I was initially going to post George Carlin's classic bit on rape, but I thought better of it. I did however find some footage of a legitimate rape where there was no chance of pregnancy...
Alright, enough bullshit. I actually spent some time writing this. While it may come as a shock, I'm not really all that critical of Todd Akin.
To refresh your memory, in case you have somehow forgotten:
I bring up Todd Akin’s
controversial statement, but I don’t do so to pile on regarding remarks that
even Mitt Romney has labeled as “indefensible.”
There are, however some simple facts that lead to this statement being
made. Statements like this become
prevalent when a person’s stance on a moral issue is determined by faith rather
than fact. To hear that the son of a
minister, with his own Masters of Divinity degree from the Covenant Theological
Seminary opposes abortion, even in the case of rape or incest isn’t shocking,
and it’s also not a position he is somehow forbidden to hold on this
issue. Defending that position as a
matter of policy or future policy is where things get tricky, which calls into
question Akin’s ability to effectively represent his constituents in Congress,
as he has for nearly twelve years, and it certainly should call into question
his candidacy for the United States Senate.
This isn’t the first time Akin and
“rape” have been linked publicly, either.
In the early months of this Congress, he was one of 216 Republicans to
capitalize on the momentum created by the 2010 midterm elections, where the
economy and the deficit were the prime issues, and go after abortion. He was co-sponsor of H.R. 3 The No Taxpayer
Funding for Abortion Act. They were nice
enough to put an exception for the case of “forcible rape” which they later had
to remove to secure the votes needed to pass the resolution. It has yet to reach the floor of the Senate
for vote, and a second term for Obama almost assuredly guarantees a veto,
should the law pass both houses. I’m
sure the debates on the floor of the House regarding this provision had to have
been the most atrocious since the 3/5 Compromise was reached during the
Constitutional Convention in 1787. The
fact that 216 Republicans and 10 Democrats believed this legislation would be
viewed as a priority by their constituents saddens me.
For the record, I am Pro-Choice,
though I have no idea how gut wrenching that choice would be. I have never been an advocate of dictating
moral decisions to others within my community whose moral convictions likely
differ from mine. I don’t pretend to
have any answers to moral dilemmas that would be suitable for others to follow,
and I view those people who are convinced of their moral superiority with both
wonder and skepticism. I don’t begrudge
them their faith or belief system, but I neither trust their certainty in areas
of right and wrong nor do I respect their condemnation of those who see things
differently.
Faith can be a powerful force in
our society, depending upon the nature of that faith. When faith in one’s abilities is combined
with understanding of one’s limitations and knowledge in a specific area of
study or expertise, you have a very competent and confident human being. My upbringing, and especially my parents
taught me to have an firm faith in my abilities that some would say borders on
arrogance. Knowledge came easier to me
than many of my peers, and my ability to apply new skills rapidly has been a
talent I have continually exploited both in my personal and professional life. Where I have continually struggled is
identifying and understanding my limitations which shouldn’t be all that
surprising, given my almost unshakable belief in my abilities. Confronting these limitations and my own
mortality will continue to define my growth as a person and my maturation as a
son, husband, and father.
The more interesting aspect of
faith is how it completely defies logic or reason, and faith becomes dangerous when
it replaces logic and reason. This is
where having elected representation like Todd Akin becomes troubling. His views and his faith are not the problem,
entirely. They represent a symptom of a
larger issue within our society. This
issue, or more accurately, this collection of issues could be the beginning of
the end of this country.
I want to be very clear that I don’t
hate religion, and I certainly don’t hate the messages Jesus Christ set forth
in his parables and acts that have been chronicled in the New Testament. He gives us all a great set of directions on
how to be better people, both internally and externally. To quote Pedro Cerrano in the movie Major
League, “I like him very much, but he no help with curveball.”
Where I continue to draw the line
with what passes for religious institutions in this country, is how actively
political they have become, and further how partisan their politics tend to
be. I have no problem with guys like
Akin or Mike Huckabee going to seminary for post-graduate studies. They are, no doubt, entitled to choose their
educational path, however I don’t see the logical progression from religious
studies to pursuing legislative or executive office within their state and
Federal Government. It used to be people
went to Seminary to become ministers, now I guess it’s a spring board to Congressman
and Governor.
I’m not saying either man isn’t
intelligent, but there are some fundamental issues between being a devout
Christian and the pragmatism needed to effectively govern. The level of certainty in the Bible one must
have to pursue degrees from Seminary seems to fly directly in the face of
potential challenges to the Word they hold so dear as they attempt to govern an
electorate that put them in office, while still respecting the individual
liberties of those that didn’t vote for them
Through no fault of his own,
Charles Darwin, and his theory presented in the Origin of Species is viewed as
an outright attack on the divinity from which Genesis tells us we’re
descended. In spite of the evidence
supporting Darwin’s theory, numerous politicians dismiss it as “just a theory.” An example:
“The theory of evolution is a
theory, and essentially the theory of evolution is not science — Darwin made it
up. My
objection is they should ensure whatever scientific material is being put forth
as a standard should at least stand up to scientific method. Under the most
rudimentary, basic scientific examination, the theory of evolution has never
stood up to scientific scrutiny.”
