Ben Carson Visits Spokane

In today's Spokesman Review we have an article about Ben Carson speaking at a fundraiser for the Life Services ministry last night.

Rising conservative star Ben Carson did not apologize for avoiding political correctness at an event in Spokane on Friday night.
...
Annette Miller, executive director of Life Services, said the decision to book Carson as a speaker was not political, but reflected the shared values he has with the organization.

So what are some of his views?

First, he conflated same-sex marriage with pedophilia and bestiality. Of course, later on he said he was taken out of context and misunderstood.

“Marriage is between a man and a woman. No group, be they gays, be they NAMBLA, be they people who believe in bestiality, it doesn’t matter what they are. They don't get to change the definition.”

And there's this nugget that indicates his lack of understanding of, or more likely his religious beliefs blinding him from recognizing, how evolution works.

"I don’t believe in evolution .... I simply don’t have enough faith to believe that something as complex as our ability to rationalize, think, and plan, and have a moral sense of what’s right and wrong, just appeared.”

I'm sure the following goes over well with his fellow conservatives.

"The entire concept of for profits for the insurance companies makes absolutely no sense. 'I deny that you need care and I will make more money.' This is totally ridiculous. The first thing we need to do is get rid of for-profit insurance companies. We have a lack of policies and we need to make the government responsible for catastrophic health care."

In 1992 Carson wrote "The most natural question is, who will pay for catastrophic health care? The answer: The government-run catastrophic health care fund. Such a fund would be supported by a mandatory contribution of 10 to 15 percent of the profits of each health insurance company, including managed care operations."

Another tidbit from the article.

Miller said the message of Carson’s latest book – that members of different political parties should listen to and be civil with one another – mirrors the message of the ministry. 

“We end up stifling thoughts, ideas and progress when we’re in a gridlock,” Miller said. “Particularly from a political perspective, that’s true in our country.”

And in the same article we have this example of Carson's ability to listen, be civil, and express a thought that isn't stifling.

No mention of a run for the presidency was made Friday, but Carson did criticize Obama for a statement the president made in 2009 that America is not a Christian nation, or a Jewish nation, or a Muslim nation. Carson has made that criticism multiple times in recent weeks, including at an event in Texas, and he continued to make the point in Spokane on Friday. 

“He doesn’t get to decide that,” Carson said of Obama’s statement, to lengthy applause and cheering. “We get to decide that.”

Yep, I'm feeling the love.