The Immorality Of Texas Republicans [View all]
Moral panic, political power, and the Republican God.
https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/the-immorality-of-texas-republicans
Recently, someone said, Id rather drive nails into my eyes than watch ten hours straight of the Texas Legislature. The truth is, after years of watching Texas Republicans, there is little they can do to shock or upset me. Maybe Im numb to it, or maybe my optimism allows me to see past the right now of things. Mostly, I dont let them get under my skin.
Yesterday was one of those exceptions, when they pissed me off so much, I had to call a friend and vent about what hypocritical assholes Texas Republicans are.
Many bad bills are passing through the Legislature at the moment, laws designed to harm marginalized communities, funnel taxpayer dollars into the pockets of billionaires, and generally make the lives of everyday Texans harder. But the debate during SB11 really sent me over the edge.
SB11 is a theocratic bill that promotes Evangelical Christianity in public schools under the guise of voluntary prayer and Bible reading. It allows school districts and charter schools to adopt a policy mandating daily prayer and Bible reading for students and staff, but only if every participant signs a consent form waiving their First Amendment rights.
This bill is about embedding organized religion into public education, using state-sanctioned peer pressure and legal manipulation to get away with it.