Posted on 10/29/2013 7:42:59 PM PDT by Morgana
WASHINGTON, D.C., October 29, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Republican governor faulted by a grand jury with allowing Kermit Gosnell to operate his “house of horrors” free from state inspections has delivered a scathing address, denouncing the GOP's pro-life and pro-family wing as “narcissists and ideologues” seeking to impose their own brand of “tyranny” on the United States.
“Sometimes we just come across as too damned self-righteous, and I’m sorry, that’s just not the 21st century political party GOP that I think we need to govern America,” he said.
Tom Ridge, a two-term governor of Pennsylvania and the first Secretary of Homeland Security, made his remarks to the Log Cabin Republicans' Spirit of Lincoln dinner on October 23.
“Many Americans are outraged by the moralistic attacks on the gay and lesbian community from some within our party,” he said.
He decried “the narcissists and ideologues within our party” who promote an “offensive and exclusionary view,” as well as an “unacceptable rigidity and self-righteousness on social issues.”
Amidst those scathing remarks, Ridge bemoaned “this lack of civility and statesmanship.”
Pro-life activists, he said, “forget about separation of church and state” and engage in activities that “consistent with what a church may propose but should not necessarily be at the epicenter of governing.”
He added that “God-fearing” people might support abortion and homosexuality. Opponents of those practices “should be more concerned about their own relationship with God,” quoting the admonition, “Judge not lest ye be judged.”
Ridge holds himself out as such a person. The Catholic has long supported abortion-on-demand and in February, he became one of 130 self-identified Republican leaders who signed an amicus curiae brief with the Supreme Court to support gay “marriage.”
So compelling was his commitment to a woman's “right to choose” that a grand jury laid the blame for Kermit Gosnell's “house of horrors” directly at his feet.
The Gosnell grand jury report stated, “With the change of administration from” pro-life Democrat Governor Bob “Casey to Governor Ridge” in 1995, “officials concluded that inspections would be ‘putting a barrier up to women’ seeking abortions. Better to leave clinics to do as they pleased, even though, as Gosnell proved, that meant both women and babies would pay.”
Despite a spate of warnings that Gosnell's abortion facility violated health and safety standards and state abortion laws, Gosnell was arrested only after officials learned he was selling prescription drugs to Philadelphia drug peddlers.
That record did not keep Ridge from giving a healthy dose of advice to his party.
Click "like" if you want to end abortion!
A longtime advocate of amnesty for illegal immigrants, Ridge said the Republican Party must find a way to “legitimize” illegal immigrants or risk becoming a party of “just white males.”
He called for the GOP to become “a party worthy of the 21st century, a non-judgmental party” and “a more positive and compelling force for change.”
He allowed, “you can be an advocate in a private way for those points of view, but in my judgment, that’s not to be at the epicenter of your political agenda” and “certainly shouldn’t be...such a critical issue for the GOP nationally.”
While he lamented “there are Republicans out there who will be forever pro-life,” he told the homosexual group, they could be dealt with “perhaps by changing their rhetoric, if not their hearts.”
First he had to explain his own change of heart to the LGBT group, which supports gay “marriage” and hate crimes legislation.
“When I was governor, I signed the Defense of Marriage Act” as governor of Pennsylvania,” he said. “Since that time, frankly, my point of view has evolved.”
In 1996, Ridge signed the state's marriage defense act that his successor, Tom Corbett, had had to defend in court.
The move helped cement Ridge as an up-and-coming force in national politics two decades ago. He was touted as a possible running mate for Bob Dole in 1996.
President George W. Bush considered Tom Ridge as a possible vice president but balked because of Ridge's abortion views. He later appointed Ridge the first Secretary of Homeland Security after the 9/11 attacks.
After leaving the Bush administration, Ridge wrote a memoir insinuating that George W. Bush pressured him to change terror threat warnings for political reasons. However, the New York Times said he provided “no evidence that politics motivated the discussion,” leading columnist Michelle Malkin to label Ridge a "weasel."
In 2008, John McCain called Ridge “one of the great leaders” of his party, “and he happens to be pro-choice. And I don’t think that that would necessarily rule Tom Ridge out” as a vice presidential running mate, McCain said.
All three candidates settled for a pro-life running mate more amenable to the party faithful.
