Republicans Have a Fixation with the "R" Word

Any intelligent person recognizes how using the word "rape" should be very carefully measured. 

Rape means assault, pure and simple. So, it makes no sense to use this word in public because it conjures up irreparable injury.

Yet, some dense headed Republicans are obsessed with this word.

It makes no sense. Any intelligent person would stay away from using  the "R" word, because it describes pernicious violence and it's offensive to the human ear.

As a matter of fact, of the nearly dozen wrong minded politicians who used the "R" word during the 2012, elections, all were defeated except Congressman Paul Ryan, who somehow retained his Congressional seat, but still lost, nonetheless, as a Vice-Presidential candidate.  Incredulously, in spite of the horror of rape and the political consequences to those who use the word in public, Republicans can't let it go. Now, they even found a fanciful thinking women to use the word for them. It's astounding, but Republicans even found a woman to speak about rape as though it is something that can be reversed or fixed.

Rachel Maddow, the vibrantly effective news anchor on MSNBC, understands the toxic combination between those who use the "R" word and political annihilation. She calls out politicians who use this word. Yet, Republicans seem obsessed by the word.

On Monday night's show (June 24) Maddow reported about a woman in the Texas legislature who was a surrogate speaker on the subject of rape. This woman legislator gave false information to her colleagues about how a rape kit is used in a hospital emergency room. Following in line with the fanciful thinking of former Congressman Todd Akin, who told a television newscaster in Kansas that women apparently have a magical immunity to pregnancy resulting from rape, this Texas woman legislator wrongly told her colleagues that women who are raped have the ability to wash away the problem in the hospital emergency department where they're provided with rape kits to prevent pregnancy resulting from the assault. In fact, the Texas legislator who publicly stated false information about rape should be censured for telling lies.  Texas Republican Representative Jodie Laubenberg said,  "...(in)..hospital emergency rooms, we have funded what’s called rape kits that will help the woman, basically clean her out. And then hopefully that will alleviate that.”

In fact, Laubenberg couldn't have done any research, whatsoever, about what's in a rape kit.  It's a forensic evidence collection kit!

Here is a description of a rape kit:  "A sexual assault evidence collection kit, sexual assault forensic evidence (SAFE) kit, Sexual offense evidence collection (SOEC) kit or Physical Evidence Recovery Kit (PERK),[1] is a set of items used by medical personnel for gathering and preserving physical evidence following an allegation of sexual assault which can be used in rape investigation. The kit was developed by Louis R. Vitullo and was for years referred to as the Vitullo kit. It is colloquially referred to as a rape kit or rape test kit. The term applies also to the collected evidence for a specific case.[2]"  A rape kit does absolutely nothing to reverse the physiological damage caused by rape.

Following is the report from Monday night's TRMS (The Rachel Maddow Show):

"...a...minority of Democrats (in Texas) managed to get...Republican supporters on record about their explicit belief that government has the right to control women's private medical needs and their understanding about what, in practice, that means.  Thus ...Texas...Republican Representative Jodie Laubenberg, found herself making this argument... about why she opposed adding an exception (to an anti abortion bill) for women who have been raped ...Laubenberg said...."[I]n hospital emergency rooms, we have funded what’s called rape kits that will help the woman, basically clean her out. And then hopefully that will alleviate that.”

Excuse me for a digression, but why are Republicans obsessed with government intrusion into their lives when it means paying taxes or providing for public safety against gun violence, but it's somehow okay to intrude into the medical care required for a rape victim? Republicans don't want rape victims to have access to abortion because, by so doing, they will need to allow for licensing of facilities where safe abortion procedures are performed.  So, women who become pregnant as a result of rape are simply supposed to use a rape kit to reverse this assault outcome.

Republicans don't seem to understand the political consequences of using the caustic "R" word.  

Hopefully, like they did in 2012, the voters will "get" the stupidity of spreading fanciful information about rape, which is a terribly serious and criminal issue.  If I didn't know better, I'd suspect some Republicans want to undermine the seriousness of rape, so they can justify their right wing obsession with eliminating all abortions, regardless of the harm a pregnancy can bring to the woman.

Republicans who continue their fixation with the "R" word should be required to interview rape victims before they get involved in this degrading subject.  As for the purpose of rape kits, any politician who spreads false information about how forensic evidence is collected from victims should be removed from office.  

Texas Representative Laubenberg has become a surrogate for Republican men who spew misinformation about rape and, therefore, she should be at the head of the "exit" line.