THE GIFT THAT WON'T QUIT GIVING

Some call him Governor Good Hair. Or All Hat and No Cattle. And there are descriptions less kind. Texas governor Rick Perry. The gift that won't quit giving. Or still does depending on your point of view. Think Progress's article had nine things that some folks won't miss whether the man continues to run for office or not.

Three entries especially resonate with me because they go to the roots of justice and what this country stands for. Texas leads the country in executions. In 2004 he signed off on the death of Cameron Todd Willingham for causing the deaths of his children be setting his house on fire. In spite of questions about arson even being committed at all.

Perhaps the governor didn't believe the new evidence. Perhaps he's one of those who believes that the decision of a jury should never be questioned. We don't really know and we probably never will know because what followed is what really sticks in my craw. In 2009 the Texas Forensic Fire Commission was hearing testimony that questioned the original finding of arson when the governor fired and replaced three of its members. Putting the investigation on indefinite hold. Justice delayed is justice denied. Not just for Cameron Willingham, but for all of us.

He's backed legislation that would "nullify" the enforcement of federal laws within the state of Texas even though the constitution guarantees the supremacy of federal laws over state laws. And even briefly flirted with secession. All that kind of went out the window in 2011 when Texas was drying up and blowing away because of severe drought and in danger of going up in flames from border to border for the same reason. All of a sudden Texas was very glad to be part of the US because they needed that disaster relief and there was no mention of taking money from somewhere or someone else to cover their needs. Is that the semll of High pock racy I sense coming up from the south.

The nullifiers tried their tricks back in the 1830's when Andy Jackson (and I have plenty of bones to pick about Jackson's policies) was president. He threatened to send in the army. He also threatened to hang every nullifier he could lay his hands on. Starting with senator John C. Calhoun. It didn't come to that then and it probably won't come to that now. But. Might be interesting to try just to stir the pot a bit.

And last but perhaps not least he supports, or at least he said so in his book Fed Up  that the 17th amendment which allows for the direct election of senators rather than their being chose by the state legislature was a mistake passed in a "fit of populist rage." Governor have you even bothered to read the section of the constitution that outlines how amendments are passed and ratified? The process is deliberately difficult and time consuming. The amendment has to pass congress. The president has to sign it. Then it gets sent to the states for ratification. It only takes one fourth of the states to sink one. That's thirteen these days folks. The process was deliberately designed to take long enough that if fits of any kind of political rage were involved they'd have time to cool.

Governor if I don't have a say in choosing those that pass laws in my name I WILL REFUSE TO OBEY.  If you have a pipe stick that little thought in it and light up.