As illegitimate U.S. Senate candidate Annette Bosworth stubbornly sticks with her sabotage of Republican rebranding, Catholic writer Michael Sean Winters explains how Bosworth's uncreative rehash of the old "Lesson in Irony" equation of humans receiving public assistance and wild animals coarsens public discourse and dehumanizes our fellow citizens:
The real “lesson in irony” here is, of course, that Bosworth does not seem to grasp how offensive her comparison of food stamp recipients with wild animals is. The lack of human sympathy with those who struggle to feed their families is shocking. And, unsurprisingly, there seems to be no awareness that many millions of people who get food stamps are working families whose incomes are insufficient to pay for groceries. Her Facebook posting is the political equivalent of Wal-Mart’s holiday food drive for its employees, a window into the great issue of our time – income inequality – dressed up to look like something else. At least Wal-Mart’s intention was to help people. Dr. Bosworth’s intention was to demean [Michael Sean Winters, "The Coarseness of Our Times," National Catholic Reporter, 2014.05.02].
So much for the Catholic vote. Is there anyone left for Bosworth to alienate in her personal fundraising crusade?
Is this woman a clinical case of a person begging for intervention?
Unlike Republicans in the Church of the Holy Roman Kiddlers, Bosworth has dropped the code that party uses and exposes their real hate for women, the poor and the disenfranchised.
I don't believe there is anything crazy about this Mike. The whole thing is a calculated shot at the basest of human instincts in order to increase the coffers.
Cory, about 50% of Catholics are republicans. It's a misconception that they're majority democrat. I know plenty of Catholics in SD that deplore the food stamp program with the popular myth that the recipients are all welfare queens, and that would probably secretly agree with Bosworth.
Alas, the devil is in the autocorrect....
As a practicing Catholic one of my biggest wishes is that the clergy would place greater emphasis on the Church's long stand teachings on social justice. People need to hear it and they need to hear it more often.
Nick I agree but isn't Pope Francis really stressing that?
It’s hard to imagine that this is from a candidate for the United States Senate. It defies belief that this is from a practicing physician. How does she attempt to square this with the Christian principles she professes? Her ideals of empathy and compassion as a healer? Can only imagine what her concession speech on June 3 will be like, because I cannot imagine her speaking on the floor of the United States Senate.
Lynn G, yes and that's why so many lay Catholics are pleased with the first year of his Pontificate.
In 1966 Monsignor Louis Miller used the pulpit of Our Lady of Good Counsel to support the NFO and it's actions. He was decapitated in an automobile accident after a rally in Pierre.
mike from iowa,
I tend to agree with Barry Smith, after observing Bosworth for a couple of months now, it is likely that she is not mentality ill at all.
What seems to be emerging from her campaign is a criminal mind. The scams, the lies, the distortions, etc. are all a call for money. "Give me money" is the scam queen's campaign motto.
Jenny, I'm curious: what percentage of those Catholic Republicans would agree with Bosworth's characterization of the veterans, children, retirees, and working people on food stamps... and how many of those Catholic Republicans aren't already voting for fellow parishioner Mike Rounds?
Why don't you ask a practicing catholic such as Nick, Cory?
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Jenny knows plenty of Catholics in SD. Is that 20, 50 or 100, Jenny? I'm sure it well represents the faith.
I probably know of hundreds of people that are Catholic in SD, Les. I'm from a large family and the small town I grew up in was, I'd say, majority Catholic, and the far majority of them were republican. Out of that group of Catholics, I would say roughly half of them are staunch far right republicans that vote straight line party ticket.
A lot of those Catholics will vote for Rounds, Cory, but they would still secretly agree with Bosworth about the food stamp program. There a lot of people that just don't believe that veterans are on food stamps and call it a liberal lie.
Pretty sure of what happens in the voting booth Jenny?
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I agree, veterans issues are huge. I only wish they were getting what they deserve instead of that going into the hands of those who've never worked or served.
Like farmers and ranchers, Les?
You might fill me in on ranchers Lar but I'd agree farmers have long had access to revenue I've never seen on Main St.
Wasn't it compassionate conservatism under dumb bass dubya that pretty much killed the notion of handing out surplus cheese,canned pork and beef,etc. to needy 'murricans because a few people abused the giveaways?
Hey Mike I had just started selling cheese as a wholesaler when the massive cheese giveaways started. The abuse came from the government side, because they would send so much cheese to a giveaway site and then just like everything else that is given away including our tax dollars, the distributors were encouraged to give it to bankers and anyone else in town to make sure that the allotment did not get cut the next time.
People are not aware, but the reason for the give away in the first place, was that the government had accrued that cheese over 40 years going back to the end of WWII because of the dairy subsidies and it was costing more to store it than to give it away. Don't know if you have ever heard of the "Caves" in Kansas City, but that is where a lot of the cheese was stored.
http://news.yahoo.com/vatican-panel-develop-best-practices-curb-sex-abuse-181144240.html
Don't know that I've ever heard that with beef, Lanny. Links to all the beef and pork handed out, mfi?
I think it's a desperate attempt to jump start her campaign and like Barry said to get money. She's thinking even bad publicity is good.
Hopefully it spells the end of her campaign.
BTW, what Bosworth said is the very definition of "dehumanize."
She's like the people on reality shows who are willing to make an entire ass of themselves weekly, or more often, for their 5 minutes of fame and/or bucks in the pocket. Self-humiliation is not the behavior of a mentally healthy adult human.
Does she ever visit with, or treat patients without charging them her standard fee?
If so, how is that different from individuals receiving assistance through SNAP? Do her patients become dependent on her?
