Establishment Press Virtually Ignores Lautenberg's 'These People Don't Deserve the Freedoms' Comment
On Friday, Steven Ertelt at Life News, with video backup provided by prolife protesters who were on hand, relayed something New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg said at a pro-Planned Parenthood rally in Englewood, New Jersey in response to the protesters:
They want other people not to be able to have their own opinions. These people (referring to the pro-life advocates) don’t deserve the freedoms in the Constitution, but we’ll give it to them anyway.
So how did the establishment press cover Lautenberg's tyranny-supportive remarks?
I found three reporters for two news organizations who appear to have been on hand for Lautenberg's appearance. Two of those reporters did not report the above remarks. One relayed "these people don't deserve the freedoms in the Constitution," and framed it as applying to "Tea Party Republicans."
An unbylined report at New York City's CBS radio affiliate WINS ("Lautenberg Leads Rally Supporting Federal Funds For Planned Parenthood") carried the following:
Dueling protests brought out passionate pro-life advocates and Planned Parenthood supporters to Englewood, New Jersey Tuesday morning.
Decked out in pink, proponents of Planned Parenthood demanded that funding for the organization continue. They were led by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who in a news release said he was “committed to leading the charge in the Senate to protect women from the Republicans in Congress who are trying to take away their access to health care services.”
... Sen. Lautenberg, booed by protesters against funding for Planned Parenthood, egged on his opponents, who he characterized as “Tea Party Republicans” with an “extremist ideology.”
“Let’s hear their boos against cancer screening — hey where are they so quiet,” Lautenberg said. “Taken an Aspirin, think about this and maybe you’ll feel better in the morning.”
How dignified. (/sarc)
At New Jersey Media Group's NJ.com on Wednesday ("Battle over Planned Parenthood"), Staff Writer Mary Jo Layton's reported that the groundswell of support for the organization was less than overwhelming, and cast pro-lifers as the bad guys:
U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg and other Planned Parenthood supporters urged Congress to continue federal funding for the organization at a spirited rally in Englewood where abortion foes tried to shout down several speakers.
The rally drew nearly 100 supporters, who wore pink shirts and stood in front of a pink megabus, part of a national "Truth Tour" launched by the nation's largest provider of reproductive health care to battle the budget cuts.
About 40 antiabortion protesters shouted "baby killers" and "lies, lies" as people spoke.
"Planned Parenthood is under attack by Tea Party Republicans who have put their extremist ideology above women's health," Lautenberg said while several antiabortion protesters booed him and shouted "Shame on you, Lautenberg."
Planned Parenthood does not spend federal money on abortion services, said Michele Jaker, executive director of the Planned Parenthood Affiliates of New Jersey. Abortions are provided at three of the 29 Planned Parenthood clinics in New Jersey. The organization does not provide abortions in North Jersey. (Sidebar: "Clinics" are not part of the "organization"? If it's even so, why does it matter? -- Ed.)
Other North Jersey legislators who spoke in support of Planned Parenthood were state Sen. Robert Gordon, D-Fair Lawn, Assemblyman Gordon Johnson, D-Englewood, and Assemblywoman Connie Wagner, D-Paramus.
A separate NJ.com report by Mike Curley ("Senator leads rally for Planned Parenthood in Englewood") captured one of Lautenberg's most controversial statements, as well as a couple of others (bolds are mine):
Sen. Frank Lautenberg led a rally on Tuesday morning along with other officials, including Assembly Woman Valerie Huttle, to support Planned Parenthood and to urge Congress to continue providing federal funding for women's health services.
... More than 100 people gathered outside the Planned Parenthood office on North Van Brunt Street, many in support, while others came out to protest.
Those in support waved pink signs, focusing on the organization's services for women's health, including cancer screenings, breast exams and birth control. Those in opposition held signs decrying the center's abortion services. The critics shouted throughout the rally, accusing the speakers of lying and demanding they "stop killing babies."
Huttle responding to the protestors, said, "I can scream louder than you, gentlemen."
She thanked Lautenberg for bringing attention to the "assault on family planning."
... Lautenberg, who spoke after Huttle, said that the Tea Party movement has "declared war on women," adding they were lying when they said the issue was about the budget. He said the Tea Party Republicans "don't deserve the rights in the constitution."
Lautenberg said they were putting ideologies above women's health, and he was counting on the peoples' support to "defeat the toxic Tea Republicans in the War on Women."
It seems that Democrats believe it's preferable to tag opponents, in this case pro-life protesters, as "Tea Party Republicans" -- no matter what their cause or possible party affiliation.
Thus, two of the three reports cited above ignored Lautenberg's most toxic comment, while the third ignored Lautenberg's intensely arrogant "but we'll give it to them anyway." Last time I checked, freedom wasn't something Lautenberg, Democrats, or abortion supporters can give or take away.
