Last Friday I covered Romney’s lack of integrity. Today it’s Rick Perry’s turn.

In 2007 Rick Perry issued an executive order that would require all girls in Texas to receive the HPV vaccine to enter sixth grade, with a religious exemption. To that, I would tell the Rick Perry of 2007, Bravo! Way to take a stand to protect the health and welfare of women.

I have heard that 80% of sexually active adults in the US are infected with at least one of the dozens of strains of HPV. By and large it does nothing, however, certain strains can cause genital warts, cervical cancer, and possibly even throat cancer. Since there is a vaccine available that could all but eliminate the nation’s most prevalent STI, then its should be as much of a public health issue as polio shots were fifty years ago.

I would however argue that allowing parents to opt their children out of the vaccine on religious grounds is a bad idea. Religion rarely delays the start of sexual activity more than a few years, so why should these girls have to be put at risk because their parents are idiots?

Perry has been under political pressure from his fellow right-wingers for that executive order. He held his ground in last year’s gubernatorial debates, but he’s finally succumbed to the demands of idiotic national pressure and admitted that he made a mistake, claiming that he was ignorant of the issues involved.

What issues? Was he ignorant of the infection rates? What about the percentage of sexually active teens? Or is it that he was ignorant of the fact that HPV is the leading cause of cervical cancer?

It’s not that Perry was wrong, the problem is that he lacks integrity. He made the right decision. He issued an order that will save lives. Now that a few conservative Christians are busting his chops, he caves. Rick Perry needs to grow some balls.

Perry also used some insane hyperbole regarding fiscal policy:

Perry was responding to a question about “quantitative easing,” a monetary policy by which the government purchases Treasury bonds to inject more money into the economy, which he said would amount to a political attempt to help President Obama win reelection in 2012.

Last time I checked, trying to keep the economy healthy was the job of the Federal Reserve Chairman. It would seem that not doing what he could to fix the economy would be the problem.

According to Article III, Section 3 of the US Constitution, treason is defined as:

Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.

The Congress shall have power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except during the Life of the Person attainted.

Trying to fix the economy and even a government official trying to get his boss reelected doesn’t even come close to the definition of treason. What this does prove is that Perry is ignorant of the Constitution, of course you can’t expect too much from someone who got a “C” in US History in college.

My biggest issue with politicians is the lack of integrity, of course intelligence never hurts. Perry has neither.