You might be a Libertarian....Part Deux

I posted some of this back in 2010.  Here it is again with quite a few updates.  Enjoy!!

If you've ever waited at a stoplight and wondered how much more efficient it would be if stoplights were privatized, you might be a Libertarian. 

If you've ever wondered who told Papa Smurf that he could boss around all the other Smurfs, you might just be a Libertarian.

If you know how to pronounce the name "Ludwig Von Mises", you might be a Libertarian. 

If one of your buddies once "reluctantly called the Fire Department", he might be a Libertarian.

If your dogs know to run out of the room when someone on CNN says the word "stimulus", you might be a Libertarian.

If you think the funniest three words in the English language are "Small Government Republican", you might be a Libertarian.

If you've ever gone camping on Halloween, under a full moon, next to a cemetery, and waited til midnight to build a campfire so you and your buddies can sit around it and read Obama's Jobs Bill, you might be a Libertarian.

If you can't see a Broken Window without thinking of a dead French economist, you might be a Libertarian.

If you can explain why Ben Bernanke should be prosecuted as a counterfeiter, you're a Libertarian.

If you've ever stood behind a podium and boasted that "Our candidate broke 5 percent !", you might be a Libertarian. 

If the audience started applauding madly, they were all Libertarians. 

If you've ever had a dream where you were locked in a room with Alexander Hamilton, a rabid dog, one gun, and two bullets, and in your dream you shot Alexander Hamilton twice....you might be a Libertarian. 

If you win a celebrity lunch with someone named "Hayek" but are secretly disappointed that it is Selma and not Friederich, you're a Libertarian.

If your top three baby names under consideration are Cato, Dagny, and Atlas, you might be a Libertarian. 

If you've ever wondered why we're spending money to have our navy defend Japan and Taiwan from China, using money that we're borrowing from....China, you just might be a Libertarian.

If you root for certain sports teams because they don't play in publicly funded stadiums, you might be a Libertarian.

If you know how many ounces of silver any of your friends own, you might be a Libertarian.

If you've ever been to a Tea Party rally, a NORML meeting, a Gay Rights parade, a Peace Run, and helped staff a gun show all in the same month?  You're probably me.  And you're a Libertarian. 

If you've ever paid twice as much for a black leather jacket instead of a similar brown one, because black is what Nick Gillespie wears, you might be a Libertarian.

If you didn't have to hit the link in the previous joke, you're a Libertarian.

If you think that Barry Goldwater was too soft on Communism, you might be a Libertarian. 

If you think that Karl Marx's quote "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs" is a great way to encourage people to hide their abilities and publicize their needs, well, you might be a Libertarian.  (I don't know where I first heard that.  Will give attribution if someone will tell me.)

If you've ever Googled the words "John Stossel DVD Boxed Set", you might be a Libertarian. 

If you think the phrase "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" should apply to almost everything, because after all it's nobody else's damn business as long as nobody else gets hurt, you might be a Libertarian.

If you've ever broken up with someone because she wouldn't say "Federal Reserve Note" instead of "Dollar", you might be a Libertarian. 

If you've ever spent an entire damn day going through damn job applications looking for a decent damn employee, and wondered why the damn public schools can't produce graduates who can write or spell, but the Catholic and other parochial schools don't have that damn problem???  You might be a pissed off Libertarian who wishes he didn't have to pay the damn schools to produce more damn illiterates.  Dammit.

If you've ever carried a pistol because policemen are just too damn heavy, you might be a Libertarian. 

If you not only believe that marijuana should be legalized, but that morphine sulfate should be available in five pound bags at the supermarket for a couple of bucks, like sugar... but probably in a different aisle, to avoid confusion, well, if you go that far with it, you're probably a Libertarian. 

If you've ever gone into a singles bar thinking that The Nolan Chart would be a good conversation starter, you just might be a Libertarian. 

If you've ever officiated at a wedding, and began the ceremony by making fun of the marriage "license" concept, you might be a Libertarian.

