Colorado Republicans: "mothers should suffer" and gay people should be "put to death"

[polichick]

Today's email from Progressive Majority (check out this org if you haven't already):


When you have Rush Limbaugh trying to lead the national Republican Party, you know things are starting to get a little weird.

But in the states, things are getting even stranger.

Just last week, a Colorado senator named Dave Schultheis (R-Colorado Springs) voted against a bill making HIV testing available to pregnant mothers because, as he said on the floor of the state Senate, he thinks mothers should "suffer the consequences of their actions."

After the vote, Sen. Schultheis – who bills himself as a "pro-life" legislator - told the Rocky Mountain News:

"What I'm hoping is that yes, that person may have AIDS, have it seriously as a baby, and when they grow up, but the mother will begin to feel guilt as a result of that. The family will see the negative consequences of that promiscuity and it may make a number of people over the coming years begin to realize that there are negative consequences and maybe they should adjust their behavior."

That's right. Sen. Schultheis really said he hopes babies get AIDS in order to make examples of their mothers.

Sen. Schultheis' comments came just two days after another Colorado Republican, State Sen. Scott Renfroe, on the state Senate floor during a debate, compared homosexuality to murder and suggested that gay people should be "put to death."

At Progressive Majority, we're proud to stand against the actions of Sens. Schultheis and Renfroe. In fact, we've run candidates against Sen. Renfroe before and have been hard at work building the progressive bench in both senators' districts to ensure that each one will have a strong challenger this time.

Will you help us?

I want to send Connie Simon, our Colorado political director, to each of their districts so she can scout out candidates to build the bench and aggressively push back against Sens. Schutheis and Renfroe.

However, we can't do it without your help. We need to raise $5,000 by next Friday, March 13, so that we can start an aggressive candidate recruitment operation in both districts. Progressives need to stop complaining about the actions of right-wing ideologues such as Sens. Schultheis and Renfroe and start winning. Let's challenge both men with quality candidates and elect them!

Can I count on your support?

Your gift of $250, $100, $50 or even just $10 will help us launch this critical effort today.

Sincerely,

Gloria A. Totten

President
Progressive Majority

Help Us Build a Progressive Majority: We're building a progressive network of candidates, activists and friends. Tell five friends about Progressive Majority's work and email list and help us build the movement across the country!

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[KansDem]

1. What is with conservatives and their obsession with misery and death?

I mean, I'm all for political discourse but why wish misery and death on all who oppose your views? This is getting tiresome!

[polichick]

2. imo everything scares them - we just have to run good candidates against them!

[vaberella]

3. I have a list here of people we need to unseat...

Congress woman Michelle Bachman-Minnesota "Black people and Clinton caused the economic crisis/Expose to prove Obama is not a terrorist."
Congress man Zach Wamp- Tennessee "Health care is a PRIVILEGE not a right."
Senator Schultheis- Colorado "Mothers should suffer."
Senator Scott Renfroe- Colorado "Gays should be put to death."

All Republicans that need to lose their seats and I mean quickly. When they come up in 2010 they need to be out and we need to start mobilizing now. This what is called institutionalized racism...these are the individuals who are holding back progress. These are the people with money and power Rev. Wright was complaining and angry about. These people who abuse minorities and the poor (this means indigent whites) rather forcing us to turn on each other when our common enemy is these people who have the power and illustrate it by spewing hate on the house floor. This so-called Government officials that represent us...many of whom actually hate us. I get pissed off that other Senators never call these fools out and there should be a public out cry. If there isn't that we need to get these people out.

[polichick]

11. I agree that these guys should be called out for what they are...

Congress operates like an insiders club, with members giving standing ovations to assholes like Ted Stevens.

Progressive Majority is providing a great service in drafting great candidates!!

[Aloha Spirit]

4. Is this real?

I have never understood the way anti-choice positions come about.
Maybe they really do just hate choice.
As in, you already chose to allow your egg to be fertilized. No more choices for you.

[polichick]

12. Yep, it's real alright. imo the anti-choice movement is much more about...

...a reaction to women's lib than an issue about children. These same people vote to cut every children's program they can.

[EmilyAnne]

15. Its about punishing a "slut." She shouldn't get to have sex without paying the consequences!

I have always thought that deep down, this is their motivation.

[anonymous171]

5. .

:wow:

[madmom]

6. So what if the mother gets aids because the FATHER was the asshat and

was promiscuous. Still the guy gets off? (no pun intended)

[polichick]

13. Well, only if he's white. :)

[MattBaggins]

29. That is still the woman's fault

If she was doing her duties he wouldn't have been seduced by that tart at the office and strayed. If women would learn to be lambs in the kitchen and lions in the bedroom you wouldn't have to bitch about us men.

[madmom]

32. BUT, if women were lions in the bedroom, it would make you wonder were she learned that

kind of thing and she would still be blamed.

[rurallib]

7. What is it in a Republicans psyche that makes them hate people so much?

[hvn_nbr_2]

8. Only so much love available so they have to ration it.

They give all their love to fetuses, but as soon as they're born, they hate them.

[rurallib]

9. I believe they give all their love to money. Fetuses are useful

only to control women. At least that is my observation.

[polichick]

14. Fear.

[WinkyDink]

21. Projection.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

10. it's a wonder mothers haven't complained

[vinylsolution]

16. When Colorado turned blue....

.... they realized they were going to be a minority party for a long time.

