An ode to Rick Santorum

Rick Santorum is one of those people whom I'm surprised actually exists. He's every stereotype of a conservative religious fundamentalist rolled into one convenient package. He consistently says things that you don't think anyone is really stupid enough to say, and better yet, he believes what he says. Most of the time, people like him are on the fringes. They're the Ken Hams of the world, making lots of noise but not really being familiar to anyone outside of certain circles. Rick Santorum, though, is running for President of the fucking United States, and even though polls show that Obama would beat him soundly, he's doing quite well for himself in the primaries.

Santorum's....uh.... surge (eww)... in popularity reveals a dark truth about our country: a lot of people are really stupid. Santorum hits every low-point on the "how to be a science-denying, bigoted, misogynistic fundie" checklist. Among other things, he thinks that:

• American policy should be based on the Bible, and (of course) that his view of the Bible and how it should be interpreted to apply to politics is the correct one
• President Obama is waging a war against religious freedom
• Liberal Christians aren't really Christians
• Abortion ought to be completely and totally banned in any and all circumstances
• Prenatal testing should not be covered by insurance, because it may lead to abortions
• Birth control, even within a marriage, is dangerous and wrong
• Gay people don't deserve the same rights as everyone else
• Women should stay at home and raise babies
• Climate change is a liberal conspiracy, and that the Earth's resources are ours for the taking
• Creationism ought to be taught as an alternative to evolutionary science
• Evolution is a 'religion' that promotes atheism
• America is being attacked by Satan
• We shouldn't try to increase college enrollment because universities indoctrinate students into a secular world view

Google with caution

Santorum is obviously a great candidate for '12... 1912. He shows himself on every conceivable issue to be a man who has forsaken reason and evidence-based knowledge for blind religious fundamentalism. All of his views are based on dogma that is not amenable to evidence or skeptical inquiry. It's hard to believe that people like this actually exist in the 21st century, much less that one would be taken seriously as a candidate for the Presidency.

For my part, I hope he wins the nomination. He doesn't have a prayer (pun intended) of courting liberals or moderates, and his archaic views are extreme even for many conservatives. But he's at least more interesting than Mitt Romney, who will probably get the nod even though conservatives don't actually like him.




Sources:
http://slatest.slate.com/posts/2012/02/19/santorum_obama_policies_based_on_phony_theology_not_on_the_bible.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/23/rick-santorum-abortion-rape_n_1224624.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57383106-503544/santorum-opposes-civil-unions-for-same-sex-couples/

http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/santorum-evolution-promotes-atheism-creationism-is-academic-freedom/politics/2012/02/22/35131

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/21/rick-santorum-obama-christianity_n_1291645.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/campaigns/santorum-out-of-step-with-americans-even-most-of-gop-on-birth-control-some-other-issues/2012/02/17/gIQAw8bJJR_story.html

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/world/Rick+Santorum+Satan+2008+speech+resurrected+2012+campaign/6191536/story.html

www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57384204-503544/santorum-obama-wants-to-indoctrinate-students-by-boosting-college-enrollment/