Political Ruminations

John Scalzi's "Fan" Letter to Conservative Politicians

There is only one thing I can say about this letter…….it’s amazing, and you need to read it. BUT, please pay attention to Scalzi’s warning…….it is difficult for victims of rape and sexual assault to read—it was for me.

WARNING: this post is going to be oh-so-very-triggery for victims of rape and sexual assault. I am not kidding.

Dear certain conservative politicians:

Hi! I’m a rapist. I’m one of those men who likes to force myself on women without their consent or desire and then batter them sexually. The details of how I do this are not particularly important at the moment — although I love when you try to make distinctions about “forcible rape” or “legitimate rape” because that gives me all sorts of wiggle room — but I will tell you one of the details about why I do it: I like to control women and, also and independently, I like to remind them how little control they have. There’s just something about making the point to a woman that her consent and her control of her own body is not relevant against the need for a man to possess that body and control it that just plain gets me off. A guy’s got needs, you know? And my need is for control. Sweet, sweet control.

So I want to take time out of my schedule to thank you for supporting my right to control a woman’s life, not just when I’m raping her, but for all the rest of her life as well.

Ah, I see by your surprised face that you at the very least claim to have no idea what I’m talking about. Well, here’s the thing. Every time you say “I oppose a woman’s right to abortion, even in cases of rape,” what you’re also saying is “I believe that a man who rapes a woman has more of a right to control a woman’s body and life than that woman does.”

Oh, look. That surprised face again. All right, then. On the chance that you’re not giving me that surprised face just for the sake of public appearances, let me explain it to you, because it’s important for me that you know just how much I appreciate everything you’re doing for me.

So, let’s say I’ve raped a woman, as I do, because it’s my thing. I’ve had my fun, reminding that woman where she stands on the whole “being able to control things about her life” thing. But wait! There’s more. Since I didn’t use a condom (maybe I’m confident I can get other people to believe it was consensual, you see, or maybe I just like it that way), one thing has led to another and I’ve gotten this woman pregnant.

Continue reading ….

Morning Quote: Barack Obama

During an interview with Rolling Stone early in October, President Obama on Mitt Romney’s extremism:

“Four weeks out from an election, you can't hide from positions that ultimately are out of sync with how the majority of Americans think. I guarantee if you talk to not just Democratic women, but a whole bunch of Republican and Independent women, they will tell you they're very capable of making their own health care decisions. If you have a chance to meet these Dream Act kids, some of whom were brought here when they were two or three or five, and are American in every sense, except for their papers – love this country, have pledged allegiance to this flag, want to contribute – then you would reject the idea that somehow they should be deported to some country where they've never been.

But those are Governor Romney's positions, and we gotta make sure that the American people understand those positions.”

Imagine that. Democratic, Republican and Independent women are capable of making their own health care choices. Too bad Republicans are such control freaks when it comes to …well, everything. But especially women. Vote for them at your own peril.

Morning Quote: Barack Obama

During an appearance on Jay Leno last night, President Obama responded to Richard Mourdock’s comments that even pregnancies which occur as a result of rape are a “gift from God” and something that “God intended”:

“I don’t know where these guys come up with these ideas. Rape is rape. It is a crime…This is exactly why you don’t want a bunch of politicians, mostly male, making decisions about women’s health care.”

Morning Quote: Gloria Steinem

In Florida to rally for a group seeking to defeat Florida Amendment 6, which would, if enacted, restrict women’s reproductive rights, feminist icon Gloria Steinem, had a few descriptive words for Mitt Romney:

“[Mitt Romney is] the most undemocratic, anti-equality, authoritarian, extremist candidate I have ever seen, and there is the most distance between what he says and what he does.”

Hey Girl, Mitt Romney is a Real Extremist When it Comes to Women

Mr. Romney has a new ad out, an ad that attempts to hide his extremist positions.

It features a woman who clearly lies about Romney’s positions, and then claims that she voted for Obama in 2008. The problem is well, that while you can find sites which back her up, they do so either in error or in order to deceive. The truth is in what Mr. Romney himself has recently said.

On the issue of contraception, we can look to the Blunt Amendment to determine whether or not Mr. Romney supports the use of contraceptives.

The Blunt Amendment allows your boss to decide for you whether or not you will get access to contraceptives through your health insurance. That’s right. And Mitt Romney said himself that he supports the Blunt amendment (@14:46 on the Maddow video).

