Do The Right Thing?

I caught Mike Huckabee promoting his new book on The Daily Show the other night. The worst thing I find about Huckabee is that he spouts arrant nonsense and divisive bullshit while sounding like an easygoing and wise elder statesman. His views are totally at odds with a rational, just and pluralistic society, yet he couches his wingnut beliefs in reasonable-sounding statements.

Huck asserted that "for 5,000 years marriage has been defined as being between a man and a woman." Really? In ALL human societies? Not at all! Yet the average person, without a grounding in history and anthropology, would buy his argument. That the average person would listen to bullshit like this without their biblical knowledge, general education, and critical thought coming into play is a topic for another post, but still I'm concerned that rightwingers like Huckabee are listened to by educated people without the laughter and ridicule their statements deserve.

Frankly, I get sick of religious rightwingers picking and choosing Biblical laws and verses to fit their prejudices and political stances. I hear crap like Huckabee's assertions, and I wonder if the speaker eats shellfish, or keeps his wife and daughters separated from the family during their periods. The hypocrisy of these Christian Taliban astounds me. I keep waiting for more moderate Christians to denounce them (and thankfully, some are starting to do so).

John Stewart gave back to Huck as good as he got, and I'm glad of it--but we need more people like him to stand up and call statements like Huckabee's for what they are, namely, bullshit. That would truly be "doing the right thing."