The Buck Stops Here

Three strikes and senate hopeful Ken Buck is outta here.

In front of God and the whole TV world Ken Buck said Sunday on Meet the Press that he's certain that homosexuality is a choice, not a biological variant, and that any biological roots are similar to those that are associated with alcoholism.

Oh, yes, he went there. He showed that he's anxious to lead all right, he wants to lead the growing number of conservative flat-earthers, birthers and other assorted fruit cocktail who prefer their own brand of science and facts to those grounded in reality.

Like so many homophobic neo-cons, Buck refuses to accept that for decades now, credible scientists, psychologists, psychiatrists and researchers have understood that in almost every instance, homosexuality is a congenital condition, just like heterosexuality.

But there's so much more to Buck's New Science. He also refuses to believe that the 6.8 billion people on this planet driving cars, heating and lighting homes, clearing forests and manufacturing up a storm are also heating up the planet by producing so much carbon dioxide. While there are thousands, upon thousands of brilliant, dedicated and prolific scientists who agree that human activities are changing the global climate, Buck is among those who point to a dwindling handful of scientists who are holding out for more proof. Really, Mr. Buck, the odds are better that we'll turn up Santa Claus before we turn up proof that global warming is just a hoax pulled off by satanic liberals who don't like a healthy economy.

And Buck is just as obstinate when it comes to his rabid anti-abortion stance. Buck takes the Roman Catholic Church approach to abortion, insisting that even victims of rape and incest must be forced to carry their pregnancies to term, no matter how early the pregnancy is when it's detected. It's the kind of logic that leads to the end of emergency contraception for rape victims because in theory, it could terminate a "pregnancy" that is a few hours old.

I don't know about you, but I think this is a return to the kind of dark ages that condones insecure bullies picking on gays and pushing them toward suicide, justifying the monopolistic death grip that Big Oil and Big Coal have on this country, and supporting a mentality that will steal reproductive rights from women, sending them to back-alley abortionists just like the "good ol' days" that the Tea Party seems to be driving its candidates toward.

Any one of these political planks would be enough to make any mainstream Colorado voter wince. But Buck's triple play is enough to make even the most casual voter insist that Buck stay in the dugout.