If you're in Manassas, VA, he's your representative. Here's what he said:
State Delegate Bob Marshall of Manassas says disabled children are God's punishment to women who have aborted their first pregnancy.No need to play "Name That Party", because Del. Marshall is a Republican. But I digress.
He made that statement Thursday at a press conference to oppose state funding for Planned Parenthood.
"The number of children who are born subsequent to a first abortion with handicaps has increased dramatically. Why? Because when you abort the first born of any, nature takes its vengeance on the subsequent children," said Marshall, a Republican.
As you know, I'm pretty harsh on what David Brooks likes to call the "Educated Class". I don't think that in general they're all that smart, and I think that they are - as a class - exceptionally close minded and bigoted towards rural areas, southerners, and much of the middle class.
And then someone like Marshall opens his pie hole and confirms everything they say. Thanks for making us look like a bunch of know-nothing, ignorant rednecks, Bob. Now can you please STFU? You're hurting the team.
Marshall joins Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley in the exclusive "Dumb as a rock" category here. I expect that he won't be the last.
Hat tip: Sabra, who replies to this doofus in a much more intelligent and measured manner than I.
UPDATE 1 March 2010 14:52: Via Citizen Tom, here's the full transcript of Del. Marshall's remarks:
“Thank you very much for coming here today. We are dealing with an attempt to defund, frankly, a malevolent organization. And I say that because you know people by their fruits. In 1960, 65, the out of wed-lock birthrate for blacks was 25 percent. I think it was about 23 percent in 1960 – it was 5 percent for all races. Now it’s 40 percent. It’s 72% for blacks, 51% for Latinas. These are the fruits of planned parenthood. OK. Nothing else. More heartache. More guys who are completely irresponsible and think that women have one function and one function only for a few minutes. OK. But this just isn’t affecting our families, our inner cities, our communities and our state. This poison animates a world-wide population control program that the United States funds and which is unnecessarily making us enemies overseas. We are attacking traditional family structure in a way that no country should be doing. These aren’t my words. Go read a book by Denesh DeSouza. Ok. He’s looking at it from a cultural, historical perspective. This organization should be called Planned Barrenhood cause they have nothing to do with families, they have nothing to do with responsibility. One-fourth of all abortions are done by Planned Parenthood in the United States. Ok. The number of children who are born subsequent to a first abortion who have handicaps has increased dramatically. Why? Because when you abort the first-born of any, Nature takes its vengeance on the subsequent children. In the Old Testament, the first-born of every being, animal and man, was dedicated to the Lord. There’s a special punishment Christians would suggest, and with the knowledge they have from faith has been verified by a study by the Virginia Commonwealth University. First abortions of the first pregnancy are much more damaging to the woman than latter abortions. None of these are good for anybody but this organization has had its time. They have failed in their efforts and we need to defund them and not have them receive a dime of public money.”I'm actually quite sympathetic for the first half of his statement. It's a factual, serious presentation of the issues. Then it strays into the fever swamps. Frequent readers know that I'm very harsh on advocates for man-made global warming; Del. Marshall's statement that abortions cause birth defects in subsequent pregnancies sets off precisely the same alarm bells as people who say that higher levels of Carbon Dioxide cause higher temperatures. Is it possible? Yes. Is there a clear political motive? Yes.
Borepatch - Thank you for the link.
ReplyDeleteI think you are being too harsh on Delegate Bob Marshall. The reason is obvious. You don' live in Virginia. So you are judging the man based upon one statement. That is unfair, and you are old enough to know better. Based upon what I have had time to read of your blog, I suspect you are also wise enough to know better.
Marshall is a solid Conservative. He believes in limited government and is fiscally conservative. Because Marshall also is a Social Conservative, much of Virginia's corporate news media utterly hates his guts. So they constantly use any opportunity to harass him. However, because Marshall speaks thoughtfully and carefully, he rarely gives them any opportunity.
Note that Marshall has been in office since 1991. He represent a district in Northern Virginia, not exactly a red necked backwater. Even though his opponents outspend him every two years, he has won reelection every two years. In fact, in our last Senate election (Federal office), he fell only a few votes short of receiving the Republican Party's nomination.
Is Marshall perfect? No. That honor belongs to God.
Since I rather doubt you would appreciate being judged the same way you judged him, I think it fair to say you owe Marshall an apology.
