Political Correctness Dragon Kills St. George

Mike McNally in today's Pajamas Media update: How can freedom survive when officials capitulate to the mere notion of extremism?

How, indeed.

British officials cancelled plans for a St. George's Day parade on the grounds that it might be offensive to area Muslims - who hadn't even complained.

McNally gets into the nitty-gritty of the event cancellation, but I think it may be time to refresh our memories about St. George and his slain dragon. First stop, Wikipedia (I find this less sad and pathetic as time goes on....different post). Then, Brittania History, which gives a good account as well:

According to the apocryphal Acts of St George current in various versions
in the Eastern Church from the fifth century, George held the rank of tribune in
the Roman army and was beheaded by Diocletian for protesting against the
Emperor's persecution of Christians. George rapidly became venerated throughout Christendom as an example of bravery in defence of the poor and the defenceless and of the Christian faith.

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The Economics of College

In today's Townhall.com update, Thomas Sowell has the second part of a great treatise on the cost and economics of a college education. Here's hoping he turns this into a book. You can read part one here.

What will happen to the poor if there are no government subsidies for college?
If this argument is meant seriously, rather than being simply a political
talking point, then there can always be some means test used to decide who
qualifies as poor and then subsidize just those people -- rather than the vastly
larger number of other claimants for government largesse who advance toward the national treasury, using the poor as human shields.

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Travis County to Eliminate "Prior Conviction" Question

Travis County Commissioners voted unanimously to remove the question regarding prior convictions from county job applications.

The Commissioners assured the community that background checks will still be conducting - for employees who work with children, and "depending on the department."

Okay, Travis County. This is pretty much the stupidest thing to come out of the Commissioners' Court. And if Ronnie Earle is in favor of it? You can bet your rapidly disappearing taxdollars that it's just a bad, bad idea.

I think it's vital for an employer to know what a potential employee's past contains. If that means 'fessing up to a conviction for writing hot checks, for instance, so be it. And we all know, that prior conviction question is used to determine how honest an employee is (all disclosed convictions will show up in a background check), and is a first-glance qualifier.

I'm really annoyed by the Commissioners for this.

KVUE story here.

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The Greater Sin

Rich Lowry at Townhall.com had a column published this morning that hit a note with me, concerning the recent raid on a fundamentalist Mormon sect in El Dorado, Texas.

So far, I've had some trouble with the entire case. More than 400 children taken from their families on very shaky evidence of child abuse. The pictures published by the AP showed vans from a local First Baptist Church being used to escort the women and children taken from the compound. The women interviewed in the general media have been wholly sympathetic, and it plays with your heartstrings when you realize what is happening to them. It's all very, very sad.

Lowry concedes that child abuse is not actually the sin committed here, but polygamy.

That's where my trouble has stemmed from. The United States has a law against polygamy - the Edmunds Act was signed into law in 1882, and it made polygamy a felony. I'll admit, the Edmunds Act is a law dedicated to religious persecution - to be convicted under it, all you had to do was believe in the polygamist doctrine in the LDS faith (and modern scholars have speculated that the law is unconstitutional, though it's never been tested in the Supreme Court). Nonetheless, the law also prohibits plural marriage itself. Technically speaking, if your problem is polygamy itself, this law would be the best course of action. Of course, any smart person would hire a good lawyer and fight it, causing a chain reaction that may end in the Supreme Court having to define marriage once and for all. Which may be why no one has been convicted under this law since the 19th century, and why the angle of "child abuse" was used in this case as opposed to "polygamy."

Lowry argues quite well that polygamy has always been a tool for domination and used by dictatorial societies. And our society has not accepted polygamy for over a century; even mainstream LDS members reject it out of hand today. I think the moral argument is pretty clear, so now it comes down to, how do you go about using the law?

