Just when you thought you weren’t going to get anything for Yom Hashoah, along comes John Raese, the GOP’s senatorial candidate for West Virginia, who, in defense of smokers’ rights, offered the following:
“…And I oppose that, because I believe in everybody’s individual freedoms, and everybody’s individual rights to do what they want to do. And I’m a conservative and that’s the way that goes.
But in Monongalia County now, I have to put a huge sticker on my buildings to say that this is a smoke-free environment. This is brought to you by the government of Monongalia County. OK?
Remember, Hitler used to put Star of David on everybody’s lapel, remember that? Same thing.”
This is such an embarrassment of riches, we’re not sure what exactly to say about it. Is it the utter pettiness of the issue in comparison to the analogy (though apparently, Raese’s not the only one to make the connection)? is it the incoherence of the analogy itself? Is it the fact that that Raese, despite claiming to believe that everybody has the individual right to do what they want to do, actually does want some smokers (albeit not of tobacco) to go lose their freedom? Who knows, who cares–whatever you want to say about Raese and his quote, he’s got impeccable timing, coming up with his little diatribe not only on Yom Hashoah, but due to a certain amount of harmonic convergence, allowing us to run with it today, on Hitler’s Birthday (and as if that wasn’t enough, the Bishop of Peoria gave us another his frenzied fuhrer feuilleton). Life just keeps getting better and better.. Freilichen Geburtstag, Adolf.
I just don’t even know how to respond to this idiot Raese. These people terrify me with the depth of their ignorance and how proud they seem to be of it???
It’s disgusting how ready Conservatives are to co-opt the Holocaust in the name of “individual rights.” I’ve seen this done for abortion and gun registration – even a “I’ll Forgive Jane Fonda When the Jews Forgive Hitler!” bumper sticker. News flash: no smokers or gun owners have ever been pulled from their homes and shipped by trains for mass slaughter. The Holocaust belongs to its victims, and all we can do is respect their memory; anyone using them to forward their own agendas is being disrespectful.
Its good to have perspective… but this is ridiculous.
Ah the extremist right kills two birds with one stone. Protecting smokers rights while insulting Jews.
Very creative I must say.
Nevertheless I have perspective as well. I don’t care all that much but they aint getting my vote (and that includes the GOP indefinitely)…
What do you expect from a party in which nearly every presidential candidate they’ve put forth so far in this campaign belongs in a psychiatric facility?
I’ll say it again – we need mandatory testing of intelligence, sanity and developmental level, with minimum standards established as a prerequisite for voting, holding public office and reproduction.
Great comparison,, he ought to teaching in college bahahahahhahaa
I say to Reese, a little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing… hahaha
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