And then we have the state of Iowa. You might suppose that a state with only four representatives in the US Congress would take a bit of care in selecting them. If that were true however, how do you explain Congressman Steve King? If Rep. King's pronouncements were any stranger he could run for office in East Texas. Mr. King has come to national prominence by attempting to enrage, infuriate and otherwise offend every progressive special interest and minority in the entire country. Considering the number of tone-deaf, out of touch Republicans vying for the title of Most Inappropriate Politician in a Leading Role, Mr. King's rise to obnoxious prominence is impressive. One might be tempted to stereotype Iowa as just another collection of Mid-Western goobers who want Uncle Sam to subsidize their crops but look the other way while they romance the livestock. That would be an over simplification.
Iowa has been a difficult state to handicap. They nominated Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum for President in recent years but Iowa was one of the first states to recognize gay marriage. As devout Christians, Iowa has adopted the Biblical edict to love thy neighbor to its logical conclusion. Good for them. Iowa is 91% white (this number fluctuates depending on the racial makeup of the University of Iowa's offensive and defensive lines) and 75% catholic or Christian Protestant. If Iowa were a little farther north it could be Denmark. They have much in common with their cousins to the south and west (big on grits, guns, God) but on some things (for example English is not the official language) they go their own way. The farmers in King's own district favor a path to citizenship for illegals by a factor of two to one.
But then there's Steve King. Not content to simply accept millions from Monsanto and the other agribusiness interests in his district, King has decided to walk in the shoes of Todd Akin of neighboring Missouri. Not about rape but about immigration. In a recent speech Steve allowed that for every illegal immigrant (read Mexican) who goes on to become valedictorian of his/her class there are hundreds smuggling drugs across the border. King has this on good authority. He spoke to one agent. The point of this despicable hate-speech is King's desire to torpedo the so-called Dream Act designed to streamline a path to citizenship for illegals brought here as children. Considering that there are about 35 illegals in Iowa (72% of the white population never leave) one wonders why Mr. King is so worried. Most immigrants would prefer Guantanamo to Des Moines.
However, King has not limited his warped world view to Latinos. He has attempted to attach a rider to the current farm bill which would virtually nullify state animal rights laws for companies engaged in interstate commerce. He has clearly stated his disinterest in any humane treatment of animals in factory farm situations. Jesus what's the big deal? They're just chickens. King thinks dog fighting is just fine and children should be able to attend. "There's something wrong when we outlaw dog fighting but allow people to fight." Well gee, who could argue with that logic? Psst! Congressman, People have free will. They can choose to fight. Dogs can't.
But why try to argue with morons like this. Iowa elected him so we're stuck. However, as our friends in Egypt have clearly demonstrated, elections, unlike diamonds, are not forever. Not that anyone is suggesting that we send the military to oust him. I'm sure a small, motivated gaggle of pit bulls might be helpful. At least they wouldn't be fighting each other.
No comments:
Post a Comment