By Ralph Schwartz
An audio clip of Snohomish County Councilman John Koster reveals the Republican candidate for House of Representatives, District 1, speaking some might say too flippantly about rape and abortion.
The clip has been posted on two Seattle media I have found: The Stranger and the Seattle PI, which reported that a “liberal advocacy group” provided the audio to the Associated Press today. The audio is from a fundraiser held on Sunday, and it’s almost certain that Koster didn’t know he was being taped.
Here’s the part of Koster’s statement excerpted by The Stranger (you can hear the full audio at The Stranger link, too):
“But on the rape thing, it’s like, how does putting more violence onto a woman’s body and taking the life of an innocent child that’s the consequence of this crime, how does that make it better? You know what I mean?”
The media is fixing on Koster’s word choice; he said “the rape thing” twice. Does this mean he is callous to the victims of this violent crime? Or could it be that Koster was speaking of rape and abortion not as a harrowing life experience but rather as a theme this election season?
(Koster did dismiss incest as a possible exception to an abortion ban because “it’s so rare.” I think that comes across unambiguously as being out of touch with reality.)
Listen to the audio on “the rape thing” and judge for yourself.
And that WEA, Elizabeth?
Too much science, too much truth, or consequence’s too.
As has been said: “An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.”
And know that: “It is better to return to the truth than persist in error.” And that the wise man doesn’t squander his security, wealth and children for the sake of the liar in the White House.
In conclusion, I tell you in truth, that your security is not in the hands of Kerry, nor Bush, nor al-Qaida. No.
Your security is in your own hands. And every state that doesn’t play with our security has automatically guaranteed its own security.
And Allah is our Guardian and Helper, while you have no Guardian or Helper. All peace be upon he who follows the Guidance.”
Osama bin Laden
But Britain is the parent country, say some. Then the more shame upon her conduct. Even brutes do not devour their young, nor savages make war upon their families. Wherefore, the assertion, if true, turns to her reproach; but it happens not to be true, or only partly so, and the phrase PARENT OR MOTHER COUNTRY hath been jesuitically adopted by the King and his parasites, with a low papistical design of gaining an unfair bias on the credulous weakness of our minds. Europe, and not England, is the parent country of America. This new World hath been the asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty from EVERY PART of Europe…
Thomas Paine
I don’t get that somebody’s dislike for abortion should be portrayed as pro-rape. Sure its election season but the rhetoric goes too far. We need a more civil world. I don’t even see that the House of Representatives will have any affect on right to choose. Noboody thinks Roe v. Wade is going to be challenged. That’s the second thing thats so wacky about this topic.
Well, Pyewacket,
Since Lochner was overuled, and Roe’s basis is on the Lochner Court, are we sure that
“General propositions DO decide concrete cases.”
198 U.S. 45
Lochner v. New York
ERROR TO THE COUNTY COURT OF ONEIDA COUNTY, STATE OF NEW YORK
No. 292 Argued: February 23, 24, 1905 — Decided: April 17, 1905
MR. JUSTICE HARLAN, with whom MR. JUSTICE WHITE and MR. JUSTICE DAY concurred, dissenting.
Remember Mr Harlan’s Plessy Dissent, or did it Confuse Mr. Brown’s School Bus case, like Througood Marshall’s clearly worded statement, from Harlan, where seperate but equal, applies to everyone but…
Concrete…for Life, Liberty and…property in man? Good luck with that Idea, you democrats tried that with Lincoln too.
Harlan owner property in man, supported Jefferson Davis, and then released his slaves as according to the Constitutional Amendment’s 13, 14, 15
One little case…one little question…and one little person, could find a school bus too.
“All the cases agree that this power extends at least to the protection of the lives, the health, and the safety of the public against the injurious exercise by any citizen of his own rights.”