Who doesn't recall John Edwards's ridiculous attacks on Cheney during the vice-presidential candidates debate back in 2004? Here Edwards had the very essence of evil directly in front of him and he chose to fight the devil on his own battlefield, trying to stir up hate by insinuating something amiss with Mary Cheney. It was so pathetic that Saturday Night Live lampooned it very effectively. Edwards would have been far better off going after Cheney's own record of hate, such as his vote in Congress to keep Nelson Mandela in prison (Cheney was a big supporter of the racist Apartheid government of South Africa...surprise, surprise), and kept at it. Instead, he chose to pander to the hatemongers himself.
Anyway, back to Mary Cheney. Is it her fault that her father is perhaps one of the most evil and uncivil men ever to hold high office in our government? Do we hold her responsible for being born to an unholy couple, one of whom cut his teeth as part of the no-holds-barred criminal administration of Richard Nixon and the other of whom headed up a National Endowment for the Humanities under Reagan that began eliminating or critiquing awards for women and minorities and whose more current pet project ACTA (Association of College Trustees and Alumni) published a blacklist of professors who weren't sufficiently right wing for them?
No, we shouldn't hold her responsible for being the spawn of such utterly asinine parents. It isn't her fault. However, it is her fault for not standing against their complicity with the right-wing hate attack that the elder Cheneys have promulgated throughout their careers in "public service." Hadn't she learned anything from an earlier era, an era in which her father Dick, ensconced in his Washington offices, surely would have recoiled from the chant "Silence Equals Death" coming from ACT-UP?
Here's what a spokesperson for one of Dick Cheney's allies, the fascist Concerned Women of America, had to say:
Janice Crouse of Concerned Women for America described the pregnancy as "unconscionable."
"It's very disappointing that a celebrity couple like this would deliberately bring into the world a child that will never have a father," said Crouse, a senior fellow at the group's think tank. "They are encouraging people who don't have the advantages they have."
"Unconscionable" is a pretty strong word. However, if you read her comments a bit more deeply, what she's really upset about is that this "celebrity couple" (read: well off) might encourage the less fortunate to procreate as well. And of course, for all you heterosexual single mothers, it's nice to see your experiences invalidated as well.
I wonder if Mary Cheney's baby will be invited to the White House?
1 comment:
Is it wrong that I'm wondering who the father is?
And I didn't know that Cheney voted to keep Nelson Mandela in prison. That upsets me.
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