Rule of Law or Rule of Mob?
It has been a few years since I left Texas to retire on the Left Coast (so I could be with my people), but there is one Texas issue I have continued to follow: Texas public school education.
See, I was a classroom teacher in Texas for a 13 lucky years. Secondary science. So I was constantly surprised at how closely Texas politicians remained focused on education, but not where you’d think. Their purview is funding issues. But their concentration was always on red meat cultural issues.
Things haven’t changed.
Last year the Lege passed SB 797. This bill, half a page long, stipulated that all public schools in Texas must display an “In God We Trust” poster display, but only if one is donated to the school or they use donated (non-tax payer) funds to acquire one.
And they must display it “in a conspicuous place” in each building.
That was the giveaway. You have to make it obvious. This is one of a series of subtle nudges to deny 1st Amendment rights to people who are not Christians.
So the impetus for the bill is a known. Proselytization. The only question that remains is, why only require posting of DONATED posters?
Simple. Since no taxpayer money is spent, no government entity contributed to its creation. Government merely requires the “conspicuous” display of it.
Where have we heard this before? Could it be Texas’ law that allows any private individual to sue anyone who has or abets the commission of an abortion?
Well, as it turns out, the guy responsible for that nefarious law has his dirty hands on the law requiring a religious motto be displayed prominently. Same MO.
Same State Senator. Texas State Senator Bryan Hughes (TX SD-1) is behind both. A graduate of Baylor Law School (I thought Baylor was a good school), Senator Hughes seems to have happened upon a formula to circumvent obvious constitutional rights, that is, entice and empower the uber-conservatives to gig the libs, among others that they hate.
Taking a half full outlook, I can imagine a world where this Baylor Law genius with a new and perverted concept of the rule of law will see his law overturned some day. Denial of Due Process comes to mind.
Otherwise California’s Gun Bounty law which is based on the Hughes concept of mob rule, where gun manufacturers can be sued for any death attributed to their product, will also stand.
When and if that happens, let the games begin.
The local media newscasts have just picked up on this nifty little pre-Inquisition item, probably because schools are starting.
They’re running fawning segments with video clips of the fancy framed posters going up on walls [they look expensive, probably another insider supplied grift].
I knew of the issue since it was rammed through the Lege by our christofascist Rethug majority.
.
1Another nauseating thing on the boobtoob are the Abbott reelection spots, with his wifey praising him profusely, and not a word about anything tangible to Texas citizens’ lives.
“In God We trust” dates all the way back to…1956. That’s the era when God got on paper currency and into motto status.
2Very extensive Trib article just out :
Texas public schools required to display “In God We Trust” posters if they are donated
https://www.texastribune.org/2022/08/18/texas-schools-in-god-we-trust/
My local NextDoor has been buzzing about this topic too, with some pretty damned fanatical crap.
3[But my county is more Rethuglikan than Wyoming, supposedly the reddest state. Just ask Liz Cheney. She was interviewed on the”This Week” Sunday morning show today, worth watching, wish she were a Democrat.]
I look for a court challenge about “requiring” religious posters in schools no matter what. Of course the current repugnantican courts won’t see the issue, including the supremes.
4Sandridge, your comments about Abbott campaign ads not mentioning anything tangible to citizens lives is the repugnantican party in a nutshell. Their agenda is to make their supporters feel good about their whiteness, racist support, misogyny and general lack of caring for anyone in need, etc., etc., etc. It ain’t just in Texas, it’s everywhere.
Sandridge – 3
Does someone you agree with have to be a Democrat to get your vote? That’s one of the many things wrong with far right Republicans. Vote for her anyway. I probably will if I ever have a chance. And I’ll vote for plenty of Democrats this November too.
Mr. B
5I would be very tempted to donate some posters with “In God we trust” and showing pantheons of Gods and Goddesses–like from the Marvel Universe.
Marvel would appeal to kids more.
Better would be a background of multi-religion divine figures. God does not have to specify the Judeo-Christian Father-God image.
