If anyone can find a news channel, talk show, or radio call-in show that is not’ talking about Todd Akin and his verbal crash and burn this morning, I’ll eat my hat. I mean wow! This guy just didn’t trip over his words, he threw himself over the side of the Grand Canyon. And there are more theories about what he meant than there are lobbyists in Washington D.C.
Most seem to think he was referring to the oft mentioned “forcible” rape that among some on the Right is seen as the only legitimate’ form of rape. In other words, if a woman chooses not to fight her attacker, it implies consent. I know, I know, but you have to remember these folks were programmed under the “women who dress like whores, deserve to be raped” paradigm of thinking.
But I believe Akin’s thinking was even darker and reveals the true nature of conservatism. What Akin meant was that women in general, cannot be trusted to tell the truth about rape. And by his comment, Akin has opened a tiny window into the true heart of conservatism. And that heart is one that see’s women as less than human. Especially one’s that do unthinkable things like, think for them selves, demand equal rights, or demand dominion over their own bodies. In the true world of conservatives, the only good women are ones that dutifully support and obey their male’ husbands. Sure, they allow a few women to hold office, but it’s purely window dressing I assure you. My own US Congressional District’s Cathy McMorris Rodgers is a prime example. All you ever see her do is stand next to Boehner when he’s holding news conferences.
It goes all the way back to “Eve betrayed Adam” making women responsible for original sin. And the trap is that when you take the Judeo/Christian Bible literally as most conservatives do, you must believe this. That is why we are seeing so much anti-woman proposals coming from the Right. The farther to the Right the Republicans go, the more religious they get. And this has translated into more proposed legislation restricting the reproductive rights of women than anytime in history. And an even more blatant denial that women deserve equal pay for equal work.
I swear, how any woman, or man’ who truly cares about justice and equality can vote Republican is beyond me.
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Comments: 47
We didn't say the war on women was unfair! We said it was manufactured by the Democrats as a diversion to take the attention off of Obama's pitiful record!
Bill Maher
And as Dan E, a well-known denier, can issue such a statement as "We didn't say the war on women was unfair!" it says it all!
They are scare to death to be raped by women, this why they need Amendment#2 and this confirms that DSK has been raped by Nafissatou!
The gender gap exists for a reason.
"Whether mandating transvaginal probes prior to abortion under “informed-consent†logic or misunderstanding basic biology, Republicans have managed to alienate a fair portion of the female population. Even pro-life women will have a hard time standing by men who are so willfully ignorant."
If you want to bring up Obama's record you can do that, also...
Like I already posted;
Bill Maher
And you are welcome to your opinion.....But that is all it is your opinion!
but we all know the truth! Don't we Devin? We know by their actions that conservatives are loving and caring of their fellow human beings that as a group they give more to help the have nots. Just the other day a survey of giving that comes out during the election season once again shows that those states that vote for the conservative candidate for president are more giving than those states who vote for the liberal candidate.
But as you try to imply this stupid man's remarks as evidence of conservative's misogyny all one needs to do is say the name Bill Maher.
Yep, means more regular folk are conservatives.
"And for your information, among the States that send more in taxes"
Just means that the uppity liberals do only what they have to, pay their taxes and not much more to help the suffering of their fellow Americans where we conservatives feel it is our responsibility to personally help and NOT to just rely on the government like the progressives.
Really Devin?
Well then how many times have you paid additional taxes to make sure that those poor get enough care?
Answer: NONE!
Just like the millionaire progressives who call for the government to raise their taxes when the government already has a way for them to donate....But NO! They say! Only if you raise everybody's taxes will I give!
It's a cover for cheap ass liberals....Don't take MY money take the evil rich man's money!
Most men suffer from the delusion of domain. That's why so many men feel that they have a right to comment on the subject in the first place. But isn't that kind of the point of view that gives rise to the phenomenon of rape in the first place?
Bill Maher.
I agree completely. Rape is rape and there is no excuse for rape.
Bill Maher
This old friend quotes the Bible (often) when it comes to women and he firmly believes, quoting the Bible and God, that the man leads the family and everything in the family belongs to the man---not the woman. He is totally against abortion and considers it murder, again quoting the Bible.
