His latest crusade? In a statement on his website, he promises "vigorous enforcement" of laws that “prohibit distribution of hardcore (obscene) pornography on the Internet, on cable/satellite TV, on hotel/motel TV, in retail shops and through the mail or by common carrier.”
“The Obama Administration has turned a blind eye to those who wish to preserve our culture from the scourge of pornography and has refused to enforce obscenity laws.”
Regardless of how you feel about pornography, keep in mind that this is exactly how the Left behaves..stretching laws and engaging in selective prosecution in order to impose its morality on the general public.
What Santorum would have to do to put this into place is quite interesting.
The Supreme Court has ruled that the private possession of most kinds of porn is not illegal, there's no particular protection for distribution.
What a President Santorum would have to do, first of all, is shut down a $14 billion plus industry completely. To put this in perspective, that's bigger than the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball combined.
That would include blocking domestic websites, shutting down rental channels, studios and outlets that retail DVDs. Aside from the dislocation taking a $14 billion industry down and putting thousands of people out of work would cause in an already shaky economy, it's a fact that a number of very large corporations have a significant amount of money invested in these companies, and they're not going to let these valuable assets be destroyed without a long, bitter and expensive court fight.
And that also doesn't account for the fact that Rick Santorum's standards on what's obscene likely differ quite a bit from the mainstream. That's another recipe for court fights galore, especially when the selective prosecutions start.
To add to the irony, foreign websites and marketers would be unaffected...unless President Santorum either goes to congress to get legislation for blanket filters for foreign sites or simply decides to impose by executive order if the votes aren't there. Sounds like another president we're familiar with, doesn't it? And just where does the line get drawn according to Mr. Santorum? Just porn, is it going to include sex toys as well? Is he planning on reviving the sodomy laws too? In his statement Santorm pledges to appoint an Attorney General that would carry out his wishes to the letter.
Don't misunderstand me. I can empathize with the feelings people have about what talk show host Laura Ingraham calls 'the pornification of the culture'. But frankly if people wish to watch what I'll call mainstream porn (the naked bodies of consenting adults assuming various poses or engaging in various kinds of sexual activities) they have a perfect right to, and the cure someone like Rick Santorum proposes is far worse than the disease. People, at some point, need to take a certain responsibility for what they read, see, or allow into their homes.
This is simply Big Nanny Government from the Right side of the spectrum, and it tastes just as foul as it does coming from the other side.
I can only imagine what the Obama Campaign would do with this if Santorum actually got the nomination. If you absolutely hate Mitt Romney and are firmly in Santorum's camp for whatever reason, I'm sure nothing I say would convince you, but it would be an absolute disaster for him to be the GOP candidate.
If he's the nominee and runs against Obama, I'll vote for him, holding my nose while I do it. I'd vote for Daffy Duck instead of the current occupant of the White House. But mark my words....a Santorum - Obama match up is going to look a lot like the map after election day in 1964 when Lyndon Johnson ran against Barry Goldwater.
If Santorum is the nominee we will have 4 more years of Obama. Because as dire as the economy is and how bad it is for Israel, noone wants to be led by a religious and right wing nutcase. Conservatives forget they are not the majority of the country. Put all the groups together and they are still only about 30% at most. The rest of us want everyone to leave us alone, the government, and the conservative's and their Bible-thumping ways.
ReplyDeletePeople are more than happy to deal with the devil they know then the devil they don't know. When the incoming possible president, aka Santorum, sounds so insipid and can't even get himself on several of the primary ballots in the first place why would anyone vote for the man. I know that my own family two of our four votes will not go for Santorum. They would rather hold their noses and vote for Obama. That is what will happen if he is the nominee.And if the republicans lose us, die-hard hardcore anti-Obama citizens, can you imagine who will be lost in the November? It will be a route in Obama's favor.
Also his incessant whining about Romney's negatives adds are ridiculous. If he can't handle competition in the Republican primaries how is he going to go up against Obama and the democrats?
None of the candidates except for Romney can garner the requisite delegates to win the nomination. All they can do is harm the Republican candidates chances for election in November. This is now a ego contest one where both Santorum and Gingrich care only about themselves and nothing about the people and the country.
This is exactly why I'm praying for Santorum to win the nomination. He recently made up a tall tale story about euthanasia in the Netherlands. Got all of his facts wrong. When called on it, his press secretary stated that he was allowed to make up his facts because:
ReplyDelete"It's a matter of what's in his heart."
In other words, it's okay to lie as long as you think you are right.
If that's who republican voters choose to represent them, at least they're being honest that, to them, facts don't matter. What in the world would William F. Buckley and Ronald Reagan make of this breed of republican? Didn't this use to be a party of intellectuals? Now making up stuff is fine.
Recently Santorum appeared confused about basic science at a campaign event.
For all Mitt Romney's faults, he seems to represent the old 'facts matter' wing of the republican party that's quickly disappearing.
So I would love to see the republican party finally come to terms with its recent philosophy of anti-intellectualism and pride in its ignorance and nominate this guy. As you point out, Rob, the pornography stuff alone is hilarious and would provide endless fodder for late-night comics. And Obama would wipe the floor with this guy in a debate. I think Romney might be able to hold his own (as long he learns to stop the I'm mega-rich gaffes of late).
