http://news.yahoo.com/rick-santorum-draws-crowds-raises-nearly-1-million-070701782--abc-news.html
I read it and at first I was all:
For those of you too lazy to click the link and read the article (and really I understand if you are) Rick starts off by goin' off about how Obama is out to destroy the churches of our country. And I'm all "Whatever. Standard inflammatory political rhetoric" but THEN I get to:
"He [Santorum] told the audience at the raucous rally that Obama is restricting religious freedoms in this country, and even that a situation like the French Revolution could happen in America. As he spoke supporters yelled, "We want Rick!" and "We want you!" throughout the speech.
"They are taking faith and crushing it. Why? Why? When you marginalize faith in America, when you remove the pillar of God given rights then what's left?" Santorum asked and an audience member offered, "Communism!"
"The French Revolution," Santorum answered. "What's left is a government that gives you rights. What's left are no unalienable rights. What's left is a government that will tell you who you are, what you'll do and when you'll do it. What's left in France became the guillotine. Ladies and gentlemen, we are a long way from that, but if we do follow the path of President Obama and his overt hostility tofaith in America, then we are headed down that road."[Emphasis added]
And then the more I thought about it the more I was all:
1. The French Revolution was all about the ideals of Enlightenment: namely Equality, Citizenship and Inalienable Rights. They revolted because their government took those away. Or more correctly - those were never even an option under the absolute monarchy of the time. Inalienable rights were what those people GAINED by their revolution.
2. The guillotine was an invention of compassion. Sure it definitely got over used but compared to the other methods of execution at the time (beheading with multiple blows from an ax, hanging, stoning, drawn and quartered... ) it was very compassionate. A doctor invented it because they wanted a humane way to kill people. The aristocracy was famous for the tortured deaths of anybody who disagreed with them. The Revolution meant certain people had to die so that others could have their unalienable rights but they didn't want to be the people they were disposing so they found a "humane" alternative to the methods of the time.
3. Yes the French Revolution did take over some of their churches. The people took them from the Catholic church (who at the time was still knee deep in the Inquisition AND in bed w/ the ruling classes, I might add) and turned them into "Temples of Reason". Admittedly those people did go a smidgen far. They beheaded statues when they ran out of people but lets all remember that the IQ of a mob is equal to the IQ of its dumbest member divided by the number of people in the mob and just go with it.
So basically I have to say to Rick Santorum: Don't insult my intelligence. Go back to school and take a few history classes or hell just go read Wikipedia. That or fire your speech writer. Some combination of the above.
Communism wasn't a half bad answer. But "The French Revolution"? Thats a cheap shot at the French, who historically have been one of our strongest allies and with out whose support we would have lost the Revolution. I know we've had issues in the recent past but I don't think that should undo 200+ years of positive relations. I did a study abroad in France in college and I know for the most part the French love Americans (they just weren't big fans of Bush, mostly b/c he was friends w/ Tony Blair).
I was on the fence about you before because I didn't know anything about you. But you sir, just lost my vote.
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