I've been furious about this case because it all started when an alleged 16-year-old girl called in a complaint to CPS. The 16-year-old has not been found, though her supposed 50+ year old husband has been (he lives in Arizona). And it doesn't matter if the call was false in the first place, as CPS doesn't do investigations on the victims and anonymous calls are enough for warrants.

This is the part that I find frightening. There is an agency of our government that has the power to obtain warrants on such scanty evidence as an anonymous, unverified phone call. That's...wow. Think about the implications of that. Given the fight over homeschooling in California, the continued societal arguments about child discipline, and just general religious prejudice that runs increasingly rampant, it has to cause a chill to run up your spine to know that all it would take is the neighbor who disagrees with you making an anonymous phone call. And, whoosh - your children are taken away.

I disagree with Governor Perry wholeheartedly on this - this is not a situation that makes me proud of Texas. Rather, it makes me worried that the precedent set could have reverberations for a long time, in places we never could have suspected.

I believe that polygamy is sinful, and I think that what happens in the FLDS is shameful and harmful to those involved. But do we actually have the legal grounds to take away the children? I think it would have been worth prosecuting this case under the Edmunds Act and not through CPS. Much as I distrust and dislike our current system's reliance on the courts to settle every difference of opinion, we need to have a context that's greater and more reliable than "he said/she said."

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The Daily Toreador column attacks conservatives, free speech

I figured it would happen sooner or later. A guest columnist for Texas Tech's university newspaper, The Daily Toreador, lit into the campus chapter of Young Conservatives of Texas for their recent "Capture the Illegal Immigrant" event, using such SAT words as "boorish" and "pugilistic" (and to be fair, he used "pugilistic" in reference to himself). Of course, the gentleman writer turned out to be a professor (I should have know - no one is quicker to attempt to censure students than those in charge of molding their minds).

I thought at first that I would be treated to yet another diatribe about how offensive the event was, or possibly even a screed about how wonderful it is to have millions of people breaking our immigration laws without check. However, this guy chose to go after free speech and the First Amendment, using the rudimentary analysation skills he likely picked up in a government school.

My blood pressure is already up this morning after learning that teachers in Texas are beginning to leave their jobs because of a lack of decorum in the classroom (another post for later today), so I guess I'll just return the favor and light into this Texas Tech professor (from Canada! Land of the free and home of the brave! Oh, wait....) who seems perfectly alright using the First Amendment for his own purposes, but gets a bee in his bonnet when he disagrees with the message.

Don't let's forget, YCT is ignorant! Gotta throw that in there! "Capture the Illegal Immigrant" is an ignorant, juvenile concept! Down with you, and down with your antics! Si se puede!

At first I couldn't believe the rhetoric hasn't changed one iota from that day in 2005 when my friends and I were called "racist" because we said, hey, come on into the country, just obey the law. Because we said, amnesty ain't such a good idea, because some pretty scary people would be included in something like that - please keep in mind people, that the 9/11 Commission said we needed to tighten and enforce our current immigration laws! That "illegal alien" is a term that includes visa-violators, including Mohammed Atta!

I had to be patted down and have my bags searched at an airport (on my honeymoon!) because my flight was cancelled and I was shuffled to a different airline and a different terminal. Okay, fine. A little inconvenience because of some morons who flew planes into buildings. I'm annoyed, but this is the world that was created on 9/11. I'm not so blissfully ignorant as to believe we can live in a 9/10 world anymore.

The consequences of that horrible day must include tighter enforcement of immigration laws. You are an illegal alien if you step over the borders or come through the ports unannounced. You're an illegal alien if you are here on a visa and it expires, but you don't leave. Or if you are on a visa that requires check-in at some point, and you fail to do so. Or if you falsified information on your visa application - like Mohammed Atta.

And illegal means, you broke the law.

I stood in the "free speech zone" at UNT in 2005 puzzled as can be as to why that's offensive, and I'm still baffled.

