Here are some of the week’s most notable quotes culled from news reports from across Texas, and beyond.
Tony Perkins, president of the far-right Family Research Council, blaming the pro-civil rights Southern Poverty Law Center for the recent shooting at FRC’s Washington offices.
Let me be clear that Floyd Corkins was responsible for firing the shot yesterday. But Corkins was given a license to shoot an unarmed man by organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center that have been reckless in labeling organizations hate groups because they disagree with them on public policy.
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Former presidential candidate Rick Santorum, at an Ohio campaign event for Mitt Romney.
We have a president who, for the first time in American history, is directly assaulting the First Amendment and freedom of religion. He is going to tell you what to do in the practice of your faith. He is forcing business people right now to do things that are against their conscience, that they will have to — if you’re a Catholic — you’ll have to go to confession … to confess that you are complying with a government program that is a sin in the Catholic church.
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Republican strategist Karl Rove, on the mandate requiring health insurance plans to cover contraception.
It is the government saying, ‘We don’t care what your religion is, what your faith belief is, you have to do something.’ This is a moral line we should not cross.
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Ralph Reed, president of the far-right Faith and Freedom Coalition, on Mitt Romney’s tapping of U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan as his vice presidential pick.
Mitt Romney choosing Paul Ryan as his vice presidential nominee is an inspired, outstanding selection. He is a person of devout Christian faith who has a 100 percent pro-life and pro-family voting record in his 14 years in Congress. He will excite and energize social conservatives, who will play a critical role in the outcome of the elections.
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El Paso County employee Daniel Rollings. Officials in the west Texas county voted on Monday to extend health benefits to unmarried partners of county employees.
I believe that my long term relationship is just as valuable as anyone else’s.
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Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, defending Cardinal Timothy Dolan’s invitation of President Obama to a major Catholic dinner in the face of criticism from conservatives.
If Catholics want to change the culture, they need to engage it. It means we fraternize with those with whom we disagree with at city, state and federal functions. It does not mean that we are selling out.
Legitimate rape sounds like a very Taliban like statement. Respect for women’s rights is not a Tea Party strong point (ahem).
They will paper this over and go forward.
The Tea Party and its debt and ancestry in the Christian right movement explains many of their core tenets. Which are; deny women reproductive rights, deny women contraceptive insurance, deny gays equal rights, deny gay marriage, attack public education and support creationism, deny voting rights to the poor and minorities by invoking Voting Rights Act violating state legislation, encourage religious bigotry and
cut funding for social programs while protetcing the wealthiest taxpayers and taxing the
poor more heavily.
Nice bunch of guys.