Ann Romney today on ABC’s “The View” said that her husband Mitt Romney serving as a Mormon missionary in Paris, France, in the late 1960′s was like the service — and, lives — given by members of the U.S. military during the Vietnam War. Mrs. Romney also included her five sons in the claim of equal service.
“I believe your religion does not allow you to fight,” Whoopi Goldberg said to Ann Romney. “No, that is not true. We have many members of our faith serving in the armed services.”
In fact, not only did Mitt Romney’s father arrange for him to go to France to serve as a Mormon missionary rather than serve in the U.S. military, he protested during his college years against those protesting the war — advocating that others serve their country, while he stayed in school.
“Whoopi said she’d read somewhere that the reason Mitt Romney did not serve in the military during the Vietnam war, ‘was because it’s against his religion’,” the Washington Post reported. “That is not correct. He was serving his mission,” Mrs. Romney said.
Her five sons also “served on their missions” she continued, adding that one son feels he’s giving back to his country as a doctor, now treating veterans. Five times, she said, she sent a boy to serve on their mission, five times they came back a man.
Ann Romney also discussed the issue of abortion and a woman’s right to choose as a “tender, tender issue,” and did her best to sidestep it.
“The good news is I’m not running for office and I don’t have to say what I feel,” Mrs. Romney said, as The Washington Post reported:
Ann Romney said pointedly, scoring off “The View” den mother Babs Walters something good, in re Bab’s abortion question. Then, Romney added, she’s “happy to say” she’s “pro life.”
Speaking for her husband, Ann Romney said, “Mitt has always been a pro-life person. He governed — when he ran, as a pro choice, but when a decision across his desk…to use embryos for experimentation, he could not have [that] on his conscience — creating human life for experimentation. And that’s when he came out with an editorial saying he was pro life.”
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Just what we need, a Stepford Wife as our First Lady.
<div class="idc-message" id="idc-comment-msg-div-467001338"><a class="idc-close" title="Click to Close Message" href="javascript: IDC.ui.close_message(467001338)"><span>Close Message</span> Comment posted. <p class="idc-nomargin"><a class="idc-share-facebook" target="_new" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fthenewcivilrightsmovement.com%2Fann-romney-likens-mitt-serving-as-a-mormon-missionary-to-serving-in-the-military%2Fpolitics%2F2012%2F10%2F18%2F51533#IDComment467001338&t=I%20just%20commented%20on%20Ann%20Romney%20Likens%20Mitt%20Serving%20As%20A%20Mormon%20Missionary%20To%20Serving%20In%20The%20Military%20%7C%20The%20New%20Civil%20Rights%20Movement" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="idc-share-inner"><span>Share on Facebook</span></span> or <a href="javascript: IDC.ui.close_message(467001338)">Close MessageAs silly as Christianity is, the Mormon version of it is even more ridiculous. Joseph Smith was a conman from a family of conmen – this is a well-documented fact. He was no more a prophet than L Ron Hubbard was. They both created absurd religions (I know, oxymoron) in order to profit off fools, who as Mark Twain said are the majority in any town. Anything that comes out of Ann Romney's mouth should be ridiculed or ignored.
France = Vietnam? I'm sure a few Vets would argue that. She is as full of crap as he is. Poor thing. She is a product of a cult.
While I have often been annoyed by Mormom missionaries who come to my door to save me, I have never tried to shoot them or blow them up with an IED. I would think that any soldier who has served in armed conflict would be insulted by this comment.
My partner, who served in the Gulf War & was severely injured is TERRIBLY offended by Ann's dumb assed & incredibly insensitive comparison. What will she compare next? Paul Ryans fake, photo op soup kitchen experience to that of the heros who volunteer there full time. That family is so far out of touch with the rest of us, better yet, reality as a whole.
Yeah…door to door flogging your superstition of choice is EXACTLY like serving in the military!
Said no veteran ever!
Vice President Joe Biden's wife is yet a public teacher; and their son, Beau Biden confronts mortgage fraud. In addition to those things, the merciful and much needed outreach that Michelle Obama and Jill Biden have been bestowing upon Military families is widely known.
Not even their marriages are selfish! A consistent pattern of conduct in both the Obama and the Biden families since taking office illustrates that they give of themselves to serve people; and as much as they possibly can, they share their lives and their hearts with the public! The public isn't treated like "outsiders" or peons. This administration models for America what values and convictions – in a word, "religion" ought to resemble!
