The Republican Party of Texas met in Houston for a convention that should have been celebratory, but most attendees were fed up and feeling besieged by a culture that is increasingly anti-family and anti-Christian.
They didn’t like liberal media’s talking points. They didn’t like being called racists or bigots. They didn’t like undocumented immigrants, even those fleeing war. They didn’t like educators teaching their children about race and history, or educators “sexualizing” children before puberty.
They were fed up with fraudulent elections and even some of their own politicians.
John Cornyn, who has been working with a bi-partisan commission on gun law reforms, was booed.
Rep. Dan Crenshaw was confronted in a hallway by an activist and some Proud Boys who called him “Eyepatch McCain” for his criticism of Russia.
On Saturday, they acted on resolutions to move their platform dramatically to the right. Party platforms are mission statements, not legal doctrines.
The new platform would call for:
- Requiring Texas students “to learn about the humanity of the preborn child,” including teaching that life begins at fertilization and requiring students to listen to live ultrasounds of gestating fetuses.
- Amending the Texas Constitution to remove the Legislature’s power “to regulate the wearing of arms, with a view to prevent crime.”
- Treating homosexuality as “an abnormal lifestyle choice,” language that was not included in the 2018 or 2020 party platforms.
- Deeming gender identity disorder “a genuine and extremely rare mental health condition,” requiring official documents to adhere to “biological gender,” and allowing civil penalties and monetary compensation to “de-transitioners” who have received gender-affirming surgery, which the platform calls a form of medical malpractice.
- Changing the U.S. Constitution to cement the number of Supreme Court justices at nine and repeal the 16th Amendment of 1913, which created the federal income tax.
- Ensuring “freedom to travel” by opposing Biden’s Clean Energy Plan and “California-style, anti-driver policies,” including efforts to turn traffic lanes over for use by pedestrians, cyclists and mass transit.
- Declaring “all businesses and jobs as essential and a fundamental right,” a response to COVID-19 mandates by Texas cities that required customers to wear masks and limited business hours.
- Abolishing the Federal Reserve, the nation’s central bank, and guaranteeing the right to use alternatives to cash, including cryptocurrencies.
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