Post Punk Kitchen Forum

Ugh - this actually gave me a headache. If I were John Steinbeck, I would spin myself right out of the ground. Quite apart from the inherent absurdity of using a fictional character as a legislative benchmark (and the fact that Texas repeatedly elects officials whose IQs appear well below the range specified), this is just plain despicable. No wonder the rest of the world thinks this country is completely insane.

"Although the execution of intellectually disabled prisoners was banned by the US supreme court in 2002, Texas used the discretion allowed to individual states to come up with its own criteria of learning difficulties. These use the character of Lennie, the gentle simpleton who doesn't know his own strength from Steinbeck's 1937 novel Of Mice and Men, as a benchmark, with the court writing: 'Texas citizens might agree that Steinbeck's Lennie should, by virtue of his lack of reasoning ability and adaptive skills, be exempt'."

Read on for further migraine-inducement:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/08/john-steinbeck-texas-character-death-row

That is unbelievable. I can't even begin to articulate a response.

What the fork.

I don't even want to know.

But, rememember, the 2012 official Texas GOP platform includes these two items that aren't at all contradictory:

1) teach all sides of scientific theories so kids can "decide" (of course, for this purpose, evolutionary theory is the only one that counts)
2) eliminate critical thinking as standards goals because it could violate the rights of parents to tell their kids what to think and believe

I'm much too lazy to dig up a source for this, but the motivated (and not easily nauseated) can go to the official GOP site for Texas and read the entire document. There are many more such "gems."

I also don't understand how pro-life and pro-death are compatible views. Every time there is some awful child rape/murder case I start to vaguely sympathize, but then sanity sets in again. Barbarism doesn't cure barbarism. And all that assumes that justice is just, evenly applied, and never, ever wrong. Which it isn't.

John Grisham's book The Confession ought to be required reading.

I'm not surprised at all, but it's sad and worrying that Republicans and right wing conservatives have taken over politics in Texas.

You have got to be kidding me. I don't even know where to begin.

I think we should just throw caution to the wind and ONLY use fictional stories as benchmarks.

I genuinely don't know whether to be more amazed at the fact that they've heard of Of Mice and Men or at their use of a fictional character as a benchmark...

Well, that would pretty much cover the whole scripture-based politics trend among the lunatic fringe...er, conservative Republicans.

Well, that would pretty much cover the whole scripture-based politics trend among the lunatic fringe...er, conservative Republicans. Personally, I'm writing in the Poky Little Puppy in November; he represents the values I believe in, like rice pudding and naps.

If I ever run for local government (or the HOA for that matter) spot I now know what my platform will be based on.

If I ever run for local government (or the HOA for that matter) spot I now know what my platform will be based on.[/quote]You've got my vote, buddy!