Win Governorship. Check. Win Texas House and Senate. Check. Kick Gay People to the Street. Check.
I get tickled when Republicans point to Texas big cities as economic success stories. Every big city in Texas is governed by a Democrat. My favorite, of course, is Houston Mayor Annise Parker.
Amid chest thumping, Republicans have decided that she must go. For example, we get this today …
Two things about the author, J. Matt Barber. (1) he is a retired heavyweight boxer, and (2) he’s an idiot. But, I guess you already knew the second one.
Parker terms-out in two years, which is a shame because she’s been an amazing mayor and was elected outright against five opponents last time. Yet, Barber wants to “boot her out the door,” and says “Parker’s head’s gotta roll.”
I don’t know if he’s really retired from boxing.
The thing he seems the most upset about is bathrooms. He says that LGBT men “who sign up for the ever-persecuted ‘LGBT’ class have secured the hard-fought ‘civil right’ to fully expose themselves to, and otherwise ogle, your daughters in the ladies’ room.” See #2 above. I don’t think he understands how women’s bathrooms, lewdness laws, or LGBT works.
But that’s not all.
Oh no, Texas has a district court judge trying to overrule a federal judge.
A state district judge in Houston has ordered the city to stop providing benefits to the same-sex spouses of employees, but city officials say the decision will have no impact because a federal judge has already ruled that the benefits must remain in place.
State District Judge Lisa Millard issued a temporary restraining order halting the benefits Wednesday in response to a request from former Harris County GOP Chair Jared Woodfill, who has filed a second lawsuit against Mayor Annise Parker and the city over her decision to extend benefits to same-sex spouses.
Well hell, Houston is just your regular Sodom and Gomorrah, ain’t it?
So on the glory of their victory, gays are the next target. I figure that next comes the requirement that you have to go to church on Sunday an attendance will be taken. But, because we have freedom of religion, you may attend the Baptist church of your choice.
I was starting to feel better about the future, after being in a full-on Fukushima-Grade Hissy, and then, dagnabbit, I see a picture of that blibbertyblabber Barber. Thanks lots.
1Dallas Judge Clay Jenkins won easily against his GOP/Tea Party opponent, too!
2What are you complaining about? This is no different than when Obama was elected in 2008 and he sent all Christians to Madrassa re-education camps and made all heterosexuals gay marry. It DID SO happen! The liberal press just refused to report it.
3I love that bit about the judge. How about we start exercising civil disobedience to all these reactionary judges and legislatures, and do what we know to be right?
Better still, Houston should threaten to secede.
4Sounds as though the state court judge has political ambitions, and wants the federal court to rule against him for use in future campaigns.
We really need to re-establish the Democratic Party’s brand as working to protect the average worker from the predators, protect women from government regulation of their reproductive systems, and to stop the waste of taxpayer dollars on fighting the culture wars.
Oh, and let’s start branding environmental laws as keeping people cancer-free … the Republican habit of putting “job-killing” in front of things they don’t like should be fought.
5RepubAnon–I’m just hoping the doofuses who put these people in office will get what they paid for and be really, really sorry. It’ll be tough on the rest of us, but until they see how squirrely these guys are, they’ll never believe those of us who think the right way to move is forward.
Jim Wright over at stonekettlestation.com is still my hero. His latest made me want to cry–he’s so right, and so many progressives have been so wrong.
But we can’t stop believing.
6Next question: Where do us gals have to go register our uteri?
Good Grief.
PS: I’m taking a week away from the crazy. Have fun while I’m gone. I’ll send Lobster, Margaritas and Greg Abbot & Dan Patrick Voodoo dolls.
7Rant warning:
I never heard of J Matt so I went to interweb to found out more about him.
A brief resume is on his university’s website. He went to Pat Robertson’s university and then to Jerry Falwell’s university. He seems to be employed there now. He has a JD but I can not see evidence he practiced law or took a bar exam. He publishes his drivel on examiner.com, Washington times, and some others.
He worked awhile for Concerned Women of America, itself founded by the wife of the Left Behind books.
Half of Right Wing Watch is dedicated to organizations in which he works, worked, or in which he was “educated”.
Now I say that to say this:
I am utterly opposed to such employment and education in which you marinate in your own juice for years. But to give these devils their due: this guy is a true believer. And that seems to me to be what Progressives must have to go against the Tea Party, now that it has subsumed the GOP.
Progressives must figure out how to educate and train and instill fervor into a new generation. In other places I heard folks say run progressive candidates in every local race from dogcatcher up: city, county, ISD etc. I certainly agree. By J Matt isn’t a candidate, he is an influencer. And Progressives need those too. And I opine that there was a point where before his brains got turned to mush from pugilism his energy and concentration could have been turned from the dark side and he might today be supporting Progressive positions with equal energy and influence. He isn’t that smart, the cons just got to him first.
8Y’all do they sell those Burka things at the Thrift Stores, or can I just wear one of my old tent dresses out in public?
I really need to know these things.. since I’ll now be living in the T-Party State of Texas.
9Very good comments above, too many to acknowledge properly.
So, how do I know J. Matt Barber is a furking idiot (apart from the usual obvious reasons described)?
He considers Houston as part of “south Texas”. No, it ain’t, damnit, it has little in common with South Texas. I’m from South Texas, and spent years (off and on) working in/around the Houston area. They are worlds apart.
I’ve spent way too much time on the SoS elections results webpages. A couple of observations:
1. The top of the Repuke’s ticket actually carried Harris County, WTF with that?
2. I’ll say it again: Be afraid, be very ascared–
George P. Bush actually got more votes than either Abbott or Patrick.