For example: When my wife and I were married, he told me her money was now mine but mine was not hers and her's was mine to do with as I wanted. My wife and I did not agree.
This old friend also quotes the Bible to support his political beliefs and believes Presidents Reagan and the two Bushes were among the greatest American presidents ever.
He considers himself a libertarian, Christian born-again evangelical Republican.
It will do no good to try and talk reason to him. It's like talking to a wall. He's has so as much that other people have told him talking to him is like talking to a wall. Then there are times that he confuses me by saying people in other sects really believe as he does.
He has admitted to me that to him the world is black and white and there is no gray or in between and using Scripture, he decides what is black and what is white.
This old friend went to therapy for years and that helped him to forgive the father, who was an old fire-and-brimstone Christian minister, that molested most of his male children--there were ten boys of twelve and my old friend was one of the boys.
And the danger from this sort of insane belief isn't limited to using it as an excuse to force women, against their will, to carry and to give birth to the babies of their rapists.
Yesterday I read a woman's story of being raped, and she pointed out that when the police found out she was pregnant, they closed the investigation and ended their search for the rapist, because they believed in this crazy "you can't get pregnant from rape" idea.
And that, I think, is another big part of the idea. It's part of the mind-set that seeks to punish and shame rape victims. If the women got pregnant from it, well then it couldn't have been rape. How handy for the rapist, and for those who prefer to excuse or even condone rape.
Regardless of how many Republicans say they disagree with some particular part of what Akin said or how he said it, many have made it clear that they share his views on abortion. They believe in using the power of government to force women to remain pregnant against their will. And and increasing number of them believe in using the power of government to force women to remain pregnant and give birth to their rapist's child.
And given recent attempts by Republicans to redefine rape, to change legislation to change wording from "rape" to "forcible rape", I wonder if we're going to see attempts to change laws so that any sexual encounter, violent or not, consensual or not, that results in pregnancy won't be considered rape.
Devin "But I believe Akin’s thinking was even darker and reveals the true nature of conservatism. What Akin meant was that women in general, cannot be trusted to tell the truth about rape. And by his comment, Akin has opened a tiny window into the true heart of conservatism."
Larry, "Sorry, Heather, but the woman is always the one to be blamed according to philosophy of such conservatives."
You guys ... you just repeat what other liberals have told you. I know ???? hundreds of conservatives and haven't ever heard any of them say such nonsense. You're just allowed yourselves to buy into the nonsense from hateful people.
That's exactly right, Sandy.
Yes, it's disturbing and disgusting that people like Todd Akin, Paul Ryan, and others want to use the power and authority of the government to force women to give birth to the child of their rapist.
But it's even more disturbing and disgusting that these people want to use the power and authority of the government to force any woman to remain pregnant and give birth against her will.
No it isn't
Boston Globe, August 22, 2012
Glome said, "You guys ... you just repeat what other liberals have told you. I know ???? Hundreds of conservatives and haven't ever heard any of them say such nonsense. You're just allowed yourselves to buy into the nonsense from hateful people."
Dan E. said, "No it isn't."
____________________________
I have been debating just about every political and religious topic under the sun/dark for the last few years with my old friend (I've mentioned before here). Often this is the type of response he gives. There is no substance—only an opinion.
In fact, for evidence from other sources to support his opinions, he often sends me links to media/Blog posts that are always essays and opinionated and easy to counter when sticking to the facts from reputable sources that avoid, for the most part, stating opinions and only offer facts.
Then this old-friend will counter that my facts cannot be trusted because it comes from the liberal media or questionable sources without any proof that he is correct—just his opinion.
I then say, did you check the names of the sources I used, which are often sources from sites such as the CDC, US Census, the Congressional Budget Office, the UN, and many other nonprofit organizations that deal with literacy, poverty, hunger, modern slavery, etc.
Then there is no response from this old-friend. He seldom or ever admits he was wrong and just moves on to another topic. After all, he is a conservative anointed by God because the Bible says so from quotes selected from Scripture that supports his reasoning.
My challenge to Glome and Dan E. and every other conservative is to prove it with facts from reputable sources instead of throwing out the old and worn cliché that it comes from liberals and cannot be trusted.
