CGM. Steve King doesn't know that kidnapping is illegal.

[Glass Cowcatcher]

Part of a larger train wreck where Congressman Steve King tries to argue that right now, animals have more rights than humans(read:fetuses.).

I have no words. :shock:

What I've said is that we need to respect humans more than we do animals. Whenever we start elevating animals up to, to above that of humans, we've crossed a moral line. For example, if there's a sexual predator out there who has impregnated a young girl, say a 13 year old girl, and it happens in America more times than you and I like to think, that sexual predator can pick that girl off the playground at the middle school and haul her across the state line and force her to get an abortion to eradicate the evidence of his crime, and bring her back and drop her off at the swing set, and that's not against the law in the United States of America. I have told Wayne Pacelle and the people who believe we should focus all of our efforts on the, on anything they can bring that limits activity around animals, that we need to respect and revere human life first, animal life second.

(Video [link=http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2012/08/01/622881/steve-king-responds-dogfighting/]here,[/link]ext C&P from [link=http://www.fstdt.com/QuoteComment.aspx?QID=88982]FSTDT[/link].)

[pixydust]

OMG, what a fucking moron! No, douche nozzle, that is a felony! I wonder if people like him actually believe this tripe, or if it is just fear mongering?

[Glass Cowcatcher]

OMG, what a fucking moron! No, douche nozzle, that is a felony! I wonder if people like him actually believe this tripe, or if it is just fear mongering?

It sounds like something straight out of Lila Rose's mouth. I think the demographic he is aiming for thinks that kidnapping= Elizabeth Smart style crimes.

[pixydust]

It sounds like something straight out of Lila Rose's mouth. I think the demographic he is aiming for thinks that kidnapping= Elizabeth Smart style crimes.

So people with a limited understanding of the law....the kind of people that I wish would stay home on election day!

[Glass Cowcatcher]

So people with a limited understanding of the law....the kind of people that I wish would stay home on election day!

Every day, really.

[pixydust]

Every day, really.

Well, yes, that too.

[ILoveJellybeans]

Does he not realise that that is kidnapping, and illegal, and also that just cause someone isnt pregnant from rape, doesnt mean there is no evidence of it.

[wtfrenchtoast]

....because it totally isn't a federal crime to transport a minor that you aren't the guardian of across state lines. That's totally legal. For sure.

I just...I...this kind of stupid just makes me sad.

[Guest Anonymous]

He draws this weird false dilemma, as if you could either care about dog fighting (which is what this statement is about, apparently) or care about the abduction of children (which is illegal, obviously). Every sensible person knows that you can care about both. His statement only makes me wonder why this specific, detailed fantasy is floating around in his mind.

[merrily]

Why does the upcoming election brings out the crazy?

[mirele]

....because it totally isn't a federal crime to transport a minor that you aren't the guardian of across state lines. That's totally legal. For sure.

I just...I...this kind of stupid just makes me sad.

Well, if an adult male impregnates a 13 YO girl, that implies a sex act. So that would likely be, in any state, some form of sexual assault (state crime). If he then takes the girl over the state line to get an abortion, why that would then turn into a federal crime--Mann Act violation. Or kidnapping. Take your pick.

For the record, Elizabeth Smart's kidnapper was prosecuted in federal court for kidnapping, because he took her out of state. This was after the state dithered around on charging him with sexual assault for the better part of a decade. (Based on scuttlebutt I heard, the state didn't want to prosecute because it would open up a lot of cans o' worms they weren't prepared to deal with.) Last I heard, Brian David Mitchell was being incarcerated in the federal pen near Tucson. When I drove by recently, I made sure to give my best FU to the prison in honor of Ms. Smart. I should note that when I lived in SLC, I used to see him and his wife panhandling downtown, they were quite recognizable. I couldn't believe the cops never put out the drawing they were able to coax out of Elizabeth's sister--I'm sure LOTS of people would have recognized him. I know I did.

[Conuly]

Even were it true that neither the statuatory rape NOR the crossing state lines for an abortion is illegal (I suppose it might not be illegal if the rapist in question is the girl's father, but then he's still on the hook for the incest and rape), doesn't destroying the evidence require more than an abortion? Is this hypothetical 13-year-old completely unable to communicate? Because I have to say, if you bring your comatose child in to get an abortion in another state, somebody is going to ask questions!

Amusingly, there is some historical precedent for the "animal rights = human rights!" argument. The first child abuse case in England actually was prosecuted using laws against animal abuse on those very grounds, that if we protect horses and dogs from severe beatings we should certainly protect children from them as well.

