Atheists sue Rick Perry over "The Response"

Pastafarians are encouraged to congregate at the Olive Garden of their choosing -- there's one near Reliant Stadium -- and worship in their normal fashion.

A group that has already criticized Texas Gov. Rick Perry for his involvement with a Christian prayer rally scheduled for Reliant Stadium next month went a step further Wednesday and filed a federal lawsuit in Houston to stop him from promoting it.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation claims Perry's association with the "The Response: A Call to Prayer for a National in Crisis" breaches the separation of church and state.

The complaint, filed in the Southern District on behalf of five named individuals who live in Houston, notes the plaintiffs are "nonbelievers who support the free exercise of religion, but strongly oppose the governmental establishment and endorsement of religion ...."

The lawsuit seeks an injunction barring Perry's official involvement. A Perry spokesman said he won't back away from the event.

"Gov. Perry believes the prayer event will serve as an opportunity for Americans to pray together for our nation," said spokesman Mark Miner. "This lawsuit does not affect plans for the event, and it will proceed as scheduled."

Last month, Perry proclaimed Aug. 6 as a day of prayer and fasting and invited fellow governors and citizens to join him for "The Response," which his office called "a nondenominational, apolitical Christian prayer meeting."

IANAL, but I believe the Freedom from Religion Foundation's lawsuit has no merit from the standpoint of the conflation of church and state argument.

My point would instead be that the irony of 'nondenominational' and 'Christian' in the same sentence describing the event seems lost on the organizers. One of many ironies, of course.

Here's another one: what do you suppose would be the response -- from just Christians, mind you -- if this event was organized not by the American Family Association but by an association of devout Muslims, or Buddhists or Hindus or Sikhs? Besides the governor of Texas not attending it, that is?

I considered opening a chicken-fried-steak-on-a-stick stand along Kirby near the entrance to the stadium, but am choosing instead to attend a simultaneous event (Day of Debauchery and Gluttony) in response to the "Day of Prayer and Fasting".

You are all welcome to worship or not, as always and forever, in your own humble way.

Update: Specifically directed at Greg, who manages to harangue this blog every couple of days.

Governor Perry is using Texas money, the Texas Seal, his government website and government time to promote the American Family Association's extremely intolerant agenda. Is the AFA really a Christian organization with a track record like this?

True Christians would -- and should -- reject and denounce them, and Rick Perry's involvement with them.

Give peas a chance, conservatives.

On August 2nd, the United States does not have to default. If Obama continues to authorize payment of obligations under interpretation of the 14th Amendment (Section 4), in order to stop that action Republicans must appeal to the Supreme Court ... essentially to force the US government into default. Scalia, Thomas, Alito, and Roberts might be willing to go there, but not Anthony Kennedy. Former Republican Andrew Sullivan:

It's a stretch, though kind of fun, to imagine Congress going to court to force the country to default on its statutory obligations -- to bondholders, to seniors, to whomever. Kind of like suing yourself for going off your diet. It's even more of a stretch to imagine the Supreme Court ordering the country into default, over the President's determination that doing so would profoundly damage the country's interests. Not likely. Almost certainly, the Court would find some other, more reasonable way to square conflicting laws. There are many ways to do it short of creating a national (international?) emergency.

So, if I'm President Obama, and I'm really up against it... no, I don't default. I say, "Sue me."

Wow. How humiliated will the GOP feel if that happens? Unlike the Japanese, there's no way for us to allow them to save face.

Do you think Boehner and McConnell will be relieved of their command and replaced with Can'tor and ... I don't know, some other TeaBagging lunatic Senator? Cornyn? Kyl?

They had the grandest of bargains on the table and they walked away from it, apparently under the mistaken belief that they could do better. It's almost like Obama knew they wouldn't take it. Where do they go from here?

I almost -- not quite, but almost -- feel sorry for them.

"Pull off the Band-Aid. Eat your peas."

"And stop your baby whining."

Personally I'm a fan of "Don't make me spank you," and an even bigger fan of "This is going to hurt me more than it's going to hurt you," and "Bend over and take your medicine".

The last time Obama told Republicans to grow up, he got the following response from the Pride of Texas, John Cornyn. Our senator's little pussy outburst made Cenk Uygur's Con Job of the Day.



I can't wait to see Cornyn's head explode again.

Update: Mitch McConnell blinks -- and gets reamed for it -- and frequent freak-right commenter Greg throws his own temper tantrum (in the comments).

The Weekly Wrangle

The Texas Progressive Alliance salutes the US Women's National soccer team on their astounding victory yesterday and in their continuing quest for the World Cup championship as it brings you this week's roundup.

Refinish69 at Doing My Part for the Left has a Texas Update! We Are In A Severe Drought Situation! ACT LIKE IT STUPID! He also has a message for the young people out there: It does get better.

Lightseeker takes us on a quick tour of the Rick Perry religious manipulation tactics over the last 10 years to make a point: when you discuss his upcoming prayer summit, don't fall into the trap of yelling "church and state", at least not only and not first. Check it out at Texas Kaos: Talking Back to Perry's Prayer Summit.

