Antiwar is free speech...

Gonz

molṑn labé
Staff member
But don't you dare say a word about homosexuality :grumpy:

SFGate said:
Sen. Rick Santorum's comments on homosexuality in an AP interview
The Associated Press Tuesday, April 22, 2003 (04-22) 15:51 PDT (AP)

An unedited section of the Associated Press interview, taped April 7, with Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa. Words that couldn't be heard clearly on the tape are marked (unintelligible).



AP: If you're saying that liberalism is taking power away from the families, how is conservatism giving more power to the families?

SANTORUM: Putting more money in their pocketbook is one. The more money you take away from families is the less power that family has. And that's a basic power. The average American family in the 1950s paid (unintelligible) percent in federal taxes. An average American family now pays about 25 percent.

The argument is, yes, we need to help other people. But one of the things we tried to do with welfare, and we're trying to do with other programs is, we're setting levels of expectation and responsibility, which the left never wanted to do. They don't want to judge. They say, Oh, you can't judge people. They should be able to do what they want to do. Well, not if you're taking my money and giving it to them. But it's this whole idea of moral equivalency. (unintelligible) My feeling is, well, if it's my money, I have a right to judge.

AP: Speaking of liberalism, there was a story in The Washington Post about six months ago, they'd pulled something off the Web, some article that you wrote blaming, according to The Washington Post, blaming in part the Catholic Church scandal on liberalism. Can you explain that?

SANTORUM: You have the problem within the church. Again, it goes back to this moral relativism, which is very accepting of a variety of different lifestyles. And if you make the case that if you can do whatever you want to do, as long as it's in the privacy of your own home, this "right to privacy," then why be surprised that people are doing things that are deviant within their own home? If you say, there is no deviant as long as it's private, as long as it's consensual, then don't be surprised what you get. You're going to get a lot of things that you're sending signals that as long as you do it privately and consensually, we don't really care what you do. And that leads to a culture that is not one that is nurturing and necessarily healthy. I would make the argument in areas where you have that as an accepted lifestyle, don't be surprised that you get more of it.

AP: The right to privacy lifestyle?

SANTORUM: The right to privacy lifestyle.

AP: What's the alternative?

SANTORUM: In this case, what we're talking about, basically, is priests who were having sexual relations with post-pubescent men. We're not talking about priests with 3-year-olds, or 5-year-olds. We're talking about a basic homosexual relationship. Which, again, according to the world view sense is a a perfectly fine relationship as long as it's consensual between people. If you view the world that way, and you say that's fine, you would assume that you would see more of it.

AP: Well, what would you do?

SANTORUM: What would I do with what?

AP: I mean, how would you remedy? What's the alternative?

SANTORUM: First off, I don't believe _

AP: I mean, should we outlaw homosexuality?

SANTORUM: I have no problem with homosexuality. I have a problem with homosexual acts. As I would with acts of other, what I would consider to be, acts outside of traditional heterosexual relationships. And that includes a variety of different acts, not just homosexual. I have nothing, absolutely nothing against anyone who's homosexual. If that's their orientation, then I accept that. And I have no problem with someone who has other orientations. The question is, do you act upon those orientations? So it's not the person, it's the person's actions. And you have to separate the person from their actions.

AP: OK, without being too gory or graphic, so if somebody is homosexual, you would argue that they should not have sex?

SANTORUM: We have laws in states, like the one at the Supreme Court right now, that has sodomy laws and they were there for a purpose. Because, again, I would argue, they undermine the basic tenets of our society and the family. And if the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything. Does that undermine the fabric of our society? I would argue yes, it does. It all comes from, I would argue, this right to privacy that doesn't exist in my opinion in the United States Constitution, this right that was created, it was created in Griswold -- Griswold was the contraceptive case -- and abortion. And now we're just extending it out. And the further you extend it out, the more you -- this freedom actually intervenes and affects the family. You say, well, it's my individual freedom. Yes, but it destroys the basic unit of our society because it condones behavior that's antithetical to strong, healthy families. Whether it's polygamy, whether it's adultery, where it's sodomy, all of those things, are antithetical to a healthy, stable, traditional family.

Every society in the history of man has upheld the institution of marriage as a bond between a man and a woman. Why? Because society is based on one thing: that society is based on the future of the society. And that's what? Children. Monogamous relationships. In every society, the definition of marriage has not ever to my knowledge included homosexuality. That's not to pick on homosexuality. It's not, you know, man on child, man on dog, or whatever the case may be. It is one thing. And when you destroy that you have a dramatic impact on the quality _

AP: I'm sorry, I didn't think I was going to talk about "man on dog" with a United States senator, it's sort of freaking me out.

SANTORUM: And that's sort of where we are in today's world, unfortunately. The idea is that the state doesn't have rights to limit individuals' wants and passions. I disagree with that. I think we absolutely have rights because there are consequences to letting people live out whatever wants or passions they desire. And we're seeing it in our society.

