Prayers, Noodling, Hog Hunting, and Speeding in Texas
Our lovely governor, Rick Perry is sure to be the next political laughing stock of America, just like his predecessor, George W.
Last month he organized a prayer and fasting summit in Houston because according to him, "Right now, America is in crisis: we have been besieged by financial debt, terrorism, and a multitude of natural disasters. As a nation, we must come together and call upon Jesus to guide us through unprecedented struggles, and thank Him for the blessings of freedom we so richly enjoy." He partnered with the American Family Association which is essentially a homophobic religious organization that thinks it is protecting all of us and our families by trying to prevent loving, consenting adults from marrying each other if they happen to have a sexual orientation that is not hetero. Sadly, I read that the APA has a following of at least 2 million people who also prefer to propagate intolerance and hatred in the name of "Jesus Christ."
It isn't really that shocking to know that Perry would team up with an organization like this, as he is outwardly an opponent of same-sex marriage. According to Wikipedia, Perry has drawn parallels between homosexuality and alcoholism regarding a choice to engage in the lifestyle, and writing that he is “no expert on the ‘nature versus nurture’ debate,” but that gays should simply choose abstinence. He also described the Texas same-sex anti-sodomy law "appropriate."
Many thought that his prayer summit was a pretty cheesy way to garner support from religious Christians. C. Weldon Gaddy, a Baptist minister in DC said, "I think the people of Texas elected him to be the governor of the state, not the pastor of the state." Good point. Clearly Rick Perry forgot about how the wise founding fathers of this country wrote about the separation of church and state. Many felt that he was exclusionary to other religious inclinations. If the governor of state as diverse as Texas wants to have a prayer summit, shouldn't he make it non-denominational? Or perhaps invite leaders from other popular religions?
The gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender community was rightfully upset about this prayer summit in August. The president of the Human Rights Campaign said, "Governor Perry has called on governors from all other states to join him in recognizing the day of prayer. HRC is calling on governors across the nation to not support the August 6th event, and take a stand against the hijacking of religious values by those who actively work to suppress LGBT Americans." I couldn't agree more. There is nothing more lowly that using religion to propagate hatred. Ask yourself WWJD? I hardly think he would have been down with this event. Jesus (the man, not the god) was probably a loving hippie guy who would have laughed at Perry.
We had some other Rick Perry triumphs this very week when he spent the states money passing some fantastic new laws. The one that is least newsworthy is the new 85 mph speed limit permitted on some highways. I might actually like this one; hopefully now I will stop getting pulled over when I drive to Austin.
Get excited for the next law though! I know you've been waiting years to be able to "noodle" fish. It sounds like an act that should be as punishable as gay sodomy, but no, not in Texas. Now you can get down with the rednecks and grab catfish out of their mud-hole homes in lakes across the great state. Yup, that is what noodling is...in fact you actually want to let the catfish bite into your hand, pull your hand out with fish still there, and then wrestle him off. Sounds like fun, eh?
I know you were happy enough with the noodling law, but the hunt doesn't stop there because we have the "pork chopper law." Starting yesterday, it is now legal to fly in a helicopter and shoot pigs below with semi-automatic rifles. Apparently this is done to combat hog overpopulation, but what if a person happens to be out there frolicking with the piggies and gets caught in the crossfire? According to one of the owners of the company, "Just shooting them and trapping them onesie, twosie is not working very well." Ah, I love the Texas language.
He also signed to uphold a law that forces any establishment in Texas with a stripper pole to charge each customer an extra $5 a head. The strip joints have fought this on the free speech grounds but no luck so far. The law has already brought in $15 million since it started in 2007. I wish they would put those funds into women's healthcare or something worthwhile, instead it probably funded the prayer party instead.
This law makes no sense to me. He has made a fast-lane handgun line. If you are a Texan with a permit to carry a concealed weapon, all you have to do when you want to enter the Capital building in Austin is show your permit and you can bypass the metal detectors without having to show their concealed, top secret gun. I am sorry, but wouldn't the people who work in the Capital building, including Perry, want to know if someone was coming in with more than just a gun strapped to him. Post-9/11, I am surprised this law would even be fathomable. If you're curious, Perry himself packs a .380 Ruger pistol.
There was one victory this week though and this one is close to my heart. Earlier this year, a bill was passed in Texas that would mandate that all women who wished to undergo pregnancy termination must present 24 hours before the procedure for an ultrasound. This ultrasound had to be performed by the physician who would be doing the procedure the following day. Women would be forced to watch the ultrasound and hear descriptions of the fetus. In other words, it was just a way to guilt trip and in my opinion, emotionally abuse, these women who were already going through something incredibly upsetting and difficult. It also would work to deter physicians who practice abortions because it forces them to allow two days out of their schedule to work at an abortion clinic; one day to do ultrasounds (that otherwise would be done by a sonographer) and one day to do procedures.
After this bill was initially passed (and for the record, Texas wouldn't have been the only state with such a bill), an appeal was immediately filed. The resolution of this appeal was decided this week. The ruling still upheld that ultrasounds needed to be performed, but women would not be forced to watch it and hear descriptions. Perry, of course, was not a fan of this ruling. He said, "Every life lost to abortion is a tragedy and today’s ruling is a great disappointment to all Texans who stand in defense of life." He plans to appeal the ruling yet again.
I just hope that, unlike former Texas governor, George W, that Rick Perry doesn't successfully get the chance to run for president. It disturbs me to know that so far he has become the front-runner in the Republican Party. In a recent poll he was beating Mitt Romney by 13 points. I think I'd rather have Sara Palin running the country than Rick Perry. I seriously will flee the country if he ever gets his bigoted self into the White House.
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