“Of course I support the Blunt Amendment.”

On the issue of a woman’s right to choose, abortion, Mitt Romney has said very recently (September 2012) that he would appoint Supreme Court justices who would strike down Roe v. Wade:

“But I am pro-life and will intend, if I’m president of the United States, to encourage pro-life policies. [...] And I hope to appoint justices to the Supreme Court that will follow the law and the constitution. And it would be my preference that they reverse Roe v. Wade and therefore they return to the people and their elected representatives the decisions with regards to this important issue.”

Romney also said that he would sign a bill which banned all abortions (@11:33 on the video):

“I’d be delighted to sign that bill.”

“Delighted.” Rachel Maddow on Romney’s severely conservative positions(the segment on these issues starts at approximately 09:04):

A Romney administration would end abortion, would take away our right to choose what we do with our own bodies.

No exceptions for anything. Not rape. Not incest. Not the life of the mother.

Factor this in with Romney's stance on the Blunt Amendment -- which would make it more difficult for you to obtain contraceptives since he will allow your boss to decide whether or not you could obtain contraceptives through your health insurance.

This is what Mitt Romney really supports. This is what the Republican War On Women is about. This is what it will mean to women if Mitt Romney is elected.

If you’re undecided at this point, you need to think hard about your options, and then go to the polls and vote for Barack Obama. Not to do so will affect you, your children, and your grandchildren in ways you can’t even begin to count.

Morning Quote: Mitt Romney on Abortion Rights

Mitt Romney on abortion rights as quoted by the Des Moines Register:

“There’s no legislation with regards to abortion that I’m familiar with that would become part of my agenda.”

Reactions to Romney’s latest flip-flop are varied, but the most telling of the reactions was that of Romney surrogate, Andrea Saul:

“Mitt Romney is proudly pro-life, and he will be a pro-life president.”

ABC News, emphasis mine:

During the GOP primary earlier this year, Romney said repeatedly that Roe vs. Wade should be overturned and that all funding for Planned Parenthood should be cut. He has also said he would prefer to appoint Supreme Court justices who would overturn Roe vs. Wade.

[….] Romney could [will]  likely still support anti-abortion rights legislation.

The Obama Campaign:

It’s troubling that Mitt Romney is so willing to play politics with such important issues. Women simply can’t trust him.

My take. Mitt Romney will, as we already know, say and do anything in order to get elected. Anything. And, if we didn’t already know that, we sure should have figured it out when he chose his running mate. Paul Ryan is rabidly anti-women.

UPDATE: Last month, Romney was so against abortion rights, he said he would appoint Supreme Court justices who would reverse Roe v. Wade:

“But I am pro-life and will intend, if I’m president of the United States, to encourage pro-life policies. [...] And I hope to appoint justices to the Supreme Court that will follow the law and the constitution. And it would be my preference that they reverse Roe v. Wade and therefore they return to the people and their elected representatives the decisions with regards to this important issue.”

Morning Quote: Gov. Bev Purdue

On MSNBC’s “Hardball” last night, North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue (D) warned about the outcome of a GOP election win given the Republican position on abortion:

“ But for poor women, you'll be back to the days of coat hangers in the bathtub and you'll see women die. ”

Morning Quote: Paul Ryan, Soldier of the American Taliban

Weird Paul Ryan calls rape “a method of conception”, emphasis mine:

“I’m very proud of my pro-life record, and I’ve always adopted the idea that, the position that the method of conception doesn’t change the definition of life. But let’s remember, I’m joining the Romney-Ryan ticket. And the president makes policy.”

See that part I bolded? The translation is a lot chilling, because Paul Ryan, who would be “a heartbeat away from the presidency” (and likely next in the GOP line to run for presidency if they win in 2012) is saying that if you’re a 13-year-old girl (or any other age female) and you’re raped by anyone (including your dad or brother or dirty old uncle), and that results in a pregnancy, well, you have no right to terminate your pregnancy via an abortion or the morning after pill. Seriously.

We are being taken over by the American Taliban.

Paul Ryan Co-sponsored 8 Anti-Woman Bills With Todd Akin

They say a picture is worth a thousand words......that is certainly true in this case!

If Akin should leave the race, so should Paul Ryan.

