Thursday February 23rd ~ 2012

The GOP political agenda for the last few years, with the rise of the Tea Party and the GOP agenda to not lose this voting base, has been to set women's rights back 50 years. As a woman, I have never been more scared for my rights in what is supposed to be a free nation.

What I am pleased about, is that in one week, the voices of social media, rose up and seem to have halted the destructive legislation that was to be signed into law in Virginia. The fight is not over but with continued pressure our voices will not be ignored.

The silent protest by thousands, in response to the two pieces of legislation that would have relegate women to the back of the bus where issues concerning their own bodies did its job. It caused the Governor to step back and reevaluate his hard line stand and do an about face. He is caught in a huge lie but at least he has been shamed into recanting.

Silent Protest in Virginia

What disturbs me most is the rise of Mr Santorum in the GOP race as the answer to anything but Romney.

His hate speech, is divisive and pandering to a segment of this nation that I believe is in many ways isolationist and bigoted. The evangelical base that he is bringing to his cause is in no way a representation of the cross section of this nation. It scares me to see this happening. So many have fought so hard and for so long to bring women out of the shadows and to fight for our equality.

I find this conversation about interesting, considering that there is NO mention of vasectomies and that this procedure is covered by faith based insurers.

His medieval stance on a woman's place in society not only relegates a woman to be barefoot and pregnant, it keeps every woman in s subservient role in every regard. He would take away a woman's right to control her own body and let the "male" in society to decide what is best for her. (As if woman are just not smart enough to understand the ramifications of their choices.)

His idiotic belief that mans actions are NOT adding to the issue of global warming is just beyond my ability to understand. When science and real statistics only confirm what we have been warned about for decades is just an individual who is living in a dream world  and clinging to "faith" to deliver us from evil. This is a battle that man must take responsibility for and must win for himself. It is my understanding that this is why man was given self determination.

In a speech to Tea Party conservatives on last Saturday in Columbus, Ohio, Santorum had dismissed Obama's politics as being based in "some phony theology."

Theologian and Chief Wanna Be

"It's not about you. It's not about your quality of life. It's not about your jobs," Santorum said. "It's about some phony ideal, some phony theology. Oh, not a theology based on the Bible. A different theology."

An incredulous Bob Schieffer, Face The Nation, began his interview with Santorum Sunday by asking, "What in the world were you talking about?"

"I was talking about the radical environmentalists," Santorum said, suggesting that they believe man should protect the earth, rather than "steward its resources." "I think that is a phony ideal. I don't believe that's what we're here to do ... We're not here to serve the earth. That is not the objective, man is the objective."

Mr. Santorum is supposed to be a devout Catholic, a Catholic in the extreme. I guess he decided to disregard the Pontiff's speech to the United Nation on January 9th of this year in which His Holiness states the following in closing his remarks to the General Assembly.

"Finally I would stress that education, correctly understood, cannot fail to foster respect for creation. We cannot disregard the grave natural calamities which in 2011 affected various regions of South-East Asia, or ecological disasters like that of the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan. Environmental protection and the connection between fighting poverty and fighting climate change are important areas for the promotion of integral human development. For this reason, I hope that, pursuant to the XVII session of the Conference of States Parties to the UN Convention on Climate Change recently concluded in Durban, the international community will prepare for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development ("Rio + 20") as an authentic "family of nations" and thus with a great sense of solidarity and responsibility towards present and future generations."

I guess he did not get this memo.

Here is a link to the entire speech: ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS

If the above link does not take you directly to the English Translation of the speech Click on TRADUZIONE IN LINGUA INGLESE  at the top of the page. This will take you directly to the Pontiff's speech in English.