I heard a comedian by the name of John Fugelsang do a pretty brilliant bit the other day on the incredible disconnect between the teachings of Jesus and the actions of those who invoke his name in the pursuit of political power. It’s nothing we haven’t discussed here before, but I enjoyed Fugelsang’s perspective, given that he’s the offspring of a former nun and run-away Franciscan Brother, and knows a thing or two about the Bible. And, so, when I read in the news today that Rick Santorum, who professes to be the most religious of our current candidates for president, was in fact the least charitable of the bunch, Fugelsang’s concise, thoughtful diatribe on hypocrisy came to mind. I was going to post video of it here, but, then, at the last minute, I changed my mind, and decided to share something even funnier – this video of Santorum being interviewed a few days ago by James “Focus on the Family” Dobson instead.
That’s right… Obama is taking us down a road that leads directly to the forced euthanasia of seniors. Yes, just as gay marriage has led to rampant beastiality, contraception will surely lead to old people being dragged from their beds in the middle of the night and bludgeoned to death by the dark forces of Obamacare. But, what would you expect from a President who is clearly doing the bidding of Satan?
Oh, hadn’t you heard? Yeah… well, it seems as though Obama is following “a different theology” than the rest of us. Here’s some of what Santorum had to say yesterday.
…Obama’s agenda is “not about you. It’s not about your quality of life. It’s not about your jobs. It’s about some phony ideal. Some phony theology. Oh, not a theology based on the Bible. A different theology,” Santorum told supporters of the conservative Tea Party movement at a Columbus hotel…
As for Santorum’s claims about the prevalence of unwanted euthanasia in the Netherlands, they appear not to be true. At least, it would seem that laws are on the books to keep such things from happening. The following comes by way of Wikipedia:
…The law allows the medical review board to suspend prosecution of doctors who performed euthanasia when each of the following conditions is fulfilled:
- the patient’s suffering is unbearable with no prospect of improvement
- the patient’s request for euthanasia must be voluntary and persist over time (the request cannot be granted when under the influence of others, psychological illness or drugs)
- the patient must be fully aware of his/her condition, prospects and options
- there must be consultation with at least one other independent doctor who needs to confirm the conditions mentioned above
- the death must be carried out in a medically appropriate fashion by the doctor or patient, in which case the doctor must be present
- the patient is at least 12 years old (patients between 12 and 16 years of age require the consent of their parents)…Euthanasia remains a criminal offense in cases not meeting the law’s specific conditions, with the exception of several situations that are not subject to the restrictions of the law at all, because they are considered normal medical practice:
- stopping or not starting a medically useless (futile) treatment
- stopping or not starting a treatment at the patient’s request
- speeding up death as a side-effect of treatment necessary for alleviating serious suffering
And, on top of that, Santorum’s numbers don’t add up. In 2010, 136,058 people in the Netherlands died. During that same year, there were 3,136 cases reported in which a physician assisted in the death of a patient. That’s nowhere near the 10% number that Santorum notes. Furthermore, it’s my understanding that only 182 of those 3,136 cases were actually assisted suicides. The others, if I’m not mistaken, were instances in which patients were allowed to die on their own, without intervention. But, you don’t get to be the frontrunner of today’s Republican party by sticking to the facts. It’s far better to take the stage and say, categorically, that the government of the Netherlands murders over 6,500 people per year, and that’s what Obama has planned for us. That’s the kind of shit that wins elections.
It’s been a while since I’ve read the Bible, but I have to think that, somewhere in it, there has to be something about lying being wrong. But, it seems, the more “religious” you claim to be, the less you need to worry about conforming to what Jesus actually taught. Case in point – Santorum came out a few days ago, saying that the murder of Iranian scientists was, “a wonderful thing.” (Can someone point me to the place in the Bible where Jesus says murder can be a wonderful thing?) But, apparently it’s OK in this instance, though, as Iran is a theocracy. As Santorum pointed out not so long ago, when talking about Iran on the campaign trail, “They’re a theocracy that has deeply embedded beliefs that the afterlife is better than this life… When your principal virtue is to die for Allah, then it’s not a deterrent to have a nuclear threat… It is in fact an encouragement for them to use their nuclear weapon.”
Santorum, who believes in an afterlife better than this one, and just criticized Obama not governing in accordance with “Biblical law,” apparently struggles with the concept of irony.
While we’re on the subject of Santorum, did you happen to see today that he’s suggesting that the federal government sell off all public lands? Who needs national parks anyway, right? Now that they’ve all been photographed, what’s the purpose? Plus, just think of all the beautiful monocle cases and cigar boxes we could make from that old growth timber.
You might also be interested to know that he’s come out and essentially said that we should abolish public education, in favor of home schooling, like during the good ‘ole pioneer days… Which makes total sense, given that what we need as a nation isn’t doctors looking for cures to deadly diseases, and high-tech entrepreneurs, but girls that know how to churn butter and boys who can count high enough to know when they’ve put three seeds in a hole.
I’ve got to think that the people of Michigan will wake up before the 28th, and send this guy back to Pennsylvania once and for all, for the good of the nations, but you never know. People could vote for him just out of sheer dislike for Mitt “I loved Michigan so much that I tied the family dog to the roof of my foreign car and sped away the first chance I got” Romney.
Oh, and speaking of euthanasia bracelets, I’d like to have one made that says, “Please Kill Me if Santorum Wins.”
