Freshman Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) has been known to say some pretty outlandish things from time to time. He’s told constituents that “Islam is not a religion,” called the President of the United States a “low-level socialist agitator,” and asked supporters to “grab your muskets!” Now, he’s outdone himself. Late last week, West spoke to the conservative group Women Impacting the Nation, and after West alleged that 33 percent of the federal budget goes to Planned Parenthood, the discussion wandered—as discussions usually do!—to the subject of the increasing sissification of America’s men. No, really, that’s what West talked about. Via Tanya Somander:
We need you to come in and lock shields, and strengthen up the men who are going to fight for you. To let these other women know on the other side—these Planned Parenthood women, the Code Pink women, and all of these women that have been neutering American men and bringing us to the point of this incredible weakness—to let them know what we are not going to have our men become subservient. That’s what we need you to do. Because if you don’t, then the debt will continue to grow.
Right, that’s it. America’s financial weakness, our burgeoning national debt, exists because men simply aren’t manly enough. They have been hoodwinked by America’s liberal women into blowing loads of government cash on reproductive services ($317 million total per year), rather than doing something more masculine…like, you know, spending it on the military ($680 billion for 2010). But since military spending is contributing to the national debt in such a huge way, and the debt has grown to such an extent because America’s men have been neutered….then that means…*gasp* War is for pussies! Or to be more accurate, War is for men without testicles!
I will be eager to hear West, who served in the army in Iraq and acted as a civilian advisor in Afghanistan, announce this stunning conclusion at every speaking engagement henceforth. I also hope he will correct his apparent misunderstanding of the reproductive services offered by Planned Parenthood, as I’m pretty sure neutering is not one of them. At least 58 U.S. soldiers have, by contrast, had their testicles blown off in the last year in Afghanistan.
Just to be clear, I am not making light of the work done by U.S. soldiers or the suffering they have experienced. Rather, I declaim it by pointing out that in telling these lies, Rep. Allen West is not doing them– or the rest of us– any favors.