-Kentucky State Representative Ben
Waide (R)
Accepting Darwin’s theory doesn’t
completely invalidate the Creation stories from Genesis, but it is a much less
flattering idea than having been created in the divine image of God. It also deprives us the implied dominion on
this planet we receive as being the only life form capable of talking to our
God. The idea that our species has
evolved from species deemed inferior in our minds is a tough pill to swallow,
when the Biblical view or our origins is much more flattering. A growing number of Americans are dismissing
Darwin’s theory with every passing year, to the point that a clear majority of
Republicans questioned in a recent Gallup Poll completely dismiss the theory
altogether.
There are societal impacts of
completely dismissing one of the most widely accepted scientific theories in
history, and what is essentially the bedrock theory behind most modern life
sciences, though. Once you move past
Darwin, it becomes increasingly easy to dismiss other scientific theories such
as Global Warming or Climate Change or whatever they’re calling it these days,
and, at that point, you’re just getting warmed up.
History is next, and the United
States of America becomes a Christian Nation founded on Christian
principles. Religious separatists such
as the Puritans (Pilgrims) become heroes of religious freedom, even though they
seemed to lack tolerance for anyone who saw things even slightly differently
than they did. Colonies that predate
Plymouth like Jamestown in Virginia are glossed over, because those colonists
weren’t here for religious freedom, they were here speculating on agricultural
ventures, specifically, tobacco. That
doesn’t sound as good, so we either minimize.
Then there’s that whole issue of slavery, the systematic destruction and
relocation of the native residents of this land, and a bloody Civil War, and
that was just the first century. For
some reason, that just doesn’t scream divine inspiration. Yet we still seem to struggle with concepts
like the Separation of Church and State.
I get it, Madison did not specifically write those words into the either
the Constitution or the Bill of Rights.
He also didn’t specifically enumerate the concept of Judicial Review or
that our legal and civil courts would respect common law or legal precedents in
their decisions and processes. Yet we
see those concepts in action repeatedly.
Selectively recognizing accepted
explanations to complex questions creates a standard of selectively recognizing
commonly accepted standards of civility, behavior, communication, and
achievement. Hey, our elected leaders do
it, why can’t we? Turn on your TV,
folks, at some point you’re going to see the glorification of complete
stupidity and/or self absorption. From
the extremely buff, tan, and stupid crew on Jersey Shore, to the poor little
rich girl Kardashians, to the crazy Cajuns on Swamp People, to even the
increasingly shrill pundits on the primetime News Channels, our entertainment
packages boorish, loud, drunk, ignorant, and self centered people as “normal.”
Even revolutionary artistic mediums
such as hip hop have been reduced to three minute advertisements for Jordans,
Bentley, Jewelry, California Weed, and big booty bitches. Socially relevant hip hop like what Chuck D,
KRS-One, 2Pac, and Ice Cube made has been replaced in the national consciousness,
with very few exceptions in the mainstream.
Having grown up in a rural
environment, in small-town Kansas, but having moved onto to my current suburban
existence, I have mixed feelings about Country music, or anything related to
being “country.” I know real cowboys and
real farmers who wear their wide brimmed cowboy hats to keep the sun off their
neck, and drive a lifted four wheel drive because they have to drive it
off-road to tend to their ranch or farm.
I also know wannabe cowboys who live in the suburbs, and drive their
lifted four wheel drives only on pavement to their jobs as software engineers,
all while bitching about gas prices. The
wannabes will shout me down and try to fight me over a simple disagreement at
the bar, while the real cowboys aren’t at the bar because they just worked 13
hours, and have to get up at dawn the following morning.
I’m proud of my roots in rural
Kansas, but I’m equally as proud of my accomplishments after leaving, there
too. Small towns are double edged swords
at times. On one hand, they’re close
knit and comfortable because you know everyone, on the other comfort breeds complacency
and you stop questioning what you’re told, which means you stop growing intellectually.
It doesn’t happen to everyone in a small
town, and some people would never trade their small town life for
anything. To others that small town
amputates your dreams, and plugs in repetition as the prosthesis. Either through resentment or apathy, you
begin to revel in your lack of refinement and education, viewing well spoken
and educated people with distrust or outright contempt.
