By Larry Jones
Texas theocrats (those who want their version of God to run the country) are thrilled with the new Texas GOP platform, perhaps largely because such religious extremists had major influence in drafting it. It’s a rather lengthy document, but it can be accessed in its entirety here .
But, praises be, the good folks at the Texas Freedom Network (TFN) have thoroughly studied and condensed it for us.
Here are a few of the gruesome highlights garnered from the original, as well as the TFN report, along with my comments:
Once again the Republicans in the Lone Star State have declared that “America is a nation under God founded on Judeo-Christian principles,” thus abrogating the fact that the founding fathers clearly intended the U.S. to be a secular nation.
So it naturally follows that they promise to work “toward dispelling” what they consider “the myth of separation of church and
state.” Among other things, they want right wing clergy to be able to endorse candidates from the pulpit. Along with hauling down the “wall of separation,” they would change tax laws so that in-church endorsements would not affect non-profit-tax exemptions.
They would allow prayer in public schools and the placement of the 10 Commandments in public places. Of course they would be the abbreviated version because they would not want to put up the whole of the commandment not to make idols because the rest of that commandment goes on to say that “You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I ” am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and fourth generation of those who reject me.” So don’t mess up, otherwise that not-so-nice God will punish your kids and grandkids, great grandkids, and great-great grandkids.
Faith-based organizations which provide social services with federal money should have less oversight. Otherwise how can they sneak in their prohibited religious material?
Of course these troglodytes want public school teachers to teach the “weaknesses” of evolution while promoting intelligent design/ creationism. In doing this they are going up against almost all biological scientists in the world. But their slogan is “don’t
confuse me with the facts, my mind is made up.”
Texas Republicans also support taking precious tax dollars from public education and using them to support private school vouchers; and they would not require such schools to meet the state education standards required for public schools.
The Texas GOP really doesn’t like government oversight and thus they would abolish the entire U.S. Department of Education and throw out government early childhood education programs.
It’s no surprise the platform opposes abortion at any time, that it oppose the “morning after” pill, and that it also opposes embryonic stem cell research, but it would also criminalize any scientist or medical professional who engaged in such research, even though it holds great promise for a cure for conditions as such as Parkinson’s disease. Can you imagine Michael J. Fox being denied a cure for his affliction? That’s surely not compassionate conservatism.
As TFN puts it: “By supporting “sodomy” laws, the Texas GOP would have government imprison and/or fine adults who engage in even private, consensual sexual intimacy with someone of the same gender.” You can guess what their stand is on same-sex marriage. Californian gays or lesbians, don’t go to Texas. It won’t honor your marriage.
For old folks like me, the platform would eliminate Social Security (my main source of survival), and establish a private program. This is a notion that George W. tried to push a while back and which got a very cold reception, both in Congress and among the general population.
There are many more negatives in the platform, like having the U.S. withdraw from the United Nations, getting rid of the endangered species act, and repeal minimum wage laws.
But they do support the Boy Scouts. After all, every bit of paramilitary training helps our boys get ready for war, which is
pretty popular in Texas.
Now, I”ve been a bit jocular about all this, because if you don’t laugh at the absurdities, you tend to get depressed and very scared.
Let’s look seriously at the kind of theocracy these Texans would like to see.
While they mention the Constitution here and there, in reality they want a nation in which the Constitution would be thrown out and a totalitarian rule by those who think they are God’s vice-regents would be in control. A literal reading of the Bible would be the source for the laws of the land.
Most people reading this are familiar with the Levitical code based on the rules set out in the Old Testament book of Leviticus. But it is important to remember what that entails, the execution of a man who lies with another man “as with a woman,” the stoning to death of a woman caught in adultery, the death sentence for children who “blaspheme” their parents ” well, you get the drift. It’s not a pretty picture.
So we have to ask ourselves if we want that kind of government. And we need to remember that such absurd notions are not limited to Texas. Fundamentalist Christians all over the country, at least of the theocratic type, hold to the same or similar dangerous convictions.
There are many fundamentalist Christians in the Bush administration, including George W. himself. Their rigid theology supports America’s ideology of empire. One more reason why we in World Can’t Wait need to be out there calling on thousands and millions of others to express their outrage at the horrors coming out of Texas in particular and D.C. in general.
Larry Jones is a long time political activist and former United Church of Christ minister who lives in Honolulu.