So everyone's talking about Senator Rick Santorum, R-Pennsylvania, because he gave an interview with Associated Press and basically lumped homosexuality in with infidelity and incest. It's my considered opinion that he's a big old jerk and should resign, and the Republican party should have a good think about why these bigots seem to be so common in their ranks, and what they are doing to encourage, rather than discourage, such bigotry. Weren't they supposed to be all about freedom and the government not telling you what to do?
Anyway, the interview itself is interesting. His most oft-quoted line is the one that got him in hot water. The full paragraph was this:
"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."
Gee, that's funny — I agree that sodomy laws undermind the basic tenets of our society and the family too! Oh, wait, he's talking about sodomy, not the laws against it. Darn. (Guess he took elocution lessons from President Bush.)
He's an imaginative fellow, too. This is my favorite part of the interview, personally:
Santorum: 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.
For some reason, that exchange really made my day.
Updated April 23: Now the fellow is claiming that his comments were taken out of context... but he still says the law backs him up. Lovely. And the White House still won't criticize him for it.
