Santorum Brings the Crazy to Ohio

Well, OK, it's probably more accurate to say he threw a few more logs on the fire of Crazy. The Crazy was already here.

Last Saturday, Rick Santorum was in Columbus, where he spoke at the so-called "freedom luncheon" of a group called the Ohio Christian Alliance.

Who are they? Here's what their "about us" page says their mission is:

To inform Christians about timely issues and pending legislation
To speak for truth and morality in the public arena
To educate voters through voter guides, score cards, and candidate forums
To train Christian leaders for effective social and political action
To defend the legal rights of Christians against an ever-growing anti-Christian bias

They were doing OK until that last one. It's fascinating how such groups have ratcheted up their paranoia to a delusional level even while they are actively attacking other peoples' faiths.

The group repeatedly talks about its "pro-life/pro-family" agenda, codewords that say nothing while saying everything the religious ultra-right wants to hear.

And here's their current "pro-life/pro-family" agenda:

1) Instilling Knowledge of Founding Documents. Study after study demonstrates that America's schoolchildren have a shocking lack of knowledge when it comes to our nation's history and government. It is foolish to believe these students will grow into active, valuable citizens if we fail to educate them in American History and Government. We support legislation to ensure that Ohio's schoolchildren receive a civics education grounded in our nation and state's founding documents.

2) Ohio's Ban on Human Cloning and Animal-Human Hybrid. This bill would implement stiff penalties and imprisonment on those individuals and laboratories conducting human cloning and/or animal-human hybrid research.

3) Supporting the Ten Commandments. Presenting framed copies of the Ten Commandments to members of the Ohio General Assembly to hang in their offices, affirming the role of the Decalogue as our nation and state's legal, moral and cultural foundation.

4) Ending Ohio's Estate tax - The time has come to end Ohio’s unjust estate tax. What makes this tax more egregious than others is that it hits a family at a time of grief. Many Ohioans and farm families are not prepared for or aware of what awaits them when their family members pass on and the family farm or business which helped to sustain them over the years, and which their parents worked so hard to tend and build, will now become a source of anxiety as they face the State’s death tax.

They actually probably wouldn't like a truth-based study of our founding documents. They're probably advocating for the fraudulent, revisionist American histories being written by right-wing religious figures like David Barton.

Their other issues are laughably fringe-y? Human-animal hybrids? Yeah, that's a major threat (why are those on the right so obsessed with this wacky little idea?) And catering to the wealthy — the only ones affected by the estate tax (and how did they miss the chance to call it by its propaganda name, the "death tax"?) — seems to go against Jesus' command to serve the poor, the sick, the elderly, the stranger. But we've come to expect that from those on the religious right, haven't we?

But these are Rick Santorum's friends in Ohio. And now that this dangerous radical appears to be leading in the Republican presidential primary — the most extreme and radical candidate to come this close to being the presidential candidate of a major party in this country in our lifetime — we need to pay attention to the people he hangs out with.