In case House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa's (R-Calif.) anti-contraception hearing wasn't quite offensive enough yesterday, the Republican congressman added insult to injury last night by equating his opposition to birth control to Dr. Martin Luther King's fight for civil rights. (via Alex Seitz-Wald)
In what universe does this comparison make sense? Issa invited a series of religious leaders to tell him what he wanted to hear about access to contraception, which the committee chairman realizes is at odds with mainstream public attitudes. But Issa feels better about his position because Dr. King's civil rights struggle wasn't always popular, either?
By that reasoning, anyone who takes an unpopular position on anything can feel justified drawing a parallel between themselves and MLK.
If, however, Issa was trying to imply that King would agree with Republicans on birth control, let's also note that this is wrong, too.
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Has it been noted that what's really important here is that the Blunt amendment would make it possible for anybody to deny healthcare to same-sex spouses of employees? Because I think that should be noted.
Save your furor for the real issue. As much as this is about women's rights....
WHO ARE the 5 Religious men on Issa's Panel?
I can't find their names, affiliations, credentials or who selected them.
RI Mom, actually it was 9 men and 2 women. You can find their name, affiliated organization, and position on the House Oversight Committee page as well as the video from both sessions.
http://oversight.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1598%3A2-16-12-qlines-crossed-separation-of-church-and-state-has-the-obama-administration-trampled-on-freedom-of-religion-and-freedom-of-conscienceq&catid=12&Itemid=20
As a side, I agree that Issa's comparison was grossly inappropriate. But, I think the tweet referencing a letter from MLK advocating federal money for contraception education somewhat relevant. I agree you can't make the leap to say, Rev. King would support the Democrat position but it certain is relevant to the conversation, IMHO.
I want to Issa to be examined to see if he's got a womb! If not, then he should keep his mouth shut & his ignorant opinions to himself!!
I would rather have him examined to see if he has a moral compass. Or, maybe I'd just like to have him probed for no medically necessary reason.
That's what's "really important?" Women's rights are less important than LGBT rights why?
With all due respect to the office of United States Representative, Darrell Issa is an embarrassment of epic proportions.
Issa is not real swift on the use of visuals, but we know that.
What I see here, just from glancing at Dr. King's face while I read the post, is him as if he were sitting in the audience at yesterday's hearing and thinking about Chairman Issa, "This man is an idiot."
I appreciate the way the King Center has references to counter lies with. I guess the republicans really are stuck in the fifteenth century.
It makes perfect sense! The Republicans position on birth control is unpopular so therefore it is morally right. They clearly occupy the moral high-ground here. The rest of us are just unwashed heathens that need to be set straight about stuff like this. Sex is icky and is something that should only be done for procreation.
You're not far off. People on the right sometimes say things to the effect that if you do the right thing then you will be attacked. Of course, one may do the right thing and yet face criticism, but that's a far cry from judging one's own righteousness on the basis of how much blow-back you can generate. It's like they get validation from provoking a negative response, kind of like Internet tr0lls. Now there's a disheartening thought.
Can he stoop any lower? I am ashamed that the GOP exploits the name of MLK, of Christianity, of religion. Issa is a bottom feeder.
He got your attention and in the republican world that seems more important than how they get it.
Like a squalling, temper tantrum throwing 2 years old gets attention.
you forgot the scum-sucking prefex!
Darrell Issa - who once called Pres. Obama "corrupt - is an embarssment to Congress, to his district, to himself and to all of humankind.
The Blunt amendment would allow all sorts of discrimination, against women, against folks who have religious beliefs that differ from their employer, against folks with certain diseases that may be thought by their employer to be due to "bad" behavior. I can't see how the Blunt amendment would ever pass scrutiny as to its constitutionality. However, I agree that it should be strongly opposed on the basis that it allows discrimination against almost anyone. In its implementation it would be highly discriminatory. I strongly support the rights of same six couples to have health insurance coverage just as hetero-sex couples who are married have coverage (I also support marriage for same-sex couples.) However, I don't believe that discrimination against same-sex couples is worse than discrimination against others, women included.
I am thinking(I try that sometimes) that the right is very anxious to push someone into a fight over this so the five activist judges can twist it into a case to overturn Roe Versus Wade.
He invited MALE religious leaders 'that agreed with him', shut out the women (those pesky women!) and calls it a matter of 'conscience'. As another blogger so succintly put it...'CUT THE CRAP!'
