Santorum makes stuff up (again): Dutch Puzzled by Santorum’s False Claim of Forced Euthanasia

[pampango]

The Dutch Embassy in Washington declined to comment on Wednesday on recent remarks by Rick Santorum, the Republican presidential candidate, in which he claimed, falsely, that forced euthanasia accounts for 5 percent of all deaths in the Netherlands.

The Dutch law permitting euthanasia is unambiguous about the requirement that it be voluntary, and lawmakers mandated that each case be carefully reviewed by an expert panel.

It not only requires consent but a waiting period. If a doctor dispatches someone without their consent or satisfying the tight controls, he is charged with murder.

The doctor must document that he or she confirmed that the patient requesting euthanasia or assisted suicide is making a voluntary and informed request. The record must also show that the patient was suffering unbearably and was fully informed about the prospects. Then a second doctor must examine the patient and supply a second written opinion on the satisfaction of the criteria.

Mr. Santorum’s erroneous comments, made at a public forum hosted by the conservative leader James Dobson on Feb. 3, failed to attract much notice until they were fact-checked, and mocked, in the Dutch press last weekend. Dutch journalists found it easy to refute Mr. Santorum’s statistics, and made fun of his “fact-free” claim that euthanasia was forced on anyone, but they had no idea where he got the idea that the nation’s elderly wear “Do not euthanize me” bracelets.

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/22/dutch-puzzled-by-santorums-false-claim-they-practise-forced-euthanasia/?pagewanted=all

The ol' "when in doubt, just make up 'facts' to suit your politics" strategy so much used by republicans, makes an appearance again.

[SammyWinstonJack]

1. "fact-free" claims. He is an out and out LIAR!

I thought these god fearing types weren't suppose to LIE!

[liberalmike27]

21. If they are puzzled

They haven't paid attention to Republicans, or American politics for long, or examined the way our media, who call themselves journalists, no longer bother to correct lies, due to accusations of bias, against, well, the LIARS!!!

It's sad that the media lets them get away with lies. Sort of slaps the face of truth and honesty to let them say anything they want, and allow it to stand.

Republicans attack on every front, buying voting machines, passing laws keeping democrats from voting, changing college curriculum for contributions, buying and concentrating media, using advertising as a whip. And more.

[nobodyspecial]

2. As president, will he stop lying about other countries?

Very bad for U.S. relations.

[Cali_Democrat]

4. Republicans love to poison US relations with other countries

GWB was an expert at it. The amount of hatred Europeans had for GWB was off the charts.

[AlbertCat]

15. Republicans love to poison US relations with other countries

Then they poison US citizens with...oh...fracking, deregulation, kool aid cults...

[kenfrequed]

20. Except the Saudi Arabia

They never tried to poison that relationship even though they were more responsible for global terrorism than any other nation we have threatened or gone to war with.

[marmar]

26. Especially more enlightened countries, such as the Netherlands.

nt

[Loudmxr]

3. Youth in Asia. Rs just wanna fuck Asian girls.

Just ask Neil Bush.

[Neue Regel]

5. Yeah, well, 26.4% of all statistics are made up

[ejbr]

14. You're wrong about that!

And I can prove it!

[Ferretherder]

28. Well I'm here to say that I believe NEITHER of you...

...have the math skills to back up what you say, whereas I feel there is a 60% chance of my being right against a 50% chance of your being wrong!

[Hugabear]

6. Pandering to the teabagger crowd - truth is just something that clouds the issues to them

Teabaggers never met an anti-Obama lie that they didn't like

[gratuitous]

7. "Santorum's comments failed to attract much notice until . . . "

Until what? Our relentless bulldogs of the Fourth Estate got after him for telling an out-and-out lie? Yeah, right. That could happen, I suppose. No, Santorum's slander of the Dutch didn't get any traction in this country until the Dutch started calling him a liar. The stateside media response was wholly predictable: How dare those tulip-sniffing wooden-shoe-wearing windmill devotees question our candidates? From now on, bullies will be giving their victims Freedom Rubs! That'll teach those foreigners a lesson.

[HopeHoops]

8. Whatever drugs Mr. Frothy is on, I don't want any.

[AlbertCat]

16. Whatever drugs Mr. Frothy is on

It's called religion. Stay away from it. It's just awful.

[HopeHoops]

19. I'm not sure if what he's on causes brain damage or not. He may have started that way.

[saras]

25. Santorum took the brown religion, even after Wavy Gravy told him not to

[tanyev]

9. Ricky knows that his audience of Rill 'Murrcans will never check on stuff he says about Dutchland.

[CTyankee]

11. and he trusts that they can't find it on a map!

[Proles]

10. These republicans aren't even trying anymore. At least they used

to make lies which were nothing more than truth taken out of context, or lies with little bits of truth sprinkled in.

Now they're literally just using their imagination to make things up. Who can blame them? Plant a lie in an ignorant person's head, and they'll believe it, despite anyone's best efforts to tell them the truth afterwards. It's sad, but those are the people who now make up the GOP constituents.

[LeftishBrit]

12. Yes, it was all a load of rubbish.

I know people from the Netherlands and have been there; it's nothing like that there.

I like the phrase 'fact-free claims'. It sounds like the sort of thing that MPs say about their opponents in Parliament, to get around the rule against using the words 'lie' and 'liar'.

[Lars77]

13. Another example of why the rest of the world are weary of America to say the least

Guess how much this will play on Dutch newcasts?


I have said this before and i say it again. Someone needs to remind your political candidates that the rest of the world are actually watching your political discourse. It is a costant embarrasment.

[TownDrunk2]

17. The media should be humiliated by their giving this half-wit airtime...

How utterly pathetic that the media alone is responsible for the creation of the sorority of stooges a/k/a the
republican presidential candidates

[G_j]

18. Rick is on a no fact diet, very popular these days... nt

[Ron Obvious]

22. Reminds me of the Drug Czar a few years ago..

Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey held a speech in the Netherlands a few years ago were he spouted all sorts of statistics about crime and drug use in that country that were completely fallacious. It was politely pointed out to him that, despite the more lax drug laws, drug use and drug-related crimes were actually significantly less common than in the USA.

Numbers such as cited by Santorum and McCaffrey used to be called "brown numbers", i.e. "numbers you pulled out of your arse."

[Doc Holliday]

23. You know, stuff like this

just reinforces how graveling that this guy is running for President in my country. I spent most of my adult life in the service of this country....so that someday an idiot-studying-to-be-a-moron-and flunking-the-course like Rick Santorum could be my President? Gawd, the B-movie guy was bad enough. This guy redefines unreal.

It's fucking mind-boggling if I dwell on it for too long.

[libodem]

27. Oh

Hero of Terry Shivo fame. Bring back the glory.

[Snoeshaan]

29. Santorum, The Dutch and their Life Saver.....

He Guys, It's for sure Santorum spread a lot of bogus about the Netherlands and their Euthanasia-policy. However a Dutch guy (probably) thought it is amusing and is selling bracelets to all Americans believing what he said. Bought myself a few of them as a protest and might support to democratic party. Check www.dutchbracelet.com hahaha