Wow. Made it through a whole post about Santorum without having to reference his Google problem...
I'm glad you put this up Anonymous. It says a great deal about you.
ReplyDeleteWhat I and most Americans who love their country want is not a partisan victory, but a man of competence, patriotism and leadership in the White House to deal with the disastrous fix two mediocre and one absolutely awful president have gotten us into.
I'd like nothing better than for the Democrats to pick someone I might conceivably consider voting for. You, on the other hand, are obviously more concerned with a partisan victory than with having the two strongest candidates running for the American people to choose from. You're entitled, but I find it reprehensible.
Santorum would likely be a mediocre president and cause numerous unnecessary problems in office the country doesn't need todeal with right now. But if it's a choice between mediocre and absolutely awful, I'll reluctantly vote for him over Barack Hussein Obama as the lesser of two evils.
Unlike you, I hope I'm not forced to make that choice.
In other words, it's okay to lie as long as you think you are right
ReplyDeleteand that makes him different from hussein how?
People are more than happy to deal with the devil they know then the devil they don't know.
then why was hussein elected in the first place?
I'm glad you put this up Anonymous. It says a great deal about you.
ReplyDeleteHey, if the republicans have no candidate (currently running) who can beat Obama, why can't we just enjoy ourselves a little? A Santorum/Obama matchup would be amazing.
What I and most Americans who love their country want is not a partisan victory, but a man of competence, patriotism and leadership in the White House to deal with the disastrous fix two mediocre and one absolutely awful president have gotten us into.
I thought the same thing after having two disastrous wars, an army of dead people in New Orleans, and an economic meltdown. You and I just have different priorities.
I'd like nothing better than for the Democrats to pick someone I might conceivably consider voting for. You, on the other hand, are obviously more concerned with a partisan victory than with having the two strongest candidates running for the American people to choose from. You're entitled, but I find it reprehensible.
Ouch, I'm reprehensible. This from Mr. "I'm civil, except when I'm name-calling." I'm just concerned with keeping nutjobs out of the White House. I could be okay with Romney, but I can't see him winning.
I'll reluctantly vote for him over Barack Hussein Obama as the lesser of two evils.
When in doubt, make a sly reference to Obama's middle name so we get our daily anti-Muslim fix. And you wonder why most of the country finds you guys unlikable.
Yawn. Yet another comment I write that you're too chicken to post. This is fun.
Whatever, Anonymous. As I said, I think what you've written reveals a great deal about your mindset. And yeah, I do find it reprehensible. Take it however you want.
ReplyDeleteYou still seem unable to comprehend the constitutional argument, so I won't bother repeating it.
Also, I wouldn't be too sure about Obama's victory or most of the country finding, 'you guys' unlikeable if I were you.
The rest of what you wrote simply isn't worth the electrons or time to deconstruct, frankly.I'll let my readers make up their own mind.
Buh bye!
from reuters:
ReplyDeleteThe department emphasized the Obama administration was following in the footsteps of the George W. Bush administration in seeking missile defense cooperation with Moscow, a process formally begun in 2004.
and you want to foist another four years of bush on us. and you call that fun.
that would be 1-1/2 wars. you own afghanistan. it is such a success. more so than libya? and that army of dead in new orleans. more people froze in kentucky than died in new orleans and now one in your media reported it. so it didn't happen. too bad yo' momma didn't excercise her right to chose. 'cause if you read hussein's book you would certainly know how proud he is of that middle name. sunni in the white house. which do you prefer, to dance with the saudi prince or bow to him?
One of my predecessors, President Rutherford B. Hayes, reportedly said about the telephone: ‘It’s a great invention but who would ever want to use one?’ That’s why he’s not on Mt. Rushmore.
ReplyDelete— Barack Obama, Largo, Maryland, 3/15/12
the above is a comment hussein made in his speech. this is the problem with that comment.
Hayes was not only the first president to have a telephone in the White House, but he was also the first to use the typewriter, and he had Thomas Edison come to the White House to demonstrate the phonograph.
hussein and/or his people, just make shit up.
not only is hayes not able to respond, but what difference does it make whether hayes said that or not? hayes not being on mt. rushmore is now an issue because why?
please explain this to us?
you are a liar and a dumb ass.
and that is not name calling.
it is a statement of fact.
you confirm it each time you open your piehole and spew.
please explain why hayes not being on mr. rushmore is an issue?
how is hayes not on mr. rushmore effecting your politically manipulated fabrication of the unemployment numbers? the way you people have it figured by election time we will have a negative unemployment rate.
liar.
dumbass.
Ric santorum makes a lot of sense. Look at what has happened to american society due to breakdown of family values like abortion, divorce, same sex marriage and euthanasia. It is good that the main supporters of Ric are the youth and this only shows that the youth do no want to live the same lives which many of the american adults are living. Happiness is not measured alone by money but finding true meaning in life and using money for the human being and not to be enslaved to money.
ReplyDelete