Texas–Dumber than a steer!

I caught a segment of The Young Turks on Current TV in which Cenk Uygur talked about the Texas GOP Platform. I found what he was saying astounding, so I searched for the platform at the Texas GOP website. Here are the two planks that Cenk mentioned in their entirety -

“Controversial Theories – 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.

Knowledge-Based Education – We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) (values clarification), critical thinking skills and similar programs that are simply a relabeling of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) (mastery learning) which focus on behavior modification and have the purpose of challenging the student’s fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority.”

The first one on Controversial Theories seems innocent enough until you really think about it. The key phrase is “scientific theories.” It’s a coded way of getting “Intelligent Design” (ID) or “Creationism” taught in schools as a legitimate scientific theory. That’s the problem. Time and again, courts have said that ID and it’s off shoots, is not science. It is religion dressed up like science. Notice they singled out life origins and environmental change. Of course life origins is what ID wants to wedge their way into public school science classes. And environmental change is code for global warming which many Texans don’t buy because it’s always been friggin’ hot in Texas.

But the kicker, to me, is the part entitled “Knowledge-Base Education.” The GOP flatly opposes “critical thinking skills” and anything that challenges “the student’s fixed beliefs.” Wow! In other words don’t teach kids to think for themselves and possibly question what Ma and Pa told them about things like, oh I don’t know, evolution and climate change!

At a time when we need students to think critically about all subjects, Texas is bound and determined to move things backwards. The educational system in Texas will probably implode on it’s self because eventually there will be no one left that knows anything about anything.

If the Texas GOP platform isn’t dumb enough, then there’s this gem -

“Voter [sic] Rights Act – We urge that the Voter [sic] Rights Act of 1965 codified and updated in 1973 be repealed and not reauthorized.” We Texans don’t need those black folks voting.

Dumber that steers.Think about it - except you folks in Texas. You don’t have to think.

There are Boobs and then there are Boobs.

I’ve been intrigued by the the American obsession with boobs. You know those two things that women have on their chest that good old boys go gaga over, even at the mention of the word “boob.” You know breasts, tata’s, jugs, tits, gazinga’s, etc.Then there was this tabloid article about some Hollywood starlet who flashed “side boob’” What the hell is “side boob?”

The photo at left is from the 1937 Popular Photography magazine that originally published it with out the black censor bar. In 2012 when the photo was reprinted in the magazine the black bar showed up. Bruce Gerencser, a former minister over at www.brucegerecser.net, had a nice post about this picture and how, in his view, Evangelical men have problem with boobs. He writes –“Let’s face it, Evangelicals have an irrational fear of breasts. Evangelical men are so weak that if a woman exposes even a portion of her breasts they are sure to fall into sin. I find it amazing that the Christian God can save them from any and every sin but he is quite powerless to keep them from being tempted and led astray by a woman’s breasts.”

Bruce also adds – “Pity the poor Evangelical. So weak that they can not withstand a look at a woman’s breasts. It should come as no surprise that Evangelical men and pastors find themselves in all kinds of trouble…..They are taught they are weak. They are taught they are but one sin away from being a pervert, child molester, porn addict, or rapist.”

I wouldn’t go as far as to say that the fear of breasts is confined to just Evangelical men. I would say that the American society in general has an issue with breasts. But at the same time we seem to have a fascination about them. They are titillating (tits?) up to a point but if you see too much of them, especially the nipples, then you’ve crossed the line. Remember the Seinfeld episode where Elaine exposed one of her nipples?

We should be like Europe where boobs are everywhere and it’s no big deal. I’ve been to the Caribbean on topless beaches and after awhile you’ve seen a bunch of them, so what?

Finally Fox News who tends to cater to the more religious folks – at least they say they are religious – seem to have a lot of titillating (there’s that word again) stuff on their website. Like the photo at left that was posted on the Fox News website. I’m sure Kate Upton’s a good Christian girl who attends church regularly. Praise Jesus!

I found it interesting that she is posed with a red, white and blue popsicle on her tongue. Is that suggestive or what? Boobs and a phallic symbol, what more could a church going man want? Can you give me an Amen!