This is why I hate Texas
Taken from syndicalist
Notable items from the GOP party program from the state I'm in--Texas. Christianity/religion figures into nearly all of these:
Religious Freedom
· "The Republican Party of Texas affirms that the United States
of America is a Christian nation." [8]
· "Our Party pledges to exert its influence to restore the
original intent of the First Amendment of the United States
Constitution and dispel the myth of the separation of Church and
State." [8]
· The 2004 party platform opposes efforts to restrict display of
the Ten Commandments and other religious symbols in government
buildings and other places maintained by tax dollars. [7]
· The platform supports using tax dollars to fund faith-based
social programs and calls for allowing religious organizations "to
address vital issues of the day" without losing tax-exempt status
(thus opening the door to explicit, partisan political activity by
religious organizations). [4]
Civil/Equal Rights
· "The Party supports amendment of the Americans with
Disabilities Act to exclude from its definition those persons with
infectious diseases, substance addiction, learning disabilities,
behavior disorders, homosexual practices and mental stress, thereby
reducing abuse of the Act." [14]
· Republicans went on record endorsing the repeal of laws that
have expanded opportunities for voter registration. The party also
wants to require re-registration of all voters every four years laws.
[6]
· Echoing calls by U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay of Sugar Land that
threaten an independent judiciary, the platform supports the
impeachment and removal "of federal judges who abuse their
constitutional authority or are no longer acting on good behavior."
[5]
· Republicans state that it should be a felony to issue a
marriage license to a same-sex couple "and for any civil official to
perform a marriage ceremony for a same-sex couple." [10]
· Defining marriage as a "God-ordained, legal and moral
commitment only between a natural man and a natural woman," the
platform supports a federal constitutional amendment that bans
same-sex marriage and opposes "granting of benefits to people who
represent themselves as domestic partners without being legally
married." [10]
· The platform opposes hate-crime laws (which increase penalties
for crimes that target people based on hatred for their religion,
race, sexual orientation and other characteristics). [8]
· The platform supports "covenant marriage" (which endangers
battered spouses because it would allow couples to divorce only after
a waiting period and counseling, even in cases of domestic abuse) and
advocates rescinding no-fault divorce laws. [10]
· The platform condemns homosexuality, supports criminalizing
sexual relations between consenting adults of the same sex and calls
on Congress to "withhold jurisdiction from the federal courts from
cases involving sodomy" (an implicit criticism of last year's U.S.
Supreme Court's ruling that overturned sodomy laws). [10]
· The platform opposes the adoption of children or foster
parenting by gay men and lesbians. [10]
· "We oppose any criminal or civil penalties against those who
oppose homosexuality out of faith, conviction, or belief in
traditional values." [10]
· The platform calls for constitutional protection of a fetus
and, until then, strict limits and regulation of abortion and
abortion providers. [11]
· The party supports corporal punishment and "parental authority
to discipline," mentioning it at least four different times.
Republicans also advocate eliminating prohibitions on corporal
punishment in order to attract more foster parents. [12, 13, 16]
· The party supports laws that bar Child Protective Services
from removing an abused child from his or her home, even in cases of
"immediate danger to the child's physical health or safety." [13]
· The platform calls for requiring people who report child abuse
to identify themselves and their contact information. [13]
· The state party platform calls for a ban on stem-cell research
(which experts believe holds the promise of cures for a variety of
diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's). [12]
Public Education
· The platform supports "child-centered school funding options"
that use tax dollars to pay for tuition in private and religious
schools (vouchers). [15]
· The party calls for schools to emphasize "Judeo-Christian
principles" and for including Bible-based "theories" like
"intelligent design" about the origin of humans in science textbooks
(which would, in effect, water down discussions of evolution). [16,
17]
· Republicans support health education that promotes abstinence
from sex "until heterosexual marriage with an uninfected person" and
oppose any other instruction on methods of preventing pregnancy and
sexually transmitted diseases. [15]
· The party calls for the Legislature to restore to the State
Board of Education full authority to censor public school textbooks
that "undermine belief in America and our Constitutional Republic,
promulgate anti-American propaganda, and contain unchallenged biased
viewpoints." [14]
· The platform supports "local control" measures for public
schools (which would mean the elimination of basic quality education
standards like teacher certification and small class sizes). [14]
· Republicans called for the repeal of "government-sponsored
programs that deal with early childhood development" (Head Start) and
phasing the programs out "as soon as possible."[16]
Good Government
· The party "understands government ownership of land to be
the cornerstone of socialism." [4]
· Republicans officially call for privatizing Social Security
and "gradually phasing out the Social Security tax." [13]
· The platform calls for U.S. withdrawal from the United
Nations. [24]
http://www.theocracywatch.org/texas_gop.htm
Notable items from the GOP party program from the state I'm in--Texas. Christianity/religion figures into nearly all of these:
Religious Freedom
· "The Republican Party of Texas affirms that the United States
of America is a Christian nation." [8]
· "Our Party pledges to exert its influence to restore the
original intent of the First Amendment of the United States
Constitution and dispel the myth of the separation of Church and
State." [8]
· The 2004 party platform opposes efforts to restrict display of
the Ten Commandments and other religious symbols in government
buildings and other places maintained by tax dollars. [7]
· The platform supports using tax dollars to fund faith-based
social programs and calls for allowing religious organizations "to
address vital issues of the day" without losing tax-exempt status
(thus opening the door to explicit, partisan political activity by
religious organizations). [4]
Civil/Equal Rights
· "The Party supports amendment of the Americans with
Disabilities Act to exclude from its definition those persons with
infectious diseases, substance addiction, learning disabilities,
behavior disorders, homosexual practices and mental stress, thereby
reducing abuse of the Act." [14]
· Republicans went on record endorsing the repeal of laws that
have expanded opportunities for voter registration. The party also
wants to require re-registration of all voters every four years laws.
