In clear proof that women have not come a long way, baby, Georgetown law school student, Sandra Fluke got herself the equivalent of a big "scarlet letter" for daring to speak openly about women's reproductive health rights. Rush Limbaugh and the right wing Inquisition (including Fox's "America Live") immediately attacked her in the most vile and personal way. Limbaugh's misognyistic smear set in motion a plethora of equally misognyistic smears. Truth became a casualty in the smearfest which consisted of verbiage regarding how Fluke should "keep her legs together." Her complaint about Georgetown health insurance for law school students morphed into the lie that she was asking the government to pay for "her" birth control. While it's no surprise that Limbaugh would attack her in this way, one would expect better from a Catholic priest even considering the Catholic Church's arguably misogynistic theology. One would hope that the rhetoric of a priest, who supports the "family values" agenda of the religious and GOP right, would be a little more circumspect than Limbaugh's. Abandon hope. Yesterday, during his Fox & Friends weekly sermonette, Father Jonathan Morris got down in the fetid slime that Limbaugh left behind. Methinks Roger Ailes' personal priest needs to review his 10 Commandments - particularly the one about "false witness."
Yesterday, during his Sundays with Fr. Morris segment, Morris and the gang on the curvy couch promoted the talking points of Fox fave and Morris' pal Cardinal Timothy Dolan, regarding the evil HHS birth control mandate. It was a clever way to get Dolan's letter, which was read throughout the entire NY archdiocese, out to the Fox News nationwide parish. At about 2 minutes and 56 seconds into the well scripted chat, Morris let loose what has become a standard lie and smear directed towards Fluke and women who dare to complain about the price of birth control pills. Morris promoted the meme that this birth control is really a tempest in a teapot in his statement that 90% of health plans already cover contraception. He mentioned a Georgetown University student, with an aside about his sister who just graduated from Georgetown University Law School. In reference to the aforementioned unnamed generic student (Sandra Fluke) he launched into the attack in his oh-so-cute and dramatic way:
"And now one is coming on and saying" (his voice affecting a whine) "oh my gosh you know I'm gonna have to pay $3,000 to be able to have sex whenever I want it. The government should be paying that for me." He continued with a rant about how women can get birth control for free and that there are other types of contraception that are very cheap.
Obviously Morris' offensive statement is nowhere near as crude as Rush's but it's pretty close. Like Rush's audience, Morris' audience is left with the impression that Fluke is a) sexually "promiscuous" and b) that she's wants the government to pay for it. If the little padre was interested in the truth, he should have said that she is paying for her own insurance, through Georgetown, and she feels that the provider should cover contraceptives. Morris neglected to mention that she discussed how another Georgetown student, a lesbian, lost an ovary due to not being able to access inexpensive birth control through Georgetown. Morris seems to think that condoms are the answer. But condoms don't provide the security that birth control pills do. And in the example provided by Fluke, birth control pills are vital to managing polycystic ovary disease. These women need double doses which can run as high as $100 per month - not that Morris knows anything about money as he's taken a vow of poverty ;) But here's the thing -
In continuing to push the offensive misogynistic right wing attacks against Sandra Fluke and women who support reproductive rights, Morris lied. Bless him, father for he has sinned?
For those of you who are offended by this priest's rhetoric and employment as a Fox News propagandist you can contact the Archdiocese of NY at [email protected]
Fox News contact - @foxnews.com Phone - 1-888-369-4752
And for those of you on Facebook and Twitter - you know what to do.
Fluke to Morris:
1. Why do the catholic church shuffle pedophile priests from one church to another?
2. What are you doing to protect children from child molesters in the church?
3. Why are you protecting pedophile priests in the catholic church?
Nurse Ratchet is an atheist who works at St. Elsewhere. Why should she be subject to an health insurance policy that denies her a needed and prescribed medicine because her employer is nominally Christian?
On the other hand, Nurse Betty is a devout Catholic who happens to work at General Hospital. While her health insurance policy covers oral contraceptives, her religious beliefs preclude her using them. Yet, no one is forcing her to use them.
I see it as a simple issue of equality in Health Care. Why should Nurse Ratchet be denied what is offered to Nurse Betty, even when their jobs are exactly the same?
With all my love,
Aunty Em
The sad part is that I think they’re so honest about thinking ratings are the only thing that matters they’re willing to risk being the target of a second boycott to get them.
Men of Fox Nation, I ask you, just go up to any woman and call them a slut, a prostitute and if they could make a sex video. Do this for three days in a row, then apologize to them, not to them personally, but on the internet. Then wait to see if they accept your apology.
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2012/03/05/don_t_worry_folks_advertisers_who_don_t_want_your_business_will_be_replaced
How quickly they forget the lesson of Glenn Beck. Well, most of them… I’m following the thread for the “Plan B” Hannity’s fans are cooking up…
