Republican and conservative moral outrage seems to be highly selective these days ó at least, more so than usual.
Punishment for sexual misconduct and lewd behaviour apparently only applies to the liberal Hollywood "elite" and Democrats or leftists. Meanwhile, Republicans and their supporters come up with every asinine excuse possible whenever a politician within their ranks faces nearly identical and equally disturbing accusations.
Roy Moore, a Republican senate candidate running for office in Alabama, is facing mounting scrutiny from the Democrats over numerous allegations of gross past predatory misconduct around teenage girls.
However, the Republican rank and file is tripping over itself conjuring up excuses for the exact same type of behaviour they would not waste a moment berating and lambasting if the accused was a Hollywood celebrity or liberal politician.
"Take Joseph and Mary. Mary was a teenager and Joseph was an adult carpenter," said Alabama State Auditor Jim Zeigler, a Republican, who casually dismissed and actually seemed to attempt to condone the accusations against Moore.
"They became parents of Jesus. There's just nothing immoral or illegal here."
So.
This is the depraved depth to which right-wing politics in the U.S. has sunk.
Turning to an ancient book that does not even clearly condemn rape or slavery ó in some cases arguably actually justifying them ó as a pardonable excuse for grown men to prey on teenaged girls.
Perhaps the most appalling aspect of this whole debacle is the unquestionable fact that if Moore was a Democratic candidate, the Republicans would be frothing at the mouth declaring just how immoral a human being he is, and therefore completely unfit to run for public office.
So there it is, folks.
We have officially reached that awkward moment in human history when people hold celebrities and entertainers to a higher moral standard than their elected leaders, including a president who proudly boasted about being able to do anything he wants with women he cannot resist, including grabbing them by the ó well, never mind. This is a family publication, and you all know what he said.
"When you are a star, they let you do anything."
Had any Hollywood actor or Democratic politician spoken such vulgar words, his career would literally have ended on the spot ó regardless of any apologies issued. But instead, 45 was rewarded with the American presidency.
Further highlighting the heights of deeply rooted Republican hypocrisy was the latest in a seemingly ceaseless string of mass shootings.
Whenever an individual suspected of being radicalized by militant Islamists perpetrates an attack, the American president does not waste any time calling for further crackdowns on immigrants. Or if they're of Latin descent, he then regurgitates the wall rhetoric. Of if they're African American, the call for more police, prisons and law and order rings loud.
Yet whenever a white, American-born citizen snaps and suddenly goes postal ó ruthlessly without mercy gunning down people in a movie theatre, outdoor concert, school or even church ó 45's tone undeniably changes dramatically.
The root problem in these cases is, conveniently, merely mental illness, he claims, apparently implying that suicidal jihadists have fully functional, unimpaired cognitive abilities and that in their case, mental health is not the issue.
Let's pretend the plague of endless gun rampages in the U.S. is indeed rooted solely in mental illness, as opposed to nearly non-existent and largely unenforced gun regulations that make no meaningful effort to prevent these kinds of attacks in the first place.
Then should the U.S. not inject desperately needed funding to support mental health initiatives? Instead, the Republicans seem more interested in slashing health budgets. The obscenely wealthy billionaire class needs tax breaks after all!
Watching the Republicans do absolutely nothing but extend empty meaningless platitudes such as offering thoughts and prayers to victims in the fallout of shootings such as Vegas and Texas while they beat the war drum after a suspected terror attack is nothing less than nauseating.
Even in Canada, the conservative camp wastes little time calling for immigration crackdowns following the likes of the Edmonton attack. Yet when the Caucasian Quebec shooter executed Muslims in a mosque, there was a deafening sea of silence regarding the very existential threat of homegrown extremist elements.
If these purely partisan politicians had a shred of integrity and sincerity, they would embrace more consistency in all of their policy statements ó regardless of an attacker's motives or an accused sex offender's political leaning.
Anything less simply further demonstrates the depth of Republican and conservative double standards.
ó Ducatel is the editor of the Sundre Round Up, a Great West newspaper
