Well, Dear Readers, here it is ... we have made it, gasping and retching, to the final biweekly Ass Clown award for 2019. It's been a year of unparalleled ass-clownery on all fronts - the worlds of religion, entertainment, and - especially - politics are teeming with historically well-qualified ass clowns, each of whom rightly deserves citation and derision for ass-clownery on every level from moral squalor to political cowardice. In the wake of the impeachment hearings in Congress, I was tempted to present a group award to the Republican members of the Intelligence and Judiciary Committees for their shameful shouting and silly antics (Adam Schiff's picture on a milk carton, really?) that took the place of thoughtful evaluation of evidence and debate on the merits thereof. But, although I would have thought it nearly impossible to exceed that level of childish ass-clownery, lo! it has happened.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, I have chosen the final ass clown for this sad and sorry year:
The Left-Cheek Ass Clown for 2019
John Becker, a Republican representative from District 65 in southwestern Ohio, made the news recently when - on the advice and with the assistance of a conservative lobbyist - he proposed legislation which would extend insurance coverage to a medically-impossible procedure as a way of fighting abortion.
The bill prohibits insurers from covering abortion services, but provides an exception for a procedure “intended to reimplant” an ectopic pregnancy in a woman's uterus ... a procedure which is considered "physiologically impossible" by obstetricians and for which medical procedures do not currently exist.
Becker told the newspaper he never researched whether re-implanting an ectopic pregnancy into a woman's uterus was a viable medical procedure before including it in the bill. He told an interviewer that "I heard about it over the years ... I never questioned it or gave it a lot of thought.” He did not consult doctors about the medical procedure, but received regular input from anti-abortion activist Barry Sheets, a lobbyist for the Right to Life Action Coalition of Ohio ... who declined to comment on the story.
Make no mistake: abortion is a tragic, terrible thing that is sometimes seen as the only option available to a woman who has an unwanted pregnancy (for instance, in the case of rape or forced incest), or whose own life is threatened by medical complications arising from pregnancy. It should never be viewed as an easy and convenient solution to a personal problem. As a proud father and grandfather, I am morally and philosophically opposed to abortion on demand, as opposed to abortion as an unfortunate but sometimes medically justified procedure.
Opposition to abortion must acknowledge it is - in rare instances - a necessary evil. When lawmakers blithely author legislation without the least understanding of what they're saying, or craft legislation designed simply to heap shame and indignity on women, they do not help to eliminate the problem. They would be better advised to focus on removing the situations which sometimes make abortion seem to be a rational option: improve prenatal care, provide honest and relevant sex education for young people, and make contraception understandable and available. One may be morally opposed to sex outside of marriage, but nature has conspired to make the sex act pleasurable and our culture has evolved - for better or worse - to make it an attractive and desirable part of relationships ... with occasional unfortunate consequences.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, our final ass clown designee for 2019 - The Left-Cheek Ass Clown for December - is Ohio State Representative John Becker ... a man who admits he crafted legislation on a life-or-death issue without "question(ing) it or (giving) it a lot of thought."
This is where rigid conservative and religious beliefs have brought us.
Have a good day. Be sure to come back tomorrow for Cartoon Saturday, and on Sunday for Poetry Sunday. And don't forget to cast your votes for our 2019 Ass Clown of the Year award. You'll want to make your voice heard.
More thoughts coming.
Bilbo
6 comments:
A good choice in a target-rich environment.
A Republican trying to pass a law he knows nothing about? Go figure.
He sounds like a deserving honoree.
But is a troll posting here?
I hadn't heard about this guy. To quote Bugs Bunny, "What a maroon!.
And it looks like a troll to me. Regular comments to Bilbo are better than that.
Assuming the usual rules, I cast my first, of many, votes for ass-clown of the year: 10 for Mitch McConnell; he's worthy beyond words.
Heidi - The troll has been visiting everyone that has a comment. He usually uses famous people's names but has recently taken to stealing friend's names. The giveaway is no Profile Photo. Except for Allen. Allen needs to sign up with blogger and get a Profile Photo. Allen, you don't need a blog to sign up with blogger.
I've been going back and deleting those stupid troll comments as I find them. Some people just have way too much time on their hands.
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