What links,Les. I know that there was canned pork,beef,surplus bags of rice,lots of cheese and other commodities handed out. I remember in iowa,the reason for the handouts was to alleviate the surplus of these commodities to help farmers obtain higher prices for their grains and livestock. Beef and pork came in size two and a half cans with no paper labels,just ink printed on the cans. I believe they also handed out powdered milk.
What links,Les. I know that there was canned pork,beef,surplus bags of rice,lots of cheese and other commodities handed out. I remember in iowa,the reason for the handouts was to alleviate the surplus of these commodities to help farmers obtain higher prices for their grains and livestock. Beef and pork came in size two and a half cans with no paper labels,just ink printed on the cans. I believe they also handed out powdered milk. I also remember that most anyone could stand in line if not enough needy showed up.
Les I remember the canned beef too. My Grandma used to get it when she got commodities in the 70s. It was actually pretty good stuff. Not as good as her potato dougnuts though :-)
.....but I repeat myself. My apologies for the double post. It should make my version twice as believable.Not.
Commodities for need are much different than giving to protect a market and to just get rid of it so to speak as with the cheese/dairy.
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I've never seen beef or pork given or handed out like that and I watched my father take commodities to needy families from a very young age.
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If you saw that with everything in Iowa Mike, you were in a much different world than anything I've ever seen and I can't imagine why there have been so many hungry.
owen,
I don't believe that Bosworth planned this assault on the poor.
If you like her Facebook page there is a constant barrage of tea party memes, what likely happened is that someone just randomly posted it. After the poop hit the fan she had to come up with that faux response of starting a food stamp dialogue.
She and Chad aren't capable of planning a campaign, their only capability is running a scam.
you might be right Roger or maybe soemone working on her campaign.
Sadly it has drawn attention to her.
I'd ask her on person if she would ever campaign around here. (of course I'm from Stace country).
What is sad Owen is that we don't have any politicians that really want to have a discussion on SNAP. Instead of comparing recipients to wild animals, wouldn't it be nice to see a rational discussion on the administration of this program. I can't imagine that there are many people from either side of the aisle that want to see needy people go hungry. I don't hold out much hope on that though, with Corporations running Washington there is just too much profit to be made from the needy for things to change.
We got commods in the 60s. We got canned meat. I think it was beef, but I'm not sure. We got canned ham too, in addition to a variety of other items, mostly staple foods.
Barry Smith,
You are absolutely correct on SNAP ever being reformed.
It has always been my contention that like with most government programs, you simply follow the money.
Do the mom and pop grocers depend on SNAP for their survival? Yes.
Do the Walmarts, Safeways and other large corporations make a profit from SNAP? Yes
How much profit is there in the food stamp program?
What would be the impact to our nation's economy without SNAP?
Do poor people make a financial profit from SNAP? No
From the Bosworth Family Bible:
13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he scolded them and let their sick die.
15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”
16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away.
They don't need to eat."
17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.
18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then He and the disciples ate them all, while the hungry multitudes watched. 20 The disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over to save for themselves. 21 The number of those who were hungry who watched as Jesus and the disciples ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Welfare programs won't work unless immigration is controlled. Cheech of Cheech and Chong were on SDPB last night saying that 52% of births last year were to Hispanics.
PBS radio had a report two days ago from Afghanistan. A few years ago they had interviewed a potter about his problems with Taliban and destruction of his village. He had six children then. In the latest report, he was back in his village and with development fund had his pottery business going again. He and his wife now had 10 or 11 children.
There are thus several explanations for poverty in Afghanistan and Mexico and South America for that matter.
About 40 years ago, my wife and I moved into an old house in Fort Pierre. The previous renters left a 50-pound back of dry beans better than any we have ever been able to get since.
I want to see people have food, but we see a lot of waste of commodities around here. That makes it tough for even generous people to defend the system and it also makes it hard for people who really do need the assistance as well.
It is a tough problem. McGovern found that the costs of preventing the "unworthy" from getting subsidized school lunches cost more than it would to provide all such food no matter what their economic level.
Oh Donald Pay, that was Perfect!
Roger, that's a very astute economic analysis of SNAP benefits.
Doug, I'm sure you and McGovern are right about the overhead costs for SNAP.
Over on An Inland Voyage, Nathan has an excellent post on how much money, time, money, aggravation, money, political crap, and money a universal guaranteed income would provide.
http://aninlandvoyage.com/2014/04/21/attention-entrepreneurs-you-need-to-think-bigger-and-give-some-thought-to-a-guaranteed-basic-income/
Oh damn. Change the last word prior to the link from "provide" to "save."
How embarrassing.
Oh for pete's sake. She did it again. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=621040494644191&set=a.489545537793688.1073741828.489198237828418&type=1&theater
Side note: Although the post is dated April 5th, according to her main Facebook page, she posted it 13 hours ago.
While I am appalled by Bosworth, you guys are really funny.
I don't remember the same reaction when the vegetarian-extremists compare me as a carnivore as a murderer or the enviro-wackos say animals have the same rights as me on this earth. I guess one can dehumanize when it fits you and self-righteousness is fun to wallow in.
I won't even touch on the dehumanization of an unborn baby.
You aren't technically a carnivore. Unless you eat only meat and/or meat by-products. Surely you eat fruits and veggies,nuts,grains,etc on occasion. Vegans, pushed to the limit by hunger pains, will consume animal flesh with mucho gusto or die of starvation. Do you need someone to defend you?
Omnivore and loving it all, meat, potatoes, tomatoes, apples, oranges...
Beware the carnivores...especially if they bark and howl in the night like TEA party animals.
On the other hand,I'd admire to ward off an attack by such a lovely,vegan,luminary as Shania Twain. I think I can whip her.
Troy,
Comparing Bosworth's attack on the poor to a vegan attack on carnivores is just plain silly.
Were any of those vegans that attacked you running for the U.S. Senate?