North Texas Daily

Column

I hate to break it to you, Mr. Santorum, but the LGBT community has never been, nor will it ever be, a threat to your idealized vision of the American family. The fact that Santorum is a serious contender for president scares me on a level that I’m not comfortable with.

Rick Santorum, during his tenure as a representative of Pennsylvania, has said things publicly that are without a doubt wholly prejudiced against the gay community, and the fact that no one has stood up to him is absurd. He has said on more than one occasion that homosexuality is a threat to the American people, but it’s never explained. These are the same remarks and arguments that 40 years ago would have been used against interracial couples.

He continues to get away with this because he claims to use his Christian faith as a model of righteous living. Now, as a Christian, I have no problems with molding your life after the teachings of Christ. What I do have a problem with is a senator twisting the word of God to justify his homophobia.

But it’s not just gay rights that he’s attacking: it’s small government as well. He claims to be a small government conservative, but I’ve yet to see a good example.

In June 2011, Santorum said he would continue to “fight very strongly against libertarian influence within the Republican Party and the conservative movement.” In an NPR interview in the summer of 2005, Santorum discussed what he called the “libertarianish right,” saying “they have this idea that people should be left alone, be able to do whatever they want to do. Government should keep our taxes down and keep our regulation low and that we shouldn’t get involved in the bedroom, we shouldn’t get involved in cultural issues, you know, people should do whatever they want. Well, that is not how traditional conservatives view the world, and I think most conservatives understand that individuals can’t go it alone…”

He wants to be the opposite of a Libertarian, which is to say socially conservative and fiscally liberal. I don’t think there’s even a name for something as ridiculous as that.

As long as Rick Santorum continues to push his message of hate, and as long as people continue to listen to it, nothing will change. We cannot afford, both socially and fiscally, to elect someone like Rick Santorum.

Nicholas LaGrassa is an emergency administration and planning senior. He can be reached at NicholasLaGrassa@my.unt.edu.