[6]
· Echoing calls by U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay of Sugar Land that
threaten an independent judiciary, the platform supports the
impeachment and removal "of federal judges who abuse their
constitutional authority or are no longer acting on good behavior."
[5]
· Republicans state that it should be a felony to issue a
marriage license to a same-sex couple "and for any civil official to
perform a marriage ceremony for a same-sex couple." [10]
· Defining marriage as a "God-ordained, legal and moral
commitment only between a natural man and a natural woman," the
platform supports a federal constitutional amendment that bans
same-sex marriage and opposes "granting of benefits to people who
represent themselves as domestic partners without being legally
married." [10]
· The platform opposes hate-crime laws (which increase penalties
for crimes that target people based on hatred for their religion,
race, sexual orientation and other characteristics). [8]
· The platform supports "covenant marriage" (which endangers
battered spouses because it would allow couples to divorce only after
a waiting period and counseling, even in cases of domestic abuse) and
advocates rescinding no-fault divorce laws. [10]
· The platform condemns homosexuality, supports criminalizing
sexual relations between consenting adults of the same sex and calls
on Congress to "withhold jurisdiction from the federal courts from
cases involving sodomy" (an implicit criticism of last year's U.S.
Supreme Court's ruling that overturned sodomy laws). [10]
· The platform opposes the adoption of children or foster
parenting by gay men and lesbians. [10]
· "We oppose any criminal or civil penalties against those who
oppose homosexuality out of faith, conviction, or belief in
traditional values." [10]
· The platform calls for constitutional protection of a fetus
and, until then, strict limits and regulation of abortion and
abortion providers. [11]
· The party supports corporal punishment and "parental authority
to discipline," mentioning it at least four different times.
Republicans also advocate eliminating prohibitions on corporal
punishment in order to attract more foster parents. [12, 13, 16]
· The party supports laws that bar Child Protective Services
from removing an abused child from his or her home, even in cases of
"immediate danger to the child's physical health or safety." [13]
· The platform calls for requiring people who report child abuse
to identify themselves and their contact information. [13]
· The state party platform calls for a ban on stem-cell research
(which experts believe holds the promise of cures for a variety of
diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's). [12]
Public Education
· The platform supports "child-centered school funding options"
that use tax dollars to pay for tuition in private and religious
schools (vouchers). [15]
· The party calls for schools to emphasize "Judeo-Christian
principles" and for including Bible-based "theories" like
"intelligent design" about the origin of humans in science textbooks
(which would, in effect, water down discussions of evolution). [16,
17]
· Republicans support health education that promotes abstinence
from sex "until heterosexual marriage with an uninfected person" and
oppose any other instruction on methods of preventing pregnancy and
sexually transmitted diseases. [15]
· The party calls for the Legislature to restore to the State
Board of Education full authority to censor public school textbooks
that "undermine belief in America and our Constitutional Republic,
promulgate anti-American propaganda, and contain unchallenged biased
viewpoints." [14]
· The platform supports "local control" measures for public
schools (which would mean the elimination of basic quality education
standards like teacher certification and small class sizes). [14]
· Republicans called for the repeal of "government-sponsored
programs that deal with early childhood development" (Head Start) and
phasing the programs out "as soon as possible."[16]
Good Government
· The party "understands government ownership of land to be
the cornerstone of socialism." [4]
· Republicans officially call for privatizing Social Security
and "gradually phasing out the Social Security tax." [13]
· The platform calls for U.S. withdrawal from the United
Nations. [24]
http://www.theocracywatch.org/texas_gop.htm