Republican Senator Calls for “Civil Disobedience” In Opposing Democrats and President Obama

Posted by Greg Laden on March 19, 2009
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This is interesting, if true, and it is mostly about legislation regulating access to reproductive services at the federal and state level.

I have a column written by conservative Charles Biggs that makes the claim that Senator Tom Coburn, Republican of Oklahoma, is “telling us that if the federal government tries to lift all restrictions on abortion, our only option is to disobey that law” as stated by Biggs. Coburn allegedly used the phrase “Civil Disobedience.”

This is interesting because up to now the Republican position on “Civil Disobedience” has been that it is the same thing as Terrorism. (Evidence of what I just said can be found by clicking all over this sentence.)

Biggs goes on to quote the Senator” “The battle in Washington, D.C. is real … Every day in the Senate without Al Franken is a great day.” Coburn explicitly states that Franken is trying to “steal” the Senate Election from Republican Norm Coleman. Colburn states that if Franken is seated in the Senate, “Our way of life is threatened.”

Coburn is fond of using threatening language. Regarding legislation to decrease our dependence on hydrocarbon fuel sources, Coburn calls himself “Dr. Death” and he does, in fact vote against all such progressive acts.

Coburn is well known to be one of the most conservative Republicans in congress. He supported Alan Keys in the 2000 Presidential race, and has written a book detailing what he fears to be liberalization of the Republican Party by upstarts such as Newt Gingerich (Breach of Trust: How Washington Turns Outsiders Into Insiders).

Maddow mentions Coburn in this brief report. Which is very interesting:

Briggs’ story is here.

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Comments

  1. #1 Jackal
    March 19, 2009

    For a bunch of stuffy, old, white, male, homophobes, republican leaders are certainly into flamboyant theatrics.

  2. #2 Paladin
    March 19, 2009

    “Disobey the law”, as in not have an abortion? I think that’s been the ideea all along: if you don’t want one, you don’t have one. I think the senator would have to try really hard to have one anyway.

  3. #3 D. C. Sessions
    March 19, 2009

    Interesting concept. “Civil disobedience” usually means doing something that the law prohibits. How does one “disobey” a change in the law that removes prohibitions?

  4. #4 jake
    March 19, 2009

    “Our way of life is threatened.”

    Mandatory abortions for everyone!

  5. #5 The Science Pundit
    March 19, 2009

    Civil Disobedience??? What would that look like? Would they be chaining themselves to the doors of clinics so nobody can get in? I’m not sure that that’s really civil disobedience. Besides, they do that already.

  6. #6 Paul Browne
    March 19, 2009

    I suspect what the Senator means by “civil disobedience” is more like what the Animal rights extremists in LA refer to as “direct action” than anything that Martin Luther King would have recognised.

  7. #7 Spiv
    March 19, 2009

    1: you’ve got to warn us before sending us off to wingnut links like that. That crap is just straight up disturbingly stupid.

    2: I think I’m with the rest of the troop here- very confused. Either he has no idea what “civil disobedience” means, or perhaps he’s advocating everyone having babies double-time and making sure they don’t get an abortion?

    Summary: I have a big head, and little arms….I just don’t think this plan was very well thought out.

    3: anyone notice the hideously racists jokes on that site that are adapted to read “libral” instead of “colored?” Yiiiiikes.

  8. #8 Mike Haubrich, FCD
    March 19, 2009

    Mandatory abortions for everyone!

    I’m not sure how I’ll do this, but if you say so!

  9. #9 Pierce R. Butler
    March 19, 2009

    “Dr. Death” is “pro-life”?

    I’m buying my next irony meter from Oklahoma – theirs have to be extra heavy-duty!

  10. #10 Mankel
    March 19, 2009

    “Civil disobedience”, as Paul Browne hints is meant here to convey the meaning of terrorism.

    How it works is very easy: first, the republicans equate a perfect civil behavior (Civil disobedience) to acts of violence and terror. Then, after a variable interval, they use the legitimate label to convey the behavior that they were attributing to their “enemies”.

    In short, Sen. Tom Coburn is calling for acts of terrorism against abortion clinics and women who choose to have an abortion.

  11. #11 Dan J
    March 19, 2009

    Once I saw that he is a Senator from Oklahoma, it explained a lot. My sympathies go out to the rational people there (my sister lives in the Tulsa area).

    How does one “disobey” a change in the law that removes prohibitions?

    That was my thought as well. I’m guessing that either he intends to support more direct demonstrations and obstructions at clinics, or he wants to propose legislation at the federal level (and support similar legislation at the state level) that imposes illegal restrictions. He’s a nutjob, so it’s going to be difficult for rational people to understand him.

  12. #12 khan
    March 19, 2009

    Every man opposed to abortion should have a pineapple shoved up his rectum and kept there for 9 months and labeled an inconvenience.

    I have nothing but contempt and loathing for the forced birther misogynists.