Santorum & Satan
Wed, 02/22/2012 - 12:03pm
I know the actual political stances that Rick Santorum takes are a more important issue than whether or not he literally considers himself to be battling a guy with goatee, horns, pitchfork and a red cape, but I couldn't help but be amused at the recent flap about his remarks regarding Satan (the below is from a Yahoo News page today):
The three-year-old speech is getting renewed scrutiny after several Web-based publications circulated audio and text of his remarks over the holiday weekend. Speaking to a group at Ave Maria University in Naples, Fla., Santorum said, “This is not a political war at all. This is not a cultural war at all. This is a spiritual war. And the Father of Lies has his sights on what you would think the Father of Lies, Satan, would have his sights on: a good, decent, powerful, influential country: the United States of America.”
When reporters asked about the comments at a rally on Tuesday evening, Santorum said, “I believe in good and evil. I think if somehow or another, because you’re a person of faith, you believe in good and evil [and it’s] a disqualifier for president, we’re going to have a very small pool of candidates who can run for president.”
Asked whether he still thinks that Satan is attacking the United States, Santorum called the inquiry “not relevant to what’s being discussed in America today.”
Tue, 02/28/2012 - 12:21pm
#2
Santorum
Considering the degree to which he's being taken seriously in the Republican race I'm surprised that Santorum's positions and statements have not been generating more outcry. Maybe folks here have already seen these statements, but the link below goes to an interview from 2003 in which he explains that he disagrees with the privacy rights of consenting adults. Santorum explains that he has a problem with any sexual behavior "outside of traditional heterosexual relationships."
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2003-04-23-santorum-excerpt_x.htm
In explaining how our society has upheld marriage as a bond between men and women he goes on to say "In every society, the definition of marriage has not ever to my knowledge included homosexuality....." Then he says it's also not "you know, man on child, man on dog, or whatever the case may be."
That comment to me is most revealing and reprehensible in that it shows Santorum flippantly equating homosexuality with those other activities.
This interview goes back to 2003, so I suppose it's possible his views have evolved, although I doubt it. His much more recent comments disavowing the separation of church and state are even more frightening.
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/02/church-state-separation-makes-santo...
I never would have imagined there was a realistic possibility of Santorum getting the Republican nomination, but he obviously is making progress and strange and surprising things happen in politics all the time.
Satan's been coming up in my thoughts a lot lately. I think it's a useful ... what? metaphor? mind construct? close enough.
I think Rick is right. I think Satan is attacking the US. I think I just disagree strongly with his public stance on the true nature of Satan, and who is embodying it most expertly.
He's a truly sick mofo. Unfortunately I do not have enough faith in the smarts of the voting public --or faith in human nature in general-- to think he couldn't possibly be our next president.