By Michael Bryan
I've been hugely entertained by the GOP primary between Flake and Cardon, but really I haven't seen much difference between them. Differences do exist, of course, and many Republicans can tell you all about them. Democrats generally won't be able to see a lick of difference.
But there is one subject on which there is a key difference between these two Republicans: abortion.
Mr. Flake and Mr. Cardon are clearly both opposed to abortion. But in today's GOP, Mr. Flake is 'soft' on abortion, and Mr. Cardon is a 'real' Republican.
The GOP has been moving sharply rightward on abortion lately. Opposing abortions even in the circumstance of rape or incest is now a very mainstream GOP position. Increasingly, the GOP orthodoxy is to force a victim of rape or incest to bear the child of the man who violated her.
This issue is basis of the clearest difference between these two rock-ribbed paleo-conservatives. Mr. Flake does not favor forcing the victims of rape or incest to bear the child, Mr. Cardon does.
Who says the Center For Arizona Policy isn't good for anything? I would not have realized just how many GOP candidates for Federal office this year side with Mr. Cardon in forcing victims of rape and incest to carry the progeny of thier attackers to term without their candidate questionaire.
GOP politicians who favor forcing women to bear the children of rape and incent include: Jon Paton in CD1, Martha McSally in CD2, Gabriela Saucedo Mercer and Jaime Vasquez in CD3, Paul Gosar (who even seems to oppose abortion even to save the life of the mother) and Ron Gould in CD4, Kirk Adams and Matt Salmon in CD5, David Schweikert in CD6 (I guess Benny is soft on abortion), Trent Franks in CD8, and Leah Campos Schandlbauer, Travis Grantham, Vernon Parker, Wendy J. Rogers, and Martin Sepulveda in CD9.
In fact, in most Congressional districts, Republicans don't have a choice about choice: they only have candidates who support forcing women to carry rape and incest pregnancies to term.
Indeed, most GOP candidates for State Legislature also support forcing victims of rape and incest to term as well, even in presumably competitive districts. I encourage any Republican who doesn't support such an extreme position to take a close look at the questionaire of your local candidates. You might be surprised.
Discover more from Blog for Arizona
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
The latest figures from http://icasualties.org/ note that only 1 US soldier has died in Iraq in 2012 (down from dozens in 2010 and 2011). There have been 285 US soldiers who have died in Afghanistan in 2012 (so far). I plan to vote for the only candidate for US Senate that support an end to overseas occupation, Marc Victor [Libertarian].
http://www.victorforsenate.com/foreign-policy/
As for his position on abortion Mr. Victor quotes the US Libertarian Party platform:
“Recognizing that abortion is a sensitive issue and that people can hold good-faith views on all sides, we believe that government should be kept out of the matter, leaving the question to each person for their conscientious consideration.”
http://victorforsenate.com/libertarianparty.htm
“Uniformed Afghan kills 3 U.S. troops in apparently premeditated assault” – August 10th, 2012
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2012/08/three-americans-killed-by-uniformed-afghan-in-apparently-premeditated-assault.html
http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=15507
“Lake Havasu City soldier killed in Afghanistan” – July 17th, 2012
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2012/07/17/20120717lake-havasu-city-soldier-killed-afghanistan.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Forces_casualties_in_the_war_in_Afghanistan
What she said.
Thank you, Michael. I was going to speak to the “murdering baby” issue…but it just seemed like it would be a lost cause. You said that very well:)
Presented without much comment from me. This happened in Michigan…Roger,Pete and Alberto….you need to mind your own business and worry about YOU. Women don’t need your “values” thrust on them. I can’t tell you all how much your comments have disgusted and enraged me. You have NO IDEA what you’re talking about.
This report contains offensive and violent language and is not safe for work.
Police in Grand Rapids, Michigan say that there was nothing they could do after Bible-preaching protesters threatened to rape and murder pro-LGBT activists at a “Gay Day” event over the weekend.
In a video posted to YouTube, several protesters with Bibles can be seen shouting at a woman celebrating in the inaugural “Gay Day” celebration, an event organized by the human rights group Tolerance, Equality and Awareness Movement (TEAM) to showcase the community’s diversity.
“Back in the day there was no free power, there was no going to the mall,” one protester tells the woman. “There was, ‘sit your ass in this house until I bring my ass home.'”
“And if your ass get to going out there like you said, guess what?” a second protester adds. “You get raped. And that’s what’s going to happen to you. … Keep your pussy clean, that’s all you need to do. Do you understand?”
After one man claims, “the Lord said that,” the woman challenges him to find the corresponding Bible verse.
He responds with Isaiah 13: “Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.”
“What does ‘ravished’ mean? It means, we going to rape your ass,” the protester explains. “And I’m going to have fun doing that shit. And you going to like that. I promise you.”