If you followed that with a refusal to say "by the power vested in me by the state of Texas", you might be a Libertarian.

If everyone in the wedding party and congregations laughed like hell, they were all Libertarians.

If you own one of the rare Milton Friedman action figures, you might be a Libertarian.

And last, but not least, if you understood everything I just wrote, you might be a Libertarian. 

Go here to join the party ! !

Right To Work States, 2008 Red States, and Swing States

My employer, Jukt Micronics, is about to open another factory at a location on the east coast.  (One of the east coast states is going to give us a deal on land, building, and equipment that will make the deal you gave us on forklifts look downright stingy.  Thank you so much, all you little people in the 99%.  PLEASE, please, please, keep voting for Democrats.) 

While I was researching the area, I looked up a map of the Right To Work states.  Places where you aren't forced to give money to a labor union. 

Mitch Daniels of Indiana has somehow managed to convert his state from Hoffa to Choice since this map was produced.  That's the only exception I've found.  Color Indiana red.   

 
The work map looked familiar. 
I looked up an electoral college map of the 2008 elections. 

Wow. 
The only outliers are Hawaii, Nevada, Montana, Iowa, Missouri, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Indiana and Florida. 

Ok, here's a map of what CBS calls the Battleground States for 2012:

Of the outlier Union Vs. Choice states, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, and Iowa all made the CBS list.  (Some other Battleground/Swing State lists included Missouri and Indiana!) 

If the economy is supposedly the #1 issue, then whether or not a worker should be forced to give money to a union is the filter through which the issue is seen.
Fascinating stuff, I think. 

"In God We Trust", but we're still going to vote in the primaries

From Roll Call, the unofficial magazine/website/playbook of the United States Congress:

Republicans Shift Focus From Jobs to God


•Oct. 31, 2011, Midnight

Republicans may be trying to focus their messaging on jobs and the economy — and hammering President Barack Obama for campaigning — but they still have time for some red meat base-baiting on the House floor.

To wit: House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s (Va.) decision to bring to the floor a measure that “reaffirms ‘In God We Trust’ as the official motto of the United States and supports and encourages the public display of the national motto in all public buildings, public schools, and other government institutions,” according to the resolution, sponsored by Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.).

Just think of it...The Federal Reserve is bankrupting every retiree who did the right thing and set aside some cash.  They're printing money like mad.  They're counterfeiting.  They're evil.  But they will have "In God We Trust" on a massive medallion hanging in the lobby. 

The resolution is one of three measures being considered by the House on Tuesday and is nonbinding.

Cantor’s office declined to comment for this story.

Democrats ridiculed the decision to bring up the measure.

“The last time we checked, ‘In God We Trust’ is the national motto of the United States, adopted in 1956, and China was still getting off scot-free while Republican House leaders refuse to bring up a bipartisan bill to level the playing field for American workers,” said Nadeam Elshami, spokesman for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.).

Anytime I find myself siding with Nancy Pelosi's minions, it is going to be a bad day.  I'm calling in sick before the workplace accidents begin. 

Go here for an explanation of the painting.  Dr. Ralph, eat your heart out. 

“How hard is it for the Republican leadership to reaffirm its commitment to the middle class by allowing a vote on the bipartisan China currency legislation that will create more than 1 million jobs? Apparently, they’re just too busy,” Elshami added.

In a statement, Forbes defended bringing the bill to the floor, arguing that Congress needs to directly confront “a disturbing trend of inaccuracies and omissions, misunderstandings of church and state, rogue court challenges, and efforts to remove God from the public domain by unelected bureaucrats.”

Randy Forbes, you ignorant slut.  There are a lot of us who don't want any "gods" leading the charge in your dirty little wars.  We don't want Yahweh, Zeus, Jehovah, Jesus, or Neptune to have any part of Obama's Jobs Bill.  There are no misunderstandings. 
Here's an excerpt from The Treaty Of Tripoli, originated by John Adams (Sr.), unanimously approved by Congress, and then signed into law in 1797:

As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion,—as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility, of Mussulmen (Muslims),—and as the said States never entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.

