August 18, 2022

PA State Sen Doug Mastriano ON THE ISSUES!! (UPDATE: Rolling Stone Got Here First)

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Well, some of them at least.

Mega-hat tip to Derek Bodner:

I transcribed the entire "rapid fire" section and I was able to snag some parts Bodner edited out.

Radio guy: Let's do some rapid fire here in our last couple of seconds. If you could give me a yes or a no on some of these topics, Colonel.

Are you pro-life?

Mastriano: I am pro-life.

No surprise there. No surprise here, either:

R: Is Global Warming real?

M: It is not. It's fake science and it's a racket at the academic level.

But now I know where the quote came from.

What is kinda sorta surprise is Doug's answer to the next question:

R: Should gay marriage be legal?

M: Absolutely not. I'm for traditional marriage. And I am not a hater for saying that. It's been like that for 6,000 years. It was the first institution founded by God in Genesis and it needs to stay that way.

It's very subtle, what Doug's giving away here. Not sure if you caught it. Here's a hint: 6,000 years is a very specific number especially since the first recorded marriage is only about 4,300 years ago.

"6,000" and the part about how it's an institution founded by God in Genesis are actually rhetorical dog-whistles. Leading to the realization that given Doug's very public affirmations of his religious belief, it's not too far afield to say that Doug's cosmogony can be described this way:

Creationism in this more restricted sense entails a number of beliefs. These include, first, that a short time has elapsed since the beginning of everything. ‘Young Earth Creationists’ think that Archbishop Ussher’s sixteenth-century calculation of about 6000 years is a good estimate.

That's the near silent dog-whistle Doug communicated to his listeners.

State Sen (and now GOP Cand for Gov) Doug Mastriano, Young Earth Creationist.

It even fits his belief that "first institution founded by God in Genesis."

Then there's this from Doug:

R: Is Islam compatibile with the Constitution?

M: It is not. The Constitution was found on Christian-Judeo ideas and it's only compatible with that worldview. Guess what? Not all religions are created equal and the all have different worldviews.

As an atheist, I have to wonder how Doug is using the term "compatible." I mean if we look at some recent polling data we find:

According to an average of all 2021 Gallup polling, about three in four Americans said they identify with a specific religious faith. By far the largest proportion, 69%, identify with a Christian religion, including 35% who are Protestant, 22% Catholic and 12% who identify with another Christian religion or simply as a "Christian."

Seven percent identify with a non-Christian religion, including 2% who are Jewish, 1% Muslim and 1% Buddhist, among others.

Twenty-one percent of Americans said they have no religious preference, and 3% did not answer the question.

So about a quarter of the country (21% with "no religious preference and 2% Muslim and Buddhist) is living in a way that isn't "compatible" with the Constitution?

That can't be right. Especially since this isn't a Christian nation.

Where is that from, Dayvoe?

Treaty of Tripoli, 1796.

Article 11, specifically:

As the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion...

Had there been any disagreement with that statement back then, you'd think that there would have been a few Founders wandering around the former colonies in the 1790s who would've spoken up about it.

Then there's this from Doug:

R: Should gender identity be added to anti-discrimination laws?

M: Absolutely not. That's madness.

R: Should LGBTQ couples (i.e. two dads or two moms) be allowed to adopt?

M: No.

This is Doug Mastriano. Science denier, probably Young Earth Creationist, religious bigot and all around anti-ally to the LGBTQ communities.

Yay, Pennsylvania. 

UPDATE: Rolling Stone had the story on the 16th.

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