I am so old I remember when Christianity itself was not "popular". We confined ourselves to the catacombs, drawing fish on the walls.
The only time we appeared in public was in the Coliseum. . .
The score at halftime is Lions 6, Christians nothing!
"It gave us something to do between annexing rituals, customs and stories from other sources."
"Mithras? Never heard of him."
"Fight against the war on religion, keep Saturn in Saturnalia!"
keep Saturn in Saturnalia!
Most excellent, Vox!
Too bad it will sail over most heads. . .
I always liked the t-shirt that says "give me that old-time religion"
... with a picture of Stonehenge on it.
The Christians are mutts. They steal from others. Christ the Messiah becomes Jesus the savior. His birth is celebrated on the time period druids celebrated the winter solistace. well here is a sample of what I mean as taken from,http://www.feri.com/dawn/religion.html
Because Scandinavian mythology was transmitted and altered by medieval Christian
historians, the original pagan religious beliefs, attitudes, and practices
cannot be determined with certainty. Clearly, however, Scandinavian mythology
developed slowly, and the relative importance of different gods and heroes
varied at different times and places.
Paul, the number of holy days that started out as pagan celebrations is amazing. What's also pretty fascinating is seeing how many early christian churches were built right on top of holy sites - from Rome to Mexico City you can still see the bones of the previous places of worship.
Yup. And now they want to bury the Constitution under their feet as well.
Nearly all the Christian holidays/holy days are scheduled around pagan holy days.
Christmas/Yule
Candlemas/Imbolc
Easter/Ostara (Vernal Equinox)
Pentacost/Litha/Midsummer
Lady Day in August/Lunasadgh
St. Michael's Day/Mabon (Autumnal Equinox)
All Saint's Day/Samhain
Plagiarism at work. If you are trying to make people accept your religion just take over their holy days and put your own spin on them. That way maybe they won't fight quite so hard against having the new religion forced upon them.
This is called syncretism-- one religion appropriates symbols and holidays as a way of encouraging people to leave an older religious/faith/spirituality practice and to adopt the newer one. Comparatively speaking, since Christianity is newer than many religions, it had to borrow/steal from everyone else.
And now Christians are trying to place concepts like liberty, and freedom under their umbrella. They have co-opted these as Christian concepts. As they say this is a Christian nation. This of course implies that if you are not a Christian you don't believe in liberty and freedom and are not a true American.
Well now that I think about it the GOP is co-opting the entire mess- Christians, MLK, liberty, freedom, God. They own it and no one else can have it.
So you folks are stereo typing people of faith the same way conservatives stereo type people of different races. There are many people of faith that are liberal thinking. Don't cut your nose off to spite your face.
My apologies. I myself am Christian but I am also wary of far right zealots who are most assuredly attempting to invoke theocracy upon us. Then there is my belief that one need not accept any religious doctrine to be a true believer for religion is designed to serve the church not man or god.
Just my personal belief which I begrudgingly share as an explanation not as an attempt to convert anyone.
The real head trip is that Judaism was a conversion from polytheism, And lots of leftovers from that surgery were left in the bible. If you've ever read the parts of the bible where it seems like God is talking to, acknowledging or competing against other supernatural entities, there's a reason for that. It's also responsible for God's multiple names and the establishment of famous "false gods" in the old testament, remember all that business with the chosen people being tempted away to worship the storm God Baal, or building poles to Asherah.
Anything Good, Christianity folded into itself, anything that competed, got folded into it's demonic mythos.
The TGOP have just signed their own termination papers.
I hope so.
 While we are at it, lets pass a law that every time a legislator wants to pass a law that would make them an @!$%#, a doctor has to insert a rod called "conscience" in the place that they are being.
I don't want to say this too loudly because I don't want the Republicans to figure out that they are going to lose big in November. But they will if they continue to war on women and everyone else who ISN'T a WASP. Remember that nomenclature, White AngloSaxon Protestant....this is just sad.
Maybe that should actually be SWASP - for STRAIGHT, White, Anglo-Saxon Protestants....I don't think the GOP wants any gays to have any rights at all.
SWASPM Straight White Anglo-Saxon Protestants MALES
There are gay Republicans. GOProud was a co-sponsor of CPAC for a year or two, but not this year. Kinda says it all, really.