Tom, thanks for stopping by and commenting, and providing some background. I went back and re-read my post, and would like to add this:
ReplyDelete1. Marshall sounds like a guy that I'd vote for, at least compared to the expected competition in NOVA (I used to live in Silver Spring, MD, and remember the ads around election time).
2. The area is indeed not a "redneck backwater", although I'm perfectly comfortable living in places that are described as such. Ideally, when #2 Son graduates from High School, the Mrs. and I will high tail it for one of those backwaters, which I find very comfortable.
3. I probably agree with the first two thirds of Marshall's statement, rather than the first half.
4. I have to stand by my statement, though - Marshall has to know that the press is out to get him. He has to. This sort of thing (the last third of his statement) lets them paint his as an idiot, and avoid the very substantive comments that preceded it. You know how the press doesn't want to address many issues seriously, because they're pulling for the left. Marshall just made it easy for them to do that again.
5. I'm not really a conservative. Or a liberal, or even libertarian.
6. I don't buy his statement on birth defects in pregnancies after an abortion. I'm willing to listen and keep an open mind, but I'm quite tuned in on "junk science", and post frequently on it. While this may in fact be true, it (at least initially) smells like the AMA "you're 43 times more likely to die from your own handgun" study that's garbage. As I said, I'm willing to listen, especially if you have links.
Net/net, Marshall seems like a decent guy and a decent Delegate, but he should know better. He should know the press is out to get him.
However, if you have a link to a study that actually shows higher incidents of birth defects for pregnancies after an abortion, I'll absolutely post an apology.
Borepatch - I don't insist that anyone entirely agree with me. I am happy when the cup is half full. Unless we are 80 percent wrong, then we should be pleased with any politician we can agree with 80 percent of the time.
ReplyDeleteIs Marshall right on the science? There is more to it than what he had in that little blurb in his speech. He has a 109 document he wrote on his website. You can read it.
My main point, however (and you seem to agree), is that no one is one dimensional. Because he is smart and does his homework, Marshall is one of the most significant political leaders in our state. Yet based on that stupid quote in what passes for news these days, you would never know it.
The article that started this mess was written by journalism student. Until they realized it was a "great" hatchet piece, the regular press apparently did not take Marshall's comment that way.
I have invited Bob Marsahll to post his IQ or highlest test score on any psycho-educational test deemed suitable for Mensa Eligibiltiy. If Bob would coooperate, we may be abel to resolve whether in fact he operates as a "svant" or that he truely posesses signficant intellectual deficits.
ReplyDeleteI have been a member fo American mensa , ltd. since 1986. I posess two master's degrees and three undergradaute degrees. I have been unable to obtain any suitabel teaching postion wihtin my field the entire time I have resided in Virginia. So ipso facto!
At any rate, it was a revelation to me that God punsihes women who abort their first berm by causing them to produce chidlren with birth defect. I was born with two clubbed feet; oen foot was not corrected that well; and I presently have knee problems. So, I guess I must blame my mother. Alhtough unbeknownst to me, she must have had an abortion between it was legal because i was born with signficant birthdefects. However, to the best of my knowedge, I am her only child and the only chidl which she was capapble of bearing.
So what does Bob Mrsahll know?
I guess that Neil Cavuto on Fox News is the product of a woman who must have aborted her first pregancy, too.
As for Bob Marshall-- who knows. Pesoanlly, I believe that he is an alien transplant from Area 51 in teh Nevada Desert, but the articel claims that he was born in marland! Is there a difference? Deos having a Marland who ascribeds to strange relgious notions make him right for Vrignina?
At any rate, I wish he would disclose his IQ-- and MMPI score too if he has one!
I have been dealing with Bob Mrsahll ever since I moved into his 13th House of Delgate's district in 1999.
ReplyDeleteI am a native Virginian although I did live out of state for a period of about 7 or 8 years during upper elementary school and high school.
I come from a long line of vrigninas who trace their ancestry back to Colonial Times and before that!
Numerous members of my father's family reside in Virginia.
I am not happy with anything which Bob Mrsahll says or does when he invovkes his relgious ideology as a reason for his actions.
I do not share Bob mrsahll's relgious faith. I thought that separation between Church and state was one of the tenets of the Consitution. In fact, this implied separation is appended to the second amendment.
That is a curious place to put it-- maybe it implies that someone ought to hunt down and shoot Constitutional heretics!