The rise of the Conservative Media machine and conservative talk radio is linked to 1987 when Congress vetoed an attempt by both House of Congress to make the Fairness Doctrine law. The Fairness Doctrine was upheld by the US Supreme Court in 1969 as legal under the Constitution.
What was the Fairness Doctrine? It was a law designed to level the media playing field so both sides would have equal time through the same media source to present their views on any given topic. For example, if Rush Limbaugh called someone a whore, which is has done, then that so called whore could respond on his show so his listeners would hear what the alleged whore has to say about Limbaugh's accusations. Without the Fairness Doctrine, there is no guarantee that anything we hear in the media is true or false.
"The Fairness Doctrine had two basic elements: It required broadcasters to devote some of their airtime to discussing controversial matters of public interest, and to air contrasting views regarding those matters. Stations were given wide latitude as to how to provide contrasting views: It could be done through news segments, public affairs shows or editorials.
"Formally adopted as an FCC rule in 1949 and repealed in 1987 by Ronald Reagan’s pro-broadcaster FCC, the doctrine can be traced back to the early days of broadcast regulation.
"Early on, legislators wrestled over competing visions of the future of radio: Should it be commercial or non-commercial? There was even a proposal by the U.S. Navy to control the new technology. The debate included early arguments about how to address the public interest, as well as fears about the awesome power conferred on a handful of licensees.
"American thought and American politics will be largely at the mercy of those who operate these stations, for publicity is the most powerful weapon that can be wielded in a republic. And when such a weapon is placed in the hands of one person, or a single selfish group is permitted to either tacitly or otherwise acquire ownership or dominate these broadcasting stations throughout the country, then woe be to those who dare to differ with them. It will be impossible to compete with them in reaching the ears of the American people."
— Rep. Luther Johnson (D.-Texas), in the debate that preceded the Radio Act of 1927 (KPFA, 1/16/03)
"From the 1920s through the ’70s, the history of the Fairness Doctrine paints a picture of public servants wrestling with how to maintain some public interest standards in the operation of publicly owned—but corporate-dominated—airwaves. Things were about to change.
"The 1980s brought the Reagan Revolution, with its army of anti-regulatory extremists …"
Source: http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2053
In 1991, when Congress attempted to bring the Fairness Doctrine back, President George H. W. Bush threatened another veto.
After 1987, the conservative media machine exploded with conservative talk radio and then was expanded by Murdock's News Corp that includes the conservative Fox TV Network. Have you ever seen the size of News Corp? It is the WORLD'S second-largest media group and the world's third largest in entertainment.
http://www.newscorp.com/
Who benefits the most because America does not have the Fairness Doctrine?
Answer: GOP
Evidence: Politifact offers six categories for claims made by politicians and pundits: true, mostly true, half true, mostly false, false and pants on fire. By nearly every measure, Republicans are found to be considerably more likely to be distorting the facts with their statements.
Source: http://freethoughtblogs.com/dispatches/files/2012/06/party-leaders.jpg
Information about PolitiFAct.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PolitiFact.com
The response from conservatives was to paint Politifact with the "liberal" brush (this is the GOP's most commonly used tactic) with the intent to cast doubt on anything this fact checking organization says—the GOP political/media machine has been doing this since 1987 to counter and cast doubt on any source that shines a negative spotlight on the GOP in any way.
However, I found another way to paint the GOP's base by gathering facts that have not been gathered before to show what type of voter the GOP panders to for support. I published this post on my Blog yesterday and it paints an ugly picture of the GOP. I believe this has never been done before and all the facts I used come from fact-gathering, nonbiased, nonpolitical sources that do not mention politics, Democrats, Republicans, liberals or conservatives. I then used this data to create a spreadsheet to arrive at my conclusion—supporting my new political opinions of the GOP and Democratic Party based on the results of this fact gathering study.
http://lloydlofthouse.org/2012/08/22/conservative-red-versus-liberal-blue-a-new-way-to-see-politics-in-america/
It will be interesting to see how any conservative of any kind will manage to paint my sources with the so-called "liberal" brush in an attempt to discredit them.
Despite the voluminous amount of words you just posted there. none of them challenges the reason for my "No it isn't"post.
Care to actually address the issue to which I was responding?
Or are you just using Gather to promote your blog?