See also…….. Todd Akin and Paul Ryan in the He-Man Woman Haters Club

(h/t Ashby)

GOP Codifies the Republican War Against Women

Please note: this platform belongs to Mitt Romney, and to Paul Ryan, as it was prepared under the direction of their campaign.

With the inclusion of the agenda of those once considered the fringe into the2012 GOP Platform, the Republican Party should officially be flushed down the toilet. From the time when the once great party came into being in 1856, there has been no more hateful and conservative agenda than that of the 2012 GOP Platform.

The GOP has arrived at this unenviable place/state of being , a state of being where they are feared more than respected, hated more than tolerated, derided more than praised, by catering to the extremist religious fringe of their party until that extremist wing gained majority control. This can be easily, too easily, confirmed by reading their official platforms from the years prior to Nixon through that of this platform—the difference is striking.

This year we see the Republican war against women codified in the 2012 GOP platform in the form of several planks which endorse infringement upon not only our reproductive rights, but upon our dignity (the mandatory ultrasounds). Think Progress with the details:

1. NO ABORTION IN CASES OF RAPE OR INCEST. The proposal for a “human life amendment” passed without a hitch — and without any exceptions for rape or incest. The committee didn’t stop there; they also adopted language that would ban drugs that end pregnancy after conception, which could potentially include Plan B, the “morning after pill.” [the "Akin Amendment", so called by Democrats]

2. SALUTE TO MANDATORY ULTRASOUNDS. The GOP officially praises states’ “informed consent” laws that force women to undergo unnecessary procedures, require waiting periods and endure other measures meant to discourage them from getting an abortion. One such law receiving a “salute” was crafted by committee head McDonnell, who passed a notorious mandatory ultrasound requirement after he signed an unsuccessful bill to require an even more invasive transvaginal probe ultrasound during an abortion consultation.

3. NO WOMEN IN COMBAT. The platform condemns “social experimentation” in the military, which covers everything from the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to allowing officers to wear their uniforms in gay pride events to letting women serve on the front lines.

With the GOP’s adoption of these very specific planks which seek to control women, four things should be noted:

Morning Quote: Barack Obama

At a fundraiser in New York City, President Obama told the crowd that Republican congressman, Todd Akin, who made some seriously ignorant comments on rape and abortion, “somehow missed science class”:

“The interesting thing here is that this is an individual [Todd Akin] who sits on the House Committee on Science and Technology but somehow missed science class.”

The point of view espoused by Todd Akin is by no means an outlier. Indeed, Paul Ryan and Todd Akin are pretty much in agreement on rape and abortion:

Ryan and Akin largely agree when it comes to abortion rights. Both believe abortion should be illegal even in the case of rape and incest. Both were co-sponsors of H.R. 3, the 2011 bill that would have limited the federal abortion coverage exemption only to victims of “forcible rape” and women whose physical health was in danger from her pregnancy, closing a supposed loophole in health-of-the-mother exemptions conservatives have been crowing about for years.

Quote of the Day II

The 2012 GOP Platform makes Republican support for an outright ban on abortion, no exceptions for rape, incest, or the life of the mother, once again official, emphasis mine:

“Faithful to the ‘self-evident’ truths enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, we assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed. We support a human life amendment to the Constitution and endorse legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment’s protections apply to unborn children.”

According to Think Progress, the amendment “would outlaw abortion and likely many forms of contraception”, emphasis mine:

Heading the committee is Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-VA), best known for his “mandatory ultrasound” law requiring any woman getting an abortion to undergo an unnecessary ultrasound. McDonnell also revealed his regressive position on women’s rights in his college thesis, which slandered working women, contraception, and “fornicators.” It’s no surprise, then, that under his guidance, the Republican Party will reaffirm its support for a constitutional amendment that would outlaw abortion and likely many forms of contraception.

In saying they would not oppose a rape exception, Romney and Ryan are both changing their tune. Romney said in 2007 he would be “delighted” to sign a bill banning all abortions, and Ryan has been staunchly anti-abortion in all cases, even attempting to restrict abortion access to victims of “forcible rape” only.

The human life amendment has been a tenet of the Republican Party platform since the dawn of the Reagan era in 1980.

Also, you should read this in order to grasp just how far Republicans are willing to go to strip women not only of choice, but of dignity.

