Jim Crow Still Lives

In a move reminiscent of the days of my youth, Governor Rick Perry has given the one finger salute to the DOD and the Federal Government just in time for Thanksgiving.  Governor Perry announced that Texas will no longer process benefits for any National Guard troops regardless of sexual orientation at state run facilities.  This will require any National Guard member who wishes to apply for benefits or military ID cards to travel to a federally run facility, often a great distance from where they serve.  Texas thus joins South Carolina and Mississippi in open rebellion against the DOD as a means of avoiding having to process such benefits for gay service members.

Growing up in the pre-Civil Rights era South, a great many local governments closed public facilities such as city schools and swimming pools in order to avoid desegregation of those facilities.  In Fort Worth it was not until the fall of 1964 before any high school was integrated and then it was only one high school which just so happened to be the high school I was to attend two years later.  The South was then dragged kicking and screaming into compliance with Federal Civil Rights legislation, often enforced by National Guard troops.  Now Governor Perry wants to deny benefits to LGBT military personnel and the only way he can do it is to screw all the troops in order to screw the Gays.  The only real problem with that, other than it being outrageous bigotry on his part, is that it is illegal to use federal money to deny federal benefits in any way to married gay couples.  Texas, like most states gets most of the money it uses to fund the Texas National Guard from the Federal Government.   

However, it seems that the DOD has 'signed off' on this according to a statement released today by the Texas National Guard.  The statement reads:

The Department of Defense (DOD) has approved a new procedure for enrolling National Guard members and their dependents in benefits programs. The new procedure essentially recognizes the conflict between the Texas Constitution and DOD policy mandating the enrollment of same-gender dependent spouses in benefits programs. Under the new procedure, DOD will provide federal personnel, funding, and the use of federal personnel systems to enroll all dependents, including those in same-sex marriages, in benefits programs. This solution ensures that no Texas National Guard personnel in a state status will violate the Texas Constitution.  “We look forward to having the ability to process the benefits our service members and their families are entitled to,” said Lt. Col. Joanne MacGregor, the state public affairs officer.

While this technically brings Texas into DOD compliance it still places a hardship on all personnel who now must travel to a federal facility rather than sign up at their local guard post.  Here I thought we had made some progress in the last 50 years, but apparently not.  Hard core conservatives are doing everything they can to throw us back to the stone age when privilege was defined by the catch phrase "Free, White and 21" (and male!).  They would rather sweep everyone other than themselves under the rug so they can have the club house all to themselves.  Jim Crow is alive and well and living in the heart of 'good ole boys' everywhere and they continue to want him to come out a play their games with other peoples lives.  (It really is a shame we can't lynch Jim Crow and his conservative fan club and be done with it.)  Isn't it about time to move into the 21st Century instead of living in the 18th?  

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Your Midweek Musical Moment features the Sinfonie dai Drammi per Musica by Antonio Vivaldi.  Included in the play list are La Fida Ninfa RV 714; Arsilda, regina di Ponto RV 700; Giustino RV717; Bajazet RV703; L' Olimpiade RV 725; La Senna festeggiante RV 693; La Senna festeggiante RV 693; Griselda RV 718; Teuzzone RV 736; Ottone in Villa RV 729; Farnace RV 711; L' Incoronazione di Dario RV 719; Armida al camp d'Egitto RV 699 A/D and Dorilla in Tempe RV 709.  Today's performance is by Modo Antiquo under the baton of Federico Maria Sardelli from this CD.

Finally for this Hump Day is this collection of liquid lasciviousness known as Wet Wednesday on display after the video.  Thank you for sharing part of your day with me, see you again soon.  Until next time as always, Enjoy!