It really is that simple.  The Founders saw all the wars that began as European religious spats, and decided that they wanted no part of it.  The End.  Full Stop. 
Forbes points to a number of instances that are driving the need for the bill, including Obama referring to E Pluribus Unum as “our” motto and omission of the motto from parts of the Capitol Visitor Center, among others.

“As our nation faces challenging times, it is appropriate for Members of Congress and our nation — like our predecessors — to firmly declare our trust in God, believing that it will sustain us for generations to come,” he added.

Ok, Randy, put up or shut up.  Let's not run anyone against Barack.  Let the Fed keep printing money.  Give ACORN, SEIU, OWS, and the government bureaucracies everything they want. 
Do we have ineffective schools?  Just pray about it. 
Do we have more black men in cages than the Confederacy?  Put it in the Lord's hands. 

Trust in God. 
Somehow, I don't think you want to do that. 

He is a human. He was born on this planet. No defects were noted.

I was hoping for something that would answer the really big questions. 

They finally got something right

After months of fits and starts, a bill repealing "don't ask, don't tell," the ban against gays serving openly in the military, passed the Senate 65 to 31 on Saturday.


Eight Republicans -- Sens. Scott Brown of Massachusetts, Susan Collins and Olympia J. Snowe of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mark Kirk of Illinois, John Ensign of Nevada, Richard Burr of North Carolina, and George Voinovich of Ohio -- joined 57 members of the Democratic caucus in support of the historic measure. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) did not vote Saturday, but released a statement saying he could not support repeal "at this time."

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said that President Obama will sign the bill this week.

Working in the military helped bring in equality for women and blacks.  It will probably do the same for gays and lesbians.  I hope it will then end the gay marriage wedge issue, which keeps a lot of smart people from voting for economic conservatives.  We'll see. 
Even a blind hog can find an acorn every now and then.  Good job, President Obama ! 

Ten things more dangerous than The Ground Zero Mosque

Here's a quick listing of all the things I can quickly think of that are more dangerous than a mosque a couple of blocks from the World Trade Center site.  IMHO, all of these are a much greater threat to your physical and economic well-being than the Ground Zero Wedge Issue.   

1.  Your Friendly Neighborhood Swat Team - They're starting to show up at the wrong houses, based on bad info, for ridiculous reasons.  Then if you're lucky the worst thing they do is shoot your dogs. 

2.  Democrats - Their Senators and Representatives want to get between you and your doctor with ObamaCare.  They want more of your money to give to their constituents. 

3.  Republicans - Their Senators and Representatives have no intention of repealing ObamaCare, otherwise we would have seen a "Contract With America" campaign based on doing so.  They want more of your money to give to their constituents. 

4.  Saudi Arabia - To name just one.  Almost all of the 9-11 terrorists were from Saudi Arabia.  After 9-11, we invaded Iraq and Afghanistan. 

5.  American military bases - They're costing us a fortune, advocates claim that they're for defensive purposes on American soil, and yet if a disgruntled Major wants to go on a shooting spree in the middle of one of them, nobody can find a gun to use in self-defense.  That's a great use of your money, isn't it?  Plus we have soldiers in 135 other countries.  How would you feel about a Mexican military base in the middle of Dallas?  Would it irritate you?  Would it make you want to take up arms against the Mexican invader?   

6.  The Federal Reserve - The Dems and Republicans are on a spending spree like none other the world has ever seen.  How are we going to pay for it?  We're going to print our way out of debt.  Your dollars are about to be worth a quarter.  Unfortunately, this is hard to understand and is boring.  Muslims in Manhattan are easy to see, and they typically dress differently.  Great target for politicians who need a distraction.     

7.  Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac - They're still getting people into houses that they can't afford, with almost no down payment required.  But it's ok if they default.  Fannie and Freddie are there to step in and make it all ok between the borrower and the bank.  (Using your money, of course.)