Quote of the Day: Steve King

Nut Job Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) addressed the portion of the now famous Todd Akin quote in which Akin said that the female body has the ability to prevent pregnancy in cases of incest or statutory rape. In fact, "King told an Iowa reporter he’s never heard of a child getting pregnant from statutory rape or incest." Seriously.

“ Well I just haven’t heard of that being a circumstance that’s been brought to me in any personal way, and I’d be open to discussion about that subject matter. ”

Every time you think it can't get worse....

Todd Akin and Paul Ryan in the He-Man Woman Haters Club

Politicususa’ RMuse, in his column entitled “Legitimate Rape is the Tip of the Republican War on Women Iceberg” makes some excellent points about Paul Ryan, Todd Akin, and the Republican War on Women, emphasis mine:

Todd Akin deserves every bit of criticism he is getting, but he represents Willard Romney, Paul Ryan, and the entire Republican Party who have voted consistently to eliminate a woman’s right to choose. It is hypocritical of Romney and Ryan to distance themselves from Akin because his stance on women’s rights is their stance. Ryan has stood shoulder to shoulder with Akin in the House attempts at redefining rape, defunding Planned Parenthood, and giving a zygote the same rights as every living breathing American citizen, accept [sic] women. Akin IS the Republican Party, and the Republican Party IS Todd Akin and they represent the dire circumstances every woman in America will face if they are victorious in November. It is impossible to isolate Akin from the rest of Republicans in Congress and GOP-controlled states because their voting records, plans for the future, and lowlife opinion of a woman’s right to choose all stem from the same source; the Christian bible. Maybe Willard Romney adheres to an extra phony religious book, but his beliefs, upbringing, and campaign promises spell the same dire results as bible-thumping Republicans that relegate women to the same place every other religious fanatic believes they belong; at home, giving birth, and desperately attempting to prevent Republicans from taking away their rights.

UPDATE: see also Paul Ryan Co-sponsored 8 Anti-Woman Bills With Todd Akin

Tweet of the Day

From @PaulRyanGosling on Twitter:

“Hey girl, I want you to know that I'll NEVER say what Akin said about "legitimate" rape. I'll just try to pass it into law.”

Paul Ryan + Todd Akin Sympatico on Women's Reproductive Rights

In a press release last November, Paul Ryan talked up Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo), now known as the “legitimate rape” guy:

“Todd Akin has been a great asset to the House Budget Committee. His principled approach to fiscal responsibility is exactly the kind of leadership America needs and I appreciate his hard work.”

TPM on the Ryan-Akin abortion positions, which are pretty much the same:

Ryan and Akin largely agree when it comes to abortion rights. Both believe abortion should be illegal even in the case of rape and incest. Both were co-sponsors of H.R. 3, the 2011 bill that would have limited the federal abortion coverage exemption only to victims of “forcible rape” and women whose physical health was in danger from her pregnancy, closing a supposed loophole in health-of-the-mother exemptions conservatives have been crowing about for years.

In 2011, Paul Ryan also co-sponsored a personhood amendment along with Todd Akin and other Republicans. If enacted, this bill would “provide that human life shall be deemed to begin with fertilization”, which would likely make birth control illegal.

Mitt Romney Hates Women

Mitt Romney has taken extreme positions on issues women care about, including economic security, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, reproductive rights, Roe v. Wade, and on women’s health. Watch:

Karen Santorum: Rick Santorum Won't Take Away Access to Contraceptives

Like hell he won’t. ANY GOP nominee will defund or limit your access to contraceptives. If you believe otherwise, you haven’t been paying attention.

The GOP War on Women in Texas

Do you ever wonder if reproductive rights would be such a cultural issue if men were the gender which bore the children?

I don’t, because I know that there would be no damn war on reproductive rights if men were the child bearers.

Caroline, a young mother, and her husband, were forced into the misery created by Texas laws which seek to abridge reproductive rights of women, and to confer slut shaming  on those who make choices not acceptable to these almost all male lawmakers.

GOP lawmakers should all be forced to have vasectomies.

Morning Quote: Hillary Clinton

“Why extremists always focus on women, remains a mystery to me, but they all seem to.

It doesn't matter what country they're in, or what religion they claim, they all want to control women, they want to control how we dress, they want to control how we act, they even want to control the decisions that we make about our own health and our own bodies.

Yes, it is hard to believe, but even here at home, we have to stand up for women's rights and reject efforts to marginalize any one of us, because America needs to set an example for the entire world.”

- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the right wing extremists who have taken on the women of America ( and awakened a sleeping giant).

Watch:

The quote is at 23:51.

Unite Against the War on Women

Watch:

Visit www.unitewomen.org to learn more.  Nationwide Protests on 4.28.12.

Morning Quote: Michele Bachmann

“The Republican Party is extremely pro-woman.”

- During an interview on CNN, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) dismissed the concerns of Democratic lawmakers regarding the all male ‘conversation’ House Republicans had over contraception.

Pathetic.

Morning Quote: Rick Santorum

“Well, you can make the argument that if she doesn’t have this baby, if she kills her child, that that, too, could ruin her life. And this is not an easy choice. I understand that. As horrible as the way that that son or daughter and son was created, it still is her child. And whether she has that child or doesn’t, it will always be her child. And she will always know that. And so to embrace her and to love her and to support her and get her through this very difficult time, I’ve always, you know, I believe and I think the right approach is to accept this horribly created — in the sense of rape — but nevertheless a gift in a very broken way, the gift of human life, and accept what God has given to you. As you know, we have to, in lots of different aspects of our life. We have horrible things happen. I can’t think of anything more horrible. But, nevertheless, we have to make the best out of a bad situation.”

- The GOP’s far right Evangelical dope, Rick Santorum, calls a pregnancy which occurs because of a rape, “a gift in a very broken way”.

President Obama on the 39-year Anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Decision

In a statement he wrote yesterday, the 39-year anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling on Roe v. Wade, President Obama defended the landmark decision:

“We must remember that this Supreme Court decision not only protects a woman’s health and reproductive freedom, but also affirms a broader principle: that government should not intrude on private family matters. I remain committed to protecting a woman’s right to choose and this fundamental constitutional right.  While this is a sensitive and often divisive issue- no matter what our views, we must stay united in our determination to prevent unintended pregnancies, support pregnant woman and mothers, reduce the need for abortion, encourage healthy relationships, and promote adoption.  And as we remember this historic anniversary, we must also continue our efforts to ensure that our daughters have the same rights, freedoms, and opportunities as our sons to fulfill their dreams.”

Morning Quote: Bob Cesca

Bob Cesca’s response to this quote from Bill O’Reilly:

“The far-right is utterly dominated by impotent middle aged men with small penises who hate women. I wonder what the correlation is.”

Morning Quote: Mike Huckabee

During an address to an anti-abortion group in 2009, former Arkansas governor, and current talk show host, Mike Huckabee, compared abortion to slavery.

What are we saying to the generation coming after us when we tell them that it is perfectly okay for one person to own another human being? I thought we dealt with that 150 years ago when the issue of slavery was finally settled in this country, and we decided that it no longer was a political issue, it wasn't an issue of geography, it was an issue of morality. That it was either right or it was immoral that one person could own another human being and have full control even to the point of life and death over that other human being.

And this guy is the frontrunner in the public opinion polls for the GOP presidential nominee.

Republicans Vote to Defund Planned Parenthood

Gah. They are such morons, it makes me want to pull my hair out. Washington Post:

WASHINGTON -- The House has approved a Republican proposal to block federal aid for Planned Parenthood.

The 240-185 vote on Friday is a victory for anti-abortion forces led by Indiana GOP Rep. Mike Pence. He says taxpayer money should not go to groups that provide or promote abortion.

Democrats say Planned Parenthood provides contraception and other valuable family planning services, and that cutting off the money will make it hard for women to get such basic help.

It won’t get through the Senate, so once again, the Republican majority in the 112th Congress is wasting time and taxpayer dollars on promoting utter crap.

Also, Bob Cesca on the Washington Post’s silly wording:

I love that last paragraph from the very liberal Washington Post, by the way. Democrats say that? How about REALITY says that. It's a fact -- not a political opinion -- that Planned Parenthood "provides contraception and other valuable family planning services."

Bastards.

Related: Why Do Republicans Hate Women?

Republicans Want to Deprive Pregnant Women and Babies of Food

Krugman notes some of the spending cuts Republicans are proposing, emphasis mine:

WIC 1008 million
Food for Peace 544 million
NOAA 450 million
NASA 579 million
Energy efficiency and renewable energy 899
Science 1111 million
Nuclear nonproliferation 648 million
Federal buildings fund 1653 million
Homeland security administration 489 million
FEMA, various, around 1.2 billion
EPA clean water and drinking water about 1.8 billion
Community health centers 1.3 billion
Centers for disease control 900 million

WIC is nutritional aid for pregnant women and women with young children; let’s cut that, because the damage to the nation from malnourishment is a problem for future politicians.

