Yesterday in my hometown, a man received seventeen life sentences for the repeated rape of two minor girls, some of which occurred while they were as young as 11 and 12 years old, respectively. Complicit in these rapes was the girls’ mother– actually no, she was far more than complicit. She arranged for it to happen, and on at least five occasions actually sat and watched this man, who is now 49 years old, have sex with her two daughters. She received a life sentence with no chance for parole for 25 years.

Something else I heard yesterday? That this man, and that woman, are just like people who support gay marriage. Yep:

There is a movement on to normalize pedophilia, and I guarantee you your reaction to that is probably much the same as your reaction when you first heard about gay marriage. What has happened to gay marriage? It’s become normal — and in fact, with certain people in certain demographics it’s the most important issue in terms of who they vote for. So don’t pooh-pooh. There’s a movement to normalize pedophilia. Don’t pooh-pooh it. The people behind it are serious, and you know the left as well as I do. They glom onto something and they don’t let go. […] What is their objective? They want us to all think that pedophilia is just another sexual orientation. You know who’s gonna fall right in line is college kids, just like they have on gay marriage, just like they do on all other revolutionary social issues. Their own definition of the cutting edge, civil rights, freedom, understanding, tolerance. So I’m just warning you here. You think it can’t happen. “Impossible! Don’t be nutso and wacko on us, Rush.”

Pedophilia– all of the college kids are gonna be doing it!

At Dispatches, Ed points out that in this insane rant, Rush Limbaugh doesn’t clearly articulate who “they” are– presumably “the left” in general (to be defined here as anyone whose politics do not align with Rush Limbaugh), those bleeding hearts who are ready to take up “revolutionary social causes” whatever those might be, because they’re just into…normalizing stuff. Stuff that Limbaugh doesn’t like, which usually has something to do with women’s and minority rights and sexual practices he personally doesn’t want to engage in. And hey, pedophilia falls into that latter category for him, certainly, so why not for liberals? Because after all, liberals stand for the interests of people Rush is not and the ability to do things Rush doesn’t want to do, and they are therefore the enemy!

No, right wingers are not narcissistic. Not remotely.

But yes, there’s a movement to normalize pedophilia– it’s called NAMBLA; it has been around for a very long time; and despite its self-description as a “civil rights” group, their efforts have mysteriously not resonated with left-leaning people generally, possibly because– going out on a limb here– having sex with underage boys isn’t something they consider to be a civil right.

Because of the consent thing, and all.

Given the slew of jaw-dropping comments made by conservative politicians in the news lately regarding rape, however, my confidence in right wing comprehension of what consent means, let alone their regard for it, is on seriously shaky ground. In case you’re having trouble keeping track (and I know; it’s like trying to keep track of who’s been caught with a rent boy most recently), here’s a handy infographic:

Credit: The Frisky

Now, it’s not at all news to see a right winger, especially someone like Rush Limbaugh, compare homosexuality to pedophilia. It’s beyond common– Rick Santorum has practically built his reputation on it, Rick Warren has done it and then issued “notpologies” for it…heck, in the (continuing) wake of child molestation scandals in the Catholic Church and Jerry Sandusky’s locker room, homosexuality and pedophilia have been directly equated: If you’re a homosexual, you’re probably a pedophile, or at least there’s nothing stopping you (and please don’t mention that the vast majority of child molestation and rape cases are like the one which begins this post– straight adult man and female child).

But…do they realize what they’re saying?

Do they realize that they’re saying that they, personally, don’t grasp the importance of consent? Especially the female kind?

I don’t think they do.