Further, I see evidence of the Robinsons (Michelle's family), the President's immediate family, and the Biden family engaged in social justice and outreach to people like you and me – people who can never return the favor.
Repeatedly, I’ve heard televised interviews, particularly with Michelle Obama, that have been enriching for me to know that her husband sometimes reads people’s letters late into the a.m. It blesses me to hear her say that her children ask their father, our President about social conditions such as unemployment, and what can he do. . . Indeed, she could be just saying that for television, but it’s still heartwarming. . .
What statements like hers can do is motivate people to have similar discussions at their dinner tables! It’s not so much whether she was truthful –which I believe her, but the seeds sown were wholesome. They were thoughts that can cause people to recognize how to think and what to think as it pertains to people OTHER than themselves.
I do not see that all the time they are wining & dining diplomats; nor do I see news reports of the Obamas always having meets & greets with the rich & famous. Nope. I hear and read about them blending in with the average people – including the recent event when that Florida Pizza Owner picked up President Obama in a bear hug. Also, I even see that – after knock-down, drag out election contentions involving Hillary Clinton, our President had the good sense to see the qualities Hillary possessed, and make her part of his administration.
Arguably, there have been disappointments as it pertains to what was hoped that our President would do to bring about changes that we desperately need in our nation. But only someone devoid of ability to reason would blame President Obama – in light of the foolish proclamation of Republican
Congressmen who vowed they would ensure our President's failure. Only someone who intends to ignore the insurmountable odds that President Obama withstood – and yet remained resolved, courageous, and hopeful (of which very few of us would have even done!) would find cause to fault him. The salient fact, is that because President Barack Obama dares to face down such incredible opposition, he DESERVES to be our President – again! Moreover, President Barack Obama deserves endorsement from all Americans because he remains willing to do good to people who like him and those who don't.
And, rather than asking: 'What is the President's religion? Automatically, this question ought to first come to questioners' minds: 'What do the deeds of the Obama Administration – inclusive of their offspring, in comparison to my own, portray?
*abstract from:
"Religion And The Obama-Biden Administration" http://newsblaze.com/story/20121016191312lawg.nb/…
Ann R'money has likened her husband (and all of her sons) service as Mormon missionaries to serving in the military. Really? Really? Were there people shooting at Willard? Did he have to dodge roadside bombs? Was knocking on doors in France just like fighting door-to-door in Iraq? Did he go to France knowing there was a REAL possibility that he could come home in a body-bag but did it anyway to serve his country (not just Mormonism or Catholicism or Lutheranism or Islam or Methodism…) How many Mormon missionaries died in France?
Many people chose not to serve in the military. (I did not — our POTUS did not) Our society allows that choice, but if you make that choice you need to own-up to that choice. Comparing a Mormon missionary to someone fighting in the US Military is insulting and dishonors the many who have fallen in service to their country. SHAME!
As a disabled combat veteran, Ann Romney insulted all combat veterans!
One can look at methods of involvement in military service since World War II in at least three different ways. One, there were those who wanted to serve because they had an interest in activities which are a part of the military, being a pilot, on a ship, or using weapons, etc. They might have also chosen these directions because of some other kind of need. There are many of these now and formerly in the military. We should appreciate these individuals who ended up in combat situations.
Second, there are those who, when there was a draft, were drafted, and did not choose as many did to flee to Canada or elsewhere to avoid military service in this way. There were others like myself who chose to join a military reserve unit and still ended up on active duty in the 1960s. I hope we would not be stigmatized for choosing how we would serve if the need came to that.
Third, there were those like Mitt Romney who wanted to pursue other laudable goals at the time and thus chose to seek deferments, recognizing of course that these might not have been granted. There are also many other fine individuals in this category. The law allowed such deferments. In Romney’s case his name was entered into the pool of possible draftees but he was not selected. Had he been selected he would have served. Of course he could have volunteered but is it right to look down on those who were not drafted and chose not to volunteer? How many fine individuals are there in this category? Should those who were not selected and did not volunteer be stigmatized for this reason?
Are these critics applying the same measure to Barack Obama, who at any time could have volunteered for military service? Should he have done so and will he (unjustly in my view) be stigmatized because he did not volunteer for military service?
I hope veterans and other interested parties will be fair in their judgments on this issue.
Phillip C. Smith
*raspberry*
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