No to your final question. I do not need any help promoting my Blog/s. All five are doing just fine. What I did is provide a link to a specific post on a specific topic that compares the GOP to Democrats---a similar topic. If I was promoting a Blog, I'd be pushing one of my other Blogs, but the others have nothing to do with this topic.
On the other hand, you avoided my challenge. Provide proof of your opinion.
"No it isn't" means nothing.
You see, I do not have to prove anything because you are the one that said "No it isn't" so it is your responsibility to provide evidence from a reliable source to support your opinion.
However, you attempt to divert attention away from that request by questioning my motives and cast me in a negative light. What you did is a logical fallacy known as an Ad Hominem attack where an attempt is made against the person (me in this case) for the purpose of discrediting that person's argument--something conservatives are masters at. When someone throws out an opinion as you did without providing proof, it is logical to request proof, which is why I brought up the Fairness Doctrine and the GOP's war against it.
For example, it is easier to lie and get away with hit when you do not have to allow the other side equal time through the same source.
While it may be true that not all conservatives consider women unequal to men, the facts already presented here by others indicates that the average conservative does see women as inferior to men.
Once you provide evidence supporting your "No it isn't" opinion, I will attempt to find evidence that refutes it. If I cannot find such evidence, then you win that point.
Furthermore, it has been my experience that conservatives cannot maintain or even attempt a logical debate but must resort to logical fallacies. Instead, the usual conservative response is short, opinionated, without facts, and often includes the eventual use of the Ad Hominem.
once again Lloyd!
Doesn't matter your finger pointing and suppositions...My response was to a particular accusation...Care to address that?
I see that you cannot defend your opinion with facts so you attempt to divert attention away from your lack of a proper logical response.
No, this is your opinion to defend. I will wait for a proper response before I reply again.
Once again, Dan, you demonstrate the usual conservative response to any criticism of the GOP.
You let us know when you are ready to address the issue to which I was referring rather than your wild bloviating and empty accusations.
What issues are you talking about? You have not made yourself clear because your comments are empty of any facts and are not specific, which is the norm for a modern day conservatives.
Do you consider yourself an Evangelical Christian?
Did you know that the largest single voting block that votes for GOP candidates come from the religious right and the GOP cannot afford to alienate them or they would not win any elections?
From your post, in which one can only assume by the way you post that you are trying to counter something that Glome and I have posted, then your following diatribe didn't even touch on what brought about my "No it isn't" remark.
Actually Lloyd, I don't have to clarify my remarks, all I need to do is to watch you make a fool out of your self because you didn't bother to read what I was responding to.
No you just run along and do your home work, read back up the thread and see what I was responding to and then maybe we can have a conversation.
This comment supports Devin's opinion:
The GOP and the Abortion Issue
"The platform committee for next week’s Republican National Convention today approved a strict anti-abortion plank that prompted a rebuke from Senator Scott Brown as GOP candidates try to contain fallout from Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin’s comment about rape and abortion." Source: Boston.com
http://www.boston.com/politicalintelligence/2012/08/21/republican-convention-platform-committee-approves-strict-anti-abortion-plank/r8PAXGUUpNE5IsyGY8WAAI/story.html
Why does the Republican Party (GOP) run on a strict anti-abortion platform?
To discover the answer to the question, we need to look closely at the states that have not ratified the Equal Rights Amendment. Six reasons have been given for opposing the ERA, but I will only mention one: The ERA would put abortion rights into the U.S. Constitution and make abortion funding a new constitutional right. Source: Arkansas Republican Assembly (ARRA)
http://arragopwing.com/eraposition.html
The GOP must have a strong platform against abortion or risk losing its largest block of voters.
