Kansas state GOP Rep. Pete DeGraaf (Mulvane) has either a perverse view of rape or roadside repairs. I am not sure which but I would not recommend either a long trip or a rape counseling session with him. DeGraaf recently opposed a rape exception to a legislative ban on insurance for abortions. He explained that rape is really like a flat tire. He appears to have misunderstood Goodyear’s slogan: “Should a Woman Have to Worry About Tires? Goodyear Says No!
When Snow Say No, Goodyear says Go!..”
DeGraaf took the floor when considering a general ban on insurance for abortions. Even the most stalwart opponents for abortions, however, made an exception for when a women’s life was at risk. DeGraaf, who is also an associate pastor, rose to oppose an exception for rape. While he did not oppose “abortion-only” policies, he was against the rape exception to the legislation. When Rep. Barbara Bollier challenged his position, DeGraaf reportedly responded “We do need to plan ahead, don’t we, in life?” Bolliers asked “And so women need to plan ahead for issues that they have no control over with pregnancy?” DeGraaf then retorted “I have a spare tire on my car. I also have life insurance. I have a lot of things that I plan ahead for.”
DeGraaf ran on faith-based promises assuring his followers that “I can see how God has been preparing me for this role through my years as a husband, father, Air Force pilot, financial counselor, pastor, volunteer, Precinct Committeeman, and non-profit board member.” Notably, neither work as a mechanic nor rape counselor is listed. He can now add Michelin’s slogan to his website: “Because so much is riding on your tires.”
Source: Pitch
Jonathan Turley
Silly. Interesting word choice and one I’d expect from a propagandist. Silly has loaded value. It is diminutive certainly but the denotation (the direct specific meaning of the word) and the connotation (the implied or associated idea) of the word are different in modern American English. The connotation of silly is “trivially funny”. As in “Spongebob Sqaurepants is silly.” or “Did you see that guy’s silly haircut?”
The actual meaning, the denotation, of the word silly is:
silly \ˈsi-lē\, adj.,
1 archaic : helpless, weak
2a : rustic, plain b obsolete : lowly in station : humble
3a : weak in intellect : foolish b : exhibiting or indicative of a lack of common sense or sound judgment c : trifling, frivolous
4: being stunned or dazed
“We do need to plan ahead, don’t we, in life?” Bolliers asked “And so women need to plan ahead for issues that they have no control over with pregnancy?” DeGraaf then retorted “I have a spare tire on my car. I also have life insurance. I have a lot of things that I plan ahead for.”
Silly?
While DeGraaf’s statement is weak in intellect and indicative of both a lack of common sense and sound judgement, saying every woman should plan ahead to give birth to and care for a child born out of a violent crime is neither trifling or frivolous – another denotation of “silly” nor is it trivially funny – the connotation of “silly”.
You yourself diminish the crime of rape yourself by using the word “silly” in DeGraaf’s defense for you are using it in the sense of diminution and minimization of the truly barbaric, insensitive and ethically corrupt nature of DeGraaf’s words. “Let’s agree that the guy made a silly statement and leave it at that.” How about we agree that the both you and DeGraaf are callous clods and douche bags extraordinaire and leave it at that.
OS,
Mr. DeGraff is the poster child for slime.
GG, anything or anyone that minimizes rape is an enabler and that makes the enabler no better than the idiot who made the statement in the first place. To put it bluntly, I am not about to chill over that statement. If I could afford it, I would hire billboards to put it up on every road in his district. A very bright light needs to be shown on him, not ignore it. If anything should NOT go away for Pete DeGraaf, it is this towering monument to insensitivity and callousness.
Why don’t you guys take a pill? He’s not comparing a violent act with a flat tire. He’s saying that he plans ahead for some contingencies. He stated he has a spare tire in the car. Let’s agree it’s for getting a flat. He mentions life insurance for (let’s assume) providing $$ for his survivors. Why don’t you say he’s comparing buying life insurance with getting raped? Oprah must have life insurance (why I don’t know except maybe to pay off creditors). So would Oprah be complicit in tolerating rape?
So chill. Let’s agree that the guy made a silly statement and leave it at that.
Holy crap! Does this neanderthal have any daughters or sisters? One more example of the war on women from the Right and what happens when you mix religion and politics!
With this guy, the jokes just write themselves.
His head, heart, and soul seems to be a flat tire.
Evil trolls don’t want to be compared with this lump.
Blouise, there you go insulting white trash dirt bags. No dirt bag would want to be compared to that evil troll.
white trash dirt-bag
OS:
TOUCHE,TOUCHE!!!!!LOL!!!
eniobob, how do we know he doesn’t already have one? There is just too much fantasy involved in his statements. This boy has problems that are not immediately obvious.
The guy needs to meet a good “Dominatrix”
In a just world this man would have repeated flat tires, preferably delivered from some very rough roads.
He’s a “Pastor” – He probably believes God must have decided that a certain amount ot women should be raped. It titillates the Men of the Cloth.
I agree with rcampbell.
I think the only thing “flat” thing in this story is Pete DeGraaf’s brain waves.
“I can see how God has been preparing me for this role through my years as a husband, father, Air Force pilot, financial counselor, pastor, volunteer, Precinct Committeeman, and non-profit board member.”
***************
Ah, the arrogance of the annointed. (I think that’s a title for a needed book!) It’s the perfect scam: I’m perfect. God did it. You have to listen to me. I’m really humble but the lenses through which the Almight shines, you know.
Someone obviously “prepared” this lout – just not a teacher, ethicist, or person with an IQ over 75. Westboro Baptist Church is my guess.
This guy is an endoresement for both atheism and abortion.
Mulvane, Kansas is only in Kansas because not even Oklahoma would take them. It’s an outlying town south of Wichita. I know because I had a flat there once. And whilst I only had to endure the figurative rape of exorbitant charges to fix it, I can see where DeGraaf is only following in the local backwards traditions.
Reminds me of the time Clayton Williams said pretty much the same thing….
“Relax and enjoy it.” Clayton Williams should have relaxed and enjoyed the lead he held over Ann Richards during the 1990 gubernatorial race. But the West Texas cattleman just couldn’t keep his mouth shut and for some reason compared the inevitability of bad weather to rape. The line helped send Richards to the Governor’s Mansion.
http://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2000-01-07/75421/
Kinda of blew the lead….