Yes, 12 million and more illegal aliens reside in the US today. No, you're not gonna be able to round them up and send them home. I don't have a solution for that - but give it time. In the meantime, dear federal government, do your job! Figure out where the loopholes are (like the IRS not being required to report duplicate Social Security numbers to the DHS or ICE). Guard our borders and ports, and enforce visa requirements!

In the meantime, I applaud those who continue to promote the message that illegal aliens must be held accountable for their actions.

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"Die Gedanken sind frei" - Sophie Scholl

My husband and I went tonight to see Ben Stein's new documentary, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed.

I have so many things I want to say as a result of that film. Because I'm not so far out of college that I don't still feel the reverberations of indoctrination. The systematic attempt by the academic elite to stifle thought, to promote "diversity" while promoting conformity, is rampant in our institutions of higher learning. Stein's film does not reveal anything that those of us who have stood on the front lines don't already know, in those terms. What it does is drive the point home. There is so much more at stake than just the issue of evolution versus intelligent design, as one example. It's a fight to keep the free exchange of ideas within academia, because without that, we have given up the fight for freedom.

Freedom is never more than one generation from extinction (thanks, President Reagan). These battles must be fought over and over again, in so many different ways. Free speech codes, the restriction of academic freedom, ideological hiring and firing, affirmative action, "diversity" campaigns - each of these is related, and each must be fought tooth and nail.

Sophie Scholl, the Munich University student who was beheaded by the Nazis in 1942, was known to say "Die Gedanken sind frei," which means "Thoughts are free." Sophie was murdered for her beliefs, for daring to speak out against the Nazis. Any of us could find ourselves facing that some day, literally or figuratively. More and more students attend universities, and they are going into government, into the private sector, they're having children and teaching children. It's extremely important that they have the ability to challenge and think through a variety of ideas, and never be spoon-fed theories as facts. And before you tell me that these issues aren't that big, aren't that important, aren't that earth-shattering, then go to your library and pick out some history books and read a newspaper. It's real, and it's breathing down our necks every day.

Die Gedanken sind frei.

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Liberal Fascists Call for Free Speech Crackdown at Texas Tech

Same old song, same old liberal fascists, and a different Texas university.

Young Conservatives of Texas up at Texas Tech University in Lubbock did a "Capture the Illegal Immigrant" event. A bunch of whiny, weenie students complained (again!). The university president said that the language used ("Illegal Immigrant - Catch Me if You Again") is "contrary to the diverse and welcoming atmosphere we have been building here at Texas Tech."
Gee. I've never heard that line before! It never fails to amaze me, either - exactly how is the promotion of the law of the United States contrary to diversity? Why is diversity and a "welcoming atmosphere" suddenly the highest goals of our institutions of higher education?

It's hilarious how the Left characterizes this event. No assumption has ever been made by those who put on the event that "illegal immigrant" means "Mexican" - that conclusion is reached by the other side, every time. (I could cover this blog in posts explaining why illegal immigration is a problem, why visa violations are wreaking havoc with our national security, and why our borders and ports must be the first line of defense in the war on terror and for national security at large - but I'll spare you). And the immediate reaction by these "liberal fascists" is to call for strengthened free speech codes, censure of the offending organization, and official apologizes issued by the universities for daring to offer a free-thinking, thought-diverse environment!

How dare conservative students speak their minds! But worse, how dare they offend someone! Say "Illegal Immigrant," "Rush Limbaugh," "God," "babies," "modesty," or "2nd Amendment" and suddenly you have the Thought Police on you!

Bravo to Cullin Davis and the YCT-ers at Texas Tech for standing up for their beliefs, and for seeking to create a dialogue on one of the most historically apathetic campuses in our state. Bravo still further to these young people for attempting to hold the line on one of the most controversial (and crucial) issues of our day. And all accolades imaginable to these students for standing up for the law of the United States, even when no one else does.

Hat tip to Laura Morales.