What Curley did capture should have made the establishment press's newsworthiness cut; it hasn't. They don't even have the excuse that only non-media people captured what Lautenberg said. Searches on Lautenberg's last name at the Associated Press's home site, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times return no relevant results. A March 21-28 Google News search, sorted by date, on "Lautenberg Planned Parenthood" (not in quotes) returned seven results at about 1:00 p.m. ET (an eighth listing was written in advance of Lautenberg's appearance). Besides the four already cited above, there are posts at American Thinker and FavStocks which captured the senator's "don't deserve the freedoms" remark, and a link to a comment page at Mary Jo Layton's NJ.com article. Not captured in the search: Real Clear Politics is carrying the video.
Lautenberg's remarks, if instead said by a Republican or conservative about his or her opponents, would have become prominent national news in less than a millisecond.
Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.
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Comments
Your money....
Submitted by Prester John on Mon, 03/28/2011 - 1:52pm.
....and your rights belong to us.
Herman Cain 2012
www.hermancain.com
Some reporter with intestinal
Submitted by Beukeboom on Mon, 03/28/2011 - 2:01pm.
Some reporter with intestinal fortitude and a proper set of ethics should ask Lautenberg by what specific standards does one deserve the freedoms in the Constitution. That would make for an interesting soundbyte. Probably wouldn't answer.
On a related note...here is another example of bloggers and new-media doing the proper job of reporting that liberal journalists won't do.
If Murder, Inc., wants to continue to rip unborn children...
Submitted by Dave. on Mon, 03/28/2011 - 2:03pm.
...out of their mothers, then let them find some well-heeled ghouls who are willing to help pay for it.
Maybe they can talk comrade Soros into taking some time out from his wars against America and Fox News and cut them a big, fat check.
They could set up one of those nifty "non-profit" (wink, wink) type organizations they are so fond of to help out with the funding, too.
They could call it the Mengele Fund.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
Just think how many school
Submitted by MaximusBraveheart on Mon, 03/28/2011 - 2:08pm.
Just think how many school kids are getting taught this too. How can we compete when they have mandated institutional indoctrination? Demand vouchers!
This was good and add to it a balanced budget by limiting the government to its original Constitutional scope, and requiring a super majority to raise any tax:
-------- The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971 and before computers, before e-mail, before cell phones, etc. Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven took 1 year or less to become the law of the land; all because of public pressure. I'm asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of twenty people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise. In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one idea that really should be passed around.
Congressional Reform Act of 2011 -- READ!
1. Term Limits. 12 years only, one of the possible options below.. A. Two Six-year Senate terms B. Six Two-year House terms C. One Six-year Senate term and three Two-Year House terms
2. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.
3. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security. All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people.
4. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.
5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.
6. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.
7. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.
8. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/11. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen.Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.
-- Maximusbraveheart -- Is TRUTH knowable? Moral Relativism is the abandonment of Truth. Truth is knowable. Truth conforms to Reality. Reality is observable by evidence & witness in this day & from history. Relativism is Sesame Street play land.
Would Lautenberg smear J. Carter and the Dalai Lama so freely?
Submitted by Gary Hall on Mon, 03/28/2011 - 2:09pm.
Hmm. How's he feel about these people?
Carter: "I never have felt that any abortion should be committed -- I think each abortion is the result of a series of errors" [..] "These things impact other issues on which [Mr. Bush] and I basically agree," the Georgia Democrat said. "I've never been convinced, if you let me inject my Christianity into it, that Jesus Christ would approve abortion."
Dalai Lama: ‘Abortion, from a Buddhist viewpoint, is an act of killing.'
That's what it is - abortion is the killing of an unborn living child. It is not a tumor that needs to be removed.
Would Sen. Lautenberg be willing to express the same hateful and divisive language towards Jimmy Carter or the Dalai Lama in this fashion; or is this only reserved for Republicans? in which case, he then fits the definition of a bigot.
There are strongly held views on both sides of issues, Sen. Lautenberg - freedom, in this country, demands that you honor that right.
(;~/ gary
When you think you're God...
Submitted by taznar on Mon, 03/28/2011 - 2:12pm.
When you think you're God, you not only think you can decide who lives and who dies, but who gets other "inalienable" rights "granted by our creator".
Taz...
Submitted by almostacowboy on Mon, 03/28/2011 - 2:27pm.
you beat me to it!
Taz an absolutely great
Submitted by MaximusBraveheart on Mon, 03/28/2011 - 4:17pm.
Taz an absolutely great point! So true! They are open minded ya-know... they insist they are!
-- Maximusbraveheart -- Is TRUTH knowable? Moral Relativism is the abandonment of Truth. Truth is knowable. Truth conforms to Reality. Reality is observable by evidence & witness in this day & from history. Relativism is Sesame Street play land.
