The journey from there to here

Pulled from the LP website (www.lp.org). This says it better than I could:

The Idle Hands and Wandering Minds of Texas Legislators


by Shane Cory

 

 

Politicians of the Texas State House took the time this week to pass HB 1476 which will put an end to "sexually suggestive" performances by middle and high school students.  The bill, all 219 words of it, didn't bother to define what a sexually suggestive performance may be. 

 

Here are the main portions of the bill:

 

Sec. 33.088.  SEXUALLY SUGGESTIVE PERFORMANCES PROHIBITED. 

(a)  A school dance team, drill team, cheerleading team, or similar

performance group may not perform in a sexually suggestive manner

at an athletic or other extracurricular event or competition

sponsored or approved by a school district or campus.

          (  A school performance group that violates Subsection (a)

may not perform for the remainder of the school year in which the

violation occurs.

          (c)  If the commissioner determines that a school district or

a campus in a school district knowingly permits a sexually

suggestive performance prohibited by Subsection (a) or knowingly

permits a school performance group to perform in violation of

Subsection (, the commissioner shall reduce the funding the

district receives under Chapter 42 by an amount the commissioner

determines appropriate.

 

The author of HB 1476, Democrat Al Edwards, made his thoughts and his intellectual ability quite clear in an interview with the Austin American Statesman. Edwards stated that his bill, "would strike a blow for standards in a society that, in general, is opposed to morality."  He followed up by saying that, "Satan is not just going to let you walk over and get something."  Huh?

 

To top off his show of self-perceived moral force, Edwards grasped a blue and white pompom during his interview, one of many which were passed out to legislators for the passing of the bill.

 

Despite the existence of thousands of "Cheerleader Moms" within Texas who are capable of overseeing their own children's activities, Mr. Edwards and his colleagues felt it was a matter urgent and necessary enough for the state government of Texas.

 

Texas, home of the world famous and scantily clad Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders (click here for their swimsuit calendar), is now also home to subjective government intervention.

 

[Note to the parents of these Texas students, be sure that your daughter and her friends make no overly graceful dance moves or - - gasp - - wink at the crowd as the Friday night lights shine down upon them.  As an alternative, you could always join the Libertarian Party and put a few rational thinking individuals into your state house.]


Comments
on May 09, 2005
Again we should go back to the smallest jurisdiction possible here.

Public schools should be run at the local level. Yes, there should be standards set for dress and "suggestive" dance styles, but it should never be done at the state level. Comminity Standards should be the rule of thumb here!

As for standards, my daughter's prom was last friday night. The young men and women were all dressed up as well as their fashion sense and parent's incomes could bear. However, many of the girls seemed to be wearing little more than a few scarves strategically placed around their bodies.

The music was chosen from today's favorites. Oral, forceful and just plain fun sex seemed to be the running theme from song to song. I mean, I'm a rocker from way back, and have to admit to some pretty questionable songs in my record, tape and CD collection, but how when some of these bands get as graphic lyrically as any softcore porn flick (or is oral sex considered "hardcore"?) anyway....

Nobody can tell me that schools take "standards" or "sex education" seriously when everything about that prom oozed of encouraging those so inclined to leave as quickly as they can and bop their brains out.

Of course, it could be worse, at the High School I went to in Florida, for many a prom was a whole weekend event, complete with reservations at motel rooms for the less fortunate and resort suites for the more well to do.