South Carolina Legislators: Sexist Brutes With Clubs

Five years in prison for cockfighting; 30 days for beating your wife. Sounds like red state values to me.

South Carolina ranks as the absolute last state in the percentage of state legislators who are women. Now we know why. Is it any wonder that the women of South Carolina aren’t lining up to run for a seat in the legislature? The state simply does not pay enough to compensate for the ulcer-provoking thrill of working with these cave creatures.

We thought our red state legislators held the record for androcentric arrogance. The men in the South Carolina legislature may actually make this state’s legislative body look like something other than a hairy brute with a club. (I said may.)

As Trish Wilson and Pinko Feminist Hellcat tell it, lawmakers in South Carolina passed the bill that would make cockfighting a felony, but balked when it came time to pass the bill that would do the same for domestic violence.

It’s not hard to understand why the legislating neanderthals prioritize cockfighting over domestic violence. I mean, they obviously found something they care about in the cockfighting bill. My guess is they found something they care about in the , er, word.

When the domestic violence bill appeared, the regressive male club found something to laugh about.

According to a tape of the meeting obtained by The State newspaper, Altman asked why the bill’s title — “Protect Our Women in Every Relationship (POWER)” — just mentioned protecting women. Harrison suggested making the bill the “Protecting Our People in Every Relationship” Act, or “POPER.”

A voice on the tape can be heard pronouncing it “Pop her.” Another voice then says, “Pop her again,” followed by laughter.

When asked about the legislature’s primitive priorities, Rep. Altman proceeded to insult the reporter. The reporter was, of course, a woman.

Rep. Altman: "You're really not very bright and I realize you are not accustomed to this, but I'm accustomed to reporters having a better sense of depth of things and you're asking this question to me would indicate you can't understand the answer. To ask the question is to demonstrate an enormous amount of ignorance. I'm not trying to be rude or hostile, I'm telling you."

Reporter: "It's rude when you tell someone they are not very bright."

Rep. Altman: "You're not very bright and you'll just have to live with that."

The South Carolina legislative body is 91.2% male and 8.8% female. As my mother always told me, anytime you get that much testosterone in one location you will have problems.

At the moment, no other state legislature ranks below 10%. If this climate continues much longer, expect other states to join the backslide to the good-old-boy dream days when men were men and women were well-practiced in the survival arts of downward gazing and feet shuffling. Ah yes, the good old days when women excelled at the art of voicelessness. I remember them well.

Rep. Altman knows nothing of the art. Shooting off his all-knowing mouth seems to be what he does best. The Rep. blamed women for not leaving their partners at the very first abusive incident. Does anyone doubt that his is the same loud sanctimonious voice that blames women for leaving their partners and causing "broken" families?

During the Clinton years, the South Carolina's legislative body got carried away and climbed all the way up to 12.9% female. (The Tennessee legislative body has climbed, in recent years, to the all-time high of 17.4% female. Please forgive the pitiful use of the word ‘climbed’.)

Like pretty well everywhere else, progress in South Carolina has been going to hell of late.

That’s how women’s rights work, one step forward followed by decades of hostile women-hating backlash.

Bloody Maurice anyone?