Our friends at Right Wing Watch have noted a lot of crazy coming out of Texas recently. Here are a few choice examples:
On Wednesday Right Wing Watch posted video of self-styled “historian” David Barton pretending to know something about science. The head of Texas-based WallBuilders actually reveals that his knowledge of science is about as pitiful as his limited grasp of historical facts:
“Global warming occurs,” Barton stated, but “we haven’t had it in sixteen years. But anthropogenic? That hasn’t been proved at all, not by a long shot. Anthropogenic means man-caused global warming. I mean, we’ve got cycles, you bet. That’s why we have averages. That’s why in Texas we go from summers of 70 degrees to summers of a 120 degrees. I mean, it’s averages.”
On Monday East Texas Congressman Louie “Terror Babies” Gohmert launched into an angry rant that essentially blames President Obama for the race-baiting we’ve seen from the president’s far-right critics:
“Of course we know that this president and this administration has done more to stir up racial tension and violence than any administration since, you know, the sixties. I thought that we were going to have a post-racial president and he’s become the president of division, of envy, of jealousy.”
And then there is this almost unhinged passage in a new newsletter article from Texas Eagle Forum President Cathie Adams. Adams is explaining to readers her experiences at the state Capitol in Austin when lawmakers failed to pass extreme anti-abortion legislation at the end of the Legislature’s first special session in June:
On June 25, the final day of the FIRST special session, pro-life leaders watched and waited in the Senate gallery surrounded byorange clad pro-abortion supporters. We’d already tolerated Sen. Wendy Davis’ 11-hour filibuster followed by more delaying tactics by several other Democrat Senators. Then near midnight, Sen. Leticia Van de Putte’s hostile comment about women not being recognized on the Senate floor, triggered a response from the pro-aborts. They stood, applauded and yelled at the top of their lungs.
Their excruciatingly piercing screams could only be compared to what evil must sound like emanating from the pit of hell.
It didn’t matter that Lt. Gov. Dewhurst ordered Texas State troopers to clear the gallery, not once but twice, which would have prevented the chaos. A communication mix-up, woefully outnumbered troopers and the deceptive behavior of those in burnt orange before midnight caught everyone by surprise. Mob rule by gallery watchers had never happened before in Texas. Initially I saw troopers politely appeal and gently direct the pro-aborts, but their civil disobedience demanded a bolder directive.
Surrounded by angry anarchists, some tweeting violence, I became fearful until I saw Rep. Bill Zedler and Sen. Kelly Hancock hastily ascend into the Senate gallery to escort us to the Senator’s private office where we stayed until Texas troopers cleared the Capitol. It was after 3 a.m. when I finally checked into my hotel.
Later we learned that the pro-aborts’ unruly behavior had delayed the final Senate vote until minutes past midnight, thus killing the pro-LIFE bill.
Buoyed by your prayers and encouragement, I joined other pro-LIFE leaders in calling pro-LIFE Texans to the Capitol. Sacrificially taking time away from summer activities, thousands traveled to the Capitol, wearing blue and eager to stand for life.But colors weren’t our only contrast. As Christians prayerfully sang the hymn “Amazing Grace,” the pro-aborts chanted “Hail Satan!” While Christians gently witnessed, lesbians kissed in the rotunda, and orange-shirted children held up immoral and obscenity-laced signs that hopefully they did not understand.
“Tolerated Sen. Wendy Davis’ 11-hour filibuster”?
We need someone quickly turning these into cartoons. Cartoons get shared more broadly. Hey, you guys need to hire a few full-time cartoonists!
Sounds like escapees from mental incarceration!
“Angry Anarchists.” Wasn’t that a heavy-metal band?
I’d like to hear the “Hail Satan” chants on the tapes of that event, too, Cathie. You have them archived, right?
“…pro-aborts chanted ‘Hail Satan!'”
Really! I doubt it. What kind of deranged mind does Cathie Adams have?
I watched the final hour on the video feed and I didn’t “excruciatingly piercing screams [that could] be compared to what evil must sound like emanating from the pit of hell” from the gallery. I heard cheers and jeers. Cheers for Leticia Van de Putte’s quite apt remark that the Senate President deliberately refused to recognize her (and long-suppressed cheers for Wendy Davis) and jeers for the bigotry, extremism, misogyny, and meanness (and soon discovered: incompetence) of Senate Republicans. I am happy to say that I was cheering and jeering along in from West Texas sitting in front of my computer at midnight.
The past 3 TFN main posts. Obama for 3.5 more years. Cries of desperation from the impotent.
Crawling on their hands and knees, gasping for the last breath of right wing whacko air.
You all just need to see this in the proper perspective.
Those right wing fanatics have made Texas a laughing stock among intelligent people who use their brains to THINK.
Sen. Wendy Davis’ 11-hour filibuster is protrayed as an unfair delaying tactic. However, we hear very little complaining about Mitch McConnell’s hundreds of filibusters.
Yeah, and Ms Davis actually had to endure some discomfort in enacting her parliamentary tactic. When was the last time Senator Tortuga slid into his Depends and strapped on a pair of sneakers to stand for something he believes in?
US Senate filibusters are for whoosies…Go Wendy!
My pet goldfish knows more about global warming than David Barton.
I bet the same goldfish knows more about David Barton than the average citizen. Word gets around.