January 15, 2025

Texas GOP chair claims church-state separation is a myth

Texas GOP chair claims church-state separation is a myth as lawmakers, pastors prep for “spiritual battle”

“There is no separation between church and state,” Republican Party of Texas Chair Abraham George said at a small rally with clergy and GOP lawmakers. “We don’t want the government in our churches, but we should be in the government.”

Polling from the Public Religion Research Institute found that more than half of Republicans adhere to or sympathize with pillars of Christian nationalism, including that the U.S. should be a strictly Christian nation. Of those respondents, roughly half supported having an authoritarian leader who maintains Christian dominance in society. Experts have also found strong correlations between Christian nationalist beliefs and opposition to immigration, racial justice and religious diversity.

The party’s embrace of those separate-but-overlapping ideologies has come as it has increasingly aligned with far-right megadonors Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks, two West Texas oil billionaires who have sought to cleanse the Texas GOP of moderate voices and push their hardline religious views.

Such claims have been used as the pretext for a litany of bills and reforms that would further infuse Christianity into public life. During the 2023 legislative session, lawmakers passed a law allowing unlicensed chaplains to supplant counselors in public schools; sought to weaken Texas’ constitutional ban on providing taxpayer money to religious institutions, a core plank of the school voucher movement; and almost passed a bill that would require the Ten Commandments to be posted in public school classrooms.

One of his movement’s ultimate goals, he said Tuesday, is to draw a lawsuit that they can eventually take to the U.S. Supreme Court, which they believe will ultimately overturn the prohibition and unleash a new wave of conservative, Christian activism.

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I honestly believe that in present day Texas, a majority of Texans would be fine if we lived in a Christian theocracy.

January 9, 2025

1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything

I hope you watched the Carter Funeral today - it was very inspiring.

If you have access to AppleTV+ be sure and watch "1971" the series. Episode 1 shows the world people my age grew up in and it will bring back a lot of memories for some. The issues really haven't changed that much in the last 50 years. I would think that Climate Change could be a uniting force for young people these days. The music is one big missing ingredient. The struggle continues ☮

Here is the trailer -

December 24, 2024

🌈 Peace, Love, and a Groovy Christmas Vibe 🎄

✨ Let Your Christmas Shine Bright with Love & Joy ✨

The season of peace, love, and good vibes is here! 🌟 We’re sending you warm wishes wrapped in tie-dye cheer and sprinkled with all the groovy magic you deserve. Whether you're chilling by the fire, dancing under the stars, or spreading kindness like wildflowers, may this Christmas fill your heart with harmony and happiness.

Remember:

Love is the best gift you can give 🎁
Every day is a chance to make the world brighter 🌈
And joy is better with cookies! 🍪

Thank you for being a part of our far-out family. Let’s carry this spirit of love and unity into the new year!

Stay groovy and merry,

Walkingman and coolest wife on the planet

P.S. Don’t forget to hug a tree and spread good vibes this holiday season! 🌲💖

We haven't even had a freeze this year (just a frost) ....Climate Change.... but here are few Christmas Pic from our big snow in 2017...

December 9, 2024

What does the "Mark All" button do?

December 8, 2024

Medicare Advantage question

I have a question - my friend tells me he signed up for a Medicare Advantage plan. I posted this on an older topic but posting again to see if anyone knows anything about it. I know the enrollment period is over but it sounds too good to be truth.

He says his new plan is going to give back his Medicare premium that he has been paying every month. I know the cost is going up to $185 next year and the company (Insignia) told him it would take 3 months for the change to take place but he would get a check for his Jan - Mar payments and then he would not have to pay Medicare premiums after than?

I find that hard to believe?

Has anyone else ever heard of this?

April 11, 2024

Most 18-year-old Texans aren't signed up to vote

Texas is home to about 409,000 18-year-old U.S. citizens, according to 2022 U.S. Census Bureau data. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 39.6% of Texans ages 18 to 24 were registered to vote in November 2022.
...
“Starting that habit early is a predictor of lifelong voting,” said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston. “We want the students to start this process early and then bring that forward through their civic lives.”
...
The 1983 law requiring high schools to distribute voter registration forms to students who are 17 years and 10 months old or older was intended to boost turnout among young voters. But the secretary of state’s office, which was charged with creating the instructions to implement the law, doesn’t track compliance. And schools that fail to distribute registration forms to eligible students aren’t penalized.
...
And many critics of Texas voting laws — including new limits passed in 2021 — say getting registered outside of school isn’t very friendly to teenagers. While other states have online voter registration, Texans must complete a paper application, creating a possible barrier to young people who do everything — from shopping to banking — digitally.
...
Although public school students in Texas are required to take a government class to graduate, many students say they do not learn about civic engagement or voter registration in the course. That’s despite the fact that the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills states that students who complete the class should be able to “describe the voter registration process and the criteria for voting in elections.”

https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/10/texas-high-school-voter-registration/

Ironically, Texas DPS automatically sends your information to Selective Service if you apply for a Texas driver's license listing “Male.” The rate of Selective Service registration in Texas is 92.20%

IMO, Texas does not want people to VOTE - especially young people because they know that they are more likely to not vote conservative and the more they restrict voting or make it harder it favors the GOP.

February 12, 2024

Texas Legislature reluctant to dismiss GOP ties to PAC that condones white supremacy

Texas tries very hard to call a spade a spade...but it is obvious

Two months after a prominent conservative activist and fundraiser was caught hosting white supremacist Nick Fuentes, leaders of the Republican Party of Texas have voted against barring the party from associating with known Nazi sympathizers and Holocaust deniers.

In a 32-29 vote on Saturday, members of the Texas GOP’s executive committee stripped a pro-Israel resolution of a clause that would have included the ban. In a separate move that stunned some members, roughly half of the board also tried to prevent a record of their vote from being kept.

In rejecting the proposed ban, the executive committee's majority delivered a serious blow to a faction of members that has called for the party to confront its ties to groups that have recently employed or associated with outspoken white supremacists and extremists.

In October, The Texas Tribune published photos of Fuentes, an avowed admirer of Adolf Hitler who has called for a “holy war” against Jews, entering and leaving the offices of Pale Horse Strategies, a consulting firm for far-right candidates and movements.

Pale Horse Strategies is owned by Jonathan Stickland, a former state representative and at the time the leader of a political action committee, Defend Texas Liberty, that two West Texas oil billionaires have used to fund right-wing movements, candidates and politicians in the state — including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton.

https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/02/texas-gop-antisemitism-resolution/

February 13, 2018

Thanks for my heart! Appreciate your kindness.