03 February 2012

Politics, Personhood, and Shariah Law


Shariah Law?  As I see it from this tropical perch, there are those who would impose their own variety of Shariah law in the US of A.
Archbishop Dolan spoke at Fordham Law School  on Jan 24.   This, from the NY Times report:
"During his lecture, Archbishop Dolan criticized people who postponed conception with “chemicals and latex,” calling them part of the “culture of death.”"
Well, you say, he's not an elected person.  Today, most Catholics, even the devout ones, decide for themselves on how much attention to pay to to that fundamentalist view.  He is just a clergyman, you say, he is not an elected representative, he is not part of our government. He doesn't make the law. He is just talking about his own, or his boss's, view of how we should manage our private lives.
Elected persons make the law.  Okay, so what do the candidates--those who would be our President-- think?  This from the same Times article:
"[Rick Santorum] ... favors allowing states to decide whether to ban birth control." 


Please re-read that sentence.


Yup, you are right:  Mr. Santorum would roll the clock back 50+ years, ignore the US Constitution (Griswold v. CT), and give state legislators the right to criminalize all forms of contraception.  Hard to believe?  Well, there it is.  And he ain't the only one. 


This from the same article:"[Mr. Santorum] and Mr. Gingrich both support “personhood” initiatives that would legally declare fertilized eggs to be persons, effectively banning not just all abortions but also certain contraceptives, including IUDs and some types of birth control pills."  So Newt and Rick, the "smaller government" candidates, the guys who urge "deregulation" for businesses, want to regulate your decisions about reproduction, family size, etc.  I guess neither of them has ever read "1984."


Mr. Romney?  The ever flexible Mitt,  the once-upon-a-time "choice" candidate, has recently said he too believes in the "personhood" concept, and, given the opportunity, would have amended to Massachusetts Constitution to include it.

Shariah law: The Mullahs, the Priests, and the Rabbis, who have direct duplex communication with God,  tell us all how to manage the most intimate details of our personal lives, including whether to wear a skirt, show our hair in public,  or have a family.  Can't you just see Mitt, Newt, and Rick growing beards, walking the streets with canes, whipping the legs of women accused of using an unacceptable contraceptive device?

Oh, yeah, on the issue of electability, is it possible these old white guys Romney, Gingrich, Santorum, et al, are unaware that an estimated 98% of the women in the United States have used one or another form of contraceptive device at some time in their lives?  Duh, is that the new definition of a "Social Conservative", someone who never heard of the Nineteenth Amendment, which gave women the vote?
And let us please not forget the Bill of Rights.  Hmm. Perhaps the Mullahs will seek repeal of all those inconvenient Amendments.

Scary dudes.

My prediction from afar:  Women will reject the fundamentalists and panderers, and will provide the margin to elect the person who respects their personhood.
A bientot.