Another reason not to vote Republican

[Chambered Word]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/22/texas-gop-platform-advoca_n_619601.html


Texas GOP Platform Advocates Criminalizing Gay Marriage, Banning Strip Clubs, Pornography (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/22/texas-gop-platform-advoca_n_619601.html)

The Huffington Post | Elyse Siegel Posted: 06-22-10 09:12 AM



Texas Republicans recently unveiled a policy platform that includes a statement of support for legislation that would make it a felony to issue a marriage license to same-sex couples as well as for an official to perform a marriage ceremony for gay partners wishing to wed.
The 25-page proposal (http://static.texastribune.org/media/documents/FINAL_2010_STATE_REPUBLICAN_PARTY_PLATFORM.pdf) debuted last week as a guiding light for the state GOP over the next two years defines its position by saying:

Marriage Licenses - We support legislation that would make it a felony to issue a marriage license to a same-sex couple and for any civil official to perform a marriage ceremony for such. The proposal from Republicans in the Lone Star state makes the following claims (http://static.texastribune.org/media/documents/FINAL_2010_STATE_REPUBLICAN_PARTY_PLATFORM.pdf) related to the party's view of homosexuality:


"We believe that the practice of homosexuality tears at the fabric of society, contributes to the breakdown of the family unit, and leads to the spread of dangerous, communicable diseases."



"Homosexual behavior is contrary to the fundamental, unchanging truths that have beenordained by God, recognized by our country's founders, and shared by the majority of Texans."



"Homosexuality must not be presented as an acceptable "alternative" lifestyle in our public education and policy, nor should "family" be redefined to include homosexual "couples."

The recently rolled-out platform from the Texas GOP has also come under scrutiny (http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/06/12/2260481/texas-gop-platform-is-hard-line.html) for advocating to outlaw all "sexually-oriented businesses" -- including strip clubs and "all pornography" -- while allowing virtually unrestricted access to oil and gas drilling.
The 2010 platform from the Republican Party of Texas can be found here (http://static.texastribune.org/media/documents/FINAL_2010_STATE_REPUBLICAN_PARTY_PLATFORM.pdf).


Well, what can I say. The GOP are a real bunch of shitheads. :rolleyes: What's the chance they actually get elected?

[AK]

What ever will I do without my porn and strippers? :crying:

In all seriousness, though, this is pretty disgusting conservative homophobic bullshit.

Lol @ the unlimited oil and gas drilling though: as if that isn't a sign.

[Palestine]

Umm, is it me or this sounds a lot like Saudi Arabia???

[GreenCommunism]

is it true that it calls for the criminalization of everyone who would support gay marriage or so?

[Demogorgon]

I doubt there was much danger of anyone here voting Republican in the first place.

This is truly disgusting though.

is it true that it calls for the criminalization of everyone who would support gay marriage or so?
No, it doesn't make expressing support for same sex marriage a crime. Such a law wouldn't last a single court case. Rather it proposes to punish severely anyone who attempts to carry out any kind of same sex marriage. Whether that will survive a court challenge is also open to question, but they evidently think they can get away with it.

It is a pretty shocking attack on liberty, even from a bourgeoisie standpoint.

[Raúl Duke]

That's Texas; it's not surprising.

[praxis1966]

That's Texas; it's not surprising.

That's what I was going to say, to one extent or another. To address the OP question "What's the chance they actually get elected?": About 100% chance, give or take .001% since it's Texas. Yes, it really is that bad. I started a thread about Texas education standards in the Discrimination section, and I find the standards recently adopted there highly instructive as to the current socio-political climate.

To regurgitate that post, click here (http://www.revleft.com/vb/texas-state-board-t137237/index.html).

[Spanishleft]

Totally agree on not voting republican (I think everybody here does), but pointing at something else: Pornography IS the suppression of women, something every communist needs to fight!

[Raúl Duke]

Pornography IS the suppression of women, something every communist needs to fight!

I wouldn't be surprise if among the left there are many views concerning pornography per se.

Obviously, the pornography industry under capitalism is exploitative and usually perpetuates the misogyny deep/hidden in our society.

[Bad Grrrl Agro]

Totally agree on not voting republican (I think everybody here does), but pointing at something else: Pornography IS the suppression of women, something every communist needs to fight!

I would argue that the pornography industry is oppressive but it's not pornography per se, it's how the industry goes about it to satisfy dominant male sexist fantasy.

[praxis1966]

Pornography IS the suppression of women, something every communist needs to fight!

Not to take this entire thread in a tangential direction, but I'm really ambivalent about the porno issue. On the one hand, it is obvious objectification of women, especially since women are made so obviously subservient to male domination in porn films (most of the time). On the other hand, female actors are exponentially better paid than male actors. I guess my question is, which type of exploitation is worse?

As an afterthought to further muddy the waters, there's also the matter of one rapidly growing sector of the porn industry: Porno directed by women for women targeted at both gay and straight markets.

[AK]

Totally agree on not voting republican (I think everybody here does), but pointing at something else: Pornography IS the suppression of women, something every communist needs to fight!
Only under capitalism, where it is used to promote sexism and the objectification of women.

What a post-revolutionary society needs in place of what we have now is pornography depicting consenting adults (and presumably no pornography that seems to make a big deal out of homosexuality or interracial acts).

[Sam_b]

Thanks for this. I was going to vote GOP until I saw this article.

