The Texas Republican Party's 2010 Party Platform comes out swinging on the topic of gay rights, claiming that homosexuality "tears at the fabric of society" and "leads to the spread of dangerous communicable diseases." Not content merely to deny marriage (or domestic partnership) to gay people, the Republican Party would also make helping a gay couple get married felonious and reinstate sodomy laws in Texas. Adding a little unintentional humor into the proceedings, the Republicans claim that efforts toward acceptance and normalization of homosexuality represent "intolerant efforts to marginalize as bigots" those who would deny equal rights. I'm sure I'm not alone in appreciating the irony in our "small government" party attempting to place draconian laws governing consensual sexual behavior back on the books.
I see several possible explanations for the extreme tone I perceive here:
1. Emboldened by the Tea Party's success nationally, the Texas Republican Party seeks to push its radical agenda on a wave of popular regressive politics.
2. Perhaps due to growing popular support for gay marriage rights nation-wide, the party is simply becoming more strident in its insecurity.
3. The Republican Party has always been reactionary and regressive, and it simply stands out as more ludicrous as the nation becomes more accepting of gay folks and social justice.
(It's also possible that, having been raised in the liberal bastion that is Austin, I'm simply out of touch with the extent to which the Texas Republican Party has adopted hate speech as a valid political tool.)
In fact, a combination of these factors, along with a healthy dose of frantic political posturing, probably accounts for this aggrieved and hysterical screed. And I have to wonder what percentage of Texans identifying themselves as Republicans actually support this particular part of the platform, or have even read it.
Regardless of how shrill, reactionary, and, yes, bigoted, the G.O.P. of Texas decides to make its platform, equal rights for LGBT Americans are inevitable and I believe that not too many years will pass before the Republican Party will look back in shame at its intolerance and fear mongering.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Rick Perry: Criminal Justice Reformer?
On October 2nd, Scott Henson wrote a blog post on Grits for Breakfast regarding Governor Rick Perry's record on criminal justice. Henson begins by quoting an article in which Cory Sessions of the Innocence Project of Texas praises Perry's support for life without parole and his signing of reform-minded criminal justice bills. These included bills dealing with compensation of wrongly incarcerated men and women, and with policies regarding eyewitness identification of suspects. Furthermore, according to Henson, much of the talk surrounding the large number of inmates put to death during Perry's governorship has more to do with his lengthy tenure and the small role of the Texas governor in capital punishment than with a hard-line death penalty stance. The Texas governor, unlike many other states, can only issue a 30-day stay of execution. In addition, because of the protracted nature of the appeals process, many of the inmates executed under Perry's watch were sentenced under previous governors.
Henson suspects that while the record portrays a somewhat moderate governor content to stay with mainstream conservative opinion in the arena of criminal justice, Perry's political ambitions necessitate projecting an image of the tough Texas lawman, unhesitatingly sending the worst criminals to their deaths. The post also notes polls indicating that most people who believe innocent people have been put to death still support the death penalty. Henson concludes that while Perry may not be the killing machine made out by the press, neither is he a crusading reformer out to right the wrongs of Texas' criminal justice machine.
Taking a moderate approach himself, Henson has written a pragmatic analysis of Perry's record. This approach is refreshing, especially given the funhouse mirror through which most political reporting seems filtered. Henson's extensive background in criminal justice advocacy establishes his credibility, as does his avoidance of inflammatory rhetoric. His claims are clearly backed by public record, and the resulting post should resonate with readers who wish to discern the hard reality behind Perry's bluster.
Henson suspects that while the record portrays a somewhat moderate governor content to stay with mainstream conservative opinion in the arena of criminal justice, Perry's political ambitions necessitate projecting an image of the tough Texas lawman, unhesitatingly sending the worst criminals to their deaths. The post also notes polls indicating that most people who believe innocent people have been put to death still support the death penalty. Henson concludes that while Perry may not be the killing machine made out by the press, neither is he a crusading reformer out to right the wrongs of Texas' criminal justice machine.
Taking a moderate approach himself, Henson has written a pragmatic analysis of Perry's record. This approach is refreshing, especially given the funhouse mirror through which most political reporting seems filtered. Henson's extensive background in criminal justice advocacy establishes his credibility, as does his avoidance of inflammatory rhetoric. His claims are clearly backed by public record, and the resulting post should resonate with readers who wish to discern the hard reality behind Perry's bluster.
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