Org Chart
Submitted by m1xram on Mon, 03/28/2011 - 5:44pm.
That's what I was thinking. I didn't see Lautenberg anywhere on God's org chart let alone at the top. Elitism certainly does illustrate massive arrogance.
The opposite of Left is Freedom.
I live in NJ and read the local paper still and,,
Submitted by brutony1 on Mon, 03/28/2011 - 2:18pm.
I have heard hide no hair about this event, or story, from this senile old fart lib, who should have never been allowed to run for Convicted Felon Torricellis seat, and should have been put out to pasture years ago! Unbelievable what the liberal press can try to and mostly succeed in hiding, even in this day and age!
When will liberals WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE! -Me
Give Lautenburg a break! (sarc.)
Submitted by Grumpy in Arizona on Mon, 03/28/2011 - 2:30pm.
He has just won the prestigious Grumpy Institute for Advanced Studies “Marie Antoinette Award” for the best take-off on “Let them eat cake!” since the French Revolution!
(The award does not include a cash prize… but a few non-wining Lotto tickets are included (postage paid for by awardees)).
Senator Frank Lautenberg: "
Submitted by LAM SON 719 on Mon, 03/28/2011 - 4:46pm.
Senator Frank Lautenberg: " But what about all the good things Hitler"?
!!!
Submitted by Slyrr on Mon, 03/28/2011 - 6:18pm.
Loutenberg - who gives out rights? Read the Declaration of Independence! You CAN read, can't you?
It says that people are endowed by THEIR CREATOR with certain inalienable rights - and that it is the Government's duty to protect those rights!
Your stupid statement makes it sound as if you think YOU - and other government stooges - are the ones who dole out 'rights', and that the people must bow down to you and accept what you choose to dole out!
I remind you sir - you serve at the sufferance of the people! You are a steward, not a ruler! You were placed in office by the poeple only with the understanding that you bow to the Creator and protect the rights that HE has given us!
'Give 'em a pain pill!'
Submitted by Slyrr on Mon, 03/28/2011 - 6:47pm.
Hey Louty-poo!
It was your 'sort-of-God-who-stands-above-the-Earth' (Obama) who told people that under his health care plan, those who suffer from terminal diseases were under sentence from his death panels!
He said flat out to one of the citizens in his town hall meeting - who asked if his plan would save her ailing, aged grandmother - 'Sometimes it'd be nicer to just.... give 'em a pain pill!'
That's Obama's 'plan' for treating the sick and afflicted. 'Give 'em a pain pill!' Then send them home to die. Who's party is the one telling the cancer afflicted that they're out of luck, huh Louty-boy?
Maybe Obama should just give YOU a pain pill when you suffer your next terminal affliction and see if YOU agree with him.
This point should be book
Submitted by MaximusBraveheart on Tue, 03/29/2011 - 12:20pm.
This point should be book marked by the RNC and make many many TV ads out of it. Just what Palin warned of & they mocked her. What lying traitors the "progressives" are. Along with their hand holding helper, the AARP. I notice the AARP is again having ads what a good force they are for old people. Yeah, right!
-- Maximusbraveheart -- Is TRUTH knowable? Moral Relativism is the abandonment of Truth. Truth is knowable. Truth conforms to Reality. Reality is observable by evidence & witness in this day & from history. Relativism is Sesame Street play land.
Warning to those who cherish liberty
Submitted by contrary on Mon, 03/28/2011 - 9:33pm.
Another shining example of Democracy in action. Democrats must be so proud to be represented by this tyrant. You can't help but wonder if the hatred for all things Republican is so entrenched in the minds of these people that they would engineer an assault on conservatives' rights if they were given enough power. Let's pray that day never comes.
engineer an assault on conservatives
Submitted by Boudin on Mon, 03/28/2011 - 9:47pm.
In case your not sure yet. The assault is well on it's way
It did make Fox News
Submitted by pbthinker on Mon, 03/28/2011 - 10:01pm.
It made it to Fox News tonight perhaps, now that it's out there, some other network will report it......Nah, ain't gonna happen.
Let's face it, there's been an assault on Democracy for the past 2 years. Talk about hope and change, look at the way the Democrats are passing legislation, look at Wisconsin, look at Indiana, look at Ohio, aren't they all assaults on Democracy?
If you want to know the message the Democrats got from the November elections, just look at their actions. Their answer, "No more Mr. Niceguy."
I called his office when one
Submitted by Rusty Shackleford on Tue, 03/29/2011 - 4:12pm.
I called his office when one of his assistants answered I asked why the senator believes I should not be entitled to the rights protected under the Constitution. I then asked why he believes he even has the power to deny rights to anyone.
Of course I got the blah-blah response of "what's your zip code" and "the Senator hasn't made any statements regarding his comments in the video".
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