8.  Our insane drug prohibition laws - The Texas/Mexico border is a very dangerous place because Mexican drug cartels are fighting each other for control of the drug corridor.  Our border with Canada, however, is perfectly safe.  But back during the era of alcohol prohibition, the U.S./Canada border was a very dangerous place because bootleggers were fighting each other for control of the moonshine corridor.  Prohibition equals violence. 

9.  The other million or so Mosques, meeting rooms, houses and apartments within 20 miles of Ground Zero - There are already 9 Mosques in Manhattan, and I can promise you that the CIA and FBI have them infested with more bugs than the Iraqi embassy.  If the bad guys are going to meet someplace to plot another attack on the U.S., it ain't going to be at the Ground Zero Mosque. 

10.  People who don't understand Liberty - Free Speech, Gun Rights, Freedom Of Assembly, and Property Rights aren't things that we vote on.  They are things that we protect.  We shouldn't even have to think about it.  If our Muslim friends want to show up on their property (a couple of blocks from the World Trade Center site) so they can study the writings and ravings of an illiterate pedophile, they should be allowed to do so.   

On the Ground Zero Mosque

A few things to consider about the Ground Zero Mosque....

1) Do the people who want to build the mosque own the land in question?  Or is the landlord willing to let them open a mosque in the existing building? 

2) Will the mosque put anyone in danger? 

3)  Do we want grandstanding politicians involved in decisions about how we can and cannot use private property? 

4)  If you owned a piece of land, would you want its usage to be put up for a vote? 

5)  It is illegal to open a synagogue in many Muslim countries.  Ditto for a church.  Would putting a U.S. ban on mosques help or hurt this situation? 

6)  When you were a kid, did you ever learn the rhyme "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me"?  Does this apply to buildings? 

7)  Has the Islamic Witch Doctor in charge of this stunt already gotten far more free publicity than he deserves? 

8)  Is this a GREAT wedge issue for Republicans who want Americans to worry about tribalism instead of our $14,000,000,000,000.00 debt? 

9)  Which building is more likely to do you harm:  The Federal Reserve Bank in Dallas, or a mosque two blocks away from Ground Zero? 

10)  Does Barack Obama's willingness to get sucked into this issue prove that he is a silly person? 

The results of the Texas Republican Ballot Propositions

In case anyone is wondering, Rick Perry is now the Republican nominee for Texas governor. 
If those who voted for Perry's competitors are wondering what they can now do to support a fiscal conservative, please go here for a look at the Libertarian Party's candidates.  Any of the four would be better than Governor Trans-Texas Corridor and the Eminent Domain nightmare associated with this project. 

On to the other issues associated with the Republican ballot (here's a sample).  These are the Republican Ballot Propositions and their results.  As one blogger commented, this collection of wedge issues reads like a poorly constructed "push poll". 

Ballot Proposition #1: Photo ID


The Texas Legislature should make it a priority to protect the integrity of our election process by enacting legislation that requires voters to provide valid photo identification in order to cast a ballot in any and all elections conducted in the State of Texas.

92% of Republican voters favored this one.  There's one difficulty, though.  Which poll worker is qualified to say whether a voter looks enough like his photo I.D. to vote?  Many bloggers have called this the anti-Mexican, anti-Black voter proposition.  I used to buy beer and cigarettes with my father's drivers license, and I see no way for this to be effective for either side. 

Ballot Proposition #2: Controlling Government Growth

Every government body in Texas should be required to limit any annual increase in its budget and spending to the combined increase of population and inflation unless it first gets voter approval to exceed the allowed annual growth or in the case of an official emergency.

92% of Republican voters favored this one.  Ballot propositions like this one always have an escape hatch for an official emergency.  Everything is an emergency.  We are always in crisis.  It is imperative that we take action now, before it is too late.  Spur 308 has a defective sewer drain that threatens our way of life ! !
This ballot proposition was nothing but pointless feelgoodery.  We need to vote out the Crips and the Bloods and replace them with politicians who promise to start shutting things down.  Half measures will get us nowhere. 

