Self-Terrorism at Work

ISIS may be evil and deranged, and they may lack any sort of capability of striking in the U.S., but I fear they have our number.

ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack outside a Prophet Mohammed cartoon contest in Texas — and warned of more attacks to come.

In a broadcast on its official radio channel Tuesday, the group said two Al Khilafa soldiers opened fire outside the event in Garland, a Dallas suburb. Al Khilafa is how ISIS refers to its soldiers.  …

…While ISIS claimed responsibility two days after the attack, there was no immediate indication that the terror group in Iraq and Syria had contact with Simpson or Soofi, who both lived in Phoenix.

Odds are the gunmen were wannabees with borderline personality disorder who had as much contact with ISIS as they had with Santa Claus, although the gunmen and ISIS operatives appeared to be following each other on Twitter. But we’re living in a country in which Wal-Mart has to refute rumors that the feds are building tunnels under closed stores to facilitate a military takeover of Texas. ISIS doesn’t have to lift a finger to scare Americans; we are champs at terrorizing ourselves. Claiming responsibility for the Texas shooting was actually brilliant on their part. The baggers will believe it and reach new heights of irrational paranoia.

Reminds me of the Twilight Zone episode where the townsfolk panic over rumors of space aliens and start shooting each other. The actual space aliens observe this and decide the easiest way to conquer Earth is to let the paranoid humans destroy themselves.

Why Texans Are Sheep

Texas governor Rick Perry is to the welfare of Texas citizens what a black hole is to matter. Yesterday I linked to an article that explained how Perry, and conservatives in the Texas legislature, are allowing construction companies to get around existing law so that workers have no insurance, no workman’s comp, no safety net whatsoever.

Not only do these workers lack health insurance – in Texas, workers’ comp is optional – they’re also not paid by the hour, don’t receive overtime pay, lack safety training and, of course, get no retirement plan. If you venture out to one of the many subdivisions being built just about anywhere in Texas, you’ll see row upon row of houses under construction. The workers, mainly Latinos, are one serious injury away from needing the volunteers of the Living Hope Wheelchair Association or other faith-based groups. They’re toiling in the hot Texas sun with no safety net. If they’re hurt, they’ll be patched up at the emergency room. Their employer will not get a bill. You and I will pick up the tab through our property taxes. Socialized medicine at its best, I suppose.

Perry also just vetoed a bill that would have prevented wage discrimination against women. And last week the “Merry Christmas” bill was signed into law.

The measure allows schools to display religious symbols such as nativity scenes and Christmas trees so long as at least one other religious image or secular icon is also included. …

…“It’s a shame that a bill like this one I’m signing today is even required, but I’m proud that we’re standing up for religious freedom in this state,” Perry said at a “Religious freedom does not mean freedom from religion.” …

… At the Thursday signing ceremony for the new law, cheerleaders from Kountze High School wore t-shirts that read “I cheer for Christ.”

In May, a Texas judge ruled that the cheerleaders could continue to display signs at football games emblazoned with Bible verses.

Since this is Texas, in effect this means the public school system will revert to being a recruiting arm for evangelical Christianity. Let’s see what happens when a kid shows up at school with a yab-yum T-shirt. Freedom from religion will start to make sense to them then, I suspect.

Texans vote for these clowns. Texans are sheep.