He is being groomed, even as a Floridian carpetbagger imported specially to a friendly territory, to begin his ascent to power. If daddy Jeb were to win in 2016, we might have a new royal family by 2020 (barf).
Do y’all think that today’s American people have the stones for a new ‘Revolution’? Me neither.
I’d like to comment on that other thread (What’s wrong…?), but my thesis style critique is nowhere near done.
10Let me summarize (and it won’t be popular, since I have been saying it for around five and a half years):
Our Democratic “Leadership” SUCKS, starting with Obama.
His deficiencies became apparent to me very early on.
I commented to that effect at the time and since.
One of my points way back then (within his first six months) was that President Obama, with no military or leadership experience, should take a crash series of courses at one of our military academies or OCS schools centered on “leadership ability” (or a special ‘study at home’ version, home being 1600 PA Ave.).
That is, after all, what those institutions are for, and if they work on neophyte Ensigns and Lieutenants they could surely educate the CiC a bit.
You may nickname me “Cassandra” (one of my kids was actually given that name, heh).
Miemaw #9–
11Sorry, you will be required to buy the officially sanctioned Burka versions from licensed xtian fundy vendors.
These burkas will be low quality, made in foreign sweatshops, with very high profit margins; and a portion of the proceeds will go to the Tom Delay, et al., trust funds.
Wait a minute….is his iron glowing Marxist Red……so he is a communist?
12I think I am just going to start drinking, and not stop until I wind up on an episode of ‘Cops.’
13“… the requirement that you have to go to church on Sunday an attendance will be taken.” I know you wrote that tongue-in-cheek, but it’s a real aim of the Dominionists (akd RWNJs).
Rather like early New England, isn’t it? Contrary to the propaganda, the Puritans did not immigrate for religious freedom for all but for the right for to practice their particular brand – and force everyone else to practice it, even if it meant shunning, exiling, burning or hanging the opposition.
14@Sandrige…
Got the solution to all the Democrats problems
right here: From Bookbub.com it’s a $ 1.99 e-book. Sounds like a bargain to me. “Behavioral Scientists”….. some science Repubs believe in…. some they don’t. Heaven knows…. we need something.
The Making of the Great Communicator
By Ken Holden
Over three days, two behavioral scientists transformed Reagan from a newcomer into an articulate politician whose confident, forthright sound bites won him the California governorship. Follow this previously untold story as it unfolds “in breathtaking detail… intriguing and rife with anecdotes” (Publishers Weekly).
Do all of Ya’ll with e-readers know about Bookbub.com I’m proud to say I’ve been reading their free and low cost e-books on my Kindle….. for months…. I vacation….. in mystery books. They are my escape from the reality of the world around me…. which right now…… sux. Tuesday night I was up past midnight….. reading mystery books. They ….keep me….. at minimum….. somewhat sane. And, at little to no cost. (Saving my money for “official” Burkas.
15🙂
daChipster #4–
16As far as ‘secession’ stuff, yes it is going to ramp up quite a bit.
As is lots of other defiance of gubbmint rules and regs (especially Federal).
A little noticed example: A Houston (foreign-partnered) oil company is planning to sell oil produced in Texas overseas in defiance of a strict old (read pre-Obama) Federal law against the exportation of domestically produced oil. A test case that will keep the TGOP’ers fired up.
Miemaw #13–
17Well, look at the bright side, you sound as if you’re, errr, ‘mature’ enough that you won’t be required to register your uterus with the appropriate state agency (now being organized (to make a bad pun…:) ), as Lorraine suggested above.
On second thought, these Rassholes are very thorough, you will probably have to undergo a preliminary screening, just to be sure. At your expense, of course.
There was a rally in Houston this weekend with big conservative and Christian speakers from across the U.S. It was to demand that Parker keep government out of the churches, because, by God, we have separation of Church and State in this country!
18So why don’t they remember that when they try to stick Church into the State? Where are these speakers when there are discussions about prayers in the classroom, or about scriptures hanging in public buildings, or about the right to life debate? Oh, yeah, they’re still there, but insisting that the Church has a right to meddle in our government. I guess God does work in mysterious ways.
Barber was hit in the head one too many times and it shows!
19Things That Suck Worse Than Ebola: J. Matt Barber
20I’m still puzzled about the “exposure in ladies restrooms” issue. Here in the wilderness of central Pennsyltucky we have this protective measure for the modesty/privacy of the ladies and their lady parts when they are required to avail themselves of the necessary. It’s called stalls.
21I use stalls, so does everyone else.
22http://www.rightwingwatch.org/category/people/matt-barber
Barber is a graduate of Liberty University Law School where American ideals of justice for all go to die. Wonder why dumbass dubya didn’t hire him,most of the other liars…er lawyers in the Bush admin came from there.
23You ain’t seen nothing yet!
24We used to call ex-boxers like Barber “Punch Drunk”. He certainly qualifies.
25Be fun watching wingnut heads explode when they find out Lesbians can and do get preggers,so if those fetii are already pre-disposed to be Gay(according to Whitey Wingnut) how fast will Lesbians be forced to endure abortions to protect the sanctity of whitey wingnut christian-dumb?
26@DR–Thanks for the idea! I’m stuck in bed today, so when I read what you said, I burst out laughing and thought, “Me, too!” I have always been of the persuasion that thought your name should only be in the newspaper for three things, your birth, your wedding, your death–but now I’m thinking more along the civil disobedience, rabble rousing path–I have never actually had anywhere close to enough drink to be on “Cops”, but I’m thinking it’s a great idea.
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