Rick Perry: Modern Grand Dragon

Star-Telegram | 06/06/2005 | Ceremony at Christian school draws protesters: "The governor drew criticism for choosing Calvary Christian Academy for the ceremony because some said it potentially violated a constitutionally guaranteed separation between church and state. Perry, who has recruited a network of conservative pastors to help his re-election efforts next year, defended his selection of the school, which is affiliated with the Calvary Cathedral International church. 'Those people would be complaining; it [wouldn't] make any difference where we signed this piece of legislation. If we'd been in a Wal-Mart parking lot [instead], they'd still be griping about it.' While many protesters outside chanted 'Separation of church and state,' Perry said: 'They don't like people of faith to be involved in this process. And people of faith are going to be involved in this process.' As an estimated 300 protesters picketed outside, some of the country's top socially conservative leaders shared the stage, each preaching the need for more religious faith in government to an overflow crowd of 1,000."

"Those people." "Those people." The disrespect is breathtaking. Who does Mr. Perry think "those people" might be? Unless I very much miss my guess, they would be citizens of the State of Texas. Based on various news reports, "those people" were also church-going people. OH! you mean they don't count as Texas citizens unless they are also evangelical christians? Oh! I get it. And they don't count as "people of faith" unless they agree with the preached word of an evangelical pulpit. I forgot we were working on building a theocratic state, but I'm reminded when the governor attends a civil bill signing ceremony at a private christian school with lots of preaching. You won't believe some of the quotes in the Fort Worth paper. It really sounds a lot like a 1950's KKK meeting. Of course, there is also this:

Daily Kos :: Political Analysis and other daily rants on the state of the nation.: "Rick Perry: 'Texans made a decision about marriage and if there's a state that has more lenient views than Texas, then maybe that's a better place for them to live.'"

ed note: "them" this time are Texas veterans seeking legal protection for their loving relationships You know, Mr. Perry, if you can't keep those black people out of your neighborhood, perhaps you can ship them back to Africa. Oh! Sorry! I must be getting my oportunistic bigots all confused now. Now, let's see, Hitler was after the Jews, Thurmond & Wallace were after the African-Americans, McCarthy was after the Ccmmunists, and Bush & Perry are after homosexuals.

"When they came to get the Jews I didn't say anything because I wasn't one of them. When the Nazis came to get the Blacks I didn't say anything because I wasn't one of them. When they took the crippled, the mentally unstable and the insane away I didn't say anything. When they took the Catholics away I didn't say anything because I wasn't one of them. Now I can't say anything because they have come and taken me away." Found on the wall of Dachau when it was liberated in 1944. It was written by the Protestant Clergyman Martin Niemuhler (Niemoller).