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AUSTIN, Texas - Texas could become the only state to bar gays from becoming foster parents under legislation passed Wednesday by the House.The ban is part of a bill to revamp the state's Child Protective Services agency. It passed 135-6 with two abstentions and now heads to the Senate.
"It is our responsibility to make sure that we protect our most vulnerable children, and I don't think we are doing that if we allow a foster parent that is homosexual or bisexual," said Republican Rep. Robert Talton, who introduced the amendment.
If the bill becomes law, Texas would be the only state to prohibit homosexuals and bisexuals from becoming foster parents, according to the American Civil Liberties Union Lesbian and Gay Rights project.
Arkansas had barred gays from becoming foster parents, but a judge said the law was unconstitutional in December.
Under the Texas bill, anyone who applies to be a foster parent or a foster parent whose performance is being evaluated must say whether he or she is homosexual or bisexual. Anyone who answers yes would be barred from serving as a foster parent. If the person is already a foster parent, the child would be removed from the home.
Eva Thibaudeau, a social worker, said she and her partner of eight years have adopted four children and have served as foster parents to 75.
"I am just so hurt and surprised, especially now (when) we are facing an ongoing crisis of not having enough resources to take care of foster children," she said.
The bill follows recent child slayings that occurred after caseworkers investigated suspicions of neglect or abuse and decided the children were safe to remain with their parents.
It would give all of Child Protective Services' foster care and case management duties to private companies, which already manage 75 percent of foster homes in Texas.
I guess we could hope that it doesn't get passed in the Senate, but I wouldn't hold your breath. I suppose a liberal activist judge could rule it unconstitutional, though.
Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's just the opposite. - John Kenneth Galbraith
Another moral victory for the christian right.
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And I was all like 'Oh yeah?' and Zaza was all like:
Another moral victory for the christian right.
Don't lump Christians in with Texans. They're retarded on an entirely different regional level.
This is fucking retarded.
Edit: I echo Parcelan's statement. This idiotic ruling has nothing to do with being Christian and everything to do about being ignorant. I don't think you intended it but your statement came off as a cheap shot. Mr. Crabs fucked around with this message on 04-21-2005 at 10:22 PM.
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Verily, Mr. Parcelan doth proclaim:
Don't lump Christians in with Texans. They're retarded on an entirely different regional level.
This is a direct effect of the "moral majority"'s crusading to soothe their omnipotent, transcendant, metaphysical deity's anger over where a penis is put, duder.
I'm not even going to make the disclaimer that not all christians hate gays because that's entirely self-evident.
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Mr. Parcelan put down Tada! magazine long enough to type:
Don't lump Christians in with Texans. They're retarded on an entirely different regional level.
Oh come on. Anyone who hasn't been living under a rock the last four years understand that he means the fundamentalist right-wing Christian minority (a minority of all Christians, that is) which is now dominating political discourse in much of the country.
Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's just the opposite. - John Kenneth Galbraith
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Karnaj's unholy Backstreet Boys obsession manifested in:
Oh come on. Anyone who hasn't been living under a rock the last four years understand that he means the fundamentalist right-wing Christian minority (a minority of all Christians, that is) which is now dominating political discourse in much of the country.
Yep. Ironically self-titled "The Moral Majority".
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Mr. Crabs got served! Mr. Crabs got served!
Edit: I echo Parcelan's statement. This idiotic ruling has nothing to do with being Christian and everything to do about being ignorant. I don't think you intended it but your statement came off as a cheap shot.
Oh, really? Who have been pushing the agenda to abbreviate the rights of gays? Oh, that's right, it was Zoroastrians! Damn those Zoroastrians!
Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's just the opposite. - John Kenneth Galbraith
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Karnaj wrote this stupid crap:
Oh, really? Who have been pushing the agenda to abbreviate the rights of gays? Oh, that's right, it was Zoroastrians! Damn those Zoroastrians!
I bet it was the liberal media.
I actually wonder what the statistic of gay pedophiles is. I don't mean the number of pedophiles in the gay population, I mean gays in the pedophile population.