But the child abuse in question was "severe beatings". I don't know if I want to dig to find out where this guy stands on those.

[Glass Cowcatcher]

Even were it true that neither the statuatory rape NOR the crossing state lines for an abortion is illegal (I suppose it might not be illegal if the rapist in question is the girl's father, but then he's still on the hook for the incest and rape), doesn't destroying the evidence require more than an abortion? Is this hypothetical 13-year-old completely unable to communicate? Because I have to say, if you bring your comatose child in to get an abortion in another state, somebody is going to ask questions...

That's what's weird about his whole statement to me. A 13-year-old won't be as cowed into

keeping her rape a secret as a 5 or 6 year old, nor will she be as easy to "pick off the playground" and just haul away. (not saying it doesn't happen, just not as frequently as King thinks.)

Besides that, there would be questions from all directions, especially if the state is one of those that needs parental notification or consent.

[Conuly]

That's what's weird about his whole statement to me. A 13-year-old won't be as cowed into

keeping her rape a secret as a 5 or 6 year old, nor will she be as easy to "pick off the playground" and just haul away. (not saying it doesn't happen, just not as frequently as King thinks.)

Besides that, there would be questions from all directions, especially if the state is one of those that needs parental notification or consent.

Well, many people don't realize this, but stranger abductions (rare as they are - and they are FAR less common than many people think!) are actually more frequent among teens and preteens than small children. So I guess you can haul away a teenager, though again, I'd think your hypothetical kidnapper/rapist is more likely to kill their victim than risk exposure by bringing her to have an abortion..

[Glass Cowcatcher]

Well, many people don't realize this, but stranger abductions (rare as they are - and they are FAR less common than many people think!) are actually more frequent among teens and preteens than small children. So I guess you can haul away a teenager, though again, I'd think your hypothetical kidnapper/rapist is more likely to kill their victim than risk exposure by bringing her to have an abortion..

I doubt it would happen on the school playground, they don't even have playgrounds outside of elementary school here, and even if there was one, it would be supervised by the school staff.

[Coconut Flan]

All of the playgrounds at schools near me are fenced in completely and one has to go through the school to get to them. Abducting anyone from them would be quite challenging.

[Wolfie]

All of the playgrounds at schools near me are fenced in completely and one has to go through the school to get to them. Abducting anyone from them would be quite challenging.

Same with all the schools I work at and have worked at.

Some are parks when school is out, but those fences stay locked during school hours and the teachers and school employees are the only ones with keys.

[Anxious Girl]

Why does it not surprise me that an old white republican man said this?

[emmiedahl]

So a dirty old pervert rapes a young girl, kidnaps her from an apparently unsupervised playground and takes her across state lines. This guy (I have no idea who he is) only has a problem with the abortion. :lol: I know this should not be funny, but... damn it's funny.

[Coconut Flan]

I think it shows how that one track mindset shuts off the logic portion of some people's brains. I kind of enjoy asking people like that if they just heard what they said.

[galaxygirl]

On behalf of the great state of Iowa, I am so very sorry. I promise we're not all like this.

[lawfulevil]

I suppose his hypothetical rapist-kidnapper could BE a teacher. It would be a much shorter suspect list, though, wouldn't it?

[Conuly]

I suppose his hypothetical rapist-kidnapper could BE a teacher. It would be a much shorter suspect list, though, wouldn't it?

Well, teachers are more likely than strangers... but less likely than dear old Dad, especially if dear old Dad isolates his kids and really pushes "obedience" on them. (Well, the latter part is me surmising. The former is statistics. Parents are something like 90% of molesters.)

[slickcat79]

So a dirty old pervert rapes a young girl, kidnaps her from an apparently unsupervised playground and takes her across state lines. This guy (I have no idea who he is) only has a problem with the abortion. :lol: I know this should not be funny, but... damn it's funny.

This. It really puts crazy right wing priorities in perspective that he is way more upset about the fact that this hypothetical girl got an abortion than the fact that someone raped and kidnapped a 13 year old.

Also seconding the confusion over the idea that having an abortion to cover up a rape somehow makes the rape go away :? The doctor would have a record, no? And how exactly would this mysterious stranger keep the kidnapping a secret? He manages to take the girl from a public place without anyone seeing, and keeps her long enough to drive to another state, have a medical procedure performed, and bring her back without a parent/teacher/friend knowing she's gone. It fails on so many levels.

[Rachel333]

What if the 13-year-old girl wanted an abortion and her rapist didn't want her to get one? Would he be on the side of the rapist then? That's not far off, either; a lot of people are pushing for laws that would give rapists the right to force their victims to carry a fetus to term.