(PS - Texas Tech University's free speech code has been given a red rating by FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. Their stricter code was struck down by a federal judge in 2004.)

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Have you signed Cornyn's petition?

Senator John Cornyn is asking Texans to sign his petition supporting General David Petraeus, the commander of US forces in Iraq.

You can sign this petition and show your support for the work our troops are doing today. Click here.

The Wall Street Journal had this to say about the war yesterday, and I have to say I agree. I have had my misgivings about the war, like a great many Americans of all political stripes, but I fully support our troops and I stand behind Gen. Petraeus:

Americans are understandably impatient with the war, but we have sacrificed
too much, and made too much progress in the last year, not to finish the task.
The surge has prevented a humiliating military defeat, and now is the time to
sustain that commitment to achieve a political victory.

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ABSOLUT FAIL

I can't help it, I believe this is the coolest political retort I've ever seen.

Well done, Jessica!

Meanwhile, it appears that the 13-year-old Athens ISD student who accused fellow (Hispanic) students of assault after she made an anti-illegal immigration poster for a history assignment, made the whole thing up.

Hey, you. Get off my side.

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Run-offs and SD 17

Two unrelated topics, but both election-based, so here we go.

Run-offs to watch tonight - well, all of them. Tryon Lewis vs Rep. Buddy West in Odessa, Ralph Sheffield vs Martha Tyroch in Temple, Angie Chen Button vs Randy Dunning in Dallas, Bryan Daniel vs Dee Hobbs in Williamson County, and our own backyard race, Mindy Montford vs Rosemary Lehmberg for Travis County D.A. My husband and I did some campaigning for Bryan Daniel, and we have friends who have been working for Randy Dunning, Tryon Lewis, and Ralph Sheffield. So, there you have it, my picks for tonight's races.

As for Montford/Lehmberg - it's a Democrat race, but it will decide who our new District Attorney is in Travis County since no Republican has filed. If pressed, I have to choose Montford. Lehmberg is Ronnie Earle's pick, and frankly I think Travis County needs a DA whose attention and focus is on Travis County issues. I also think it's about time we move the Public Integrity Unit to the attorney general's office, but that's unrelated to the election. Anyway, Montford has also garnered the support of many law enforcement groups in our county, and I think that's a key thing - she's not being perceived as partisan but as focused on the law, which is what a district attorney should be.

Okay, now for SD 17.

This is the state senate seat that Kyle Janek is vacating. The district is generally perceived to be solidly Republican. That being said, the very first rumors out of SD 17 were that Gary Polland, publisher of the popular Texas Conservative Review and a former primary opponent of Janek's, would be running. Seemed pretty cut-and-dried, really. Polland has been quietly testing the waters, as well. But it seems he was beat out of the gate, by former Bush41 policy planning director Austen Furse. Furse has a superstar consulting team in place, too - led by Allen Blakemore and Court Koenning. Koenning, you'll recall, works for Senator Dan Patrick.

So, now the question. Is Polland still running? He's the popular favorite in conservative political circles outside of Houston, or at least, he was up until this latest announcement. If he's not running, will Janek's backing of Furse be seen as a good thing or not?

No date has been announced for the SD 17 special election, and of course we can't count out the Democrats completely (rumor has it that Rep. Scott Hochberg may jump in). But this is going to be one to watch very closely.

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Federal retirement and social security

Did you know that federal employees pay into a retirement program that operates a little like a 401k?

Did you further know that federal employees cannot take the money they pay into that system and roll it over into a private 401k or IRA until they are no longer employees of the government?

And did you know still further, that this is exactly the same thing that happens with the money you pay into social security every pay period?

It's money you'll never see again, folks. Your money.

Fight for social security (and federal retirement) reform today.

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So, what did you make last year?

It's a fair point to make - capitalism is all about the "benjamins." The point of a corporation is to make money. They owe that much to their stockholders and investors. In a free market system, we rely on the success of corporations to measure the health of the economy.