Aside from his emergence as a voice for the LGBT movement, Ridge's most recent appearance on the political stage has been less than flattering.
After Virginia Democratic candidate for governor Terry McAuliffe promised to keep subpar abortion facilities open, Steve Rossie of the Virginia-based Family Foundation said, “Remember, it was then-Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge who ignored the law in that state requiring abortion center inspections that allowed Gosnell to go unnoticed for years, harming untold numbers of women and children.”
You can read the full text of Ridge's remarks here.
They were one in the same to pieces of crap. In it for the money and the perks.
One of Ridge’s more controversial actions as governor was his nomination of Dr. Peter J. Jannetta to be the State Secretary of Health. Jannetta had previously been accused of committing perjury, with the State’s Superior Court stating, “We have little difficulty in concluding that Dr. Jannetta’s testimony at deposition was different than, or inconsistent with, the testimony at trial.” Jannetta was not, however, ever convicted of perjury. Jannetta served as Health Secretary for 6 months. Another health department related action by Ridge has generated controversy since he left office. He stopped the annual inspections of abortion clinics, which may have contributed to Kermit Gosnell being able to run a sub-standard clinic that the grand jury insisted met the definition of a racketeering operation.
Support for the listed “terrorist” group People’s Mujahedin of Iran
Former Pennsylvania governor Edward Rendell included Ridge among a group of former U.S. officials who have been lobbying and building support for the “de-listing” of the People’s Mujahedin of Iran (MEK, also PMOI, MKO) from the U.S. State Department’s list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations.
MEK has been accused of successful and unsuccessful attempts to kidnap or murder U.S. officials in the 1970s. They joined Saddam Hussein’s military to fight against Iran in the U.S.-backed 8 year war between Iraq and Iran that produced 1.5 million casualties. They have also been accused of partnering with Israel’s Mossad in the assassination of several of Iran’s nuclear scientists. Ridge has been among those investigated for receiving tens of thousands of dollars for their lobbying efforts for the organization.
(Not really, I am being sarcastic)
What do misogynists, homosexuals, Islamists and Democrats all have in common?
Hatred of Republicans.
In 2010, it was reported that Ridge had appeared on MSNBC Hardball With Chris Matthews promoting nuclear energy as part of a “green agenda [to] ... create jobs, create exports,” without any revelation by him or the cable channel of his Exelon position. In the report, his cumulative Exelon-derived compensation was put at $530,659; and it was said that, as of March 2009, he held an estimated $248,299 in Exelon stock, according to SEC filings. Exelon was described as “the nation’s largest nuclear power company.”
I never trusted Ridge and surprise surprise it is proven to be once again. They cast conservatives as self righteous which is a false flag because very few are. I seldom hear Christians speaking of gay marriage or abortion. I seldom hear pastors even. Sure it comes up sometimes but it isn’t an every sermon kind of thing. Personally I don’t thing pastors talk about faith in relationship to politics enough.
Ridge sounds like a typical hateful liberal going on about Christians because he most probably is an atheist. The only tyranny I see is that against Christians. Military men being punished because they disagree on gay marriage. Catholic and Christian adoption agencies being shut out from providing those services because of ssm. Small businesses who offer services no longer can choose who they will or will not serve without fear of reprisal. Schools are being turned into little lgbt indoctrination centers.
Christians aren’t the problem and they are not the one’s pushing tyranny.
According to the Grand Jury report:
Under Governor Robert Casey, she said, the department inspected abortion facilities annually. Yet, when Governor Tom Ridge came in, the attorneys interpreted the same regulations that had permitted annual inspections for years to no longer authorize those inspections. Then, only complaint driven inspections supposedly were authorized. Staloski said that DOH’s policy during Governor Ridge’s administration was motivated by a desire not to be “putting a barrier up to women” seeking abortions.
Not only did Ridge stop inspections of abortion “clinics” he tacitly allowed late term abortions to be performed in violation of Pennsylvania’s Abortion Control Act. In the case of Gosnell, Ridge’s administration was presented with more than ample opportunity to shut him down and refused to do so. Again from the grand jury report:
Just another reason to never vote for a republican. The GOP wants people like Ridge. They don’t want my vote.
Hitler and Timothy McVeigh were war heroes too.
Let us not forget pushing to take the citizen’s money to pay for football stadiums.
They should be called a colony, like lepers.
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