Clap. Clap. Clap.

[Content Note: Racism, Misogyny, Homophobia, Nationalism]

The stars at night
Are big and bright...

Two years ago I wrote about the abomination that was the 2010 Texas Republican Party official platform. You know, the one where they said things like:

Homosexuality – We believe that the practice of homosexuality tears at the fabric of society, contributes to the breakdown of the family unit, and leads to the spread of dangerous, communicable diseases. 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 our public education and policy, nor should “family” be redefined to include homosexual “couples.”[...]

And

Texas Sodomy Statutes – We oppose the legalization of sodomy. We demand that Congress exercise its authority granted by the U.S. Constitution to withhold jurisdiction from the federal courts from cases involving sodomy.

And

Child Support and Visitation – We support equity between responsible parents in child support, custody, and visitation rights and costs, as well as the strengthening of laws designed to protect children from abuse. No parent/grandparent should be denied court ordered visitation, because of jurisdictional disputes between states. We also believe that no homosexual or any individual convicted of child abuse or molestation should have the right to custody or adoption of a minor child, and that visitation with minor children by such persons should be prohibited but if ordered by the court limited to supervised periods.

And

"We unequivocally oppose the United States Senate ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which would transfer jurisdiction over parental rights and responsibilities to international bureaucracies."

Yep.

Thanks to the lovely Jessica Luther, I found out that they're baaaaaaack and holding true to bigoted form (.pdf). They start out with 11 principles, which include things like:

1. Strict adherence to the original intent of the Declaration of Independence and U.S. and Texas Constitutions.
2. The sanctity of human life,created in the image of God, which should be protected from fertilization to natural death.
[...]
6. Self-sufficient families,founded on the traditional marriage of a natural man and a natural woman.
[...]
11. “The laws of nature and nature’s God” as our Founding Fathers believed.

That's just the very beginning. You'll not find a much better example of sheer contempt for human decency than the 23 pages of this platform.

The prairie sky
Is wide and high...

Under the horrifically ironic heading of "PRESERVING AMERICAN FREEDOM" we get:

Washington D.C. - We strongly oppose making the District of Columbia a state or adding Congressional
members.

[...]

Affirmative Action- Inasmuch as the Civil Rights Movement argued against using race as a factor in American life, affirmative action reintroduces race as a divisive force in American life. The Republican Party of Texas believes in equal opportunity for all citizens without regard to race or gender. To that end, we oppose affirmative action.
Reparations - We oppose any form of reparation

[...]

Protection from Extreme Environmentalists – We strongly oppose all efforts of the extreme environmental groups that stymie legitimate business interests. We strongly oppose those efforts that attempt to use the environmental causes to purposefully disrupt and stop those interests within the oil and gas industry. We strongly support the immediate repeal of the Endangered Species Act. We strongly oppose the listing of the dune sage brush lizard either as a threatened or an endangered species. We believe the Environmental Protection Agency should be abolished.

[...]

The Rights of a Sovereign People - The Republican Party of Texas supports the historic concept, established by our nations’ founders, of limited civil government jurisdiction under the natural laws of God,
and repudiates the humanistic doctrine that the state is sovereign over the affairs of men, the family and the church.
Fairness Doctrine - We oppose any attempt by Congress or any federal agency to implement any policy comparable to the “fairness doctrine” as terminated in 1987. (--ed. What is the 'Fairness Doctrine'?)

[...]

Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) - We oppose this act through which the federal government would coerce religious business owners and employees to violate their own beliefs and principles by affirming what they consider to be sinful and sexually immoral behavior. (--ed. What is ENDA?)

Can you smell the freedom yet? Oh wait, I believe that smell is unmitigated horseshit. Let's move on.

The eagles fly
Across the sky...

Voting Rights- We support equal suffrage for all U.S. Citizens of voting age who are not felons. We oppose any identification of citizens by race, origin, or creed and oppose use of any such identification for purposes of creating voting districts.
Voter Rights Act– We urge that the Voter Rights Act of 1965 codified and updated in 1973 be repealed and not reauthorized.

Equal suffrage for everyone! But no actual laws that say so and make us do it for real! (information: The Voting Rights Act of 1965)

Campaign Finance Reform- We urge immediate repeal of the McCain-Feingold Act.
[...]

