THEOCRACY WATCH!!! Texas Gov signs anti-gay, anti-choice legislation in church

[Irvine511]

Perry to Sign Abortion, Gay Marriage Bills
LAST UPDATE: 6/3/2005 7:02:03 AM


AUSTIN (AP) - Gov. Rick Perry plans to visit a Christian school on Sunday to sign two pieces of legislation that drew strong support from religious organizations.

One piece of legislation restricts abortion, while the other sends a gay marriage ban to voters.

Supporters praise the event at Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Worth as a major victory for conservative Republicans, but critics say the ceremony is inappropriate.

"I think it's wrong," said Kathy Miller, president of the Texas Freedom Network, which describes itself as a mainstream voice to counter the religious right.

"As I recall, Jesus threw the money changers out of the temple, and I wonder how long it will be before people of faith get fed up with opportunistic political campaigning in their houses of worship," she said.

The governor will not sign the bills from a pulpit, but in the school gym, said Perry spokesman Robert Black.

"It's interesting. No one seemed to protest the governor signing a bill at a business or a hospital," Black said. "It's not a political event. It's a bill-signing."

Perry will sign a bill that requires parental consent for girls younger than 18 to undergo abortions. He also will sign a resolution to amend the state constitution to ban same-sex marriages. That signature is mostly ceremonial since voters must approve it in November before it becomes law.

Perry, who signed a workers compensation bill at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Fort Worth on Wednesday, said the church school is the appropriate venue for values-related issues.

"The two issues talk about values," he said. "A church is an appropriate place to come together and celebrate a victory for the values of the people of Texas."



http://www.woai.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=6C957607-91AD-4929-9D0E-F11DDB1118BB

 

[u2bonogirl]

Ick, politics in church.

Like my pastor once said
Sorry guys, but God is not a republican

 

[Ft. Worth Frog]

Even though I consider myself a conservative, I am not sure I want my governor signing legislation at a church (especially one I do not like!). However, I must say at least he is signing it in the gym and not the pulpit.

On the other hand, would there be this much of a ruckus if he was signing a bill that gave money to homeless shelters? probably not.

On a sidenote, my brother attended the school during elementary, and I frequently attended basketball camps put on by their BBall coach.

 

[BVS]

 

[coemgen]

This disgusts me. As a Christian, I'm getting more and more urinated off with the Republicans hijacking the faith.

If this disgusts you too, I HIGHLY recommend visiting www.sojo.net, (where they'll probably have a response to this soon) and I HIGHLY recommend reading the new book by Jim Wallis, founder of Sojourners, called "God's Politics." He's a Christian who is really taking jabs at the Right Wingers for hijacking the faith and creating a theocracy. I'm about a third of the way through the book and it's seriously changing my world. Check it out. (Bono also endorsed it and is mentioned in the book if that excites you.)

 

[verte76]

This pisses me off. As a Christian, it really annoys me that the Republican politicians keep claiming that God is a Republican. This is right up there in the disgusting department with Roy Moore's Ten Commandment statue shenanigans, which I consider pure politics rather than real faith.

 

[indra]

I particularly like the insinuation that no one else has morals/values.

As to the people saying "no one complains when bills are signed at businesses and hospitals" well, I think governors should just sign the fucking bills instead of using the bill signing as a political stunt on the taxpayers time (it would be a hell of a lot faster and cheaper to just sign it in his office). They shouldn't go around sucking up to certain groups for political gain (and we all know that's exactly what is going on when politicians do this type of thing.

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

I particularly like the insinuation that no one else has morals/values.

Oh, yes, I quite love that, too .

Angela

 

[XHendrix24]

Wait, wait. Is he going to be signing this in a church or a Christian school? Because it seems like they're referring to the school as a church, and just because something claims to be involved with Christianity doesn't make it a church.

Otherwise, we might be able to start calling Capitol Hill a church here soon.

Back on topic, signing the bill in the Christian school really seems to be kind of a pompous thing to do in this situation. Not only is it a slap in the face to Democrats, it's a slap in the face to Christians because he's implying that his views are the only correct Christian views to take on the matters, which is deeply insulting to me.

 

[martha]

What's really fun is that he's signing restrictive marriage legislation in front of school-children. Way to teach the whole "love thy neighbor" concept.