Evangelicals have been recognized as pivotal players in the American political landscape at least since the election of President Jimmy Carter. As a vital component of the values voter bloc, along with conservative Roman Catholics, they are even credited with making the crucial difference in the 2004 presidential race. Source: US News.com
http://www.usnews.com/news/campaign-2008/articles/2008/09/24/the-evangelical-vote-how-big-is-it-really
In addition, "One study found that 40 percent of the total vote for Bush in 2000 came from Christian Evangelicals, making it the largest single voting bloc in the Republican Party. …
"The most exclusionary and antidemocratic members of the Christian Right are often members of Christian political action groups such as Concerned Women for America. These are groups that regularly spread alarmist and frequently inaccurate claims about liberals, radicals, gays, and feminists. The more frequently a self-identified Evangelical/Born-Again person attends church functions, and the more conservative the theological doctrine and social beliefs they follow, the more likely they are to vote Republican. This especially stands out on the issue of abortion, with 73 percent of Evangelical Bush voters responding that abortion should be illegal in all cases, compared to only 23 percent of Evangelical Gore voters.
While attacks on civil liberties can come from any direction, the political and Christian Right use skillful marketing that exploits the public’s desire for quick solutions and capitalizes on today’s hectic information flow. With clever slogans that oversimplify complex public policy issues, the Right routinely scapegoats others in pursuit of their agenda. Source: PRA: Political Research Associates
http://www.publiceye.org/magazine/v17n2/evangelical-demographics.html
The twenty states that have not ratified ERA are:
1. Arkansas: In 2008:
Democratic Governor
Democrats control both houses of the legislature
51-100% of population affiliated with Evangelical Protestant Tradition
The Republican candidate carried the state in three of the four most recent elections.
2. Alabama:
GOP governor
Both houses of legislature controlled by GOP
41-50% of population affiliated with Evangelical Protestant Tradition. In addition 51-60% believe their religion is the one, true faith leading to eternal life (one of six states)
The Republican candidate carried the state in all four most recent presidential elections (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008).
3. Arizona:
GOP governor
Both houses of legislature controlled by GOP
21-30% of population affiliated with Evangelical Protestant Tradition
The Democratic candidate carried the state in all four of the most recent elections
4. Florida:
GOP governor
Both houses of legislature controlled by GOP
21-30% of population affiliated with Evangelical Protestant Tradition
The Republican candidate and the Democratic candidate each carried the state in two of the four most recent elections
5. Georgia
GOP governor
Both houses of legislature controlled by GOP
41-50% of population affiliated with Evangelical Protestant Tradition
The Republican candidate carried the state in all four most recent presidential elections (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008).
6. Illinois:
Democrats control both houses of the legislature
Democratic Governor
11-20% of population affiliated with Evangelical Protestant Tradition
The Democratic candidate carried the state in all four of the most recent elections
7. Louisiana:
GOP governor
Democrats control both houses of the legislature
41-50% of population affiliated with Evangelical Protestant Tradition
The Republican candidate carried the state in three of the four most recent elections.
8. Mississippi:
GOP governor
Democrats control both houses of the legislature
41-50% of population affiliated with Evangelical Protestant Tradition. In addition 51-60% believe their religion is the one, true faith leading to eternal life (one of six states)
The Republican candidate carried the state in all four most recent presidential elections (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008).
9. Missouri:
Democratic Governor
Both houses of legislature controlled by GOP
31-40% of population affiliated with Evangelical Protestant Tradition
The Republican candidate carried the state in three of the four most recent elections.
10. Nevada:
GOP governor
Democrats control both houses of the legislature
11-20% of population affiliated with Evangelical Protestant Tradition
The Republican candidate and the Democratic candidate each carried the state in two of the four most recent elections
11. North Carolina:
Democratic Governor
Democrats control both houses of the legislature
41-50% of population affiliated with Evangelical Protestant Tradition. In addition 51-60% believe their religion is the one, true faith leading to eternal life (one of six states)
The Republican candidate carried the state in three of the four most recent elections
12 . South Carolina:
GOP governor
Both houses of legislature controlled by GOP
41-50% of population affiliated with Evangelical Protestant Tradition. In addition 51-60% believe their religion is the one, true faith leading to eternal life (one of six states)
The Republican candidate carried the state in all four most recent presidential elections (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008).
13. Oklahoma:
GOP governor
Both houses of legislature controlled by GOP
51-100% of population affiliated with Evangelical Protestant Tradition
The Republican candidate carried the state in all four most recent presidential elections (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008).
14.Utah:
GOP governor
Both houses of legislature controlled by GOP
6-10% of population affiliated with Evangelical Protestant Tradition. In addition 61-70% believe their religion is the one, true faith leading to eternal life (one of six states), and the Mormon Church opposes abortion. About 61% of the state's population are members of The Church of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). Utah has the highest birth rate in the US.