Sometimes you hear that notion, or something similar, followed by a sigh of contentment and satisfaction. More often, however, you barely understand it as it is screamed at you by one member of the downtrodden, the-world-is-out-to-get-me proletariat or another. And lately, you're hearing it from....conservative Republicans??

Washington D.C. radio host Austin Hill was discussing Exxon Mobil's $40+ billion in profits last year, when he got the most puzzling call from a listener. Hill broke down what happened in the call on Townhall.com. He and the caller exchanged words over the issue - the caller is upset that Exxon Mobil and other oil companies are making such huge profits, though he could not name the limit he believes these companies should be held to. The caller thinks gas prices are unfair (debatable, though I think we can all agree they are too high), and because the oil companies are making money as a result (also arguable, given the high taxation of gasoline at the state and federal levels), the caller believes that the companies oughta be punished.

Hill made a great argument - if you made more money than me last year, does that mean you should be punished or made to reign in your profits in some way, just because it's unfair that I didn't make what you do? I could go on, but I'll leave it there for the moment.

"I'm a conservative Republican, but...."

Are you? If you actually believe that the government oughta regulate and tax business in order to somehow save the common citizen from "unfair" profits, are you really even a conservative? Possible you oughta go read a lot of Milton Friedman and Ludwig von Mises, and get back to me when you're done.

Meanwhile, let's talk government profit. Oh, I know you're shaking your head at me and saying that the government needs to make money, because we're a growing society blah blah blah. Bull. Apply your arguments about capitalist corporate America at the government, where they belong.

From 1990 to 2005, adjusted for inflation, Texas state government spending per person grew 56% while the state’s per-person economic production grew at half that rate, 28%.
Between 1980 and 2005, local government spending, adjusted for inflation, increased 158%. We pay among the highest property taxes in the nation. Our local governments are in debt beyond their means, and keep asking for more (school districts have begun asking for record amounts in bonds, more than $800 million in some cases).

The City of Austin's current debt is greater than the GDP of some small European nations.

I'm a little annoyed at having to pay $3.28/gallon or more for gas these days. So I'll cut back on some driving and make some compromises. Exxon Mobil will still make their profits and the world will still turn. Trouble is, I'm also paying more in taxes, and I can't cut back on those. And the government will continue to enter into debt and someday soon my children will have to pay it back. Taxes will keep increasing. Tell me, "conservative Republican." What are you going to do to stop the REAL economic problem in this country?

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Adventures in Blockwalking - Part One, May Elections

One of the more important things conservative activists can do is putting their proverbial money where their mouths are. A lot of us don't have the funds to do more than $25 or $50 donations to candidates we support, but one thing we do have is free time.

I know, I know. You don't think you've got the time to help out in a campaign. You're in school, or you work a lot of overtime (or something other than the traditional Monday through Friday job), or you've got kids who have commitments, or something. I've been there, done that (okay, except for the kids!). You just don't have time, dang it!

But my guess is, especially if you're one of the "young" activists who have been drifting toward the Republican Party very recently, you have more time that you realize. You're staying up late with your friends on Friday or Saturday, or you're sleeping in late for no real reason. You're putting off errands until the weekend and find your Saturdays are packed until noon or so, and after that you just don't want to go out. You're basically just as busy as you want to be. Been there, done that.

I'll bet, if you look at your actual daily schedule, you'll be able to free up two or three hours on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon just by budgeting your time wisely. There are tons of resources for doing this. I'm here to give you an idea for getting involved and making a difference in a practical way.

So you voted in the primary and now you're begging the Republican Party "old-timers" to take you seriously and let you get involved. Luckily for you, this is easier than it looks! Go to bed at 11pm on Friday and get up at 8 on Saturday, put on your walking shoes, and start knocking on your neighbors doors around 10am.

