Your Thoughts On This Response To Rick Santorum And "It Takes A Family"

[DistressedAmerican]

I am sick to death of right-wingers trying to pass off homophobia as "Family Values". It is both ignorant and bigoted.

I saw Santorum recently on the Daily Show defending this blatantly homophobic piece of garbage. His basic argument was that "one man/one woman" was the most stable family structure for raising children and that government's endorsement of that form (and only that form) of union is its obligation in supporting the continuation of society.

The corollary of this is the notion that the government should not sanction in (any legal way) any family structure that does not conform to his ideal "one man/one woman" model. It should not give any other family form support in the form of tax credits, spousal benefits, etc.

As an anthropologist, I can tell you that this is an extremely ethnocentric view of the situation. Clearly it is his opinion. However, many societies where polygamy, polyandry and other family forms are common prove that there is no single "Best" family structure in which to raise a child. Children are extremely adaptable little buggers. What they DO need is love and some basic stability in terms of who is there taking care of them from day to day, as familiarity breeds trust and bonding.

Santorum and all those that support his homophobic agenda need to look around the world a bit. Get outside of the Washington bubble and find out about raising children.

How about a federally funded, cross-cultural study of childrearing practices so that we can all be better informed of the possibilities that exist for raising happy, healthy, and functional children? How about we apply some of that dreaded "SCIENCE" to the problem?

The government has no business telling any of us how we should structure our families in order to raise children. They should most certainly not do so in the complete lack of data on the issue.

Hey Rick, if you insist on being involved in supporting children (social engineering), a nice fat child tax credit would be nice. Get busy on that. While you are at is would you please do something about these damn non-breeders? Maybe a no marriage without formal plans to have a child contract (with a clause that they maintain a nursery in the house as a sign of good faith).

After all, why should we support all of those freeloading straight people out there living without procreating? I thought it was the government's job to support breeders.

You have made it quite clear that all of that individual love and companionship is nice and maybe even needed. But, it has nothing to do with furthering the society.

"Family Values" is nothing more than a code word for "White, Christian Values". Remember that every time you hear the phrase.

[getmeouttahere]

1. Excellent analysis....

one thing is certain, countries like Canada, Spain & the Netherlands would agree that there isn't one single perfect recipe for success in raising children or forming a family. But this country would NEVER look to another country for wisdom on issues like these, at least not with BushCo around.

[zanne]

2. I think we should ignore Rick Santorum's book

It was obviously written to irritate liberals. He wants attention. Let's not give it to him.

[DistressedAmerican]

4. Gotta Disagree. Lies Should NEVER Be Left Unchallenged!

Otherwise they fester and become thought of as facts...

[DaveJ]

5. If not ignore, laugh at.

Haven't read the book, but in a few years I think people will look at that cover and just laugh.

The title itself is so trite, "It Takes A Family". Ok, so what about orphans who never find a family. I guess they're just shit out of luck.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

7. all that stuff

quickly ends up on the book shelves at the Salvation Army thrift store. You'll find it right next to Limbaugh's "See, I Told You So."

[MarianJack]

3. Pure Pandering to the Religious Right...

...for an '08 presidential run or a senate run in VA if (please GOD when) he loses in PA and decides he wants to try representing his new home state!

[abluelady]

6. Please Not VA

We have enough red guys already.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

8. he'll easily carry

Loudoun, his home county.

[countingbluecars]

18. Training ground for little freepers.

Patrick Henry College is located in Loudoun County. Frist will probably wind up teaching there after he loses the elections.

[peekaloo]

9. Since his title seems to be a rebuttal to Hillary Clinton he should

have named it "It Takes A Village Idiot".

Nice analysis. "It Takes A Fascist" :rofl:

[bumblebee1]

15. "It Takes A Village Idiot"

sounds like a great title for a book about the Bush regime.

