Good Grief...
Somehow I feel like Charlie Brown who is stuck exclaiming "Good grief!" as the people around him spout some crazy talk or he finds himself stuck in a bad situation. I luckily have yet to be caught in a bad situation of late, but the crazy talk abounds.Ever since Obama declared that contraception needs to be covered by insurance, even at institutions connected to religious organizations which may be against contraception, we have been left to witness the extreme of the extreme right crying foul and throwing about the latest talking point catch phrase "religious liberty!"
Now, churches do NOT have to include contraception in their insurance benefits, but if your religious organization is a hospital or other such business that employs and services those beyond your particular faith, the insurance must cover contraception. This is something that is not new and many groups (primarily Catholic groups) have agreed to this compromise and the issue has faded away. BUT, of course, there are other groups who have cried that this violates "religious liberty", thus they should not have to cover anything that goes against their religious views.
And, of course, the Republican candidates, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich in particular, have jumped on the religious liberty bandwagon to he point of Santorum even declaring that the separation of church and state should not be absolute and makes him want to "throw up".
When I hear "religious liberty", I keep finding myself thinking of the phrase "foreigness". Why "foreigness"? During the 2008 presidential campaign, the GOP used "foreigness" as a catch word against Obama. They couldn't just say "Black" or "mixed" - 'cuz you know, that would be racist - so they used Obama's "foreigness" against him - 'cuz that is somehow not racist...or just less racist. (and we all know how that worked for them.) Now, "religious liberty" is the catch phrase the GOP is using rather than admit to creating what is essentially a war on women. A number of extreme anti-abortion bills have been introduced - some actually signed into law - where a woman or girl has to look at a sonogram of the fetus, have a transvaginal - re: extremely invasive - sonogram before getting an abortion, or go to pro-life "crisis centers" for consultation. This was happening BEFORE the "religious liberty" hoo ha. But now, with the "religious liberty" hoo ha, various conservatives are taking the opportunity to throw their ideas around about how to handle the pesky issues of abortion and and contraception seemingly in the most invasive and embarrassing ways. It is appalling and truly mind boggling that news about more such bills continues to hit the airwaves and internet. I mean, our present unusually warm weather is already a sign of End Times, but I can't help but think that this rash of woman-hating crazy appears to be yet another. At least, to me, that's the only way I can explain this irrational ridiculousness.
As you continue to tweet and read up on this hoo ha on Facebook, I recommend joining the group I'm A Grown Woman. (hope the link works!) It is a place to discuss the crazy and share our stories about how we are dealing with these issues. It also can be a place to, perhaps, discuss what we can actually DO to fight the crazy. But we should at least get the talking started.
KEEP PAYING ATTENTION!
Peace --Alex
posted by funkweee @ 7:24 PM
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