Rights Versus Products -- We oppose calling welfare and other income and product redistribution schemes “rights” or “entitlements”. We know that fundamental human rights are inherent to individuals and are granted by God and are protected by the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution. They are not products of others labor.Unalienable rights, such as life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, property rights, free speech, religious freedom, self-defense, etc. do not impose on others rights whereas income and product redistribution invariably do so.

And thus we come to the end of the FREEDOM section where it delves back into the creepy religious-based nationalism (that they also affirmed two years ago) which clings to the notion of the Ten Commandments in every building where everyone will be required to speak American English as they gaze lovingly upon the Confederate Widows' Plaque that is placed under an unaltered American Flag for all eternity.

Possibly even more ironically named is the next section, entitled: "STRENGTHENING FAMILIES, PROTECTING LIFE AND PROMOTING HEALTH". Spoiler Alert: It only applies to cisgender heterosexuals, preferably of Christian belief. There is the same tired bigoted bullshit, the same self-righteous hatred that I quoted in the opening of the post about so-called "traditional marriage" and how gay people are bringing upon the ruination of society ("We affirm that the practice of homosexuality tears at the fabric of society and contributes to the breakdown of the family unit.") and the Texas GOP will have none of that now, thanks. Another point they kept from 2010 is this horrifying bit:

Marriage and Divorce - We believe in the sanctity of marriage and that the integrity of this institution should be protected at all levels of government. We urge the Legislature to rescind no-fault divorce laws. We support Covenant Marriage.

It also has this:

Supporting Motherhood ― We strongly support women who choose to devote their lives to their families and raising their children. We recognize their sacrifice and deplore the liberal assault on the family.

As a mother, I say: No thanks and, by the way, FUCK YOU.

The cowgirls cry
A yippy yi...

The Texas GOP really went on a tear about the sanctity of the life of embryos and, well, no one else. Not exactly surprising, eh?

Right to Life- All innocent human life must be respected and safeguarded from fertilization to natural death; therefore, the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed. 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. We support the Life at Conception Act. We oppose the use of public revenues and/or facilities for abortion or abortion-related services. We support the elimination of public funding for organizations that advocate or support abortion. We are resolute regarding the reversal of Roe v. Wade. We affirm our support for the appointment and election of judges at all levels of the judiciary who respect traditional family values and the sanctity of innocent human life. We insist that the U.S. Department of Justice needs to prosecute hospitals or abortion clinics for committing induced labor (live birth) abortion. We are opposed to genocide, euthanasia, and assisted suicide. We oppose legislation allowing the withholding of nutrition and hydration to the terminally ill or handicapped. Until our final goal of total Constitutional rights for the unborn child is achieved, we beseech the Texas Legislature in consideration of our state's rights, to enact laws that restrict and regulate abortion including:

1.parental and informed consent;
2.prohibition of abortion for gender selection;
3.prohibition of abortion due to the results of genetic diagnosis
4.licensing, liability, and malpractice insurance for abortionists and abortion facilities;
5.prohibition of financial kickbacks for abortion referrals;
6.prohibition of partial birth and late term abortions; and
7.enactment of any other laws which will advance the right to life for unborn children.

Harassing Pregnancy Centers- We urge legislation to protect pregnancy centers from harassing ordinances to require pregnancy centers to post signs in violation of their Constitutional rights. We further oppose any regulation of pregnancy centers in Texas which interfere with their private, charitable business.

[...]

RU 486- We urge the FDA to rescind approval of the physically dangerous RU-486 and oppose limiting the manufacturers’ and distributors’ liability.
Morning After Pill- We oppose sale and use of the dangerous “Morning After Pill.”

Can I get a citation for that dangerous assertion? Anyone? Mmmmhmmm.

The coyotes wail
Along the trail...

I swear to the Internet that these people have never even heard of irony because the next subsection is called "PROTECTING OUR CHILDREN" and it says:

UN Treaty on the Rights of the Child ― We unequivocally oppose the United States Senate’s ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

[...]

Foster Care ― We support eliminating bureaucratic prohibitions on corporal discipline and home schooling in foster homes.

Yes! We shall protect our children by rejecting an international treaty regarding the rights of children and upholding the idea that hitting children is a-ok. Have I mentioned you are vicious, violent, and immoral yet? Because you are, Texas GOPers.

