Jenny’s Pennies

Holy shit.
So let me get this straight. In order to become president of the US, it’s really important to be a strong supporter of Israel, right? But to be endorsed by a guy who says that Hitler was fulfilling God’s will by trying to exterminate all Jews is fine and dandy?

Appearing on ABC’s “‘This Week” in late April 2008, McCain criticized Hagee’s past remarks on the Catholic Church, but said that, “I admire and appreciate his advocacy for the state of Israel, the independence of the state of Israel.”

Being pro-Israel but anti-Jewish, yeah that’s a fine example of mental gymnastics right there.

Via Shakes.
(Apparently McCain has “distanced himself” from rev. Hagee, but I kind of doubt the sincerity…)

So, over in US of A, republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee has endorsed a proposed Colorado Human Life Amendment that would define personhood as a fertilized egg.

“This proposed constitutional amendment will define a person as a human being from the moment life begins at conception,” Huckabee said in a statement.

“With this amendment, Colorado has an opportunity to send a clear message that every human life has value,” Huckabee said. “Passing this amendment will mean the people of Colorado will protect the sanctity of life from conception until natural death occurs.”

Burton’s initiative, if approved by voters in November, would extend state constitutional protections to every fertilized egg, guaranteeing the right to life, liberty, equality of justice and due process of law.

About 76 000 signatures are needed from registered Colorado voters to get the initiative on the ballot in the November election. From what I have understood from reading various comments on this, it will be possible to collect the signatures needed, but it is, thank god, highly unlikely that it will pass.

Nevertheless, the idea creates some interesting questions. Will the “fetus citizen” get a social security number (if it is a separate person, it needs to be identified somehow, right)? Will you be able to claim tax deductions for unborn children, just as you can for born ones? Does the “fetus citizen” need a passport if it leaves the country?

And of course, we somehow need to control women’s periods. Loads of of fertilized non-implanted eggs are flushed out with periods every year, without the woman ever knowing that she actually had that “person” in her. Like one of Pandagon’s commenters said: Tonight on CSI: “You only think it’s a bloody tampon. But there’s a fertilized fetus American in there - natural death or murder?…”

Pandagon has more, Feministing too.