The Republican candidate carried the state in all four most recent presidential elections (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008).
In a setback for the ERA, five states have since rescinded their ratifications thereby requiring ratification by eight more states.
15. Virginia:
GOP governor
one chamber of the legislature controlled by the Democratic Party and the other one controlled by the GOP
31-40% of population affiliated with Evangelical Protestant Tradition
he Republican candidate carried the state in three of the four most recent elections
16.Nebraska: It is unique in that it is the only American state legislature that is unicameral. Unicameralism is the practice of having only one legislative or parliamentary chamber.
GOP governor
Membership of state legislature by party affiliation – GOP = 34 – Democratic Party = 15
21-30% of population affiliated with Evangelical Protestant Tradition
The Republican candidate carried the state in all four most recent presidential elections (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008).
17. Tennessee:
GOP governor
Both houses of legislature controlled by GOP
51-100% of population affiliated with Evangelical Protestant Tradition
The Republican candidate carried the state in three of the four most recent elections
18. Idaho:
GOP governor
Both houses of legislature controlled by GOP
In addition 51-60% believe their religion is the one, true faith leading to eternal life (one of six states)
The Republican candidate carried the state in all four most recent presidential elections (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008).
19. Kentucky:
Democratic Governor
one chamber of the legislature controlled by the Democratic Party and the other one controlled by the GOP
41-50% of population affiliated with Evangelical Protestant Tradition
The Republican candidate carried the state in three of the four most recent elections
20. South Dakota:
GOP governor
Both houses of legislature controlled by GOP
21-30% of population affiliated with Evangelical Protestant Tradition
The Republican candidate carried the state in all four most recent presidential elections (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008).
http://religions.pewforum.org/maps
In fact, "The notion of compromise is alien to the radical religious right, because from their point of view either a belief comes from God, and is therefore absolutely and eternally true, or it comes from the secular world and ultimately from Satan, and is therefore utterly false, no matter how reasonable it may seem.
"For their part, the Republicans in the United States have been happy to see their party energized by the fervor and commitment that religious right true believers can bring to the political process. Since the late 1970s the religious right has steadily transformed the Republican Party from a basically secular, conservative, civic-minded party to become the public face of legitimacy for the otherwise alien values of the radical religious right.
"For almost three decades the leaders of Christian fundamentalist groups have increasingly radicalized their followers by using certain explosively emotive issues. Principal among those has been the legality of abortion, which they consider to be the murder of unborn children."
http://www.sklatch.net/thoughtlets/pall.html
Note: Where you find Democratic majorities in states where voters mostly vote for GOP presidential candidates and there is a high percentage of Evangelical Christians living in that state, the odds are that you will find Blue Dog Democrats representing the values of those same people. Blue Dogs are conservative Democrats that do not support abortion, gay marriages or gun control. Arizona has the only state chapter of Blue Dog Democrats.
http://www.bluedogs.us/
Conclusion: Fifteen of the twenty states that have not ratified the ERA are controlled by the GOP, while only one of the twenty is controlled by the Democratic Party. Four of the states may be considered swing states.
To arrive at this conclusion, I gave each state four points:
1. One point for the governor
2. One point for the legislature (if the state legislature was split, one-half point went to each party)
3. One point for Evangelical Christians (This point counts only if 31% or more of the state population are Evangelical Christians)
4. One point for Presidential elections (if the state split between Democrats and the GOP, each party received one-half point)
Is the Tea Party a wolf in sheep's clothing?
For example, a Pew Research Study discovered that 86% of registered voters had heard of the Tea Party compared with 64% who had heard of the conservative Christian movement. Even among Republican voters, the Tea party is known by 92% compared to 68% for the conservative Christian movement.
In fact, 51% of Republican voters agree with the Tea Party but only 16% agree with the conservative Christian movement.
I'm confident that someone (a conservative Troll) will point out that I'm off topic but I do not think so. I believe these topics are linked to abortion, etc.
Is it all part of a Web designed to mislead ignorant voters.
Source: http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1903/tea-party-movement-religion-social-issues-conservative-christian