Feeling sickened yet? Well, here we go into the section about education. It's...appalling.

EDUCATING OUR CHILDREN

American Identity Patriotism and Loyalty – We believe the current teaching of a multicultural curriculum is divisive. We favor strengthening our common American identity and loyalty instead of political correctness that nurtures alienation among racial and ethnic groups. Students should pledge allegiance to the American and Texas flags daily to instill patriotism.

[...]

Classroom Discipline –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.

[...]

Controversial Theories – We support objective teaching and equal treatment of all sides of scientific theories. We believe theories such as life origins and environmental change should be taught as challengeable (--ed: sic) scientific theories subject to change as new data is produced. Teachers and students should be able to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of these theories openly and without fear of retribution or discrimination of any kind.

Early Childhood Development – We believe that parents are best suited to train their children in their early development and oppose mandatory pre-school and Kindergarten. We urge Congress to repeal government- sponsored programs that deal with early childhood development.

Knowledge-Based Education – 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.

That's right, they oppose teaching critical thinking skills. But, again, hitting children? A-ok!

The rabbits rush
Along the brush...

A few more lowlights:

CHL Laws Applied to Texas Truckers– We call for truckers working within the state of Texas to enjoy the full benefits of the Texas Concealed Handgun License law irrespective of unreasonable and intrusive federal regulations.

[...]

Freedom of Access Act – We urge repeal of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Law. Those who assault peaceful protesters acting under the Constitution should be vigorously prosecuted. Picketing and literature distribution do not fall under the RICO Act.
Judeo-Christian Nation – As America is a nation under God founded on Judeo-Christian principles, we affirm the constitutional right of all individuals to worship in the religion of their choice.

[...]

Equality of All Citizens – We deplore all discrimination. We also deplore forced sensitivity training and urge repeal of any mandate requiring it. We urge immediate repeal of the Hate Crimes Law. Until the Hate Crimes Law is totally repealed, we urge the Legislature to immediately remove the education curriculum mandate and the sexual orientation category in said Law.

Boy Scouts of America – We support the Boy Scouts of America and reject any attempt to undermine or fundamentally change the ideals of the organization.

[..]

Repeal of Fee Award Act – We support repeal of the Civil Rights Attorneys’ Fee Awards Act, which allows for payment of attorneys’ fees to sue the government and to suppress freedom of religion.

Funding Special Interest Organizations – We oppose any government support of special interest organizations, such as ACORN and the ACLU.

Deep Water Drilling – We support immediate resumption of deep water drilling and production in the Gulf of Mexico.

Workers’ Compensation – We urge the Legislature to resist making Workers’ Compensation mandatory for all Texas employers.

Sarbanes Oxley – We support the repeal of Sarbanes Oxley legislation.
Dodd Frank – We support the immediate repeal of Dodd Frank legislation.
Community Reinvestment Act – We support the repeal of the Community Reinvestment Act.

In case you were wondering what the Sarbanes-Oxley legislation entails:

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act created new standards for corporate accountability as well as new penalties for acts of wrongdoing. It changes how corporate boards and executives must interact with each other and with corporate auditors. It removes the defense of "I wasn't aware of financial issues" from CEOs and CFOs, holding them accountable for the accuracy of financial statements.

Here is information on the Dodd-Frank legislation, whose real title is "Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010". Finally, the Community Reinvestment Act:

The Community Reinvestment Act is intended to encourage depository institutions to help meet the credit needs of the communities in which they operate, including low- and moderate-income neighborhoods, consistent with safe and sound banking operations. It was enacted by the Congress in 1977 (12 U.S.C. 2901) and is implemented by Regulations 12 CFR parts 25, 228, 345, and 563e.

A handbasket to hell made from bootstraps--and not even for everyone!

The sage in bloom
Is like perfume...

Back in 2010 I said of the Texas GOP that they are "loathsome, vile, anti-family, racist, homophobic, nationalistic, jackbooted assholes." The shoe still fits.

Deep in the heart of Texas...




[Commenting Guideline: This post is about the GOP platform in Texas, not about the entire citizenry of the state. Do not paint the whole state and its citizens with a broad brush of stereotypes.]