I suppose that there's nothing really wrong with being straight, male and white; but the Republicans are doing their damnedest to convince us that there is, regardless.
I don't care if it is a Congressional hearing on birth control policy or reproductive rights or whatever they want to call it, but any time you are discussing women's health and the only women in the room are the note-takers, that hearing is a crock!
Does anyone else feel tempted to offer them balloon bouquets (made of condoms)?
Used, preferably.
(Should I hit 'post comment' or not? I believe I shall!)
These folk live in a different reality; it's a paranoid reality that doesn't acknowledge facts and when truth's smack them in the face, they change the subject. 24-hour news is killing conservative ideology; they are used to saying something and then not being challenged. Guess what conservatives, them days are over-- just like your primitive thinking that deals with complexity by throwing simplicity and grenade words that inflame people's emotions into fear. Thank God for MSNBC and Current TV, love both of them...
Ladies & Gentlemen, it looks like we are going to need a march on Washington very soon. Something's got to give.
You might want to start small, like at the state level where they are demonstrating why they want state rights to trump federal.
That's it!
There must be a new law made,
In the spirit of Godwin's law,
where you lose the argument automatically if you refer to Nazi Germany or characterize your opponent as Hitler, I propose that from now on, if you compare yourself to MLK, you automatically lose.
I second that motion. And also vote to keep Saturn in Saturnalia. But especially to keep Bacchus in Bacchanalia. Priorities, people.
And the Pan in pantisocracy!
This whole thing boils down to the same twisted thinking that gave us that wonderful era called Prohibition. Disguise it, claim it is a religious freedom issue, women's rights, whatever you want, but it is deeply flawed people, in power, who wish to dictate and regulate morality. All this Reupugnitive posturing will bring back back alley abortions, birth control smuggling cartels or better yet, a boon to travel agencies offering discounted group excursions to birth control clinics in other countries. Please, if you value your freedom, vote these people out!!!!!
There's always going to be a conflict between a person's religious beliefs and government. If one of those religious beliefs is that they should control the world.
I believe in personal sovereignty, in human dignity, in liberty, for all Americans. If I need an imaginary creature to give my beliefs weight, than fine. I think all women should be treated as humans first and as reproductive organs second because a magic talking river monster told me.
Now that we have one magic authority figure each, we'll have to judge our different beliefs on their merits alone.
As a High Priestess of the Magic Talking River Monster, I concur.
The problem is, you can't convince religious people that they are crazy. The rigidity of their beliefs increases as a square of the amount of empirical evidence to the contrary.
The same fight that Alfred Kinsey faced...women's sexuality! The same reason why women are circumcised. DESIRE. Women should not desire or enjoy the sexual act.
Surely, she should not be FREE to enjoy sex.
I had a neighbor once, she was an elderly lady. She had given birth to five children, two of them a set of twins. She was poor, over worked and married to an alcoholic that was abusive. Made her life a living hell. She confided how she hated sex. The fear of impregnation haunted her. There was no birth control in her time, so she looked forward to menopause. The death of her husband came first. But with the onset of menopause she was free to have and enjoy her sexual side. As she put it," she was free to f--k down the town!!
Issa speaks for women and African Americans. By whose authority? What a tool.
I want to see them put it to a Vote.....I want to see who votes for it and if they really have the Balls to put their political career on the line.....and then.... remember their names come elections......
oh and hey, Darrell, thanks for conveniently ignoring the exemptions for churches...OH and let me now when you hold "Lines Crossed: Separation of Church and State II" and look into how Conservatives want to unconstitutionally force all Americans to follow their religious doctrine by using it be the basis for civil law.
Yeah, that is wonderfully ironic, isn't? A Republican complaining that the wall of separation has been breached. That wouldn't happen to be the same wall they are always telling doesn't exist, would it?
Someone inform Issa that the Mothership has returned for him.
As I've frequently noted, Darrell Issa looks more than a bit like Count Dracula.
Dr. King was about protecting existing rights and gaining blocked rights. Rep. Issa is about taking rights away and creating big government to enforce that restriction. THAT's a big difference.
"Birth control is a family planning right, not a religious issue. It’s a medical issue between a woman and her doctor, not a political issue between a woman and her congressman. " by Jerry Tetalman, a democrat who is running against Darrel Issa for the 49th district of the house. JerryforCongress2012.com