Colorado's millionaire media still tries to bill them as 'relevent', but we all know better.

It's hilarious watching them stomp around like spoiled, stroppy children, in their own little puddle of p*ss, lashing out at anyone who's not like them.

And these days, most Coloradans aren't like them. Better get used to it, losers.

[BrklynLiberal]

17. So, you think Sen. Schultheis is a DIRECT descendent of Torquemada?

:mad: :puke:

[Hellataz]

18. The scariest thing to me is how they really don't think there's anything wrong with what they said.

i can't wrap my head around people like this.

[Number23]

19. The real issue is, to what BENEFIT is there for a baby to contract AIDS

and for the mother to feel "guilty" about being "promiscuous?" What in Hell does this achieve? What does the mother's guilt do?? How is our society enhanced or improved by this?

A child is supposed to be ill for their entire lives, or I'm sure this man is hoping that they die outright, for what?? What in God's name would inspire someone to even THINK like this let alone voice this aloud??

[treestar]

28. He wants to scare other people into living by his sex rules

If that suffering baby and guilty mother are out there and other people see them. Specifically, he wants the young people to see them and think gee, I'm never having sex until I get married and then I'm staying married to that same person.

Even the guilty mother could be persuaded into saying that's how she should have lived.

[LiberalPersona]

20. "mothers should "suffer the consequences of their actions.""

And their innocent children along with them that may be born with HIV?
Why should an innocent child suffer a slow painful death because of a mother's mistakes?

[rasputin1952]

22. Dear God in Heaven...why do have the insane any seats at all?

BOTH of these people should be pilloried, tarred, feathered and then tossed upon an anthill after being smothered in honey. After all, pain and misery don't seem to bother them.

For God's sake, we're talking about human beings being "forced" to have a deadly disease and in both cases the results are death.

[paulk]

23. It's the crazies on the extreme right

that have pushed the state from red to blue over the last six years by focusing on issues like abortion and gay rights (while real issues like problems with the state's economy went unheeded) - so I don't necessarily see statements like this as a bad thing...

[RandomKoolzip]

24. How is forcing a baby to be born with a death sentence any different than an abortion?

Morally speaking, of course. I know the procedures are different, but isn't forcing a woman with HIV or AIDS to give birth to an infected baby basically sending that kid out into the world doomed to die an early, painful death? And this is morally different than abortion how....?

Religion is shit. It's, ironically, the most effective vehicle for the seven deadly sins, especially for THESE wrathful motherfuckers. MAy their imaginary god ram a schoolbus up their hypocritical collective rectum. :thumbsdown:

[Starry Messenger]

25. The Republicans have been enabling this evil wing of their party for years.

I wonder if we'll see any outcry from all these moderate Republicans I keep hearing about. The progressives have been doing all the heavy lifting trying to get these assholes out of office and away from the table.

[mrs_p]

26. what christian folk

thank goodness we have them around to spread jesus' message

:sarcasm:

[treestar]

27. Republicans hate it when "socialism" passes because people

don't want to see children suffer. They know they are saying children should suffer for their parents' failures. And they know that is wrong, and that nothing pulls at people's heartstrings more than suffering children.

So we can thank this one for at least coming out and saying it plainly. Those children are the DNA descendants of "failed" adults. These are the same people who secretly think their racial group is inherently superior, you can bet.

Typical Repuke obsession with punishment, too. They can't bear to see anyone get away with anything. Sex is a big one for them. They hang onto these "consequences" as a way of proving the inherent worth of their social rules - sex only in marriage for procreation. AIDS came along and they took it as a boon, a gift from God that would scare everyone into observing their social mores.

[JayMusgrove]

30. How does CO elect these people in the first place?

What is it with the high altitude of some places in that state that enables pure nut-cases to run for office and get elected?

These two people really should be charged with crimes for threatening the lives of other human beings. IMO

[DevonRex]

33. It's the mega churches that do it. We have SO many here, especially

in Colorado Springs, that the hate is almost constantly blaring. And the weak fall for it to make themselves feel superior.

Thank goodness I don't live in The Springs.

[JayMusgrove]

34. Yes, I spend one night in "the Springs", and I could feel the

absurd amount of duplicity from the church-goers, who think they are superior to everyone else in the world.

Perhaps CO could start taxing these church ministers who earn over $100,000 a year, I bet there's a lot of money to be made in doing that in CO.

[cibrules2]

31. I can't believe this

i can't believe this is America, the accalimed land of the free home of the brave.

[WestSeattle2]

35. Colorado Republicans...

Talk about a warped set of values. There are some truly sick, sick people walking the face of this earth. The fact that they try to cloak their hatred and self-loathing behind the Bible is sickening. Sometimes there is nothing to do but shake our heads and publicize the insanity of these people far and wide, so Americans see and understand the right-wing of the Republican party for what it is.

[onlyadream]

36. Oh man, I hope what goes around comes around...

it usually does.

[rockymountaindem]

37. Good thing those guys have had their asses handed to them in the last 3 elections

Democrats took over in 2004 and have expanded our majority ever since. Crazies like this are fewer and farther between. In 1999 our whole government was in their hands. Now they're relegated to the majority making statements like this that will surely not help them make any headway in 2010.

[Arugula Latte]

38. Renfroe's home address and phone # should be made public.

Let him try to sleep at night after that.