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How.... Kait.... uughhhhhh:
Yeah, because everyone knows gays have a higher tendency to rape little children. Or something.I actually wonder what the statistic of gay pedophiles is. I don't mean the number of pedophiles in the gay population, I mean gays in the pedophile population.
Last studies I saw on the topic, there's slightly fewer pedophiles per capita among the gay population than the hetero population, so it's really just a matter of looking at % numbers for hetero pedophiles and cutting it down to 3/4ths or so if you want to make a semi-accurate guess.
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Everyone wondered WTF when Mr. Crabs wrote:
There are a lot of Christian churches out there who are advocates for gay rights. I'm just saying that Christianity as a whole is not against gay rights.
Fascinating. This was already established about three times in this thread. Zaza fucked around with this message on 04-21-2005 at 10:33 PM.
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Mr. Crabs put down Tada! magazine long enough to type:
There are a lot of Christian churches out there who are advocates for gay rights. I'm just saying that Christianity as a whole is not against gay rights.
Which is what some Christian apologist or another points out without fail every time one of these threads pops up. "OMG YOU GUYES! YOU DIDENT SPECIFY THAT NOT ALL CHRISTIANS AER LIKE THAT STOP BASHING ALL CHRISTIANS WHY DO YOU HATE FAITH SO MUCH?!////"
As I said, anyone who's at all familiar with the news understands who's being spoken of when someone says "The Christian Right" or a similar phrase.
Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's just the opposite. - John Kenneth Galbraith
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If the person is already a foster parent, the child would be removed from the home.
I can't understand why you hate us, though. Especially Parce, it seems almost a pathological thing with you. Yes, the Texas Legislature, especially the House, passes some wacky things. That's why there are checks and balances in the state system. And that's why we don't let them meet more than once every two years. 
I'm personally all for the rights of consenting adults to practice whatever they will. But when children are involved, it becomes a sticky issue. I haven't seen any evidence that gay or bisexual foster parents are any worse than straight parents, so I have no problem with it, but there are some that see it as a sin and something that is unnatural that children should not be exposed to.
And no, Texas is NOT predominantly desert. Drive through the forests of East Texas near Lufkin or Texarkana and show me the cacti and cow bones. Or along the Gulf Coast. It's not until you pass west of Sonora along IH-10, heading toward Big Bend, that you really see desert, and that's nothing compared to New Mexico or Arizona. What's in north Texas is called "Prairie," which, while empty, is far from dead and deserted.
I'm getting tired of all of the backhanded comments about my state, and I'm asking you to lay off. Go pick on those weirdos in California! 
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Big Easy wrote, obviously thinking too hard:
What's with all of the Texas bashing? Yes, we're proud of our state. We're the largest state in CONUS, our economy is larger than those of some European countries (France, for instance), and we're the only state to join as a free republic, unlike the rest of the states that had to go through the territory phase (except for Hawaii, but they didn't have a centralized republican form of government).I can't understand why you hate us, though. Especially Parce, it seems almost a pathological thing with you. Yes, the Texas Legislature, especially the House, passes some wacky things. That's why there are checks and balances in the state system. And that's why we don't let them meet more than once every two years.
I'm personally all for the rights of consenting adults to practice whatever they will. But when children are involved, it becomes a sticky issue. I haven't seen any evidence that gay or bisexual foster parents are any worse than straight parents, so I have no problem with it, but there are some that see it as a sin and something that is unnatural that children should not be exposed to.
And no, Texas is NOT predominantly desert. Drive through the forests of East Texas near Lufkin or Texarkana and show me the cacti and cow bones. Or along the Gulf Coast. It's not until you pass west of Sonora along IH-10, heading toward Big Bend, that you really see desert, and that's nothing compared to New Mexico or Arizona. What's in north Texas is called "Prairie," which, while empty, is far from dead and deserted.
I'm getting tired of all of the backhanded comments about my state, and I'm asking you to lay off. Go pick on those weirdos in California!
I'll give you two alternatives to guess from:
A) People ridicule you because of the childish TEXAS FUCK YEAH threads and posts.
B) Everyone just wants to persecute Texas because it's so fucking awesome.