 

[Irvine511]

this is why i call these things "Theocracy Watch."

what he's doing is tying together church and state, saying, in effect that we need the state to safeguard morality and virtue, so we must pass legislation that does as much. who's morality and virtue? why, the church's, of course. the church of the Republican Party.

this is a Republican party that sees nothing wrong with channeling up to $2 billion of public money to religious charities, or spending government money to promote sexual abstinence as a moral good while denying schoolchildren potentially life-saving contraceptive information, or telling parents in government literature that a gay child might just need a bit of therapy. Bush says, in no uncertan terms, that public education must have a moral component, and that even science and medicine must be guided by faith, as the teaching of evolution is questioned and pharmacists given legal permission to refuse to prescribe contraception on religious grounds.

in other threads, i've been accused of stereotyping Christians, and that might be a fair charge at certain points. however, these days, i want to extend my condolences to those Christians who are witnessing the appropriation of their religion and identity to further causes they might not agree with. just as we need to reclaim the flag from the Republican Party, so do Christians need to reclaim the Cross from the Republican Party.

but when i look around at how the religion is used -- and i have now adopted the term "Christianist fundamentalism" in order to distinguish the individuals from the political function of Christianity -- as a weapon by the Republican party, and how this weapon essentially gave GWB another term in office, and the sheer hypocrisy of referring to zygotes as living in a "frozen orphanage" whilst the party gleefully executes people, i am truly sorry if i offend, but what i view as the enemy -- in clear and what i consider to me moral terms -- is, sadly, this current political application of Christianity. i view it as a threat both to my freedoms and even to my continued existence as i understand myself.

yes, Mr. Bush, another great religion has been hijacked, and you're in the pilot seat.

 

[Sparkysgrrrl]

ewwww I need a bath now

I think governors should just sign the fucking bills instead of using the bill signing as a political stunt

Exactly

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

What's really fun is that he's signing restrictive marriage legislation in front of school-children. Way to teach the whole "love thy neighbor" concept.

Mmhm.

Angela

 

[MissVelvetDress_75]

This disgusts me. As a Christian, I'm getting more and more urinated off with the Republicans hijacking the faith.

If this disgusts you too, I HIGHLY recommend visiting www.sojo.net, (where they'll probably have a response to this soon) and I HIGHLY recommend reading the new book by Jim Wallis, founder of Sojourners, called "God's Politics." He's a Christian who is really taking jabs at the Right Wingers for hijacking the faith and creating a theocracy. I'm about a third of the way through the book and it's seriously changing my world. Check it out. (Bono also endorsed it and is mentioned in the book if that excites you.)

I will have to check out the book.

 

[deep]

It is not good to generalize.
And I believe there are many decent folks in Texas.

But, the “Tom Delays” and other ones in Government in Texas are despicable people.

Bush was comfortable killing children and mental deficient prisoners.

If one is found guilty of a capital crime in Texas, the jury can only decide between two options:
1. Execution
2. Life – with the possibility of parole after 20 years.

Is it any wonder they lead in executions?

Most other states offer a 3rd option of,
Life – WITHOUT the possibility of parole.

Some Texas politicians have tried to pass legislation to allow this 3rd option.

The right wingers always kill it.

What a bunch of barbarians.

 

[AngelofHarlem01]

i'm so sick of politicians making decisions based on their religious views that end up effected thousands of people. it's just so ridiculous. whatever happened to seperation of church and state geez we need a change.

 

[echo0001]

I memorized this years ago--

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free excerise thereof, or of the press, or of the right of the people to peacably to assemble and petition the government for a redress of grievances."

Anytime 'cept Sunday morning that a politician shows up in church it makes me nervous.

The idea of signing a bill of any kind in a facility intimately connected to a religion is another attempt to seriously blur the line between church and state.

This, however doesn't surprise me, as Texas Republicans and other fundamentalists have been trying for years to completely obliterate the line.

PS. I hate Texas Republicans. Just wanted to say it one more time.

 

[Teta040]

Coemgen!!

OMG!

So you've read THE BOOK too! (no, I don't mean the Bible though this book is currently a close second on my list)

I have been pushing this book on this site for the past 2 months..and you used the EXACT same language I have! I just referred someone to sojo yesterday....

SERIOUSLY folks....I am not kidding, this book will CHANGE YOUR LIFE. It's becoming a sensation. At a recent college graduation in Michigan, Bush was the guest speaker, and Karl Rove was there too. Over 25% of the kids wore "God Is Not A Republican Or A Democrat" buttons, and the audience response was restrained.

 

[80sU2isBest]

I memorized this years ago--

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free excerise thereof, or of the press, or of the right of the people to peacably to assemble and petition the government for a redress of grievances."