Ballot Proposition #3: Cutting Federal Income Taxes

In addition to aggressively eliminating irresponsible federal spending, Congress should empower American citizens to stimulate the economy by Congress cutting federal income taxes for all federal taxpayers, rather than spending hundreds of billions of dollars on so-called "federal economic stimulus".

93% of Republicans favored this one.  I don't.  I believe that all government spending should immediately show up in the amount of taxes held back from your paycheck.  Especially during wars, emergencies and disasters.  It would focus our attention wonderfully, don't you think? 

Ballot Proposition #4: Public Acknowledgement of God

The use of the word "God", prayers, and the Ten Commandments should be allowed at public gatherings and public educational institutions, as well as be permitted on government buildings and property.

95% of Republicans went for this.  95% of Republicans who voted were willing to listen to Rick Perry pray, would be willing to hear Tim Curry discuss the 10 Commandments, and would be willing to hear a representative from the Teacher's Union discuss his or her thoughts about God. 
You can go here for my other rants on this subject. 
In the words of Mark Twain, I'm going to spend the rest of my day praying for the damnation of the human race. 

Ballot Proposition #5: Sonograms

The Texas Legislature should enact legislation requiring a sonogram to be performed and shown to each mother about to undergo a medically unnecessary, elective abortion.

Only 68% of Republicans went for this one.  There are only two people who should have a vote on abortion, and that's the mother and the doctor doing the procedure.  We're getting very close to this being a losing issue for the Theocrats. 
My maternal grandmother once chose to have an abortion.  My maternal unh... mother, during an insanely difficult and risky pregnancy, decided not to.  That's why I'm here.  I stand by both decisions, and wish that everyone else would. 

If you are a Republican voter and found yourself embarrassed by these crude wedge issues, the Libertarian Party awaits. 
Here's a picture of an embarrassed monkey.  I found it here.  I couldn't find one of an embarrassed elephant. 

A 2nd look at Republican Ballot Proposition #4, on acknowledging God, prayer, and the 10 Commandments

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a rant about Republican Ballot Proposition #4, a proposal which reads follows:

No. 4 - Public Acknowledgment of God — The use of the word “God,” prayers, and the Ten Commandments should be allowed at public gatherings and public educational institutions, as well as permitted on government buildings and property.— YES or NO

This was my point: One passage toward the beginning of Exodus declares that we shouldn't misuse the name of God (by attaching God's name to the works of the Burleson Texas Independent School District, for instance), and that Jesus said we should pray in private, not standing on the streetcorners "like the hypocrites" who pray "to be seen by men".  (Hit the "rant" link above.)

There's one other thing I didn't mention in that post, something about the Ten Commandments:  Why do we want to live by these commands that Moses brought down from Mount Sinai?  We seem to have rejected most of them.  What follows is from the New International Version of the book of Exodus, Chapter 34.  The division I've used between the commandments is the one followed by most Rabbinic scholars:

14  (Commandment I) Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
15  Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land; for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices.
16 And when you choose some of their daughters as wives for your sons and those daughters prostitute themselves to their gods, they will lead your sons to do the same. 
17  (Commandment II)  Do not make cast idols.
18  (Commandment III) Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in that month you came out of Egypt.
19 "The first offspring of every womb belongs to me, including all the firstborn males of your livestock, whether from herd or flock.
20 Redeem the firstborn donkey with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. Redeem all your firstborn sons. No one is to appear before me empty-handed.
21  (Commandment IV)  Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.
22   (Commandment V)  Celebrate the Feast of Weeks with the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year.
23  (Commandment VI) Three times a year all your men are to appear before the Sovereign LORD, the God of Israel.
24 I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your territory, and no one will covet your land when you go up three times each year to appear before the LORD your God.
25  (Commandment VII)  Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast, and....
(Commandment VIII)  Do not let any of the sacrifice from the Passover Feast remain until morning.
26  (Commandment IX)  Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God.
(Commandment X)  Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk.
27 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel."
28 Moses was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.