Which can it be?!
Also, it's solidly proven that gays are just as good parents as straight people, and "they feel that way" isn't an excuse for ANYTHING, let alone discrimination and fucking with the lives of vulnerable kids. Zaza fucked around with this message on 04-21-2005 at 11:13 PM.
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Zaza had this to say about Pirotess:
I'll give you two alternatives to guess from:A) People ridicule you because of the childish TEXAS FUCK YEAH threads and posts.
B) Everyone just wants to persecute Texas because it's so fucking awesome.
Which can it be?!
I'm going with "B".
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Zaza had this to say about Duck Tales:
Also, it's solidly proven that gays are just as good parents as straight people, and "they feel that way" isn't an excuse for ANYTHING, let alone discrimination and fucking with the lives of vulnerable kids.
But when those who "feel that way" have a lot of money, clout, and loud voices, they tend to be heard over the silent majority (and they think they're doing what's best for these kids). The joys of the republican part of our democratic republic. Doesn't make it right, but unless the rest of us get off our butts and shout these nuts down, they're going to continue getting their way. Big Easy fucked around with this message on 04-21-2005 at 11:18 PM.
Mikey spent last summer in jail, because he was too awesome.
MIKEY FUCK YEAH
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JooJooFlop had this to say about Optimus Prime:
The best part:
If the person is already a foster parent, the child would be removed from the home.
That's just sick.
My dad went through a lot of foster homes while he was growing up. Some were good, some were not. Imagine he'd found a perfect one, but then found himself removed from it and placed with someone else simply because his foster parent prefers one gender over the other.
That's just...how can they rationally even ascribe this to a STATE LAW?
As for religion, I know a lot of people automatically equate homophobia to fundamentalist Christians, but there are a loooot of folks who don't belong to any religion whatsoever, and yet would love to see all gays burn at the stake. If you're going to have issues with Christians, have them over Christianity. If you're against homophobes, their religion shouldn't matter (unless their religion IS "anti-homos") That's just what I think, anyway...
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This insanity brought to you by Kait:
As for religion, I know a lot of people automatically equate homophobia to fundamentalist Christians, but there are a loooot of folks who don't belong to any religion whatsoever, and yet would love to see all gays burn at the stake.
Perhaps, but how many "Allah Hates Fags" signs have you seen?
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From the book of Karnaj, chapter 3, verse 16:
I guess we could hope that it doesn't get passed in the Senate, but I wouldn't hold your breath. I suppose a liberal activist judge could rule it unconstitutional, though.
Then there's the State Court of Appeals and the State Supreme Court. Plus, federal regulations can cause this to become null and void. There's still hope.
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As for religion, I know a lot of people automatically equate homophobia to fundamentalist Christians, but there are a loooot of folks who don't belong to any religion whatsoever, and yet would love to see all gays burn at the stake. If you're going to have issues with Christians, have them over Christianity. If you're against homophobes, their religion shouldn't matter (unless their religion IS "anti-homos") That's just what I think, anyway...
The Christian Right are the bannermen and frontrunners of the anti-gay movement. They are the ones that give it momentum, money, and popular support by spewing rhetoric that is picked up on by more moderate christians. There are lots and lots of closet homophobes, but they don't have any collective assembly power because the only thing they have in common is that they hate gays -- and the vast majority of people would balk at an organization without some kind of legitimate facade like religion.
Their egos are unjustifiably large, as well. Why would you be proud of your state? Because it's filled with inbred hicks? Because it's still socially acceptable to sleep with your cousin? Because you eat roadkill?
As I'm often reminded of my favorite joke: "What do you call a cowboy hat and a pair of boots?" "A Texan with the shit kicked out of him."
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JooJooFlop wrote this stupid crap:
Perhaps, but how many "Allah Hates Fags" signs have you seen?
How many teenagers have you see on MTV and the like who are apparently agnostic, but will quite freely go on a tirade about how gross gays are?
I think the American Muslims are too freaked about all those civil murders that happened right after 9/11 to risk pulling yet more attention to themselves
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Liam stopped beating up furries long enough to write:
For the love of god, do not fuckwithin Texas.
