It is good to see Rick Santorum latching on to a positive theme after attacking educators, gays, and other candidates. Now he appears quite positive that we will all die if we do not elect him.
In speaking before the Colorado Christian University, Santorum referred to the sirens of disaster and warned “Go back and read what the sirens did once you arrived on that island. They devour you. They destroy you. They consume you.” In other words, if you want to avoid being devoured, vote Santorum.
The problem is that the description by Homer would appear to give an edge to Gingrich in his experience dealing with three sirens:
“He will not see his lady nor his children
in joy, crowding about him, home from sea;
the Sirens will sing his mind away
on their sweet meadow lolling”
Fortunately, with his other call to “Just Say No To Education,” it is doubtful that anyone would be in a position to challenge the reference. Indeed, Santorum appears to be fashioning himself as Odysseus who notably stuffed his followers ears with beeswax. That fits.
That frees the faithful to act on the warning: “Ladies and gentleman we cannot listen to the siren song. We cannot listen to President Obama and we can’t listen to those in our party who want to be just a little bit less than what the Democrats and the left is doing to our country.”
Source: CBS
Some Santorisms: Chirst would be turning in his grave (oif he was in one depending on your point of view ((*_*))
“Objecting to secular (state-operated) education, he and his wife began home schooling–and took $70,000 from the State of Pennsylvania and the Penn Hills School District as required by local and state law. The School District requested most of the money be returned after Rick reported while electioneering that he spent only approximately 30 days in his district and had bought a house in Virginia, Santorum objected. When the Pittsburgh Gazette-Post protested this abuse of state money, Santorum declared, without substantiation, that he had attempted to have his home owners exemption nullified.
“When she moved out to go be with Rick, she told me I’d like him, that he was pro-choice and a humanist,” said Allen, an elderly but vibrant man, during a brief conversation on the porch of his Pittsburgh row home. “But I don’t think there’s a humanist bone in that man’s body.”
“The notion that college education is a cost-effective way to help poor, low-skill, unmarried mothers with high school diplomas or GEDs move up the economic ladder is just wrong.”
“It’s amazing that so many kids turn out to be fairly normal, considering the weird socialization they get in public schools.”
http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/article/2012/01/12/rick-and-karen-santorum-are-strangers-to-truth
His self perception:
“People tell me that I’m funny, that I have a good sense of humor, that I’m a pleasant guy. That’s not how the media presents me. They present me as this real tough, mean-spirited, angry guy. I don’t think that anyone who knows me or works with me would say any of those things. They’d say I’m hard-charging and passionate and that I take my job seriously… but I try not to take myself seriously. I understand that I’m here to do a job and I think you could do it with a good spirit and a civil tongue.”
But what about all the things that you have said that have been so hurtful to so many people? I ask.
“Look,” he says, with an annoyed laugh and a shake of the head. “People have to remember that politics isn’t personal. It’s just not personal.”
http://archives.citypaper.net/articles/2005-09-29/cover.shtml
@Santorum (via Elaine’s comment): Santorum said drugs take years to develop and cost millions of dollars to produce, and manufacturers need to turn a profit or they would stop developing new drugs.
For what its worth, that last bit is completely untrue. 99% of the people working in drug research, from sweeping up the labs to devising the experiments and all in-between, are working for a modest fixed rate, either hourly or salaried. The 99% at the bottom do not earn more if their drug succeeds or less if it fails, so obviously they are not working for a profit motive.
There are many thousands of tenured university research professors trained and willing to manage and conduct drug research essentially at cost, with salaries in the neighborhood of $100K. Again, they earn the same whether they succeed or fail, but we researchers are not typically motivated by profits, we are motivated by the discovery of new knowledge, contributing to science, and knowing that we can make the world a better place, sometimes by saving lives and relieving misery.
The 99% of employees that work at somebody else’s direction do not need a profit motive to work, and the 1% at the top that might be operating on a profit motive can be replaced in a heartbeat with people that would be happy to work for $100K with no bonuses and no profit and the standard modest university retirement plan, and use the millions or billions in profits to reduce the cost of drugs or fund more research, because that would make the world a better place, save lives, and relieve misery.
And then, on top of all that, I guarantee there are plenty of us that believe in opening the books, both financial and formulaic, that eschew patents and believe in publication to share the fruits of research, to accelerate the science and minimize the roadblocks to drug improvements.
It is incredibly narrow-minded to believe that profit is the only thing capable of motivating biologists, theorists, doctors, nurses, and technicians to save lives.
Santorum believes in Nibiru?
