As Good as Them.

I had planned to make my first new post in six weeks an update on all that’s been going on in my comic life, but as usual, some nut politician has gone and done something far more interesting than anything I’m doing these days, so I am going to bend your ear a bit on the latest insanity coming from the Republican party.

It’s kind of interesting to point out that my very last post had to do with the subject of Daniel Tosh’s rape ‘jokes’ and the ensuing firestorm they caused, and here we are just  a scant few weeks later, and once again, the subject of rape is on the tip of everyone’s tongue. Rep. Todd Akin’s ‘legitimate rape’ comments are sweeping through the comedy community and the country at large. But he’s not alone in his sheer stupidity on the subjects of sex and rape, and his utter lack of respect for women.

Let’s not forget Representative Steve King (R-Iowa) who said he’s never heard of a rape-induced pregnancy. Well then, if Steve hasn’t heard of it, it must be so, right? But he might have used his computer and searched pregnancy by rape statistics before he opened his mouth, because he would have found Pubmed.org (published by the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health) and a study conducted by Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, because according to their abstract of a larger article, Steve is a wee bit out of the knowledge loop on these matters. Here’s what they had to say.

Rape-related pregnancy: estimates and descriptive characteristics from a national sample of women.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

We attempted to determine the national rape-related pregnancy rate and provide descriptive characteristics of pregnancies that result from rape.

STUDY DESIGN:

A national probability sample of 4008 adult American women took part in a 3-year longitudinal survey that assessed the prevalence and incidence of rape and related physical and mental health outcomes.

RESULTS:

The national rape-related pregnancy rate is 5.0% per rape among victims of reproductive age (aged 12 to 45); among adult women an estimated 32,101 pregnancies result from rape each year. Among 34 cases of rape-related pregnancy, the majority occurred among adolescents and resulted from assault by a known, often related perpetrator. Only 11.7% of these victims received immediate medical attention after the assault, and 47.1% received no medical attention related to the rape. A total 32.4% of these victims did not discover they were pregnant until they had already entered the second trimester; 32.2% opted to keep the infant whereas 50% underwent abortion and 5.9% placed the infant for adoption; an additional 11.8% had spontaneous abortion.

CONCLUSIONS:

Rape-related pregnancy occurs with significant frequency. It is a cause of many unwanted pregnancies and is closely linked with family and domestic violence. As we address the epidemic of unintended pregnancies in the United States, greater attention and effort should be aimed at preventing and identifying unwanted pregnancies that result from sexual victimization.

Gee, that was difficult to find, wasn’t it Steve? And while you’re at it, how about passing the article along to this guy, the ‘Reverend’ D. James Kennedy, the spiritual mentor to Congressman Akin...

According to Think Progress, Kennedy has said that rape victims who choose abortion are ‘hysterical’. What’s more, Kennedy has pontificated in a sermon that women are “responsible for their own rape”, and says “the immodest woman is contributing to the lust of other people” by wearing revealing clothing. Remember, this is the SPIRITUAL MENTOR of a United States Congressman, a person who makes laws that govern us all!

By now, one would have hoped that Mitt Romney would have flat out condemned these lunatics and their insane reproductive notions as being too radical even for Republicans; but he didn’t. Romney’s flaccid disapproval of Akin and his choice of Paul Ryan as running mate tacitly give approval to Akin’s bat-shit crazy nonsensical ravings. Couple Romney’s reaction with Ryan’s co-sponsoring of a severely limiting anti-abortion bill with Akin and it becomes awfully difficult to believe that either one of them have anything but disdain and feelings of superiority when it comes to women and their civil rights.

By now, you would have thought that Mitt Romney would have also put the issue of his tax records behind him. On that topic he has been somewhat successful, but only because Akin brought a bigger elephant into the room.

By now, you’d have thought the disaster of Romney’s overseas “Look I’m a Statesman”, 2012 tour would be a distant memory, and for the most part it was until Republican conservative congressman Kevin Yoder of Kansas decided to skinny dip in the Sea of Galilee last week and reminded us all once again that having the title ‘Congressman’ ‘statesman’ or ‘President’ does not automatically or magically make one worthy or qualified to bear any of those titles.    

By now, it would seem apparent that Paul Ryan is in the pocket of the mega contributors like the Koch Brothers, et al. Equally apparent is his penchant for speaking out of both sides of his mouth as witnessed by his acceptance of federal stimulus way back three years ago and his aforementioned affiliation with the now persona non grata Todd Akin.  

My mind continues to be boggled then by the poll numbers, which show a virtual dead heat between the President and Romney. One would think that by now, thinking, sane, rational, intelligent people would have the courage of their convictions to admit that they were snowed by empty rhetoric and move their support away from Mitt. But that hasn’t happened...yet. But there is something going on and if you keep your ear to the rail you’ll hear it.

In the Right’s crusade to return the U.S. to the white, male, dominated society they so enjoyed for so long, they have literally hijacked the Republican Party and have turned it into what Chris Mathews on MSNBC’s Hardball called a faith-based political party. Their goal is very simple; they want freedom for everyone as long as it conforms to their conception of freedom. In other words, by taking over the workings of OUR government, they can, in effect, stage a perfectly legal coup and install a theocracy that is no less dangerous than any in the Mid-East.

The Right has done what every tyrannical regime since the dawn of time has done when it wants to control its people; it has created enemies to hate. Just look at their list! They see secret subversive Muslim extremists everywhere including the Secretary of State’s staff. They fear the rise of minorities becoming majorities and thus do everything in their power to stem the tide, whether it’s building walls around borders, claiming false voter registration fraud numbers and labeling the President as illegally born. They fear GLBT folk and blame the deaths of soldiers from wars created by a Republican President on GLBT folk, claiming that this is God’s way of punishing America for recognizing the rights of 10% of its population. And if you don’t think that given half a chance they will find a way to get to you too, you are sadly mistaken.

By now you would have thought that saner voices would have prevailed within the Republican Party. Where is that someone who would stand and be a leader, be a statesman? Where is the commitment to country first and personal gain second? Who, from the party of Lincoln can look to his ideals and rise to the occasion?  Instead, we get a parade of loonies, one crazier than the other. Statesmen? No....sheep is more like it. Pandering deadheads and empty suits like Romney et al, who say what they are told to and who name new things and new people to fear each day, so that simple people, who still believe in the ideals and idea of America, look for a Savior to rescue them.

By now, I hope you are thinking, and fired up to act and not wait until it’s too late to react.

By now, I hope you are ready to tell these people to enjoy their freedoms, but don’t take ours away.

By now, I hope you are ready to vote, despite the new regulations put into place to suppress your voice.

And finally, by now, I hope you say loud and clear to these crazies in November, “Bye...NOW!”

That’s it. I’m done bitching. Everybody hug, everybody eat!