Sorry, I can't resist.
It is held in thought
only by the understanding
of the Wind.
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Zaile Ghostmaker's fortune cookie read:
Sorry, I can't resist.
HAHAHAHAHAHA
Ahem, sorry. Everything is amusing me tonight.
It's so sad that it's almost funny.
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Mr. Crabs had this to say about Matthew Broderick:
It's so sad that it's almost funny.
Only, not quite.
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Kait still thinks SARS jokes are topical, as evidenced by:
How many teenagers have you see on MTV and the like who are apparently agnostic, but will quite freely go on a tirade about how gross gays are?
Red herring. Come back when those teenagers are collectively pouring millions of dollars into a systemic nationwide effort to restrict the rights of gays.
Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's just the opposite. - John Kenneth Galbraith
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Mr. Parcelan had this to say about dark elf butts:
I loathe Texans. They're ignorant, stupid and - enforce every stereotype - about Americans in the world today and they take pride in it.Their egos are unjustifiably large, as well.
I find the irony of this statement highly amusing.
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Why would you be proud of your state? Because it's filled with inbred hicks? Because it's still socially acceptable to sleep with your cousin? Because you eat roadkill?As I'm often reminded of my favorite joke: "What do you call a cowboy hat and a pair of boots?" "A Texan with the shit kicked out of him."
Wrong state boy-o.
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When the babel fish was in place, it was apparent Mr. Parcelan said:
Don't lump Christians in with Texans. They're retarded on an entirely different regional level.
Are you purposefully glossing over the fact that the conservative leaders currently controlling Texas and Federal Government are almost entirely comprised of Evangelical Christians? Sooner or later you're going to have to come back to reality if you expect to retain any level of credability in political arguments.
I love living in Texas and couldn't imagine being anywhere else, but at the end of the day, Christian conservatives have had control of this state for years and the same ones are now in Washington trying to turn the whole country this way. At least I can say I never voted for a Republican in my entire life.
-Tok
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So quoth Toktuk:
Are you purposefully glossing over the fact that the conservative leaders currently controlling Texas and Federal Government are almost entirely comprised of Evangelical Christians? Sooner or later you're going to have to come back to reality if you expect to retain any level of credability in political arguments.I love living in Texas and couldn't imagine being anywhere else, but at the end of the day, Christian conservatives have had control of this state for years and the same ones are now in Washington trying to turn the whole country this way. At least I can say I never voted for a Republican in my entire life.
-Tok
Yeah, that came from jumping the gun earlier, I admit.
-Tok
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Mr. Parcelan had this to say about Tron:
I loathe Texans. They're ignorant, stupid and enforce every stereotype about Americans in the world today and they take pride in it.Their egos are unjustifiably large, as well. Why would you be proud of your state? Because it's filled with inbred hicks? Because it's still socially acceptable to sleep with your cousin? Because you eat roadkill?
As I'm often reminded of my favorite joke: "What do you call a cowboy hat and a pair of boots?" "A Texan with the shit kicked out of him."
Yep, Texas is just a bunch of hicks. We just have one of the largest tech economys in the nation. Those damn hicks and their computers.
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And I was all like 'Oh yeah?' and Mr. Parcelan was all like:
I loathe Texans. They're ignorant, stupid and enforce every stereotype about Americans in the world today and they take pride in it.
This is why I hate Texas. It's basically a hotbed for everything I dislike about America. I could go into detail and I guess I will if I'm prompted, but I don't really feel like it right now, but trust me when I say I'm not (totally) talking out of my ass.
I guess it's a matter of opinion.
(For the record, I don't care if you "like" your state. I like my state. The big problem is the bullshit about it being such a great place wonderful this wonderful that blah blah blah. I love Maine, but at least I can be realistic about it. )
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Naimah stopped beating up furries long enough to write:
Yep, Texas is just a bunch of hicks. We just have one of the largest tech economys in the nation. Those damn hicks and their computers.
To be fair and insulting simultaneously, I've never been to Texas. My opinions of Texans are based solely on the Texans I've met, which have mostly been from here.