The primary season is officially over in Texas on Wednesday, after results from run-off elections are announced. That means that the May election season, typically when city council and school board candidates are elected, is upon us. These elections are non-partisan - candidates don't run as "Republicans" or "Democrats" (or "Libertarians," etc). But if you do a little research, you can find out where these candidates stand on the issues. Because they're local candidates and they compete in May instead of November, they expect much lower turnout - people just don't show up to vote in May (though, as an activist, you are of course not one of those people). Blockwalking, therefore, is a key component in a successful campaign.

Here's where you come in. Once you know who you're supporting, and hopefully you've also met that person and have had a chance to learn their issues a little, offer to hand out "push-cards" and flyers in your voting precinct. In a non-partisan or general election, you'll hit all voting households, instead of just the Republicans like you would during a primary. The campaign may have a strategy in place; ask how you can get involved.

May elections aren't very glamourous; again, it's non-partisan, and it's low turnout. It does require knowing something about local issues - the war, border security, the federal budget, and even social issues are not relevant in May. You need to vet candidates based on their stances on property tax appraisal reform, school choice, bilingual education, city statutes and ordinances (everything from the times parks close to whether they are "sanctuary" cities), emergency services spending, city and school district budgets, and local transportation infrastructure (public transportation, city-operated roads, etc). The issues are muddier only because the average voter only cares about these things when they are directly affected. You may want to check out groups like Americans for Prosperity for general information on local issues, and if you're a real go-getter, head to a couple of city council and school board meetings
for a good look at what happens locally.

I admit, May elections are not a great starting place for the political novice - if you still list "abortion" or "foreign relations" as your number one political issue, you'll need to do a lot of research to be prepared for May. Luckily, this is just the beginning of the 2008 campaign season. I'll grant you, it's a lot more fun to get involved in the partisan elections, either in the primary or the general election.

My next post on this topic will cover getting involved in general election campaigns.

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Blogging for Cornyn

I just got added to Senator John Cornyn's blog roll as a "Blogger for Cornyn."

Click on the button at the top right of this page to see the campaign blog and a list of more "Bloggers for Cornyn."

In addition, I've begun adding buttons and links for various candidates I'm currently supporting. Some are in Travis County (Jerry Mikus, for HD 50) and Williamson County (Bryan Daniel, for HD 52). Others are from other parts of the state or candidates for Republican Party office. Most of these candidates I have met and gotten to know over time, and I feel confident in supporting them all. If you're a conservative, or just a curious Texas voter, I encourage you to check out these candidates today!

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Planned Parenthood is Racist - Video Proof

Brendan Steinhauser over at The Conservative Revolution shared the following video today. In it, Planned Parenthood accepts a donation from a racist donor supporting the abortion of black children. This isn't really anything new, either. Planned Parenthood has some deep racist roots; it's founder, Margaret Sanger, was a champion of eugenics. Sanger gets high praise in many women's studies courses at universities, for her work on birth control.

I think it's worth noting that there is a Planned Parenthood located in East Austin, on 7th Street. If you've ever been over in that neck of the woods, you know this is a majority-minority area - East Austin is largely African-American with pockets of Hispanics. Oddly, the Catholic church across the street does not advertise a pregnancy help program.

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April 15 holds promise for Travis County conservatives

Sadly, by that I don't mean that we've achieved an elimination of the IRS. Didn't mean to get your hopes up too much there!

On April 15, conservatives have a great opportunity to learn more about the economic issues facing our state.

The Central Texas Republican Assembly is hosting Americans for Prosperity state director Peggy Venable at their monthly meeting. It takes place at TRACPAC in the Compass Bank building, 10711 Burnet Road, Suite 315 at 7pm. The cost to attend is $5 a person (to cover the cost of snacks and use of the TRACPAC facilities).

I'm told Ms. Venable will be talking about the upcoming Defending the American Dream Summit being held July 18 and 19 at the Renaissance Arboretum in NW Austin. This will be a great chance to get involved!

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