Santorum Proves Himself Out of the Mainstream on Same Sex Unions... and Reproductive Rights

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

Rick Santorum

Rick Santorum, the social conservative, is gaining recognition and exposure following his Iowa dead heat finish with the Mittens Romney. As expected Santorum is playing heavily to the Christian right as he moved into New Hampshire.

Just what the country needs. Another high minded holy roller seeking the highest office in the land. The rights of gays to lead normal and constitutionally supported lifestyles is finally gaining majority support in the arena of governance. Roe -v- Wade was decided forty years ago and is best left alone as well. Enter Rick Santorum, the conservative values crusader.

Santorum on gays...

The Miami Herald MANCHESTER, N.H. -- For the second time in as many days, Rick Santorum on Friday drew attention away from his efforts to craft a blue-collar economic message by wading into the issue of gay marriage. He suggested it was so important for children to have a father and mother that an imprisoned father was preferable to a same-sex parent.

Citing the work of one anti-poverty expert, Santorum said, "he found that even fathers in jail who had abandoned their kids, were still better than no father at all to have in their childrens' lives."

Allowing gays to marry and raise children, Santorum added, amounts to "robbing children of something they need, they deserve, they have right to. You may rationalize that that isn't true, but in your own life and in your own heart, you know it's true."

Skip

Santorum's comments on gay parents came a day after he tangled with college students over same sex marriage. The former Pennsylvania senator has been a conservative crusader on social issues, which have far more political resonance in Iowa than New Hampshire.

At a private boarding school, Santorum's voice grew emotional as he argued that only a man and woman should be able to marry. "Marriage is not a right," said Santorum. "It's a privilege that is given to society by society for a reason...We want to encourage what is the best for children."

The audience, half students and half local residents, reacted with snorts and applause. The students at Dublin School, which runs from ninth through 12th grades, were primed for Santorum's visit, said headmaster Brad Bates. He said three students in the audience had gay parents, though they were not among those who asked about the topic. {Full Article}

Indeed Mr. Santorum. While everyone can certainly respect your individual religious inspired beliefs there is a majority that disagrees with you. And they do so on sound constitutional principles. As would be expected they certainly do not want your personal {very narrow minded} beliefs imposed on all of American society.

There are many who understand and support the definition of traditional marriage as the union of one man and one women. This is the 21st century and the realities of same sex attractions has gained acceptance because those who are attracted to the same sex do so as a result of nature, not because they choose to be "different." Being homosexual is not something one thinks about and then suddenly decides they are gay.

Once upon a time I considered myself to be an "independent conservative", until I realized the term really means nothing. So during the process of reevaluation I came to the understanding that labels limit, particularly when there is no clear understanding of what the hell the label really mean. During the process of reevaluation it became clear, crystal clear that "classical liberalism" is the only term that has well defined principles {thus meaning} as well as withstanding the passing of time.

So it is with this in mind I reprint an article {written in August 2010} in support of the rights of sex couples. While those on the far left may take issue with some minor points the article defines what any reasonable person should be able accept. Candidate Santorum would do well to realize the truth.

Daily Caller - California’s Proposition 8 has once again brought the issue of gay marriage onto the national stage. It is likely headed to the Supreme Court, which, to me, seems crazy. After all, why should it take the High Court to decide an issue that the government should not be concerned with in the first place?

Intolerance is often on display on both sides of the ideological spectrum — intolerance to pursue one’s own happiness, free from the constraints of the state, continues to plague America. A vision and desire of some individuals to peaceably live their lives as they see fit is dismissed out of hand by those who are intolerant or fearful of that which they do not understand.

The justification for the inequities gays and lesbians experience is primarily based on religion and tradition. Given modern societies’ enlightened views, it seems only rational to question what seems to be a Dark Ages mentality with respect to the issue of gay marriage.

Once religious considerations and societal biases are put aside, it becomes possible to look at the gay marriage issue in a clearer, less unemotional way. When one applies reason — rather than bias, religious beliefs, or fear — to this issue, one begins to realize that gay marriage will not doom the United States. In truth, “straight” individuals aren’t affected by the sexual orientation gay people.

Some opponents of gay marriage argue that gay and lesbian couples should not be able to call their unions “marriage.” This is a legitimate argument in that words have meaning, and the accepted meaning of marriage has always been the union of a man and a woman. Arguments that conceptual meanings should not change to accommodate the desires of a small group are valid.

This point however is ancillary, and I digress.

Proponents of gay marriage have two very strong supporting actors: The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. A minority has the same inalienable rights as a majority. And the individual is the smallest minority known to humankind.

Our Declaration of Independence, in its opening words proclaims that “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

No one questions gay people’s right to life. But what about their right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness? Are they free to enter into loving relationships and receive the same benefits that opposite-sex couples receive?

No, gay people are not free to enjoy the same benefits individuals in opposite-sex unions enjoy. Yes, their happiness is affected by this reality. Anyone who holds up the Declaration of Independence as a guiding document of our Republic must stand behind its words.

The Constitution is a contract between the people and their government. One of its primary aims is to protect vulnerable minorities from the tyranny of the majority. This is of particular note in California, where voters rejected gay marriage at the ballot box. Can a majority deny an individual the right to peaceably live his life as he sees fit?

My simple answer is no. If your answer is yes, then who is to say that your lifestyle, religion, or ethos will not be next?

Les Carpenter III has spent thirty-one years in manufacturing management. He has held positions from front line supervision to executive management and is currently employed with an East Coast manufacture of games. In addition to his management responsibilities he is Editor-in-Chief of Rational Nation USA, an East Coast Conservative/Libertarian political blog.

So Mr. Santorum, you might want to reconsuder the validity of your premise. There are a lot more that support the opinion expressed in the Daily Caller article than not. Don't forget Mr. Presidential hopeful if you should be so lucky as to sit in "The Big Chair" one day that you represent all the people. Not just the minority you identify with, and besides, that minority is already protected from the tyranny of the majority. They are free to lead the lifestyle you so vocally advocate. As am I, my wife, and our children.

And now a bit of Santorum's position on abortion...

THE POLITICAL GUIDE - Senator Santorum is stronly pro-life. He has repeatedly asserted that life begins at conception and that that life should be protected under law. Senator Santorum does not beleive in the exceptions that some pro-life people grant for rape. He has stated that the life that results from a rape is innocent and deserving of the protection of the law.

In a 2011 interview, Senator Santorum spoke in a radio interview about his pro-life stances and desire to see Roe vs Wade overturned and the decision on the legalization of abortion returned to the people and the states.

In March of 2011, Senator Santorum generated controversy when he stated that abortion had contributed to the pressure on social security by lessening the number of people in the subsequent generations. He stated that a third of the potential population had not been born due to abortion.

In April of 2011, Senator Santorum discussed his opposition to funding for groups such as Planned Parenthood. He added that the origins of Planned Parenthood were related to eugenics and racism and that the modern day actions of the nation mirror those purposes as abortion clinics are located in predominately minority and poor neighborhoods. {Read More}

Fear, lacking rational argument, should not be a driver of either national or state policy.

Via: Memeorandum