LK
we must be overpaying our politicians.
I have to lash myself to the mast to resist the Republican call. No, not really.
Not much of that stuff mentioned above came out in the campaign down here in South Carolina. So, his wife was delivered by some doctor guy and then years later lives with the coot? And the guy was an abortionist? Ya know Sainted Rum is a product in Italy (Santo Rum) and I wonder why he is not made fun of because of his name. All of these people who support him are so prudy.
He needs to be Santorumed.
This is a bit OT for this thread, but the last Orly Taitz story had over 1,600 comments and I did not want to drag that up out of respect for those on dial up.
Orly Taitz and the birthers just lost their most recent case to an empty table. To refresh memories, you may recall the judge in Georgia ordered President Obama to appear in person regarding his eligibility to be on the Georgia ballot in November, given the plaintiff’s position that he is a foreigner. The President’s counsel wrote to the judge declining to appear, telling the judge that his court had no business or jurisdiction even hearing the case and therefore the defense would not be in attendance.
Orly gave it her best shot with an empty table where counsel opposite would have sat with defendant Obama. The verdict is now in. Orly Taitz lost her case to an empty table. Here is the decision as rendered by the Honorable Michael M. Malihi, Judge.
I can hear it now. That judge has a furrin soundin’ name hisself and is probably one of THEM people too.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/80417613/Farrar-Welden-Swensson-Powell-v-Obama-Judge-Malihi-Final-Decision-Georgia-Ballot-Challenge-2-3-2012
Elaine, just another example of the perversion of religious thought- or an example of perverse religious thought.
“Alabama Sen. Shadrack McGill: Bible justifies poor teacher pay”
“McGill said that by paying legislators more, they’re less susceptible to taking bribes.”
“He needs to make enough that he can say no, in regards to temptation. … Teachers need to make the money that they need to make. There needs to be a balance there. If you double what you’re paying education, you know what’s going to happen? I’ve heard the comment many times, ‘Well, the quality of education’s going to go up.’ That’s never proven to happen, guys.
“It’s a Biblical principle. If you double a teacher’s pay scale, you’ll attract people who aren’t called to teach.
http://educatingsouthcarolina.blogspot.com/2012/02/alabama-sen-shadrack-mcgill-bible.html
HenMan, I wasn’t offended….
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/03/koch-brothers-100-million-obama_n_1250828.html Koch brothers and their allies pledge 100 million to defeat Obama.
ps-
If you have any prudery in your soul, don’t go to Mr. Fish’s website. You will be offended. I promise.
From cartoonist Mr. Fish at http://www.clowncrack.com:
Mr. Fish’s take on the upcoming election –
http://www.clowncrack.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/MitchStiffy.jpg
“I’m embarrassed in advance for the way history will look back on this period in our political evolution. Shaming us (U. S.) forward?” (lotta)
Lots of that in our history starting with the Slave Trade and steadily moving forward to Manifest Destiny to Torture Works …
Elaine,
The question you posed to Lotta is a deeply philosophical one and I’ve asked myself that same question many times.
I think it has to do with the nature of religion and the personality of the individual.
In Christianity we have a progression of revelation starting with The Word (recognition of the I AM as revealed to Abraham), The Law (codified in the Ten Commandments to Moses), The Love (based on the teachings of Jesus) … {reference The (so called) Bible LXX Greek translation by a group of 70 Hebrew scholars in the third century BC upon which New Testament writers relied when creating the Christian Bible and “Summa theologica” of St. Thomas Aquinas}
Integrating The Word, The Law, and The Love has long been the challenge individual Christians and those raised in a Christian culture face. I have found that certain aspects of the three (The Word, The Law, The Love) appeal more strongly to certain personalities. The “overtly and overly religious” usually find great personality comfort in The Law.
Blouise and Gene, Hi guys! Dan Savage was sooooooo right….. 🙂
I’m embarrassed in advance for the way history will look back on this period in our political evolution. Shaming us (U. S.) forward?
Elaine, having everything boil down to the will of a god and some form of immortality (spiritual if not corporeal) kinda’ lets you off the hook for any short term problem solving. Religion is the ultimate rationale for procrastination and it’s probably the best reason I have for hating- just plain hating- religion.
LK,
In the words of Talking Heads, “Stop making sense.”
You’ll confuse the sheeple.
Lotta,
Why is it that so many of the overtly and overly religious folks often appear heartless about the life situations of people with problems? They appear to care more about the wealth of corporations than the health and welfare of human beings.
lotta,
spoil sport … ruining a perfectly good sound bite …