Bob Cesca, emphasis mine:

The Republicans want to take food from the mouths of babies and pregnant women. Yeah, and they consider themselves "pro-life" and "anti-abortion" without laughing or acknowledgement of the self-contradiction and disgusting irony of their actions.

As I predicted in the beginning of January:

They will cut funding for education, the environment, social programs, and anything that does not directly benefit the wealthy.

So….does anyone really believe that Republicans don’t hate women?

Via Bob Cesca

Nancy Pelosi on the Republican War Against Women

Nancy Pelosi [D-CA] during a conference call with reporters on Thursday, emphasis mine:

They're advancing extreme legislation, It's dangerous to women's health, disrespects the judgment of American women -- I don't know if they even gave that a thought -- and it's the most comprehensive and radical assault on women's health in our lifetime. It's that bad.

What you can do to stop them.

Why Do Republicans Hate Women?

The Republicans in the House are on a crusade, and if the current House appropriations bill passes in the House, and it will, it could also pass in the Senate, and they will essentially be defunding Planned Parenthood, and thus both cancer screenings and birth control for women. Nick Baumann for Mother Jones [emphasis mine]:

Capitol Hill's abortion fight was already heating up, with skirmishes over federal funding for abortion, the effect of the tax code on abortion, and a controversial "forcible rape" provision. But on Wednesday, the Republican-led House of Representatives declared war.

A draft continuing resolution to fund the government, due out tomorrow from the House appropriations committee, will cut $327 million in family planning funding that goes to organizations like Planned Parenthood but that cannot be used to pay for abortions. This money, instead, is used to fund cancer screenings, birth control, and other health care services for poor people. The $327 million is the sum total of this sort of funding under current law. The House GOP is trying to zero out Planned Parenthood.

From a statement released by Cecile Richards, who heads up Planned Parenthood:

Unbelievably, the House Leadership has set its sights on abolishing a program that provides lifesaving and preventive care to millions of women and saves taxpayers money by helping women plan their families. This is an extreme proposal, and the new leaders of the House are pushing it forward at great risk to women and at their own political peril.

Bob Cesca makes an excellent point about the lack of action from the Left [emphasis mine]::

Part of this has to do with the Republican war against women's rights, and part of this has to do with a James O'Keefe/Breitbart style sting operation against Planned Parenthood.

And why isn't every Democrat in the world screaming: "Why are the Republicans against cancer screenings for women?! Why are Republicans against healthcare for women?!"

We need to take action NOW. What can YOU do to help? A few suggestions:

~ You can contact the White House and ask the President to veto the bill should it be passed by both the House and Senate. In fact, it would be a good idea to ask the President to warn lawmakers PRIOR TO passage, that he will veto the bill if this resolution is in the appropriations bill that lands on his desk.

- Contact info for the White House

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Please include your e-mail address

Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461
TTY/TDD / Comments: 202-456-6213

Email the White House

~ You can also contact our own lawmakers via phone AND email, and make it clear that we will not tolerate this blatant lack of concern for women’s health.

- Contact info for your senators
- Contact info for your representatives

~ You can contact friends and family members to make them aware and ask them to take action also.

Anti-Choice Zealots Will be in Charge in the 112th Congress

From Steve Benen, more reasons to regret the outcome of the midterm elections [emphasis mine]:

It's not like conservatives haven't been telegraphing their punches. Republican officials at the state level appear almost desperate to tackle culture-war social issues, and have grand ambitions. GOP activists and their lawmaker allies expect to restrict abortion rights, expand concealed-weapon laws, prohibit stem-cell research, severely limit gay rights, and privatize all kinds of services, including public education.

And then there's Congress, where the incoming House Republican majority has already said it intends to tackle birthright citizenship early in the new year. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) recently added that it's just not possible for someone to be "a fiscal conservative and not be a social conservative."

And worst of all for pro-choice advocates, Joe Pitts and John Boehner, with their newly acquired power. From The New York Times [emphasis mine]:

A leading Congressional opponent of abortion rights, who is in line to take charge of an influential House panel, plans to press for much stricter limits on the procedure.

