God's Santa Claus

Daily Kos has a regular feature, "This Week in the War on Women." Yesterday's post, Public hangings, rape is a gift from God, and cream of fetus soup" detailed a few examples of how the Republican party has not been supportive of women's rights (to say the least).

"Public hangings" refers to North Carolina State Assemblyman Larry Pitman's call for public hangings of (among others) abortion providers. I guess they don't have enough stones in that state for proper executions. "Cream of fetus soup" satirizes Oklahoma State Senator Ralph Shortey's bill to ban the use of aborted human fetuses in food. He seems to be confused about food and non-food.

Okay, you might think these are examples of provincial hillbillies whose influence cannot extend past their local hilltop. The last item, however, comes from a candidate in a major political party's race for nomination for President of the United States and Leader of the Free World. Compulsive breeder Rick "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Googled" Santorum has taken the extreme anti-choice position that even pregnancies resulting from rape should not be terminated. In an interview with Piers Morgan on CNN that aired January 20, Santorum was asked  what he would do if one of his daughters were to come to him, telling him she had been raped and was pregnant, and begging to be allowed to have an abortion. He responded that he would not consent to his daughter getting an abortion, and said that the offspring of rapists are gifts from God.

Which leads us to the illustration above, which comes from "Santa Claus: Bad Role Model?" posted by Luis Prada, in which he cites research by Australian public-health expert Nathan Grills which suggests Mr. Claus' reckless and unhealthy lifestyle may be a bad influence on young minds. Prada adds concerns about Santa's suspicious spying and maintenance of lists of those whom he deems "naughty" or "nice." Rick Santorum reveals to us that a serial rapist, i.e., one who brings many gifts from God, must indeed by God's own Santa Claus.
UPDATE:  Santorum has been joined in his bizarre view by Indiana US Senate candidate Richard Mourdock, who declared that a pregnancy that results from rape "is something that God intended to happen."