The San Antonio Express-News/Houston Chronicle obtained a copy of the Texas GOP draft platform for 2014. I’m not sure what attracted me to this particular rabbit hole, but for some reason I started reading the document and couldn’t stop. Initially, I thought I’d indulge in some cherry picking and identify those items that seemed most incompatible with logic.
As can be seen from my list below, the cherry picking turned into a harvest. I understand that party platforms are odd beasts that often reflect extreme positions, but in this case I just can’t visualization how some of those items came into being. I expected the pro-gun, Texas sovereignty, anti-immigration, and pro-death penalty positions but “… reparative therapy and treatment to patients who are seeking escape from the homosexual lifestyle.” Seriously, Texas GOP? Seriously?
If you’d like to join me in the rabbit hole, the full draft document is here, but be forewarned – it’s a frightening place.
1-37 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.
1-41 We propose that every Texas driver license shall indicate whether the driver is a U.S. citizen. No such license shall be issued to anyone not legally in the country.
1-58 Jury service should be limited to registered voters.
1-82 We urge immediate repeal of the McCain-Feingold Act.
1-98 We support adoption of American English as the official language of Texas and of the United States.
2-1 We support the definition of marriage as a God-ordained, legal and moral commitment only between a natural man and a natural woman.
- We support withholding jurisdiction from the Federal Courts in cases involving family law, especially any changes in the definition of marriage.
- We shall not recognize or grant to any unmarried person the legal rights or status of a spouse.
- We oppose the recognition of and granting of benefits to people who represent themselves as domestic partners without being legally married.
- We urge the Legislature to rescind no-fault divorce laws and support Covenant Marriage.
2-5 We support the affirmation of traditional Judeo-Christian family values and oppose the continued assault on those values. We strongly support a women’s right to choose to devote her life to her family and children. We recognize her sacrifice in the face of the assault on the family. Additionally, we recognize the challenges of single parents and applaud their efforts in creating a stable and moral home.
2-7 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. We recognize the legitimacy and value of counseling which offers reparative therapy and treatment to patients who are seeking escape from the homosexual lifestyle. No laws or executive orders shall be imposed to limit or restrict access to this type of therapy.
2-9 We applaud the Texas legislature for passing strong women’s health and pro-life legislation.
2-25 We unequivocally oppose the United States Senate’s ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
2-44 All adult citizens should have the legal right to conscientiously choose which vaccines are administered to themselves, or their minor children, without penalty for refusing a vaccine. We oppose any effort by any authority to mandate such vaccines or any medical database that would contain personal records of citizens without their consent.
3-2 We favor improving the quality of education for all students, including those with special needs. We support a return to the traditional basics of reading, writing, arithmetic, and citizenship with sufficient discipline to ensure learning and quality educational assessment.
3-6 We support objective teaching and equal treatment of all sides of scientific theories. We believe theories such as life origins and environmental change should be taught as challengeable scientific theories subject to change as new data is produced. Teachers and students should be able to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of these theories openly and without fear of retribution or discrimination of any kind.
3-24 We urge school administrators and officials to inform Texas school students and district personnel specifically of their First Amendment rights to pray and engage in religious speech, individually or in groups, on school property without government interference. We urge the Legislature to end censorship of discussion of religion in our founding documents and encourage discussing those documents, including the Bible as their basis. Students and district personnel have the right to display Christian items on school property.
3-26 e urge legislators to prohibit reproductive health care services, including counseling, referrals, and distribution of condoms and contraception through public schools. We support the parents’ right to choose, without penalty, which medications are administered to their minor children. We oppose medical clinics on school property except higher education and health care for students without parental consent.
3-33 We support school subjects with emphasis on the Judeo-Christian principles upon which America was founded and which form the basis of America’s legal, political and economic systems. We support curricula that are heavily weighted on original founding documents, including the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, and Founders’ writings.
4-1 America’s founding fathers wrote the 2nd amendment with clear intent – no level of government shall regulate either the ownership or possession of firearms. Therefore we strongly oppose all laws that infringe on the right to bear arms. We oppose the monitoring of gun ownership, the taxation and regulation of guns, ammunition, and gun magazines. We collectively urge the legislature to pass “constitutional carry” legislation whereby law-abiding citizens that possess firearms can legally exercise their God-given right to carry that firearm as well. Until such time we urge the state to re-introduce and pass legislation easing current restrictions on firearms such as open carry and campus carry. Stiff penalties shall be imposed for frivolous litigation against legitimate firearm manufacturers. All federal acts, laws, executive orders, and court orders which restrict or infringe on the people’s right to keep and bear arms shall be invalid in Texas, not be recognized by Texas, shall be specifically rejected by Texas, and shall be considered null and void and of no effect in Texas. We urge the Texas Legislature to enact legislation to protect law-abiding firearms owners from having their right to bear arms infringed by federal agencies due to such minor mental health diagnoses as non-severe PTS (post-traumatic stress), seeking counseling for minor depression or other minor mental health diagnoses.
4-5 We call for the disbanding of the TSA and place airport security into the more accountable and capable hands of the state and local law enforcement.
4-6 We support the establishment and maintenance of a volunteer Constitutional State Militia with assistance from County Sheriffs.
4-9 As America is a nation under God founded on Judeo-Christian principles, we affirm the constitutional right of all individuals to worship in the religion of their choice.
4-16 We deplore all discrimination. We also deplore forced sensitivity training and urge repeal of any mandate requiring it. We urge immediate repeal of the Hate Crimes Law. Until the Hate Crimes Law is totally repealed, we urge the Legislature to immediately remove the education curriculum mandate and the sexual orientation category in said Law.
4-18 We oppose the mandated use of Smart Meters as well as the use of collected data to reduce freedoms of U.S. citizens. Our opposition is based upon security, property damage, energy inefficiencies, privacy, and health issues.
4-20 We believe our prison systems should emphasize protection of society and punishment of offenders, ever mindful of their human rights. Prisoners should be required to perform meaningful work. Prisoners should not have access to private information of any citizen. No extraordinary medical care, including organ transplants or body part replacement, should be performed on prisoners at taxpayer expense.
4-23 Properly applied capital punishment is legitimate, is an effective deterrent, and should be swift and unencumbered.
4-26 We believe a person who injures or kills an unborn child should be subject to criminal and civil litigation.
5-44 We support the elimination of the Department of Energy.
5-10 Since data is clear that additional money does not translate into educational achievement, and higher education costs are out of control, we support reducing taxpayer funding to all levels of education institutions.
5-50 We support the freedom to continue to use and manufacture incandescent light bulbs.
5-55 We believe the Minimum Wage Law should be repealed
5-67 Our Founding Fathers warned us of the dangers of allowing central bankers to control our currency because inflation equals taxation without representation. We support the return to the time-tested precious metal standard for the U.S. dollar.
6-3 We support the withdrawal of the United States from the United Nations and the removal of U.N. headquarters from United States soil.
6-23 We oppose foreign aid except in cases of national defense or catastrophic disasters, with Congressional approval.
6-26 We believe that the United States and Israel share a special long-standing relationship based on shared values, a mutual commitment to a republican form of government, and a strategic alliance that benefits both nations. Our foreign policy with Israel should reflect the right of sovereign nations to govern themselves and have self-determination. In our diplomatic dealings with Israel, we encourage the continuation of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, but oppose pressuring Israel to compromise their sovereignty or security. Our policy is inspired by God’s biblical promise to bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse Israel and we further invite other nations and organizations to enjoy the benefits of that promise.
Confronting Mediocrity 