It’s that time again: the Texas GOP has published their new platform—for 2014—although it seriously looks like it’s for 1914. It would be funnier if the platform didn’t hurt thousands of people in many different ways. Here are a few of the ignorant and egregiously wrong elements of the platform:
1. I can’t even imagine these sentiments in the year 2014: irrelevant and ignorant and completely out of touch with reality: “Homosexuality is a chosen behavior that is contrary to the fundamental unchanging truths that have been ordained by God in the Bible, recognized by our nation’s founders, and shared by the majority of Texans. Homosexuality must not be presented as an acceptable alternative lifestyle, in public policy, nor should family be redefined to include homosexual couples. We believe there should be no granting of special legal entitlements or creation of special status for homosexual behavior, regardless of state of origin. Additionally, we oppose any criminal or civil penalties against those who oppose homosexuality out of faith, conviction, or belief in traditional values.”*
2. Every legitimate psychological and psychiatric association has disavowed the idea that “reparative therapy” works to “cure” the gay. And anyone who knows anything about this dangerous and often damaging “treatment” knows it’s a fraud. But facts just don’t seem to matter much those Texas GOPers: “We recognize the legitimacy and efficacy of counseling, which offers reparative therapy and treatment for those patients seeking healing and wholeness from their homosexual lifestyle. No laws or executive orders shall be imposed to limit or restrict access to this type of therapy.”
3. In line with the national GOP ideas, using the term lightly, Texas Republicans would do away with Social Security and transition to a private model. We’ve seen how that would have worked after what happened in 2008: “We support an immediate and orderly transition to a system of private pensions based on the concept of individual retirement accounts, and gradually phasing out the Social Security tax.”
4. Pornography is equated with cocaine and meth?! “We encourage state and federal governments to severely prosecute illegal dealers and manufacturers of addictive substances, including pornography . . . “
5. Not surprisingly, they want nothing to do with climate change, completely ignoring science and the facts—again: “While we all strive to be good stewards of the earth, ‘climate change’ is a political agenda which attempts to control every aspect of our lives. We urge government at all levels to ignore any plea for money to fund global climate change or ‘climate justice initiatives.’”
6. Of course Islamophobia raises its ugly head as the GOP believes laws should be passed to prevent Sharia Law from becoming the law of the land, even though that hasn’t happened and couldn’t happen (and a federal appeals court blocked such a move for a similar law in Oklahoma as the court “did not know of even a single instance where an Oklahoma court had applied Sharia law or used the legal precepts of other nations or cultures, let alone that such applications or uses had resulted in concrete problems in Oklahoma”). Texas either: “We also urge the Texas Legislature and the United States Congress to enact legislation prohibiting any judicial jurisdiction from allowing any substitute or parallel system of law, specifically foreign law (including Sharia Law), which is not in accordance with the United States or Texas Constitutions.”
There’s more, but I am sick to my stomach and have to stop. Additional items include these GOP shibboleths: get out of the UN; lots of hate on immigration—but little on compassion; of course they don’t forget the rich, and they clearly support greater income inequality; and it wouldn’t be a good Republican document if it didn’t include Benghazi.
There are some terrific people in Texas, including relatives and friends of mine, but this GOP platform ought to horrify them. It won’t.
*These quotes are from the released GOP platform available readily on-line.
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