Wednesday, February 15, 2012

The Pantheon of 'Puke Nightmares: (1) Rick Santorum






Okay, in this blog and continuing on monthly, I will look at each top Repuke candidate for his party's nomination in the effort to convince thinking Americans that if any one of these Bozos gets elected president of this country, we are all down the chute, or as Bajans put it "for the high jump".

Given Rick Santorum now seems to be the chattering class' darling of the moment, and also we can't be certain just how long he will remain there, I will start with him. After all, he also seems to be latest darling of the Tea Party crowd.

Now, question: what would you get if you crossed the genes of former long time (Laugh -In) comic and sometime 60's presidential contender Pat Paulsen and the fiery evangelical preacher, Pat Robertson? C'mon, no longish guessing!

The answer is: Rick Santorum!

But there's nothing comical about this character. And to firmly establish that framework, let me quote the words of Economist editor Zanny Minton Beddoes, when she appeared on Bill Maher's Real Time last Friday night:

"If Mitt Romney would take America back to the 19th century, Rick Santorum would take it back to the 13th!"

Ah yes, the 13th century, just as the Inquisition was getting revved up and atheists, as well as heretics like the Albigensians were getting their intestines pulled out and force fed to them for their disbelief (or altered peceptions of belief), while women were impaled through their pudenda on monstrously long (~ 8½') spikes for trying to abort births or ....practicing then primitive forms of what they took to be contraception. And we won't even detail what the Inquisitors did to those females pegged as lesbians or prostitutes! There are limits to what the human stomach can tolerate in respect of the extremes of torture description !

Ah yes, the era to which Santorum would return us all if he could! Or, if a large enough segment of the electorate is stupid enough to allow it - either by directly voting for him in a possible national election or not voting at all out of some pique with Obama.

Yeppers, it's true that Santorum is a Catholic, but make no mistake this guy is no Jack Kennedy! I knew Jack Kennedy at the time he actually lived (especially when he came to Miami in October, 1963 and gave speeches) and knew from Kennedy's speeches he was absolutely committed to total separation of church and State. Nor would he have accepted the hysteria all around us now that the Catholic Bishops' demand that they not be subject to the birth control mandate of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act based on "religious freedom". No it isn't, because no one is denying them the right to practice their religion any damned place they want - only informing them that if they have PUBLIC institutions operating in the public space they can't deny those health benefits to their (secular)employees which other hospitals, schools, universities etc. must provide. I other words, one cannot have two separate federal standards. If they don't like it, then cease operations in the public square. We will somehow make do without you, especially since your tax exemptions can now be withdrawn!

But see, Santorum easily plays to this hysteria because he also believes that a bunch of fucked up old celibate men in robes, the descendants of the miscreants that theatened Galileo with their tortures (for his theory of the Sun-centered solar system) are teaching wisdom and truth. (Of course, they later had to admit that Galileo was right! They also retracted their condemnation....400 years later!) But those of us who are dedicated members of the Reality community see it instead in terms of this letter - paraphrased from today's Denver Post (referring to the Catholic Bishops):

"Why, in a world with limited resources and a population exceeding 7 billion regard as immoral any form of contraception...and why should we listen to what a group of old men- with a mediocre track record on reality -says when it comes to women's health care?"

Bingo! But make no mistake that Santorum is listening, and doubtless believes that he can parlay this conflict between the administration and the Bishops into a GOOPer nomination and maybe even the presidency.

Hell, Santorum himself has always inveighed against abortions, saying they ought not be allowed under any circumstances, and further -- if he had his way they'd be outlawed, even in cases of rape or incest. Well, if he gets in welcome back to the dire world (pre -1972) of back alley butchery with coat hangers, strychnine, and ghastly drug potions to try to "evict" the fetus. Think not? Well, the first thing he will do as soon any of the "liberal" justices depart, is appoint hard core zealots that think like he does. Think the wussy dems will stop that? Don't hold your breath, not when they didn't stop Alito or Roberts when any numskull knew their pro-corporate positions and that they'd lead one day to a 'Citizens United' decision!

With this irrational moral position, you can believe Rick Santorum will sign any deal with the Bishops to outlaw all forms of contraception as well, if it isn't the method of Ogino-Kaus (rhythm method). Even if he can't outlaw them, he'll do all in his power to halt all federal funding, including going after Planned Parenthood via any ruse he can. As for Obama's signature Affordable Care Act, that's one of the first casualties of a Santorum presidency - so millions of his fellow Catholics will then be left out of affordable insurance coverage or ANY coverage, if they have any pre-existing conditions! As for contraceptives, women will likely have to try and get them in Canada or via domestic black markets. You can bet your sweet bippy they no longer will be widely available - look for Santorum's henchmen to even have condoms banned in drug stores!

Do people really want to live under a Santorum Theocracy, with the Catholic Bishops advising him on his every move? And meanwhile, forget all the bullshit about his caring for the working or middle class. The first thing he would do after his pseudo-morality moves is cooperate with a possible Repuke House and Senate to gut Medicare and Social Security.

And hey, if poor oldsters then need help or assistance? He will dispatch them to Catholic charities to beg.

Make no mistake that Santorum would be a nightmare. He will make the Borgias look like the Smothers Brothers.

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