After briefly arguing that he is misinterpreting the Bible, the woman observes, “Anything I say, you say it doesn’t matter.”
“It’s going to matter right now,” the man shoots back. “It’s going to matter when your clothes off and I’m going inside of you repeatedly. That’s when it’s going to matter. Because you going to enjoy yourself.”
Clearly, once you define abortion as murdering baby, any compromise or discussion becomes impossible. You might consider that not everyone believes as you do (as your conclusion is based on your religious convictions, not scientific consensus) that a fetus is the medical and moral equivalent of a baby. The society we live in does not accept your theologically-inspired assertion.
Btw, I’m pleased you have adopted ‘stupid dumbass’ as your ‘handle’, it suits you well.
Pete, Roger, Alberto.I assume that you are all male. I find it both amusing AND offensive that you feel the need to vilify a woman’s choice in the way you do. You can certainly have your own thoughts about this issue, but don’t any of you DARE! DARE! presume to speak for everyone and force your ideals on everyone else, especially women!!!!!!!!!!! You will never know the angst, pain, fear, shame, etc that goes along with this personal choice that a woman may need to make! Your holier than thou, black and white attitude just shows me that you have no idea what you’re talking about, but this a decision that YOU will never have to make in your lifetime, so I see why you are so quick to throw in your two cents.
Let me remind you that this is a legal, personal healthcare decision. That is all you need to understand. You don’t have to like it or agree with it. Nobody asked you.When you get a vagina, and ovaries, and a uterus, then you get to weigh in. When you share the responsibility for the pregnancy in the first place, you can have a voice with your partner, but even then, it is only a portion of the painful decision that will ultimately be the woman’s, and the woman’s alone.She will decide what is best for her,and her life circumstances, and I would say that THAT is what bothers you as much as the abortion itself. That a woman would have the audacity to empower herself and do what she feels is right…without regard to interference from a man.
Why should a woman bear 100% of the responsibility when she is only 50% of the equation? Those of you that feel the need to inject your personal morals on everyone else, as if yours are the only right ones, love to speak of an unborn child, yet as soon as a baby is born, well…you’re on your own.
Fist pumping your male superiority and decision making skills here, calling anyone that doesn’t share your myopic narrow view, a stupid dumbass.I see all I need to see.You want to begin to take some responsibility for decreasing the number of abortions ( which aren’t NEAR as many as your narrow minds imagine)? Then I have a suggestion for all of you. It’s simple. Keep it in your pants!!! Have respect for a woman, in all instances and at all times.Share in the responsibility of birth control, because last time I checked, we couldn’t get pregnant by ourselves. That birth control could be dicey though…men want to take that away from us too…
It’s a personal healthcare choice you don’t have to ever make.This is about control as much as anything else…and in this regard, you have none.
Because the father was a cretin and the woman does not have to birth a cretin child. Stay out of other people’s business.
Your right mbryanaz, why should they pass laws that keep us from murdering
people. That’s FORCING us to do something we don’t want to do, that’s just
TERRIBLE! ‘Stupid dumbass’
You know what’s disgusting to me? Murdering an innocent baby, just
because of the way it was conceived. What did the baby do to deserve death?
There are a lot of couples out there that would be willing to adopt
that child. Why murder it?
When they want to pass laws which mandate that everyone behave in conformance with their beliefs that is the exact definition of FORCING someone. I’ll leave you insulting comment up so that readers may decide who the ‘Stupid dumbass’ in this exchange might be.
Sorry, abortion for ANY reason is still murder. Rape and incest are terrible. The consequences for the mother are enormous but not like the consequences are to a victim of abortion.
You are a wise man, Alberto. Well said!
Just because the poeple or candidates have their beliefs and are pro life does not mean they ARE FORCING YOU to carry your rape baby Stupid dumbass… They are not in Favor of FORCING anyone.. Hence the question; what is your stance, anre you pro life or pro choice?..It is a belief and a decree they live by..If you are a god fearing person you would know that taking a life is taking a life whether it be a rape baby or not… Pro life or Pro choice…. How about Obama FORCING All his policies on WE the POEPLE??
What a callous, despicable point of view, that a woman must carry to term progeny conceived by rape. Get these sanctimonious know-nothings out of positions of power. They disgust me.
vote the “paleo conservaboors” out once and for all. Vote Carmona!
Carmona’s getting mine, that’s for sure!
The Flake/Cardon primary reminds me of the recent Texas race where an *extreme* righty beat Rick Perry’s Lt. Governor by painting as a “moderate”. Anybody who hangs with Perry is obviously not a moderate.
A Cardon-Carmona race would be interesting. Carmona would pretty much get all of the women’s vote.