These are the only commandments that the Jewish Scriptures refer to as "The Ten Commandments".  There were earlier rough drafts which, as far as I can tell, no human ever saw except Moses, and Moses might have just been blogging when he wrote those.  The ones listed above are the ones that made it down from Mount Sinai intact.  These are the ones that got toted around the wilderness in the Ark Of The Covenant.  These 10 Commandments are the ones that are to be "acknowledged at public gatherings and public educational institutions, as well as permitted on government buildings and property" in the state of Texas. 

Let's start with Commandment #10.  Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk.  Do we need to acknowledge this, and make it a requirement for the concession stands at Texas High School football games?  If we carve this commandment into the walls of the state capitol, how long will it take to become part of Republican anti-immigrant rhetoric?  Them damn Mexicans ain't like us white folks.  Turn your back on 'em, and they'll bar-b-que a goat in its Mama's milk every time....
And finally, if this commandment becomes law of the land, will Libertarians have to stage ridiculous protests to prove that they have a right to cook a goat in its mother's milk? 

(Note to John Spivey of the Tarrant County Libertarian Party: I'll kill, clean and cook the baby goat, but you're going to have to do the milking.)

Moving on to Commandment #9, we see that we are to bring the best of the firstfruits of our soil to the house of the Lord.  I know my Bible pretty well, but this one eluded me.  I've resorted to Chabad.org, a website that breaks the Jewish calendar into daily topics for study.  Bikkurim is a term for the first-born, or the first-produced of just about anything:

Even in the seventh year, the offering of bikkurim is obligatory. Therefore, it is stated here, too: “the first fruits of your soil.” How are the bikkurim chosen? A person enters his field and sees a fig that has ripened. He winds a blade of grass around it as a sign and sanctifies it. Bikkurim are brought as an offering only from the seven species enumerated in Scripture: “A land of wheat and barley, and vines and figs and pomegranates, a land of oil-yielding olives and honey” (Deut. 8:8).

This spring, I can't wait to see Governor Rick Perry go into bikkurim mode and wander into a mesquite thicket looking for a ripe fig to sanctify by wrapping some buffalo grass around it.  

Despite my Southern Baptist upbringing, I grew up with Commandment #8:  Do not let any of the sacrifice from the Passover Feast remain until morning.  The Whited Mama was, and is, a great cook.  It is unusual for leftovers to remain past 8:00 p.m., much less midnight. 

Commandment #7 is a problem.  Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast.  It really has come to this.  I'm 48 years old, I make good money, and I have a fairly popular website.  Yet here I am sitting in a corner at Starbucks writing, and instantly deleting, adolescent jokes about bloody yeast infections. 

I could go on and on in this vein, but I hope you get the idea by now.  When we start talking about God, prayer, or even the Ten Commandments, we all bring our histories, traditions, and loyalties to the discussion.  Like it or not, these are THE Ten Commandments.  Exodus calls them The Ten Commandments.  Everything that came before was a rough draft.  You can look it up. 

Do we really want to open this can of worms at every Texas city council and county courthouse meeting?

If you've got a few more minutes, go to this post about the 10 Commandments.  Don't read the comments.  See if you can detect something strange about the way we portray the 10 C's in art and sculpture. 

Texas Republican ballot proposition #4, on the public acknowledgement of God

Several friends have sent me something about an upcoming Texas G.O.P. ballot proposition.....

No. 4 - Public Acknowledgment of God — The use of the word “God,” prayers, and the Ten Commandments should be allowed at public gatherings and public educational institutions, as well as permitted on government buildings and property.— YES or NO

Disregard for a moment whether or not any of this is constitutional. Disregard the Founding Fathers' desire to set up a republic, not a theocracy. Forget that most of the founders were Deists.
Let's look at this proposition from a Christian perspective.

