee health plans.  Republicans claimed that the regulation infringed on the religious rights of Catholics and violated the Freedom of Religion provision of the Constitution.  Because of the concerns raised by Catholic Bishops, President Obama tweaked the rule so that in cases where non-profit religious organizations have objections, insurance companies would be required to offer the coverage directly. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops called it “a first step in the right direction.”  “Under the rule, women will still have access to free preventive care that includes contraceptive service no matter where they work,” Obama said.  Of course, Conservative Republicans including the presidential candidates are still criticizing the President in spite of the change.

Right-wing Conservative Republican Congressional and state legislatures are doing all they can to set this country back at least 60 years by denying Constitutional rights to women and minorities.  In addition to radical state voter suppression laws, this right-wing radical group is launching blatant attacks on the health of women by allowing government to interfere in their health care decisions.  In a coordinated and orchestrated way, they are attempting to use any tool available to prevent women from using contraception devices but are not objecting to men having vasectomies or even purchasing Viagra.  If you are a Republican, Democrat or Independent, if Romney, Santorum or Gingrich is elected President of the United States or this right-wing radical so called “Christian” group controls the Senate and House, the health rights of all women will be seriously compromised or even eliminated.  Thanks to the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United, it is estimated that right-wing Republican Conservatives will infuse over 1 Billion Dollars in the 2012 election to ensure Republican victories.   We have already seen the extreme radical legislation of Republican state legislative bodies regarding women’s rights, what would be the impact if this radicalism escalated to the federal government level?  I believe the results would be devastating not only to women but all Americans.  The 2012 Presidential election is not about Party but about Choice.

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Ever since Gay Americans began to publicly acknowledge their sexual orientation including marriage, verbal and physical attacks on members of the Gay and Lesbian community have been unprecedented.  When President Obama eliminated the Don’t Ask, Don ‘t tell rule thus permitting gay and lesbians to serve openly in the Military, the right-wing Christian conservatives including Republican presidential candidates went berserk.  The most extreme Republican presidential candidate is Rick Santorum and his statements about homosexuality and the right to privacy.  In an interview with the Associated Press published April 20, 2003, Santorum stated that he believed mutually consenting adults do not have a constitutional right to privacy with respect to sexual acts.  Santorum described the ability to regulate consensual homosexual acts as comparable to the states’ ability to regulate other consensual and non-consensual sexual behavior such as adultery, polygamy, child molestation, incest, sodomy, and bestiality, whose decriminalization he believed would threaten society and the family, as they are not monogamous and heterosexual.  Right-wing radical rhetoric concerning Gay Americans has been so deliberate and passionate that it has spread to schools where bullying has been responsible for too many young people taking their own life.

In 2008, 52% of the California electorate approved Proposition 8.  This proposition called the “California Marriage Protection Act”, added a new provision to the California Constitution which provides that “only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.”  By restricting the recognition of marriage to opposite-sex couples, the proposition overturned the California Supreme Court’s ruling of In re Marriage Cases that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry.  Proponents of the constitutional amendment argued that exclusively heterosexual marriage was “an essential institution of society,” that leaving the constitution unchanged would “result in public schools teaching our kids that gay marriage is okay,” and that “gays … do not have the right to redefine marriage for everyone else.”  The success of Proposition 8 in 2008 was heavily influenced by Evangelicals and other Christian Conservatives who dumped a ton of money to get it approved.  Fortunately, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently affirmed a lower court’s ruling that Proposition 8 was unconstitutional.  “Proposition 8 serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California, and to officially reclassify their relationships and families as inferior to those of opposite-sex couples. The Constitution simply does not allow for laws of this sort,” Judge Reinhardt wrote.

Mitt Romney condemned the decision saying, “Today, unelected judges cast aside the will of the people of California who voted to protect traditional marriage. This decision does not end this fight, and I expect it to go to the Supreme Court. I believe marriage is between a man and a woman and, as president, I will protect traditional marriage and appoint judges who interpret the Constitution as it is written and not according to their own politics and prejudices.” 

Gingrich said, “With today’s decision on marriage by the Ninth Circuit, and the likely appeal to the Supreme Court, more and more Americans are being exposed to the radical overreach of federal judges and their continued assault on the Judeo-Christian foundations of the United States.”  Gingrich added, “The Constitution of the United States begins with “We the People”; it does not begin with ‘We the Judges’. Federal judges need to take heed of that fact. Federal judges are substituting their own political views for the constitutional right of the people to make judgments about the definition of marriage.”  

It’s interesting to note how Romney and Gingrich use the Constitution to justify their opposition to the court’s decision on marriage; however, nowhere in the Constitution does it say anything about marriage.  It does not say that straight couples are the only ones who can marry, nor does it say that homosexuals can’t get married.  The Constitution does say that everyone has the right to personal liberty, privacy, and equality under the law.  Laws that ban consenting adults from marriage violate the Equal Protection and Due Process clauses of the Constitution.  Thus, the judges made the right call but both Romney and Gingrich promises to appoint judges who will consistently misinterpret the Constitution.  Basically, laws against same-sex marriage are similar to laws that once banned interracial marriages in the South which were subsequently declared UN-Constitutional by the U. S. Supreme Court.

Same-sex marriage has become a major religious and Republican conservative issue in several states.  The New Jersey State Senate recently voted to legalize same-sex marriage which, if passed by the State Assembly, will be vetoed by Governor Christie.  Conservatives and members of the religious community are railing against the Maryland General Assembly currently considering same-sex legislation.  It astonishes me why the religious community would enthrall itself on the wrong side of a constitutionally protected issue.  Remember, the religious leaders were on the wrong side before when they chose to crucify Jesus Christ yet the government nor anyone else interfered with their choice.

Same-sex marriage is not about marriage or sex, but about freedom of choice.  I chose to become a Christian and as such, I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman.  However, God did not give me, any Christian or anyone else the right to impose our beliefs or choices on someone else.  Remember, God also loves Gays and Lesbians.

Even the Declaration of Independence gives each of us the unconditional right to make choices because it declares that, “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”  Some pursue happiness by becoming liars, adulterers, gay bashers or hate-mongers, while others choose to become pious and honorable.  Some become Republicans; others become Democrats.  Some marry the opposite sex; others marry the same sex.  It’s all about choice.  Sometimes it’s best to honor the unwritten “eleventh” Commandment – Thou shalt mind thine own business, but that’s just my take.

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