Bay Area Houston has the scoop on the ground rules for Rick Perry's "The Response".

The Three Stooges -- Susan Combs, Todd Staples, and Jerry Patterson -- staged an eye-poking, face-slapping, hair-pulling pie fight as the Battle for Texas Lieutenant Governor in 2014 broke out early. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs reports from the front lines.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson tells us that as long as the same people keep showing up to vote, nothing is going to change: The electorate must change before change can come to Texas.

Off the Kuff looks at the opening arguments of the lawsuit over the sonogram bill, which didn't go in the direction people expected.

This week on Left of College Station, Teddy returns after taking a hiatus from blogging to take a look at Governor Rick Perry's far right radical social conservative appointment to the Texas State Board of Education.

Neil at Texas Liberal wrote about two books of the New Deal era in Texas art that show Texans working together and respecting the land. This stands in sharp contrast to the current reality where greed, anger at people who are different, and exploiting public resources with no concern for the future are the order of the day. There are resources out there -- in addition to your imagination and hard work -- that offer Texans a path to a more hopeful way of everyday living.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme wants to know why Bexar County DA Susan Reed didn't get any grief over denying a Mexican national consulate support in a death penalty case.

Sunday Funnies, "Whining of the Bulls" edition

Shuttle still on track for 10:26 CT liftoff

Eric Berger, the incredibly talented and intelligent Sci-Guy from the HouChron, is live-blogging the preamble of events leading up to today's beginning of the shuttle missions' end.

Weather conditions at 8:37 are "no go" due to clouds and low visibility.

Update (about 10:30 a.m.): And we're off.

Obama v. Rick Perry

In a preliminary face-off, with a life at stake.

President Obama is asking the Supreme Court to stay tomorrow's planned execution of a Mexican citizen in Texas, arguing it could do "irreparable harm" to U.S. interests abroad.

In 1994, Humberto Leal Garcia Jr. was convicted of rape and murder and sentenced to death. Few doubt that he's guilty of the crime, but an omission in the handling of his case may make things tough for American citizens arrested abroad: Leal wasn't told that he could contact the Mexican Consulate.

The Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, a treaty that includes 170 countries, says a foreigner who is arrested must be allowed access to her home country's consulate. The International Court of Justice ruled in 2004 that U.S. states' sentencing of 54 Mexican citizens to death without allowing them to contact the Mexican Consulate was a violation of the treaty. Then-president George W. Bush ordered Texas to review its policies, but the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2008 that neither Texas nor any U.S. state could be held to an international treaty unless Congress passed a law binding them to it.

Now, President Obama is asking the Supreme Court to stay the execution until Congress passes such legislation, which was recently introduced in the Senate. The administration says the execution would do "irreparable harm" to U.S. interests abroad.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry has rejected requests from the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, diplomats, judges, former President George W. Bush, retired military officials and now, the Obama administration, to stay the execution. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles rejected the request for a stay yesterday, though Perry could still grant a 30-day delay. After the Supreme Court ruled in its favor, the state put to death another Mexican national who had not been informed of his right to access his consulate three years ago. The state argues that Leal was not in custody when he incriminated himself, so the Vienna Convention obligations were not relevant.

But observers worry that foreign countries will be less willing to grant the thousands of U.S. citizens who are arrested abroad each year consular access if Leal is put to death.

"As retired military leaders, we understand that the preservation of consular access protections is especially important for US military personnel, who when serving our country overseas are at greater risk of being arrested by a foreign government," wrote Rear Admiral Don Guter, USN, Rear Admiral John D. Hutson, USN, and Brigadier General James P. Cullen, USA in a letter to Perry.

Journalist Euna Lee, who was detained in North Korea in 2009, wrote in The Washington Post that even that rogue nation granted her access to a Swedish diplomat who was representing U.S. consular interests after she was arrested. "We ask the world to treat our citizens with respect when they are detained in other countries, including honoring their right to consular access. It is a two-way street," she wrote. The Atlantic's Nicole Allen points out that even Iran gave brief consular access to the American hikers still in custody in that country on suspicion of spy activity.

So even Iran and North Korea treat "illegals" more fairly than Texas. What a great place to be. Here's the moneyshot, emphasis mine, from The Atlantic article:

Texas's commitment to its sentencing, meanwhile, signals the fundamental distaste many Americans seem to feel for international governance. Last year's Tea Party wave ushered in a series of state legislature attempts to ban the application of foreign legal codes and international mandates in U.S. courts. Though most of these measures did not pass, they provided a rallying point in many conservative circles. As Governor Perry contemplates a run for the Republican presidential nomination, a high-profile rejection of the international community and the Obama administration may be one of his most powerful assets.

Do you think the SCOTUS will do what Rick Perry refuses to do (so far)? Once again, I am not holding my breath.

Update:

The U.S. Supreme Court today rejected a bid by the Obama administration to spare the life of a Mexican national set for execution for the 1994 rape-murder of a San Antonio teenager. Humberto Leal Garcia Jr., 38, is to be was put to death at 6 p.m. today.