The Texas Republican Party loves to hate any form of government to the point it would love to wash it out of our lives altogether. Except, of course, when it comes to peeking inside of our bedrooms and when imposing expensive medical procedures on women who have to make very difficult personal decisions.
Since it is incapable and unwilling to honestly address its decision to impose devastating budget cuts to schools and social programs, the Republican Texas Taliban Party has decided to hide behind the veil of emotional hot buttons known as social and cultural issues. That and divide and conquer politics. What else is a Party that has sold its soul to corporate power brokers and one that is morally bankrupted to the point it shows nothing but contempt for ordinary people to do? And this is precisely why the deficit denying cowards and ethically challenged Republicans in the state Senate passed an abortion sonogram bill.
AUSTIN - Doctors would have to perform a sonogram at least two hours before an abortion and describe the fetus for the woman - including cardiac activity, internal organs and limbs - under a bill that sailed through the Texas Senate on Thursday.
The debate - marked by references to God and the right of "hairy-legged" men to drive changes in the procedure - culminated in a mostly party-line 21-10 vote that sends the measure to the House for consideration.
Is Sharia law coming to Texas? Or do Texas Republican men suffer from an acute and chronic case of misogyny disorder? Or are the Republican Taliban inspired men simply hiding behind women's skirts in order to avoid manning up and admitting the obvious? Let's face it. Rick Perry and the Texas GOP fiscal policies of the past 10 years are one whopping and mind blowing disaster.
Sen. Leticia Van de Putte said that if a woman chooses to give birth, and the motivation of the bill is to protect children, then "it's our responsibility to protect that child once the child is born, too," and not drastically cut the budgets from areas like vaccines and pre-kindergarten education.
"We seem to worship what we cannot see, but as soon as that baby is born, oh no, government doesn't want to be intrusive," said Van de Putte, a San Antonio Democrat. In a reference to conservative Grover Norquist's comment that he wanted to cut government to the size where he could "drown it in the bathtub," Van de Putte said, "Texas is going to shrink government until it fits into a woman's uterus."
Meanwhile in Washington D.C. a female US House Representative from California has something to say about the appalling and insensitive talibanesque statements made by a male colleague from New Jersey.
ADVERTISEMENT
The biggest coward of Texas.
Rick Perry continues to deny the crippling budget cuts that he is about to deliver to the point that he actually blames the mainstream media for fabricating the fiscal Armageddon.
In his State of the State speech last week, Rick Perry, aka Governor Sunshine, warned that the "mainstream media and big-government interest groups are doing their best to convince us that we're facing a budget Armageddon."
The Health and Human Services Commissioner disagrees. He says the media has understated the cuts to health care providers.
Two days later the state's executive commissioner of Health and Human Services told the House Appropriations Committee that the media were actually understating cuts to health care providers. The headline number was cuts of 10 percent for services under Medicaid and the Childrens Health Insurance Program. But cuts to nursing homes, Thomas Suehs said by way of example, would be about 30 percent.
One should read the entire article to fully appreciate the pathological pervasiveness of Rick Perry's pay to play politics and the impact of his crony appointments to state agencies and universities. The HHS executive who told the truth about the cuts to health providers could very well find himself in the unemployment lines.
Texas Republican Taliban lawmakers never fail to disappoint us when it comes to yet new levels of heartlessness and contempt for ordinary people. Unfortunately we have our very own Texas styled Cruella de Ville in the person of Comptroller Susan Combs.
As if it is not horrible enough that the state of Texas imprisoned an innocent man for eighteen years Comptroller Susan Combs pulls a stunt that goes beyond the pale of common decency and justice. Texas justice, Combs style, is obviously unjust and downright cruel where some people are concerned. Because of a language technicality in the ruling Ms. Combs and her staff have decided the victim, Mr. Graves, is not entitled to his rightful compensation.
Because a trial judge neglected to use the words "actual innocence" in an order releasing Graves and dismissing capital murder convictions against him for the killings of six people, the comptroller's staff rejected his application for a $1.4 million state-mandated wrongful imprisonment payment under the Tim Cole Act.
I think the American people are slowly beginning to realize that Republican Governors and lawmakers are not so closeted dictator wannabes.
Although our Texas Republican lawmakers are nothing more than mere sold out tools that work solely on behalf of themselves, most of the people of this great state are the polar opposite of the mean, dumb, authoritarian and selfish Texas GOP.
The ethnic makeup of Houston's population is a beautiful rainbow of colors. We are brown, black, white and yellow. There are an abundance of churches of numerous sects including Greek Orthodox. There are multiple synagogues, mosques, Hindu, Buddhist temples and Chinese Christian churches. Several area Christian churches have recently openly welcomed homosexuals into their fold. Elementary school children play with one another on play grounds with no regard for the color of another child's skin. Most of us get along with and respect one another, at least within the urban confines of Houston. Unfortunately when one goes beyond the urban to the suburban and ex-urban, especially in Northwest Harris County and Montgomery County, to the north of Houston, this is when the ethnic rainbow is no longer considered positive or colorful. The rainbow is instead perceived as a great threat.
The fearful, sad, intolerant and confused whites that flee to Houston's outposts might want to get a grip on the reality of Texas demographics. I happen to be white, by the way, not that should matter.
Houston's ethnic rainbow offers a whole new world of opportunity and collaboration where so many common core values and principles are concerned. For one thing all parents want what is best for their children especially where education is concerned.
Earth to Rick Perry.
We will not take severe budget cuts to Texas schools laying down, Governor. Houston teachers, parents and students will march and rally in Austin.
Statewide March & Rally Austin, TX
Saturday, March 12
March: 11:00 a.m. starting at 12th & Trinity Rally: Noon-2:00 p.m. at State Capitol Bldg, 11th & Congress
Texans Together will provide a chartered bus ride for a limited number of people from Houston to Austin for the March 12th rally. If you are interested in taking advantage of this free chartered bus ride sign up at ttef.convio.net/rallybus to stay updated.
Texas students are tough, but they've never faced a crisis like this. In communities across the state, the same grim headlines repeat: campus closures, teacher layoffs, deep cuts to core academic programs.
There is help for Texas students - IF our leaders have the courage to use it - and you can make a difference.
On Saturday, March 12th, join thousands of Texans for a march and rally at the State Capitol to send a clear message to our leaders:
* Make education a top priority!
* Use the $9.3 billion Texas "Rainy Day" Fund to support schools.
* Sign the paperwork for $830 Million in federal aid for teachers.
* Fix school funding laws to be fair to all districts and to our growing student population.
Plan now to be part of this historic event! Talk to your family, friends, students, co-workers, teachers, neighbors, business leaders, members of your faith community and more. Ask them to join you in Austin on March 12th to show our leaders what matters to Texas.
Texans Together needs volunteers to help with calling parents and families in the Houston area to share with them the details of this rally. It is important to share with them information about the budget cuts public schools face. If you would like to help make phone calls or hand out flyers in your community please sign up on our volunteer form.
Together, we can make a difference. Please stand up for Texas schools on March 12th at the State Capitol. Our future depends on it!
