=== I tend to avoid reading the threads that evince knee-jerk derogatory comments.
I understand. As a "Keyester" type, though, I probably have a higher tolerance than most. This was one short and sweet, though.
Frankly, it's the slavish, starry-eyed threads for which I no longer have a tolerance.
=== My cynicism, however, leads me to believe that if the Pubbies fail to squander the opportunity to do so they run the risk of losing their "Stupid Party" label.
Do you not realize that abortion is a GOP policy, Anna? No cynicism necessary. Anyone who heard the smug note in Specter's voice on NPR as he brushed aside the red herring Roe and alluded to the "1992 decision by conservative justices appointed by Republic Presidents" oughta be looking for some answers by now.
Regardless what Gore might have had to say behind closed doors during his speech on "Population Reduction" for Gorby & Co., somehow I fail to see how it could be anymore sickeningly straightforward than the GOP's talk of "genetic/hereditary quality" and the "moral" need to undo the damage wrought by well-intentioned social programs which ended up causing "down breeding."
The GOP laid the foundation for wresting purview over abortion from the states by pointing out the "economic discrimination" that was forcing the poor (who most needed abortions) to travel to another state to procure a legal one.
And they were the first to note in national defense memoranda that "abortion was vital to the solution" of population control at home and abroad. (Their pet eugenicist Dr. Handler testified that "immunology" held great promise in this respect where combating the greatest threat to mankind -- Human Reproduction -- was concerned.)
But most interesting of all was the way the Republicans requeseted over 300 million in 1970 dollars to "educate" the American public such that they would demand as rights the implements of population control it would be awkward -- if not outright immoral -- to force upon them.
It's that last which haunts me, of course.
As the Senate prepares to approve the Ministry of Information/Intelligenze Czar legislation Bush undoubtedly will sign and which will afford the "former Soviets" and the "former Stasi" generals now directing our Homeland Defense Department a structure and array of powers with which they are more accustomed,
... and as the Republican Senate votes -- to a man -- in favor of biometric national IDs,
... and as the Republican Congress passes 388 billion in which folks like Dyncorp get millions to distribute US-AIDS to Africa while NYC firemen get some medals and US Soldiers (paid a 1/3 or 1/6th of what our Private Contractors get) pick through trash heaps for scrap metal to repair their vehicles ...
I think we're all going to wish we paid more attention to the threads like this one instead of the Feel Good, Fools Rush In, "Faithbased" sort of threads. Just a hunch.
There are those who think "everything changed" on 911. Mark my words ... we ain't seen nothing yet.
The winner of the Republican primary for Congress in my district, James Hart, was a strong proponent of eugenics, and on his website he boasted that he wanted a eugenics revolution to replace Jesus Christ in terms of impact on society.
The Democrat incumbent (Tanner) had a less-than-satisfactory record, so I had to do some research online to find out. It took a several hours of digging and a couple of queries to FR, and I learned that his county Republican Party had repudiated him and encouraged people to write-in another Republican who was pro-life, Bertrand. I wrote Bertrand in; although he didn't get much of a showing and the incumbent (Tanner) was re-elected.
I'll credit the Shelby County GOP for speaking out in the end, but the prominence of abortion advocacy in GOP campaigns and policy is alarming.