Republicans! Motto: When You Absolutely Positively Have To Say Something Stupid

What has happened to the republican party? We're not talking about the crazy part. They've been crazy for years, it's just that the front men they put out to run for office had the ability to keep the voices in their heads from seizing their vocal chords while in public, well except for Steve King and Louie Gohmert, but in the republicans' defense, even if you could get medications in them, there's still a limit to what modem pharmacology can do.

Anyway, going all the way back to Nixon the primary talent republican candidates had, at least in the presence of the general public was to couch their racism, their misogyny, their xenophobia, homophobia anti-Semiticsm, or whatever other social malady they had in terms that were not blatantly obvious to those who didn't share those particular Christian based, family values.

Well, no more. Everyone has heard about Todd Akin's recent disquisition on the female reproductive system, but it's not just the top of the ticket representatives who have suddenly lost their admittedly rather tenuous understanding of  the basic tenets of living in close proximity to other humans in an organized social setting. Even as far down as your local county sheriff we find the new, public version of the republican party's sociopathy on full display.

Frank Szabo said that as sheriff, he would arrest any doctor performing elective or late-term abortions in his jurisdiction. "There is a difference between legal and lawful," Szabo said.Szabo explained the difference by referring to the issue of slavery, which he said used to be legal but was never lawful under the Constitution.

Hmm...apparently Mr. Sazbo's copy of the Constitution is missing the part before the 13th Amendment.

But Szabo may have inflamed the issue further when asked if he would use deadly force to prevent an abortion. "I would respond specifically by saying that if someone is under threat, a full-grown human being, if they're under threat, what should the sheriff do? Everything in their power to prevent them from being harmed," he said.

Wait, you would act to protect a "full-grown human being"? You think a fetus is a "full-grown human being"? Must be a graduate of the King/Akin College of Ladyparts.

When pressed about what he would do if he learned that a doctor was about to perform an elective abortion, Szabo replied he would do what it took to prevent that from happening.

Oh, you'd shoot the doctor. But only if it's Doogie Howser, right? We mean, protecting "full-grown human beings" and all.

Szabo said he would arrest doctors who perform elective or late-term abortions and bring them to the county attorney to prosecute, even if the doctors' actions were allowed under state law.

OK, so you won't shoot the doctor. Who you going to shoot then, the mother? Not really helpful to a fetus if you kill its host. Just a thought. And, we're not Criminal Justice experts or anything, but we're pretty sure you can't arrest someone for doing legal stuff.

"The county attorney would then need to follow through on prosecuting," Szabo said. "And if they choose not to do their duty and uphold the constitution, they can be brought up on charges before what is called a citizens grand jury, which is something that is not common in the United States."

Oh we wouldn't be so sure about that, Mr. Szabo. There are plenty of "Citizens Grand Juries" around.

Szabo said he doesn't have any background in law enforcement, but he said his business background gives him the experience to run for the position of sheriff.

Of course, because once you're done protecting "full-grown human beings" and arresting in people for doing stuff you don't like, there's got to be some kind of businessy thing you can do. Maybe have a sale on parking tickets or something.