Similar to the wonderful image of school girl with pentacle on floor and other magical accoutrements commenting on the “prayer in school.” Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it, but seldom in the way you expected.”
6Steve from Beaverton & Star @4&5,
Ramen, peeps, may the Almighty FSM
7deign to bless you with His Exalted Noodley Appendage.
Sandridge @ 1,
Here in AZ, Blake Masters’ wife is appearing in ads on his behalf making vague statements. Masters is behind in the polls here against Mark Kelly. If Masters loses, he has the perfect stage name to become a gay porn film star.
8Well if they’re going to require religious posters in schools, then there needs to fairness towards other faiths here in the USA. Which means they need wall posters for Buddism, Islam, Sikh, Judism, Hindu, Satanism, Pagan, Flying Spaghetti Monster, etc.
9Looks to me like they are fishing for a Supreme Court decision in their favor. Now that the hated liberals are no longer in control.
10Does the law require that the poster be displayed right-side up? And do the framed ones have to be mounted with the lettering facing out? Because the jokers in my school 6 decades ago certainly would have experimented with different orientations.
As Papa asks above, if competing posters with the same lettering are donated, who decides which one is chosen? I would like to see the Satanic Temple’s version, with Baphomet leering over the text.
And as Pop@2 points out, since 1956 we’ve had no contract killings, no drug traffic, no embezzlement, and no fraud because money is involved. Everyone knows putting the word “God” on things prevents them from being used for evil purposes. Maybe they use Samoan dollars, or some of the other funny money in the world. Not our godly, righteous American dollars.
11Mr.B @5, “Does someone you agree with have to be a Democrat to get your vote?”.
Sadly, yes, with today’s blatantly fascist R party. Helping any one of ‘them’ helps them all, to whatever degree.
I’m not in Wyoming, so can’t see ever even having the option of voting for LC anyway.
I actually have in the past voted for a few local Rs that I knew to be decent people; but no more, you cannot be decent and continue to support today’s Rethug party.
Strangely, I’ve recently considered actually donating a bit to her, just in appreciation for her principles [very narrowly]; disagree with 98% of Cheney’s political beliefs, but she has exhibited true courage and patriotism wrt the Rufous Ratbastard. A personal paradox.
As far as “…many things wrong with far right Republicans…”. I now consider them deadly enemies and oppose them to –any– degree. I went off the deep end more than a decade ago, and gladly reciprocate any hostility from them x10 [lethal if necessary]. As anyone who reads my more extreme comments can tell [been eventually bojo’ed on PC Daily Kos 2 or 3 times, and cautioned here at the Salon too, ;] ].
12Could it be just another example of the R plan of white minority rule as the country’s demographics shift non-white?
SD-1 is near Tyler, tucked in between Dallas and Louisiana.
In 2020 the population there was 845,787. Texas at the same time had 29,145,505. So it represents about 3% of Texas’ population.
SD-1 is majority white with just over one-fifth of the residents holding a college degree.
Republican Hughes is a 53 year old white man running for reelection in November 2022.
Hughes is or has been associated with the Steward’s Foundation [a “New Testament” modeled non-profit] the Golden Bible Chapel, Mineola Foundation Board [an education-focused non-profit], National Rifle Association, Red Cross, and Rotary Club of Mineola.
SD-1 statistics:
>Gender
49% Male
51% Female
>Race
65.3% White
16.5% Black
1.1% Asian
0.8% Native American
0% Pacific Islander
> Ethnicity 16.1% Hispanic
>Median household income $53,407
> High school graduation rate 86.2%
> College graduation rate 21.5%
https://ballotpedia.org/Texas_State_Senate_District_1
13If any of you in Texas know a teacher looking for a sign, I’ll be happy to donate this one:
In God
14We Trust
Everyone
Else Pays
Cash
A sign I remember in local stores back when the motto was required on money: “In glod we trust, but not in you.
15Cash only.”
G Foresight @13, Correct, white supremacy forevuh.
Anglos are already in the minority in Texas [42.5%/2020 census].
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas#Race_and_ethnicity
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