The platform is out for the Texas Republican Convention, and annually it is one of the funniest things written, so I like to give it a read each year. I actually like to read just about every party platform I can get my hands on, but very few of them are as hilarious as the TRC one each year.
This from the Preamble: "...that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness." But on page 7 we get this... "We support the definition of marriage as a God-ordained, legal and moral commitment only between a natural man and a natural woman, which is the foundational unit of a healthy society, and we oppose the assault on marriage by judicial activists. We call on the President and Congress to take immediate action to defend the sanctity of marriage. We are resolute that Congress exercise authority under the United States Constitution, and pass legislation withholding jurisdiction from the Federal Courts in cases involving family law, especially any changes in the definition of marriage." So the preamble doesn't apply to you if you are gay. Really that entire section on page 7 is an attack on anyone who doesn't fit the thinly veiled homophobic beliefs of the TRP. Of course, at the bottom of page 7 they removed the thinly veiled homosexuality and just go on the attack. "We affirm that the practice of homosexuality tears at the fabric of society and contributes to the breakdown of the family unit. Homosexual behavior is contrary to the fundamental, unchanging truths that have been ordained by God, recognized by our country’s founders, and shared by the majority of Texans. Homosexuality must not be presented as an acceptable “alternative” lifestyle, in public policy, nor should “family” be redefined to include homosexual “couples.” We believe there should be no granting of special legal entitlements or creation of special status for homosexual behavior, regardless of state of origin. Additionally, we oppose any criminal or civil penalties against those who oppose homosexuality out of faith, conviction or belief in traditional values." So let me see if I understand this right? People who enjoy an alternate lifestyle are not entitled to any of the freedoms you espoused earlier. Taking it even further, it sounds as if the TRP does not believe the attackers of young men like Matthew Sheppard should even be prosecuted. Did I get this right? Is Texas advocating a war against the gay community? "We affirm our support for a Human Life Amendment to the Constitution and to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment’s protection applies to unborn children." I'm not quite sure where the 14th applies to the unborn child, but hey, I'm not a Con Lawyer or anything of that sort. The 14th does pretty clearly call someone born in this country a citizen and provides them all the rights and protections thereof. The dictionary does clearly define born as "Existing as a result of birth." I fail to see where the 14th covers the unborn child. This again looks like Texas saying we love freedom, unless you disagree with them on women's health care, because you shouldn't have that freedom. "We are opposed to genocide..." Hey look! Texas Republicans and I agree on something! :) "We recommend that local school boards and classroom teachers be given more authority to deal with disciplinary problems. Corporal punishment is effective and legal in Texas." I love it. Corporal punishment is legal in Texas! Is there any chance we can use that excuse to beat the uniformed out of the TRP? "We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) (values clarification), critical thinking skills and similar programs that are simply a relabeling of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) (mastery learning) which focus on behavior modification and have the purpose of challenging the student’s fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority." The TRP does not want schools teaching your children to think for themselves. It's very good of them to be open about it though... "We recognize parental responsibility and authority regarding sex education. We believe that parents must be given an opportunity to review the material prior to giving their consent. We oppose any sex education other than abstinence until marriage." I particularly love that part at the end, because we've seen how successful abstinence only education is. I mean, SIECUS gave us this little tidbit in a study in 2007, regarding Virginity Pledges; "that young people who took a pledge were one-third less likely to use contraception when they did become sexually active." Even a study by Texas A&M in 2004 showed that kids educated in an abstinence until marriage sex ed class were MORE likely to have had sex than their peers in a full disclosure sex education class. Oh Texas, you are so crazy... "America’s founding fathers wrote the 2nd amendment with clear intent – no level of government shall regulate either the ownership or possession of firearms. Therefore we strongly oppose all laws that infringe on the right to bear arms..." Why is it that people only read one line of the 2nd Amendment!? Why is the first part of the 2nd Amendment ignored?! "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state..." Why is that part so hard!? I will rarely argue that a part of the Constitution is esoteric and should no longer apply, but we changed the way we count people for purpose of representation when that was no longer applicable, it's probably time to change this. My household owns guns, and I have no problem with responsible gun ownership, but this country is gun nutty. There are 88.8 guns per 100 citizens here, first in the world. Of course, we are just ahead of Serbia and Yemen, and those are groups I really want to be compared to. We no longer are in need of a militia to protect this country from foreign invaders. It's time to let the 2nd Amendment go and advocate for responsible, informed, and qualified gun ownership. "We support the establishment and maintenance of a volunteer Constitutional State Militia with assistance from County Sheriffs." Of course, Texas disagrees with me. They think we still need a militia...like the 2nd Mass or something. :p You know, I've had enough fun with Texas for now...time to find another platform to read. :)
