al-Taqiyya Ted Cruz and the "Never Would I Ever"

 

A few weeks ago, Senator Cruz made some comments regarding Islam that made me laugh a little bit. He said that there was a philosophy in Islam that encouraged jihadis to lie for the sake of their holy war, to the unbelievers. It made me laugh, because I already know he's on about al-Taqiyya, because right-wingers always are, and it's sort of like "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing". In Northern Ireland, at a "hedge school" a priest at one time might have told you, "Sure and I'm not a Catholic--and if I were, I'd never tell you." It also made me smile because in the culture war, your hard-core religious righty is certainly not above the odd fib.

 

So it was only a matter of time before Ted Cruz got caught in a couple of these pious fibs--call them "Christianist Taqiyya", himself. For one, deeply amusing thing, in response to the recent shootings, he said he never met any pro-life advocate who was in favor of violent means.

 

Huh. Because as I've pointed out myself, he welcomed an endorsement from Troy Newman of Operation Rescue, who most certainly did advocate violent means. Is he perhaps utterly unaware of the body of work of Neal Horsley? The attacks against abortion clinics and doctors has been constant and sustained. He doesn't know that? His pretending to not know that there are extremist voices out there is peculiar, and most certainly wrong.

 

Robert Dear, himself, expressed admiration for the group known as Army of God--the sort of extremist Christian ID group I've been assured only "lu-lus" associate with. Be that as it may, your rifle-packing lu-lu in this country can be quite the dangerous and completely grotesque person. Dear's history of unchecked assertions of rage, particularly against women, were warning signs aplenty that he was bad news, but he was always let go. Domestic violence, rape? Meh. He believed in forgiveness, and he got it

 

But I find more knee-slappable (because less violence-involving) Cruz's assertion that never was the right wing ever involved in trying to end birth control. Jiminy Crickets, no! Why, they were never the "condom-police" because "rubbers" were available in bathrooms when he went to college. (In Princeton--not the restrooms, that is actually terrible declassee, but I understand in Harvard dorms, this was possibly true. But note the use of the term "rubbers". Wow, man, is that what the hepcats of his era called prophylactics or what?) But that's just gassing about the one kind of birth control that exists for male-bodied people. His record regarding female birth control access is a hot mess.

 

Never would you ever try and stop people from accessing birth control? Huh. And wouldn't you know, that is a real thing with the "death to gays" guy Kevin Swanson, with whom Ted Cruz recently shared a stage. His main man in Virginia is Rep. Dick Black, who despises contraception of any kind.  ( I talked about that weirdo right here, myself.)

 

Ted Cruz thinks a lot of people have a mote in their eye, but he is totally beamed. Seriously, does Ted Cruz think we are that much not paying attention? Well, no. I am. And you can't actually Jedi-mind-trick the culture war battles away.