Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) appeared to defend Kim Davis in Wednesday’s undercard Republican primary debate using a debunked account of how one of the victims of the 1999 Columbine massacre died.
CNN’s Jake Tapper asked Santorum was asked whether he agreed that Kim Davis should have been fired from her position as the clerk of Rowan County, Kentucky for refusing to comply with court orders to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
Santorum drew a parallel between Davis and Cassie Bernall, whom some news outlets initially reported was shot to death at Columbine High School after she answered “yes” when asked if she believed in God. She became a poster child for young Christians, but it was later revealed that those initial reports were wrong.
“Sixteen years ago, this country was tremendously inspired by a young woman who faced a gunman in Columbine and was challenged about her faith and refused to deny God. We saw her as a hero,” Santorum said.
“Today, someone who refuses to defy a judge’s unconstitutional verdict is ridiculed and criticized, chastised, because she’s standing up and not denying her God and her faith,” he continued. “That is a huge difference in 16 years.”
So Santorum didn’t get the story quite right. Witnesses to the shooting and investigators later told “Columbine” author Dave Cullen that a different student who survived the massacre, Valeen Schnurr, had stated her faith in God before she was shot.
This post has been updated.
I believe that this is the first example in history where a Christian took a not-quite-true story as gospel - so to speak.
The name of the student doesn’t really change much to his story, but the bigger problem is that I don’t think she was being forced to deny her faith in order to stay alive. I think they just asked her if she believed and then shot her. So the entire intent of Santorum’s story is wrong, since it wasn’t about someone being killed for refusing to reject God.
Moreover, Davis wasn’t being asked to deny God or be fired and ridiculed. It was whether or not she’d do her job. And since her first position was that her office couldn’t give any marriage certificates and she’s now caved on that by allowing them to be given with an unofficial disclaimer, all she’s done is proven that her $80k a year salary is more important than affirming what she says her beliefs are.
Neither did Tapper. As an elected official, Davis can’t be fired.
Both Graham and Santorum are not batting well here. Bad analogy (not just wrong on the danged details, Mr. Santorum). Bad analogy because nobody is asking Kim Davis to die for her beliefs – though she and her lawyers and her supporters sure are acting as if that’s the case. Nobody wants the woman dead, dude!–Everyone just wants her to do her damn job … you know, the one she’s paid to do and that she collects a pretty nice paycheck to do.
Damn, you people reach a lot. Get off the cross – somebody needs the wood to build a home or a school or to keep warm this winter. Seriously, you guys are not a victim and aren’t being persecuted.
“Today, someone who refuses to defy a judge’s unconstitutional verdict
is ridiculed and criticized, chastised, because she’s standing up and
not denying her God and her faith,” he continued. “That is a huge
difference in 16 years.”
A judge following a SCOTUS decision is not being unConstitutional Ricky.
Besides Ricky, the issue wasn’t her faith. It was that she would not do her GODDAM JOB!