What Planet is this Guy From?

Since President Obama has provided his long-form birth certificate to show once and for all that he was born in this country, we need to demand a birth certificate from Republican candidate Rick Santorum. Given his recent remarks, I’m wondering whether he’s even from this planet.

In a speech criticizing President Obama’s foreign policy, Santorum mentioned Venezuela as a threat but did not even mention Afghanistan. Our troops have been there for 10 years, Osama Bin Laden is still at large, but Hugo Chavez is a threat to our security?

Santorum also warned against Sharia law being imposed in the U.S. Apparently, Santorum does not understand the very first clause if the first amendment of our Constitution: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” Christians, who represent more than 70% of our population, can’t set up nativity scenes in public parks, but somehow Muslims, who account for less than 1% of the U.S. population, are going to pass laws forcing all the men to grow beards and women to wear burkas?

Santorum also said that the U.S. should make further investments in humanitarian aid, particularly in Africa. "200,000 babies do not have AIDS today who otherwise would have, and millions of people are alive today due to American-provided anti-viral drugs," he said. Strangely, Santorum wrote an editorial earlier this month in which he called the Affordable Care Act “tyranny.” So let me get this straight: Santorum says we should spend our tax dollars to provide free health care to Africans, but we should oppose reforms that provide Americans with affordable health care?

What planet is this guy from?

Santorum’s speech:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/04/28/santorum_slams_obama_in_foreign_policy_speech_109692.html

Congressman Promotes Torture, Bigotry, and Censorship

Congressman Allen West was recently quoted for referring to President Obama as “a low-level socialist agitator.” He was referring to Obama’s budget proposal, so I guess anyone who dares to ask the wealthy to pay taxes is a socialist, by Republican standards.

Name-calling is nothing new for West, who recently said that Democratic Congressman Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, "really does represent the antithesis of the principles upon which this country was established." To show further disdain for the First Amendment, West also called for censorship of U.S. media that published information from WikLeaks.

Who is this Allen West? He was a Lieutenant Colonel who retired from the Army rather than face court martial and a possible prison sentence after admitting he tortured an Iraqi prisoner. This is a new low, even for Republicans. Let’s hope the voters in Florida see him for what he really is and send him packing in 2012.

West’s record of torture:

http://articles.cnn.com/2003-12-12/us/sprj.nirq.west.ruling_1_allen-west-iraqi-detainee-military-justice?_s=PM:US

West opposes freedom of religion:

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2011/02/rep-allen-west-islam-2012-elections-/1

West opposes freedom of the press:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20025662-503544.html

Stand Against Prejudice

Congressman Peter King’s hearings on radical Islam have been criticized as bigoted and un-American. The critics are right. Congressman King is wrong, and anyone who values freedom of religion should speak out against anti-Muslim bigotry.

King says he will hold more hearings; we need to stand up for freedom and say no! Consider the quote below and see just how far from our first amendment rights King and some other right-wing politicians have drifted:

"Here in the United States our Muslim citizens are making many contributions in business, science and law, medicine and education, and in other fields. Muslim members of our Armed Forces and of my administration are serving their fellow Americans with distinction, upholding our nation's ideals of liberty and justice in a world at peace."

President George W. Bush, December 5, 2002

And Congressman King is a hypocrite as well. The link below documents his ties to the Irish Republican Army, a religious terror group that killed hundreds of civilians.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/09/us/politics/09king.html

Our First Death Panel

During the debate over health care reform, Republicans warned us about the impending “death panels.” What they forgot to tell us was that it would be Republicans setting up the death panels and deciding who lives and dies.

Since Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer cut the state’s Medicaid budget, 98 people have been denied state Medicaid funding for potentially life-saving transplants. Two of those people have died.

From Reuters: “Most states are not proposing to trim Medicaid rolls because the new federal health reform law requires that they maintain current Medicaid coverage. But the U.S. Health and Human Services Department has said Arizona can drop coverage because the state is providing it through a temporary waiver, and the new law does not require extending that. … Taking an ax to transplant funding is backed by many Republicans in Arizona, some of who sympathize with Brewer.”

http://health.yahoo.net/news/s/nm/us_arizona_transplants

Our first government death panel comes not from “Obamacare” but from Tea Party Republicans working through a loophole in Obamacare.

Truth Should Matter

Recently, Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee repeated statements about President Obama that were disproven before the last election. In one interview, Huckabee falsely claimed that Obama had been raised in Kenya; in another, Huckabee implied that Obama had attended a madrassa as a child. Huckabee is not stupid, and he must know that both of these claims had been thoroughly investigated and proven false.

While it’s not shocking for politicians to slander their opponents, two aspects of this story are especially troubling.

First, Huckabee’s statements seem to be an attempt to appeal to the fears and prejudices of the worst elements of the Republican base. 

Second, this is further evidence that the truth no longer matters in American politics. “Birthers” refuse to believe Obama was born in the U.S., despite having seen his birth certificate. In 2009, opponents of the health care reform law repeated lies about the legislation that were widely believed. Climate change deniers continue to ignore the overwhelming scientific evidence supporting man-made climate change.

Sensible people change their opinions when contradicted by facts; honest people do not make statements they know are false.

The Wrong Side of History

Arizona’s anti-immigration law SB-1070 was the first of many proposed laws designed to target illegal immigrants. Bills have been proposed in several states encourage a strict—some would say harsh—enforcement of our federal immigration laws. The problem with these proposals, aside from the prejudice they intentionally or unintentionally promote, is that our federal immigration laws are unjust.

The great thing about or system of government is that when laws are unjust, we can change them. People who defend our current immigration policies will be remembered the way supporters of slavery and the Jim Crow segregation laws are remembered today: They are on the wrong side of history.

The Episcopal Church, the Catholic Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, the Unitarian Universalist Church, and the Presbyterian Church are among the groups that have issued statements calling for immigration reforms that uphold human dignity. Whatever your faith, I hope you will join the fight against prejudice and oppression.

End Foreign Aid? At Least Cut It

I don’t agree with Senator Rand Paul on many issues, but I do agree with his recent statements on CNN about ending all foreign aid. While Paul’s proposal to end all foreign aid might be a bit drastic, (in situations where people would otherwise starve, for example, I think we should continue to help) there are plenty of countries that need to stand on their own.

This is one of the few issues for which the Tea Party brand of fiscal conservatism makes sense. If our elected leaders are serious about balancing the budget, all spending must be on the table. Every cent that goes to foreign governments should be scrutinized.

http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/usnews/foreign-policy/6109-sen-rand-paul-end-all-foreign-aid