As a child, growing up in this
country, I was constantly reminded that in areas of mathematics and sciences,
U.S. children were falling behind children from multiple nations around the
globe. In the nearly 20 years since I
graduated from my public High School, that gap has not closed, and has in fact
widened. Rather than focusing on
providing the best possible educational opportunities for our children, parents
and law makers haggle over the curriculum, so as not to offend someone’s
religious background. Rather than making
a career in education desirable and monetarily rewarding, state governments
attempt to neuter their ability to collectively bargain. Then, to take the situation from silly to “dumbest
thing ever” territory, we remove any remnants of competition from our
classrooms and playgrounds. Kids can’t
play tag because of the stigma attached to being “it?” Everyone gets a trophy just for showing up? Is it any wonder we had the Occupy movement,
which basically boiled down to spoiled, self entitled children who went to
college and earned a degree in an unmarketable skill, or a skill that required
additional post graduate studies bitching that they couldn’t find a job, and
blaming Wall Street and the upper 1%.
While I have myriad issues with Investment Banks and the deregulation of
the financial markets, I can’t fully blame them for the unemployment issues in
this country. These kids should be pissed
off, but their anger should be directed at their college counselors for telling
them that a Bachelor’s of Political Science or Art History would improve their
job prospects and their parents for spoiling them by trying to shield them from
failure and consequences.
When you couple glorified ignorance
with the sense of entitlement that has trickled down from the Baby Boomers,
through Generations X and Y, on to the Millenials, you get a lot of foolish
pride. The Americans that came before us
had a pronounced history of questioning the conventional wisdom of the day and
innovating products and processes. When
Henry Ford wanted to increase production of his automobiles, he didn’t stick
with the conventional manufacturing processes of the day, he created a new one
that is still largely used in auto manufacturing to this day.
Our country, through its arts,
technology, scientific inquisitiveness, and spirit of individual opportunity,
has enjoyed an economic and cultural expansion worthy of praise and study. As time has passed, previous Americans
righted most of their systemic and historic social wrongs. From ending slavery to guaranteeing equal
protection under the law to every gender, race, creed, and religion (and we’re
making progress on sexual preference, too.)
We have consistently looked backwards only to see what we need to
correct, made the needed corrections and moved forward. Now, it seems, we’re looking backwards,
glossing over the mistakes of the past, and trying to return to a time that was
either 30 or 60 years ago, as if the 1950’s or 1980’s were somehow idealistic
and without flaw. We’re debating the
same basic issue in statehouses and publicly that Clarence Darrow and William
Jennings Bryan debated in 1925. We’re
also publicly discussing voter discrimination related to race more vehemently
than at any time since Mississippi was burning.
We’re still discussing a Supreme Court case decided nearly 40 years ago.
There is palpable irony in our
current political climate, as well.
Having the majority of citizens in a country that has evolved through
time from a collection of oppressed colonies who were in turn oppressing
everyone but white, landowning men into a global Super Power that provides
equal protection under the law and equal opportunity at success to ALL people
reject the notion that through time and environmental stimuli, species of
plants and animals evolve and adapt to their surrounds would be hysterical were
it not so sad. A nation comprised almost
entirely of the offspring of immigrants fearing the impact that future immigration
may have on its culture is another sad reality.
The country of invention, from the cotton gin, to the steam engine, to
the automobile, to the personal computer and the internet choosing to stand pat
or return to an over glorified past rather than fix what’s broken regardless of
profit and create a better tomorrow for our children. This was not the vision for this country my
Grandparents had, nor is it the vision I have for my Grandchildren.
When you couple our collective
foolish pride with two leviathan Political Parties set up like the corporations
that fund them, complete with marketing, advertising, and acquisitions arms,
you get our current situation. A happily
ignorant, self absorbed, self entitled, and selfish populace choosing between
two candidates propped by and packaged by political strategists employing
combat techniques against each other. It’s
reached a point that both parties view each other as the enemy, rather than
fellow citizens with philosophical differences.
Then you add in the short attention span media coverage, which is always
looking for the “gotcha” sound bite to fuel their barely concealed agenda
behind one of the two parties, and you get polarizing candidates at the
national level like Todd Akin or Nancy Pelosi.
Being moderate or compromising is a sign of weakness to the voters that
view their political affiliation like they view their favorite sports
team. We no longer want common sense
policies that provide the best answer for the common good, we want to demonize
then dominate the opposition party. We
want to replace a civil political dialogue with a shouted monologue, but, most
of all we want to return to our country’s glory years rather than work to
create our own.
The remedies to these serious
societal ills are only clearly defined in their difficulty. Much like how an addict or alcoholic has to
hit bottom before being receptive to therapy, I believe we will, collectively,
have to wake up in drowning in our own piss and vomit before we’re truly
prepared to start rebuilding what it took us such a short time to destroy. Even then, we will probably back slide a few
times and wake up next to that nasty whore from last call.
Pride and ignorance should never be
virtues worthy of celebration or pursuit.
Instead of foaming at the mouth over condemning or defending an ill-informed
opinion spoken by a man from whom such an opinion shouldn’t be a surprise, why
don’t we analyze the circumstances and our culpability in those circumstances that
have allowed this man to, not only serve for over a decade in the House of
Representatives and become a ranking member of that legislative body, but be a
few short months from possibly being voted into the senior house of our
Legislature for six years?
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