Keep… Tryan?
And in a different kind of icon… hello Paul Ryan! Ryan (and his placid baby blues) entered the national consciousness when Mitt Romney chose him to be his presidential running mate. Adorable though Paul may be, he didn’t blow us away (though Tampa may beg to differ). Here are some other Ryans we would have preferred.
a dude who thinks that rape victims can’t get pregnant because their bodies should reject their rapist’s seed makes more money than you
think about that
a dude who not only thinks that but says that shit on television
is making more money than you
living in a better house than you are
is not struggling for anything
just think about it
These are the best GOP rape quotes I could find – but message me if you have more! Let’s hold these people accountable.
1. Todd Akin: “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways of shutting that whole thing down” – mid 2012 Senate Campaign
2. Claytie Williams: “If it’s inevitable, just relax and enjoy it” – mid 1990 Gubernatorial race in Texas
3. Chuck Winder: “I would hope that when a woman goes in to a physician with a rape issue, that physician will indeed ask her about perhaps her marriage, was this pregnancy caused by normal relations in a marriage or was it truly caused by a rape. I assume that’s part of the counseling that goes on.” – March 2012
4. Ken Buck: “A jury could very well conclude that this is a case of buyer’s remorse … It appears to me … you invited him over… the appearance is of consent.” – October 2010
5. Rick Santorum: “I think the right approach is to accept this horribly created — in the sense of rape — but nevertheless a gift in a very broken way, the gift of human life, and accept what God has given to you… rape victims should make the best of a bad situation.” – January, 2012
PEOPLE: WE SHOULD ALL BE FURIOUS. WE SHOULD ALL GET PISSED OFF AND BE VOCAL ABOUT IT. WE SHOULD ALL VOTE.
too much wackness for me.
I’m sure you’ve seen it in the news today. The headlines are everywhere and my Twitter feed is decorated with rants from various people I follow: a man running for senate named Todd Akin used the term “legitimate rape” when asked about abortion legality. He has also used a modifier in the past, stating the phrase “forcible rape”. It is clear that the reality of “rape is rape” is lost on him.
Stepping away from the abortion debate, I wanted to address this because I know how upsetting it was to read that headline at first. My heart sunk. For ten seconds, I felt a mixture of anger and sadness and frustration, as if all of the work I put into this topic just continues to fade into the ignorance of others. It’s easy to settle into the feeling of never getting anywhere if you let yourself stay that way. But I’m not like that, and I don’t want anyone else to feel that way either. Maybe I’m hopelessly optimistic. But from my experience, that’s the only way I know how to try to change the world.
So this letter is for you, whoever you are. The survivor. The sister or brother or mother or father or friend of a survivor. The activist. The person who tirelessly answers the sexual assault hotline. The shelter volunteer. The police officer, the lawyer, the judge. The person who simply feels passionate about this. Although it may seem like the opposite, Mr. Akin’s words aren’t actually setting us back. In fact, with each ignorant comment made by someone, and each time it gets into the media outlets, the topic of rape and sexual assault is becoming less and less of a taboo. For every person like Mr. Akin who says something along those lines, there are thousands – millions – of others crying in outrage. And there are even more who are finally realizing the gravity of the issue.
We are getting there. The silence is ending. Please don’t lose hope.
With love, gratitude, and optimism,
Grace
To again quote Bradbury, what optimal behaviors should we be taking to slow climate change or end wasteful oil subsidies or improve the health of our citizenry or protect the integrity of our food supply?
We all want change on these issues, but it won’t come without action. When we look back in a year, we will want to be pleased with the sum of our work. We will want to see our hope create change through action. The Republicans continuously prove the method works. When will we do the work required to win?
While the individual mandate was found to be constitutional, a key lesson in the fight over health care reform is to realize how Republicans helped create this moment. In a post published prior to the today’s ruling, Chris Tackett argues that the environmental and sustainability movements need to think about creating situations or “realities” in which their goals can be politically feasible.
Read the rest: Whether Obamacare is Constitutional or Not, Republicans Created This Reality. A Lesson We Can’t Afford to Ignore
(via treehugger)
