Kinky media alert--and an explanation
The Kinkster continues his national media tour with an appearance on "The Tonight Show" on Wednesday.
And now for an explanation about why I am supporting Friedman. It comes down to this: he is an independent. That means "independent" as in neither Republican or Democrat. That means "independent" as in he is not beholden to any group or any special interests. That means "independent" as in he is not going to pretend to be something he is not in order to gain power.
I do not agree with all of his positions on issues. For instance, he supports school prayer, while I think that it should not be an activity sanctioned by a school district and made an organized part of the school day. A further discussion on school prayer should be done in a separate post, but I will say here four things: 1) if folks want to pray on their own during school, I support that; 2) anyone who believes in prayer has plenty of opportunity to pray outside of school and should be doing that anyway; 3) for me, prayer is part of matters that are the responsibility of the family and churches (and similar groups in other faiths); and 4) it is not a matter for public schools.
Friedman supports some form of prayer in school, and he often says (as he did on "60 Minutes" this past Sunday) he wants to bring the Ten Commandments back to school. I disagree with him, but I am still campaigning for him. In part that is due to the fact that I agree with him on most issues, but his independent status is the main reason. As Governor, he would be able to take positions without having to worry about pleasing or displeasing either political party. He would not have to follow the wishes of any party leaders because he would be elected without their help. Once upon a time, politicians from both parties actually did work together here in Texas, and we really need that to happen again. A truly independent Governor has a legitimate chance of helping that to maifest.
Kinky Friedman would be that independent voice, and that's why I am supporting his campaign for Governor.
And now for an explanation about why I am supporting Friedman. It comes down to this: he is an independent. That means "independent" as in neither Republican or Democrat. That means "independent" as in he is not beholden to any group or any special interests. That means "independent" as in he is not going to pretend to be something he is not in order to gain power.
I do not agree with all of his positions on issues. For instance, he supports school prayer, while I think that it should not be an activity sanctioned by a school district and made an organized part of the school day. A further discussion on school prayer should be done in a separate post, but I will say here four things: 1) if folks want to pray on their own during school, I support that; 2) anyone who believes in prayer has plenty of opportunity to pray outside of school and should be doing that anyway; 3) for me, prayer is part of matters that are the responsibility of the family and churches (and similar groups in other faiths); and 4) it is not a matter for public schools.
Friedman supports some form of prayer in school, and he often says (as he did on "60 Minutes" this past Sunday) he wants to bring the Ten Commandments back to school. I disagree with him, but I am still campaigning for him. In part that is due to the fact that I agree with him on most issues, but his independent status is the main reason. As Governor, he would be able to take positions without having to worry about pleasing or displeasing either political party. He would not have to follow the wishes of any party leaders because he would be elected without their help. Once upon a time, politicians from both parties actually did work together here in Texas, and we really need that to happen again. A truly independent Governor has a legitimate chance of helping that to maifest.
Kinky Friedman would be that independent voice, and that's why I am supporting his campaign for Governor.
posted by WCharles @ 1/24/2006 11:49:00 AM
4 Comments:
Rock on, Kinky! Hey, while we're on it, and I'm sure you know this WCharles, but for the benefit of other readers, this whole "can't pray in school" thing is Righteous Right Spin/fear tactic. It's farce. It's Hunter S. Thompson Gonzo journalism based only the glimmer of anything resembling the actual truth. Prayer in school is one of the few rights in the Bill of Rights that has survived its trip through the school entrance. Kids in my school do it alone and in groups all the time. The sports teams do it in front of everyone before every game. The priest from the town church blesses just about every function. The first amendment protects that. What is illegal in school is a principal, teacher, or other authority figure coercing students or staff to pray the way they see fit... or even at all. Kind of like it's illegal for your boss to tell you to pray and that you'll lose pay or be fired if you don't. That's illegal. As it should be. Prayer is not. I wonder if Kinky's stance is a response to the reality or to the fear factory's horror stories about all these kids who try to pray but are denied? It's possible that he's aware of all of this and is simply cashing in on the fear factory's groundwork. More power to him if that's the case. We now know that money beats a good candidate so he's got to use what he can.
"Kind of like it's illegal for your boss to tell you to pray and that you'll lose pay or be fired if you don't."
Well, Luth, I'm self-employed, so I have no boss but me. Then again, I'm often talking to nobody but myself, so I'll watch what I say. :-)
As for Kinky, part of his explanation is that he wants a kid to believe in something, be it God or a tree or something else. One of his standard lines (and it is on one of his t-shirts) is "May the god of your choice bless you."
Luth, I agree that prayer should not be forced upon students by authority figures. And if the students in your school are allowed to gather for prayer, that's great. But, in many schools across the country even that is not allowed. It has gone back and forth in my part of NY depending on which way the wind is blowing. We have had local school boards go so far as to not allow students to even carry a Bible with them along with their textbooks. Our local schools would never allow prayer before a sporting event. If Kinky's idea of allowing prayer in the school matches your experience, then he's on the right track.
Hey WCharles, just finished those last two chunks on the McCain Amendment. I appreciated the distillation you put together, especially the constitution lesson as it relates to signing statements. That was pretty clearly stated for a lawyer!-) I'm surprised that was necessary, but I can't seem to apply any form of common sense to much of what I see in politics these days. I used to just assume that was because politicians were always smarter than me. I'm not so sure anymore and I'm not that smart.
Ray - students who want to pray in school have the law on their side... until someone decides the law, as written, doesn't matter anymore. The free practice of religion, not the free practice of Christian religion (as many try to claim, is the basis upon which this country was founded. Only in cases where practical reasons have been cited and justified (dress codes for a student's safety, or procedural matters - like no "praying" DURING final exam sessions) has prayer been legally prevented. I'm sure there have also been instances where groups of students (peers) could be interpreted to exert pressure, even duress, on other students. That too should be prevented, but if that keeps students from praying, they could take their activity out of the public areas of a school. In other words, it's not the prayer that's being prevented, it's the undo influence of a large group doing it in the middle of a public place where not EVERYONE wants to do it. It's a fine, squiggly line, but it does not prevent prayer in school.
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