[Os Cangaceiros]

Damn! And I was just about to vote Republican, too!

*EDIT: Damn you Sam b.

[Os Cangaceiros]

Although I wasn't previously aware that the option of voting GOP was open to residents of the UK.

[Uppercut]

Funny you mentioned this article. I was at the Houston airport just last week (coming back from Costa Rica) and their book store was advertising New Gingrich's "To Save America: Stopping Obama's Secular-Socialist Machine". I mean, it was fucking everywhere.

As a side note, the Houston Airport is the only one I've seen that has a bass shop inside it.

[praxis1966]

Funny you mentioned this article. I was at the Houston airport just last week (coming back from Costa Rica) and their book store was advertising New Gingrich's "To Save America: Stopping Obama's Secular-Socialist Machine". I mean, it was fucking everywhere.

As a side note, the Houston Airport is the only one I've seen that has a bass shop inside it.

As another side note, I would like to say not all of Texas is that bad. I lived in Austin for a while, and I have to say I love that city for a whole host of reasons, not least of which is the fact it's so left wing. However, if the rest of the fucking state just slid into the Gulf of Mexico it would be one of the best days of my life.

[Sam_b]

Although I wasn't previously aware that the option of voting GOP was open to residents of the UK

What, you thought that 2000 was rigged?




Give us our damn colony back.

[The Fighting_Crusnik]

Not surprising... without doubt if the conservatives were given the option they'd do all in their power to oppress and to do away with those who disagree with them and those whom they consider undesirable... Also, while I am Christian, I do not want to see my beliefs get mixed in with the legal system of any government simply because religion+government=hell on earth/irreversible corruption in both the gov and the specific religion... Also, I find it ironic that conservatives see homosexuals as being the only ones who are capable of spreading disease when for one, there are more straight people than gay people, and two, disease is prominent in both groups... I swear... if the tea parties end up herding enough sheep to get the conservatives power this November, we're fucked well beyond hope since they're on this "restoring the moral fabric of society" shit... hell, if they truly knew history, they would know that Ben Franklin belonged to several orgy/sex clubs in both the US and Europe and many other founding fathers whom the conservatives treat as demigods were also involved with those things...

[redSHARP]

we should have let them go when we had the chance....

[AK]

Funny you mentioned this article. I was at the Houston airport just last week (coming back from Costa Rica) and their book store was advertising New Gingrich's "To Save America: Stopping Obama's Secular-Socialist Machine". I mean, it was fucking everywhere.

As a side note, the Houston Airport is the only one I've seen that has a bass shop inside it.
Is the Obama administration secular or Islamic? Why don't these bat-shit insane right-wingers make up their minds...

[Chambered Word]

Thanks for this. I was going to vote GOP until I saw this article.

Did I imply that anyone on RevLeft was going to vote for the Republicans? :rolleyes:

On the subject of pornography, it's an industry like any other where markets exist to be exploited. If customers prefer one type over another more/less will be produced of those types. So to a degree it does actually reflect the dominant bourgeois ideas and attitudes in society. That's not to say that it's a problem with pornography itself. I just don't buy into all the baloney about porn being for evil mysogynists.

I wonder how many LGBTI folk in Texas are packing their stuff right now.

[Chambered Word]

Is the Obama administration secular or Islamic? Why don't these bat-shit insane right-wingers make up their minds...

1. Use label that relates to something you don't like, such as blacks, communism, Islam or gay people.
2. Slap it on whoever.
3. HURR DURR FREEDOMZ!1

[Chicano Shamrock]

I doubt there was much danger of anyone here voting Republican in the first place.
I don't see why one would assume that. If someone on this site did decide to vote on a candidate I think, as people who study politics, we would be smart enough to go either way depending on certain criteria.

[AK]

1. Use label that relates to something you don't like, such as blacks, communism, Islam or gay people.
2. Slap it on whoever.
3. HURR DURR FREEDOMZ!1
Or - in the case of Obama - slap them all on.

[Robocommie]

Is the Obama administration secular or Islamic? Why don't these bat-shit insane right-wingers make up their minds...

Well, we know on the one hand that he's a radical Communist because for years he went to a Christian church with a Reverend who has a bit of a chip on his shoulder about white people and racism. On the other hand, we also know he's an extremist Muslim because his name is Barack "Hussein" Obama.

[Uppercut]

Well, we know on the one hand that he's a radical Communist because for years he went to a Christian church with a Reverend who has a bit of a chip on his shoulder about white people and racism. On the other hand, we also know he's an extremist Muslim because his name is Barack "Hussein" Obama.

Oh god, how could not have seen this earlier? AMERICA IS DOOOOMED!!!

[praxis1966]

Believe it or not, I actually tried to get a movement started on FailBook to vote Republican, albeit strategically. Here in California we find ourselves in the unenviable situation of having the corporate CEO of E-Bay Meg Whitman running on the Republican ticket for governor. I was trying to get people registered non-party affiliated and independent (since people registered that way can select one party's primary ballot to vote on) to request Republican ballots and vote for Steve Poizner to keep Whitman out of the general election.

The group was an epic fail, though. Only like 4 people joined and Whitman won the primary.

[XxKrebsxX]

I saw this a couple of days ago somewhere else. Does nothing to change the fact that I believe these people would want a theocracy in the United States. Sadly, I could see a lot of people in the bible belt region supporting this. Not like I am not stating the fucking obvious though.