Sanctimonious Santorum Strikes Again

Rick "man on dog" Santorum managed the amazing fête of shoving both feet in his mouth while his head was lodged firmly in his anus at a speaking engagement to the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, a Conservative educational organization that claims to be non-partisan. The event had a porcine theme featuring an entree of BBQ pig and a speech by the chauvinist senator during which he announced he envisions a good America like it was in the 1830s (when women were chattle and blacks were slaves). In contrast, he announced liberals prefer a country like modern day France, Holland or Sweden (I guess this must be based on the liberal affinity for indoor plumbing, appreciation of science and support for women's rights - including encouragement of the availability of education to all and disdain for coverture).

Santorum proceeded to show a lack of comprehension that his inane dogma in which he proclaims Conservatives want

freedom "for something better; we wanted a freedom for our community, our families, something we could build upon"

is actually the antithesis of what he and the Repubevangelical party promotes by denying that same freedom to those who would chose to live, act and/or believe differently than a good, Christian American did (or even admit to wanting to do) back in the days prior to the Civil War and voting rights for folks that weren't limited to white men.

Santorum also derided a popular culture and its effects on children.

You know you wouldn't send your child into parts of east Wilmington at 11 o'clock at night alone if they're 5 years old," Santorum said. "But when you sit a child down at a computer chat room, you're doing pretty much the same thing to their mind. It's a very dangerous place. Many parents don't realize that."

I'm not sure who's putting their 5 year old a computer to use a chat room without watching them (frankly, why anyone would have a 5 year old use a chat room is beyond me), but his point has nothing to do with Conservatism vs Liberalism and everything to do with bad parenting completely unrelated to politics. I'm equally, if not more concerned, about a parent that would let their child use an oven unattended (it's a rare 5-year old that would understand most of the dangerous/sleazy activity in a chat room or be able to participate; it's not too rare for a child to get one hell of a burn from getting too close to a hot oven). Santorum also said

"Conservatives need to stop sitting on the sidelines, throwing stones at Hollywood, complaining about how bad they are," Santorum said. "We need to engage in the culture. They shouldn't be telling their children, 'Don't be an artist. Don't go to Hollywood, because you're going to be corrupted.'... we need people in Hollywood writing good scripts. We need musicians who are singing the truth."

He conveniently ignored the fact that if conservatives want to be free of the bad influence of Hollywood and discourage TV/movies/music they consider immoral, corrupt and/or otherwise offensive, they should cease consuming that offensive materials themselves (that includes refraining from watching it and/or listening to it in addition to refraining from renting/purchasing it directly). Hollywood is not going to inundate us with crap it can't sell, if they didn't make a tidy profit from Americans (including conservatives) we wouldn't be stuck with the likes of good, Republican, Christian Jessica Simpson cavorting around half naked or the televised conversations between members of the Simpson family that one certainly doesn't expect from a man of the cloth and his kin.

Lastly, Santorum noted the importance of the role of parents

"The role of a mother or father is just as important as a publisher, or a senator, or a lawyer. . ."

I beg to differ, the roles of both parents not just one or the other are extremely important and, while there is a lot of work to them, they are roles not jobs. Jobs and careers are things most people do to financially support themselves and their families, while many obtain a lot of satisfaction and enjoyment from their job, many do not. Parenthood is something altogether different, its purpose is to create a warm, nuturing environment in which a child can grow, learn and eventually become a contributing member of society. Unfortunately, the senator still doesn't seem to understand that most people are multidimensional and are able to find gratification from multiple sources both intrinsic and extrinsic (and there's nothing worng with that despite what Santorum says).

Happy, healthy, responsible and well-adjusted parents that are able to obtain personal satisfaction from various aspects of their lives set an example to their children that they too can and should see themselves as something more than their familial connections and roles. Allowing women to be as multidimensional as men and, more importantly, allowing people of both sexes to decide what roles they will play within the confines of their marriage as well as whether to work outside the home or not (including their own determination of what, if any, sacrifices made to allow one to be a stay-at-home-parent are acceptable to them) shows children not only the value of choice but what an awesome responsibility free will is. It is a lesson in the consequences of actions and the importance of thinking through decisions that will lend additional appreciation of the freedom we have when we are not forced into a position that does not suit us purely because of some archaic notion mandating a specific and limited role without regard to the person put in that position.

Tags: Rick "man on dog" Santorum; marriage; feminism; parenthood; conservatism; fundamentalism; Politics; Religion; Hypocrisy

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