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GOP Irish congressman compares Obamacare to Pearl Harbor and 9/11

Says the day the bill is passed "will live in infamy, along with those other dates"

JAMES O'SHEA,

IrishCentral Staff Writer

Published Friday, August 3, 2012, 4:25 AM

Updated Friday, August 3, 2012, 8:54 AM

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Congressman Mike Kelly

An Irish American Republican congressman Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) has compared Obama care to Pearl Harbor and 9/11. He specifically targeted the section dealing with birth control plans and Catholic opposition to them.

"I know in your mind, you can think of the times America was attacked," he said at a press conference on Capitol Hill. "One is Dec. 7, that's Pearl Harbor Day. The other is Sept. 11, and that's the day the terrorists attacked. I want you to remember Aug. 1, 2012, the attack on our religious freedom. That is a day that will live in infamy, along with those other dates."

New York and Hawaii Democrats were shocked. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) said the comment was "shameful," and Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), whose district includes Ground Zero, said Kelly should apologize.

"It is complete nonsense to suggest that a matter discussed, debated, and approved by the Congress and the President is akin to a surprise attack that killed nearly 2,500 people and launched our nation into the second World War," said Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii). Inouye witnessed the attack on Pearl Harbor and fought in WWII.

Kelly, however, refused to apologize for his remark.

"The HHS mandate is an undeniable and unprecedented attack on Americans’ First Amendment rights,” his spokesman told Newsmax.com.

“Our freedoms and way of life have been under attack before, from both internal and external threats," he said. "If we fail to defend our constitutional rights, we risk losing the freedoms that so many brave men and women have given their lives to defend throughout the course of our nation’s history."

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68 Comments

15 - 68 | See all comments

seanomelb | Aug 08, 2012, 08:10 PM EDT

well done Briano

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BrianO | Aug 08, 2012, 01:48 PM EDT

Lots of Love? My parents were married and accepted children as a blessing.

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seanomelb | Aug 07, 2012, 06:33 PM EDT

Briano did your parents use a faulty condom?LOL

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BrianO | Aug 07, 2012, 10:26 AM EDT

Nothing is free and if you would consider what you are paying in hidden taxes it would be downright expensive, $1.00 per banking transaction, 3.8% per sale of real estate, doubling of insurance rates( as in my home state of Massachusetts), for a $200/yr set of pills, or a 50 cent condom the earners will pay thousands, Oh and loss of individual freedom under the penalties of law enforced by the IRS.

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joanxis | Aug 06, 2012, 08:31 PM EDT

Now Briano -----It's free.

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BrianO | Aug 06, 2012, 10:40 AM EDT

Contraception is cheap and available and doesn't require insurance, another red herring to excuse the emperor obama's woeful performance as president.

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joanxis | Aug 05, 2012, 08:34 PM EDT

Well said, seanomelb

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seanomelb | Aug 05, 2012, 08:29 PM EDT

Contraception prevents unwanted pregnancy##contraception aids people to regulate their family size##contraception reduces the abortion rate## contraception is necessary for some females with medical or psychological problems and finally contraception is a private matter for women and their right to choose. Universal contraception reduces the medical costs of government and insurance companies. What is the cost of an unwanted pregnancy?? and compare that to the cost of contraception.The hypocrisy of the right is they oppose contraception whilst their wives/daughters and fiancées use them.

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BrianO | Aug 05, 2012, 10:35 AM EDT

Eiriamach cliches from the progressive script? I thought better of you, war on women, please. Be more honest, you seek bondage for the American individual to conform to your ideology. In your terms, a war on individual men and women.

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eiriamach | Aug 05, 2012, 12:19 AM EDT

What else would you expect from a foot soldier in the GOP's War on Women? He came up with a hopelessly strained, insensitive comparison to vicious attacks on the American people at Pearl Harbor and the WTC. It just shows that he knows his job is to wage war and that he was flailing around, looking for a justification. When he convinced himself that Obama deprived Catholics of freedom, he thought he could justify war against the Affordable Care Act. Did the USA ever fight a war without someone in Washington DC invoking freedom to try to justify it? Still, it's sad to see an elected US Representative who doesn't know what the word "freedom" means.

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DsM2shoes | Aug 04, 2012, 11:22 PM EDT

Is it me or has our congress become a goldmine of Constitutional Scholars? Obviously death, illness and everything else associated with the lack of medical care trumps common sense. I wonder how long he would keep his principles were he suddenly void of any and all health coverage, or should I say the ability to secure needed care (money)? Why is that those who "have" now have this unbelievable feeling of entitlement? Comparing heath coverage for women with the nation entering into a World War. A war that took the lives of 300,000 Americans. Who votes for this deargamamdan?

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adrienrain | Aug 04, 2012, 07:48 PM EDT

OH yeah, because access to birth control is JUSL LIKE killing thousands of innocent people!

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merefalow | Aug 04, 2012, 05:46 PM EDT

I CANT BELIEVE THE MENTALITY OF PEOPLE OR RELIGIOUS ORGANNIZATIONS who are against birth control in a world bursting at the seams with people,where women are kept in perpetual poverty through ignorance and superstition,and i dont understand a person like kelly who is a real fatcat,by that i mean someone who can afford medical insurance,in a country that can find money for perpetual wars but has 14million of its own citizens with NO medical cover,the private health practitioners in the usa are amongst the richest men in the usa,no wonder they hate free medicine,the british national health service is under severe attack,they are trying to destroy and introduce privatisation.the way they are doing this is by introducing a massive,massively overpaid beurocracy,giving contracts to private companies which overcharge massively,massive unquestioned drug bills,anything to ramp up the prices so they can claim the nhs is to EXPENSIVE.FREE MEDICINE IS A right for all people in a civilised country,untill the usa gives that right to its people,i dont believe she can claim that.good luck to president obama,he is up against it.

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lokionline | Aug 04, 2012, 02:53 PM EDT

I wrote on this site months ago that claiming the provision of contraception as part of health insurance under the ACA was somehow a 1st amendment issue would rebound to the detriment of those making this argument.

I see no need to correct my prediction. The only people who see any merit in this argument are highly conservative religious folks and they are becoming a fringe.

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eileend | Aug 04, 2012, 02:28 PM EDT

I'm not going to get into all of the mistaken impressions(i.e. Obamacare supports abortions--I would appreciate it if SOMEBODY would read the damn thing). I would just like to say that I have no respect for a party that doesn't have any more imagination than comparing a health care bill whose purpose is to protect our health and welfare to Pearl Harbor and 9/11. Really? I know that 9/11 is one of the only reference points the Republican party has anymore(mostly to scare any marginally knowledgeable person into thinking death/destruction without actually considering the fact that there is absolutely no correlation, but come on. It's getting old. Not only that, the constant use of it as a scare tactic cheapens and diminishes the very real horror and suffering expierienced by not only this nation, but every person physically impacted by that day. Enough. Find another comparison. Or--and here's a concept--actually propose your own bill. Which, oddly enough, you haven't done. Not one that would actually serve the health care needs of this country. And 31 pointless votes to ban the Affordable Health Care Act are not what I'm talking about. We need solutions. Not theater of the absurd.

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