[Joanne98]

10. My rant..........

I saw him on c-span. What pissed me off was his insistance that liberals were attacking "RW families"! The truth is liberals are just defending people who want the conservative christians to LEAVE THEM ALONE! It's the Fundies who are attacking everybody who isn't living lives they approve of. It's the conservatives who are attacking other people's children NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND!
If you haven't noticed by now, this is something they do alot lately! They are constantly accusing the liberals of doing something that they are doing. They are using the federal goverment to FORCE their christian values on the rest of the country and especially on OTHER PEOPLE'S CHILDREN! So I here-by declare, that for now on we refer to them as BIG CHURCH! Are you sick of the goverment putting BIG CHURCH in your lives? Are you sick of having BIG CHURCH in your medicine cabinet, in your vagina, in your bedroom, in your doctors office, in your child's science class and everything in your life that used to be your own personal private business? What's next? The ministery of VICE! The war on sin? The department of Homeland Faith and Family values!
The truth is nobody has ever attacked them. They've just tried to protect themselves from religious EXTREMISTS!
The only difference between the Christian right and the Taliban is that the Christians don't control whole countries anymore. Not for a few centuries anyway. But they trying to change that, aren't they?
Santorum's claim that Hillary is forcing her ideas on other people's children is complete bull. It's the other way around. Santorum and his Christo/fascist fundies are doing all the forcing and attacking. I'm sick of their false claim of how they're being attacked. They've never been attacked EVER! But that's all changing now. From now on Americans will fight back and do what ever they can to keep BIG CHURCH out of their lives and ANY FROM THEIR CHILDREN. So let the attack from the left begin! The real attack, not the phoney one they've been talking about for 30 years that never existed.
It's time to say NO to BIG CHURCH and YES to FREEDOM!

[getmeouttahere]

11. I like it...Big Church!

they definitely need to stay out of the vagina business...of course, their women probably do anyway

[Joanne98]

12. Thanks! I got the idea from Harry and Louis. Remember them?

[DaveJ]

13. Let's be intellectually honest

The RW needs the moral guidance that Santorum is offering.

What we consider to be common sense, e.g. honoring family values and spirituality, is a totally revolutionary concept to them. Granted our freedoms and opportunities to progress should not be impeded just because they are behind the learning (or evolutionary) curve.

[Joanne98]

14. You're right! They need moral guidance but not power over other people

[redqueen]

17. Excellent rant! I agree... The BIG CHURCH needs to STFU and start

practicing what they preach! (Well, not what THEY preach ... but what JESUS preached...)

[stanwyck]

19. Santorum completely misrepresented HIllary's book

truth just doesn't matter to many of the conservatives. The right has labeled Hillary's ideas as pure socialism, which is simply not the case. I WAS raised by a village, specifically, a small town in central Illinois. The adults knew each other and valued each other's judgments. My parents knew the value of having other role models in our lives. The fundamentalists are control freaks. Only Dad knows best. They're suspicious of all others. Even their ministers. They change churches repeatedly. As soon as Dad's authority is challenged, even the slightest, the relationship is severed. Yet, teachers, scout leaders, coaches, friends' parents, and neighbors can have a profound effect on a child's development. Supportive community programs make huge impacts.
My parents weren't particularly musical or artistic, but they made sure we were exposed to people who were. My parents weren't particularly athletic, but, again, we spent time with adults who were. My parents had the confidence to let us have other adults in our lives. They wanted us to live full lives with many influences.
The fundamentalists keep trying to shrink the child's world so that only Dad has control.
It's fear-based philosophy based on authoritarian ideas of owning children and wives. There is little separation from Santorum and his acolytes and the Taliban. It's all about infusing the state with religion. And subjugating women and children to the will of men.
Very frightening.

[Norquist Nemesis]

16. The "Family" is a Cult

and ruled like the mob.

Personally, I'd like to see a more-encompassing phrase like 'community values' or even American Values.

[DistressedAmerican]

20. Kicker!

[Sapphire Blue]

21. It takes a family... the entire human family... w/humanity, justice,

... conscience, and love being being some of the core ingredients.




and to put it in perspective...



Santorum, how the bloody hell do you sleep at night? Instead of blathering so much, go read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.