Anytime 'cept Sunday morning that a politician shows up in church it makes me nervous.

The idea of signing a bill of any kind in a facility intimately connected to a religion is another attempt to seriously blur the line between church and state.

This, however doesn't surprise me, as Texas Republicans and other fundamentalists have been trying for years to completely obliterate the line.

PS. I hate Texas Republicans. Just wanted to say it one more time.

It's so nice to know that you hate me. I don't hate you.

 

[80sU2isBest]

He's a Christian who is really taking jabs at the Right Wingers for hijacking the faith and creating a theocracy.

What kind of "jabs" does he take against fellow Christians?

 

[verte76]

I live in a state where politicians regularly mix religion and politics. It's disgusting. I think they are taking advantage of the fact that Alabama is heavily conservative Protestant. Trust me, I have nothing against conservative Protestants. I just don't like it when they mix religion and politics. This just plain makes me uncomfortable.

 

[nbcrusader]

If it is a core value of a majority of the constituents, how can you ignore it?

 

[echo0001]

It's so nice to know that you hate me. I don't hate you.

Are you running for office? Until you run for office, I don't hate you. Perhaps merely dislike.

 

[echo0001]

If it is a core value of a majority of the constituents, how can you ignore it?

Maybe you can't ignore it, but I don't think a politician should base a campaign on religion. Any religion.

 

[verte76]

If it is a core value of a majority of the constituents, how can you ignore it?

That's the $64,000 question. It's wierd, because a heck of alot of people don't like the politicians in Mongonery, and this includes plenty of conservatives. It's not their conservativism that annoys me. It's their silly, demogogic approach to politics that gets my goat. I just wish they wouldn't mix religion and politics. That's my personal preference, and, in fact, it's a majority view in Birmingham. It's not in the rest of the state, however, this state is a bit schizoid politically. This isn't new, it goes back to the Dixiecrats. In fact, our politicians are stiil basically Dixiecrats. It's been like this every since I can remember, and unfortunately it will probably always be like this. I don't like it, but I'm used to it at the same time.

 

[80sU2isBest]

Are you running for office? Until you run for office, I don't hate you. Perhaps merely dislike.

I'm not running for office, but I am a Texas Republican, and you said you hate Texas Republicans.

As a side note, you do realize, don't you, that your decision to hate all Texas Republicans, without knowing all Texas Republicans, is not all that different from someone who who hates gays because he thinks that all gays are promiscuous beasts who wear s & m clothing and dog collars to the gay pride parades on public streets where they partake in the simulation of sex acts?

It completely floors me that more and more in this world, especially in these forums, stereotyping and predispositions of hatred are considered wrong, unless of course it's against Conservatives and Republicans.

 

[80sU2isBest]

*

 

[Irvine511]

It completely floors me that more and more in this world, especially in these forums, stereotyping and predispositions of hatred are considered wrong, unless of course it's against Conservatives and Republicans.

because Conservative Republicans are part of the apparatus of government that can make real and lasting impacts on the ways that people live their lives. your average gay man in a pride parade isn't going to do anything to you, so avert your eyes if you're offended.

a Conservative Republican, however, can put that man in jail (or at least he used to be able to ... especially in Texas, even if said man were engaging in consensual adult homosexual intercourse in the privacy of his own home). Conservative Republicans enable 36 states to maintain the legality of being able to fire someone simply on the basis of sexual orientation. Conservative Republicans spearheaded a movement to amend the constitution of the United States in order to explicitly exclude a group of people from certain rights.

your average gay person does not wield such powers; your average Conservative Republican, whether he is in a state Congress or the US Senate, does have such powers. there are votes, and laws, that one can use to gauge exactly how a Conservative Republican behaves; there is no way to determine how a gay person "behaves" because to quantify everyday human behavior does indeed become stereotyping, the same cannot be said of politicians. am i stereotyping Republicans for being for lower taxes? a strong defense? anti-gay? no. i am stating fact, because we have results to point to, there is accountability in politics. the same does not exist in quotidian life.

 

[80sU2isBest]

Oh yeah, Irvine, I forgot that all conservative Republicans fan the flames of hatred against gays. I'll try to remember that from now on.

The average "conservative Republicans" isn't even in congress, Irvine. Do you really how many conservative Republicans there are in the US, as opposed to how many actually serve political office of any kind at all? And yet, you state the average conservative Republican has the power to strip gays of their rights.

 

[BVS]

A voice and a vote hold strong power and right now they are speaking louder than anyone.