The selection of the lawmaker, Representative Joe Pitts, Republican of Pennsylvania, as chairman of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health presages a major shift on abortion and family planning, according to opponents and supporters of abortion rights.

Opponents of abortion gained about 45 seats in the midterm elections, and they count the next speaker, Representative John A. Boehner, Republican of Ohio, as a staunch ally, virtually guaranteeing more conflicts with the White House on the issue.

Mr. Pitts was chosen last week as the chairman of the subcommittee, which has jurisdiction over private health insurance, Medicaid and much of Medicare, as well as the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health.

In urging Republican leaders to choose Mr. Pitts, the National Right to Life Committee said he had "made the protection of the sanctity of innocent human life the cornerstone of his service in the House."

Morning Quote

During a campaign (during the primary presidential campaign) stop in Warren, Michigan, in 2008, Mike Huckabee made it clear that he believes that we need two new amendments to the Constitution. One, a human life amendment, and the other an amendment which would define marriage as constitutional between a man and a woman only.

I believe it’s a lot easier to change the Constitution than it would be to change the word of the living God. And that’s what we need to do is to amend the Constitution so it’s in God’s standards rather than trying to change God’s standards so it lines up with some contemporary view of how we treat each other and how we treat the family.

Republicans Strike Again: Sen. Tom Coburn and Sen. Jim DeMint Hold Up Sale of Land for Women’s History Museum in Washington DC

Nothing new in their use of a previously little used parliamentary tactic to stall legislation. Republicans have been using these tactics in the Senate since Obama took office. What stands out this time is their reason for doing so: the museum has planned no exhibits based on the “contributions” of the pro-life movement.

Bastards.

Efforts to build a National Women’s History Museum in Washington, DC, are on hold for now, as Republican U.S. Senators Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and Jim DeMint of South Carolina have used parliamentary tactics to delay passage of legislation creating the museum.

The reasons cited by Coburn and DeMint range from financial concerns to giving too much weight to the abortion rights movement. DeMint reportedly received a letter from the conservative Concerned Women for America which claimed the new museum would “focus on abortion rights without featuring any of the many contributions of the pro-life movement in America.” Supporters of the museum rejected that argument. Museum CEO Joan Wages told USA Today, “We are not going to do an exhibit on that issue because we have to raise $400 million. We cannot afford, literally, to focus on issues that are divisive.”

Source

Raped by your dad? Sharron Angle says to make lemons out of lemonade

Sharron Angle, the Republican candidate for the Senate in Nevada, is just a walking, talking cartoon. The woman gives humanity a bad name. 

In her own words, what Sharron Angle would say to a young girl who was raped by her dad, and subsequently impregnated:

I think that two wrongs don't make a right. And I have been in the situation of counseling young girls, not 13 but 15, who have had very at risk, difficult pregnancies. And my counsel was to look for some alternatives, which they did. And they found that they had made what was really a lemon situation into lemonade.

Make lemon out of lemonade.What kind of a person tells a victim of incest and/or rape to make "lemons out of lemonade" or "two wrongs don't make a right"?

A heartless, calculating moron such as Sharron Angle, apparently.

Also. too. Until one of these self-righteous, phony do-gooders walks the walk by adopting a slew of unwanted babies, I remain completely cynical regarding their motives even when they aren't talking about victims of rape or incest.

Sharron Angle against all choice for women

Sharron Angle, the Republican candidate for the Senate in Nevada, as well as a Tea Party favorite, is waaaay out there on many issues. Her viewpoint on a woman's right to choose is radical. In a radio interview from January 2010, Angle told Bill Manders, the interviewer, that she doesn't even support abortion in cases of rape or incest, rather that "God has a plan.".

MANDERS: I, too, am pro-life but I'm also pro-choice, do you understand what I mean when I say that.

ANGLE: I'm pro responsible choice. There is choice to abstain choice to do contraception. There are all kind of good choices.

MANDERS: Is there any reason at all for an abortion?

ANGLE: Not in my book.

MANDERS: So, in other words, rape and incest would not be something?

ANGLE: You know, I'm a Christian and I believe that God has a plan and a purpose for each one of our lives and that he can intercede in all kinds of situations and we need to have a little faith in many things.

Separation of church and state not withstanding, apparently Sharron Angle would like to impose her religious views on us if she is elected to govern.

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