On the use of the word "God" in public gatherings, in public educational institutions, and on government buildings and property

Here's commandment #3 out of 10.
Exodus 20:7 "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

Could there possibly be a worse use of God's name than tacking it onto the unholy works of the Texas Legislature? When those guys start throwing around the name of God, don't you instinctively check your wallet? Do you think God wants her name chiseled into the building where those folks meet?
I didn't agree with the late Molly Ivins about many issues, but I know she would have had a great time with this one.

Back to the commandment....In some translations, this verse is stated as "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain." In other words, don't misuse God's name. Don't claim God's authority when you ain't got it. Or, for political purposes, don't use God's name as if it equaled The Good Housekeeping Seal Of Approval.

Are we also going to allow the words "Yahweh" and "Jehovah"? Or "Allah"? How about "Vishnu?" "Cthulu?" And what about those who are offended when the name(s) of their deities are thrown around lightly? What will happen when the Texas Speaker of The House proposes a pork-laden project called "The Lord's Highway" to be built between Abbott and Waco? Will anyone have the nerve to vote against THE HIGHWAY OF THE LORD????

Will we need to give equal time and representation to The Flying Spaghetti Monster?

On permitting prayer in public gatherings, in public educational institutions, and in government buildings and property.

I really don't think that the citizens of Pipe Creek, Texas, are prepared for students who might want to bring rosaries to class for prayer time. Has the Joaquin, Texas, school board made arrangements for Eastern Orthodox students who want to set up some icons in the corner?
Is the Rio Hondo school system equipped with lockers big enough to accomodate Muslim prayer rugs?
There are plenty of Texans who can remember teachers beginning the day with a class prayer. Some of us remember a student reading a devotional and then a prayer to the entire school over the intercom.
So what is this ballot proposal about? It's a simple wedge issue, one that dares anyone to publicly oppose it. It's about a desire to turn back the clock to a time when we had a uniform, unquestioned belief system that everyone respected, or at least honored with lip service.
That time is long gone. But if you really want to pray in school, or before a high school football game....

Let's try an experiment. Don't pray. I forbid you to pray. I've passed a law. You cannot pray. Don't you dare do it.
Did that work? Was I effective? I don't think so. Unless I find some way to end your life, you can pray all you want, and I can't stop you.

But then, you might argue that the Republican proposition seeks to legalize spoken public prayer, the kind where the supplicant outlines all the stuff he wants, what he wants God to bless (also known as intercessory prayer) and then outlines the errors of his opponents, explains The Plan Of Salvation for the benefit of the unsaved, and winds it up with a long coda telling God how great he is.
I've heard Brent Beasley of Broadway Baptist Church call this "Egocessary Prayer". It's more about the person doing the praying than it is about God. If you disagree with Dr. Beasley, well, here's what Jesus had to say on the subject:

Matthew 6:5 "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
6. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

All Christian Republicans who disagree with the Ten Commandments and Jesus can voice their disagreement by voting "Yes" on this ballot proposition.

Their "safe word" was "Whatever I say, Don't Stop !"

From Talking Points Memo:

Rod Jetton, the former Missouri House Speaker, fired a state lawmaker from his committee chairmanship in 2007 because the lawmaker had changed a bill in order to end a state ban on gay sex -- or what Jetton called "deviate sexual intercourse."

Jetton was charged with felony assault Monday after a girlfriend alleged that he had beaten and choked her during a recent sexual encounter, in which she failed to use a mutually agreed upon "safe word." The woman also suggested that Jetton may have slipped a date-rape drug into her glass of wine, causing her to lose consciousness. In the wake of the charges, Jetton announced that the political consulting firm he has run since leaving office last year would close its doors.

The picture of Big Daddy Rod Jetton swangin' his big ol' hammer, and showing the gavel who was in charge, and bending both the hammer and the gavel to his will and making them both submit to his desires, and asking them both if they want more? Huh? Do you want it harder? Faster? Does it hurt? Do you like it when it hurts?

Sorry. Got carried away there.

That picture came from here.