AP: Sorry, I just never expected to talk about that when I came over here to interview you. Would a President Santorum eliminate a right to privacy -- you don't agree with it?

SANTORUM: I've been very clear about that. The right to privacy is a right that was created in a law that set forth a (ban on) rights to limit individual passions. And I don't agree with that. So I would make the argument that with President, or Senator or Congressman or whoever Santorum, I would put it back to where it is, the democratic process. If New York doesn't want sodomy laws, if the people of New York want abortion, fine. I mean, I wouldn't agree with it, but that's their right. But I don't agree with the Supreme Court coming in.

agree or disagree with his remarks, he has a right to state them, just as the anti-war protesters have a right to be wrong
 
everyone has the first amendment. no matter what it is they want to say they have a right to say it
 
Sure, he can be wrong just like all the pro-war people.

Was someone attempting to keep him from making a fool out of himself?
 
I prefer everyone to be free to make a fool of themselves. It makes it clear who should be ignored as a moron.
 
HALLELUJAH! One reporter see's teh light & writes it down. Everybody, kiss your ass goodbye, the world is about to end.

Could anyone deny that most Washington reporters tend to move more aggressively to bring down Republicans in trouble than Democrats in trouble?

ABCNews
 
aww poor ickle republicans, i feel really awful for them :cry:

come on, these guys are at the top elected political level in their country, they've seen media work from grassroots up. they know what they're in for and know exactly how they work. i don't buy the one side gets it harder crap, they all use the media when it suits them yet get all huffy when the media chases them about - all sides get it as bad as each other and it depends on how much ammo can be found.
 
Funny thing is...when taken as a whole, the comments are not as bad as the press would like you to believe. However, I can understand if folks are a bit upset. Equatinf homosexuality with polygamy, incest, and pedophilia, however, is just a bit too much.
 
the first is his quote & the second is what AP released. nothing like adding spin

And if the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything.

And if the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual (gay) sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything.


I'm unsure whether I agree with his statement. I see his point. If we allow absolute privacy in the bedroom, how far does it go?
 
First of all bigamy and polygamy aren't about consensual sex, they're about marriage. I believe we have laws against incest so your probably covered there.

If he wants to start arresting gay people though he's got problems.
 
flavio said:
First of all bigamy and polygamy aren't about consensual sex, they're about marriage. I believe we have laws against incest so your probably covered there.

If he wants to start arresting gay people though he's got problems.

We also had laws against homosexuality not too long ago, and gay people were arrested. I also notice you didn't include pedophilia in your statement. Perhaps you'd like to explain that omission. As for laws against incest...they have also been removed in most states. The genie is out of the bottle. How do you, personally, suggest we put it back?
 
Gato_Solo said:
flavio said:
First of all bigamy and polygamy aren't about consensual sex, they're about marriage. I believe we have laws against incest so your probably covered there.

If he wants to start arresting gay people though he's got problems.

We also had laws against homosexuality not too long ago, and gay people were arrested. I also notice you didn't include pedophilia in your statement. Perhaps you'd like to explain that omission. As for laws against incest...they have also been removed in most states. The genie is out of the bottle. How do you, personally, suggest we put it back?

pedophilia wasn't mentioned by Santorum, does that explain the omission? ...and I have no idea what to do on the incest issue.

Do you personally think there should be laws targeted at homosexuals?
 
Incest is a form of pedophilia.

I never said that there should be laws that specifically target gays, nor do I believe there should be. What I do believe is that, as long as there are 2 sexually active consenting adults (over age 18), in their own bedroom, and they are either married to each other, or have an equivalent type of relationship, that it's nobodies business what they are doing. If they choose to bring their personal life into the public eye, then they should also accept that there are some folks who will not like it, or agree with it. End of story, and get over it.
 
Gato_Solo said:
in their own bedroom, and they are either married to each other, or have an equivalent type of relationship, that it's nobodies business what they are doing.

That is precisely what Santorum is bitching about. Not gay or hetero so much as, a dad & his 21YO daughter. How about a 2 women & a man? A man & 5 "wives"?

I think he's pointing out just how slippery this slope can get.
 
Gato_Solo said:
I never said that there should be laws that specifically target gays, nor do I believe there should be. What I do believe is that, as long as there are 2 sexually active consenting adults (over age 18), in their own bedroom, and they are either married to each other, or have an equivalent type of relationship, that it's nobodies business what they are doing. If they choose to bring their personal life into the public eye, then they should also accept that there are some folks who will not like it, or agree with it. End of story, and get over it.



i agree with this gato but remember that some people will argue about the sodomy laws(that were targeting homosexuals) i dont like the idea someone is saying what goes on in a bedroom but you know our gov't :shrug:
 
jp030425.gif


:D
 
Back
Top