General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSantorum makes stuff up (again): Dutch Puzzled by Santorum’s False Claim of Forced Euthanasia
The Dutch Embassy in Washington declined to comment on Wednesday on recent remarks by Rick Santorum, the Republican presidential candidate, in which he claimed, falsely, that forced euthanasia accounts for 5 percent of all deaths in the Netherlands.
The Dutch law permitting euthanasia is unambiguous about the requirement that it be voluntary, and lawmakers mandated that each case be carefully reviewed by an expert panel.
It not only requires consent but a waiting period. If a doctor dispatches someone without their consent or satisfying the tight controls, he is charged with murder.
The doctor must document that he or she confirmed that the patient requesting euthanasia or assisted suicide is making a voluntary and informed request. The record must also show that the patient was suffering unbearably and was fully informed about the prospects. Then a second doctor must examine the patient and supply a second written opinion on the satisfaction of the criteria.
Mr. Santorums erroneous comments, made at a public forum hosted by the conservative leader James Dobson on Feb. 3, failed to attract much notice until they were fact-checked, and mocked, in the Dutch press last weekend. Dutch journalists found it easy to refute Mr. Santorums statistics, and made fun of his fact-free claim that euthanasia was forced on anyone, but they had no idea where he got the idea that the nations elderly wear Do not euthanize me bracelets.
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/22/dutch-puzzled-by-santorums-false-claim-they-practise-forced-euthanasia/?pagewanted=all
The ol' "when in doubt, just make up 'facts' to suit your politics" strategy so much used by republicans, makes an appearance again.
SammyWinstonJack
(44,130 posts)I thought these god fearing types weren't suppose to LIE!
liberalmike27
(2,479 posts)They haven't paid attention to Republicans, or American politics for long, or examined the way our media, who call themselves journalists, no longer bother to correct lies, due to accusations of bias, against, well, the LIARS!!!
It's sad that the media lets them get away with lies. Sort of slaps the face of truth and honesty to let them say anything they want, and allow it to stand.
Republicans attack on every front, buying voting machines, passing laws keeping democrats from voting, changing college curriculum for contributions, buying and concentrating media, using advertising as a whip. And more.
nobodyspecial
(2,286 posts)Very bad for U.S. relations.
Cali_Democrat
(30,439 posts)GWB was an expert at it. The amount of hatred Europeans had for GWB was off the charts.
AlbertCat
(17,505 posts)Then they poison US citizens with...oh...fracking, deregulation, kool aid cults...
kenfrequed
(7,865 posts)They never tried to poison that relationship even though they were more responsible for global terrorism than any other nation we have threatened or gone to war with.
marmar
(77,081 posts)nt
Loudmxr
(1,405 posts)Just ask Neil Bush.
Neue Regel
(221 posts)ejbr
(5,856 posts)And I can prove it!
Ferretherder
(1,446 posts)...have the math skills to back up what you say, whereas I feel there is a 60% chance of my being right against a 50% chance of your being wrong!
Hugabear
(10,340 posts)Teabaggers never met an anti-Obama lie that they didn't like
gratuitous
(82,849 posts)Until what? Our relentless bulldogs of the Fourth Estate got after him for telling an out-and-out lie? Yeah, right. That could happen, I suppose. No, Santorum's slander of the Dutch didn't get any traction in this country until the Dutch started calling him a liar. The stateside media response was wholly predictable: How dare those tulip-sniffing wooden-shoe-wearing windmill devotees question our candidates? From now on, bullies will be giving their victims Freedom Rubs! That'll teach those foreigners a lesson.
HopeHoops
(47,675 posts)AlbertCat
(17,505 posts)It's called religion. Stay away from it. It's just awful.
HopeHoops
(47,675 posts)saras
(6,670 posts)tanyev
(42,559 posts)CTyankee
(63,912 posts)Proles
(466 posts)to make lies which were nothing more than truth taken out of context, or lies with little bits of truth sprinkled in.
Now they're literally just using their imagination to make things up. Who can blame them? Plant a lie in an ignorant person's head, and they'll believe it, despite anyone's best efforts to tell them the truth afterwards. It's sad, but those are the people who now make up the GOP constituents.
LeftishBrit
(41,205 posts)I know people from the Netherlands and have been there; it's nothing like that there.
I like the phrase 'fact-free claims'. It sounds like the sort of thing that MPs say about their opponents in Parliament, to get around the rule against using the words 'lie' and 'liar'.
Lars77
(3,032 posts)Guess how much this will play on Dutch newcasts?
I have said this before and i say it again. Someone needs to remind your political candidates that the rest of the world are actually watching your political discourse. It is a costant embarrasment.
TownDrunk2
(63 posts)How utterly pathetic that the media alone is responsible for the creation of the sorority of stooges a/k/a the
republican presidential candidates
G_j
(40,367 posts)Ron Obvious
(6,261 posts)Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey held a speech in the Netherlands a few years ago were he spouted all sorts of statistics about crime and drug use in that country that were completely fallacious. It was politely pointed out to him that, despite the more lax drug laws, drug use and drug-related crimes were actually significantly less common than in the USA.
Numbers such as cited by Santorum and McCaffrey used to be called "brown numbers", i.e. "numbers you pulled out of your arse."
Doc Holliday
(719 posts)just reinforces how graveling that this guy is running for President in my country. I spent most of my adult life in the service of this country....so that someday an idiot-studying-to-be-a-moron-and flunking-the-course like Rick Santorum could be my President? Gawd, the B-movie guy was bad enough. This guy redefines unreal.
It's fucking mind-boggling if I dwell on it for too long.
Response to pampango (Original post)
Post removed
Hero of Terry Shivo fame. Bring back the glory.
Snoeshaan
(1 post)He Guys, It's for sure Santorum spread a lot of bogus about the Netherlands and their Euthanasia-policy. However a Dutch guy (probably) thought it is amusing and is selling bracelets to all Americans believing what he said. Bought myself a few of them as a protest and might support to democratic party. Check www.dutchbracelet.com hahaha