2006-10-12
Kinky Friedman is running for Governor of Texas as an "independent." This is fitting because Kinky hangs out with Willie Nelson and Jesse Ventura. And he is famous as the singer and songwriter of "The Texas Jewboys."
It might be accurate to describe Kinky as a cultural libertarian and an economic populist. He favors decriminalizing marijuana and medicalizing the drug problem. "Texas has more people in prison than Alaska has inhabitants." And he is right about that ghastly fact. Texas, the Lone Star State, is quickly becoming the Lock Down State.
[Editor's Note: Kinky is a great candidate, but he needs our help! He is running against the two major Parties, and independent contributions keep his campaign running. For more information on what Kinky thinks, click here (http://www.kinkyfriedman.com/issues/) . To get Kinky lawn signs, bumper stickers, t-shirt click here (http://www.kinkyfriedman.com/xcart/home.php). To donate to his campaign directly, click here (https://www.kinkyfriedman.com/contribute/). Virtual Citizens is located and staffed in South Texas. Please do all you can to support Kinky Friedman for Texas Governor.]
Somewhere along the line, Texas lost its Wild West culture. What arose, in its place, is a kind of moralistic, paternalistic, reactionary culture in which undercover police arrest people for being drunk - not for fighting or lewdness or driving drunk but simply for being drunk while sitting at the bar. In Texas, cop cars are everywhere, and instead of "serve and protect" the attitude often is "we'll kick your ass."
Kinky confronts many of these issues head on and with humor, favoring same-sex marriage - in Texas! - because he argues that gays have the right to be miserable.
Kinky recognizes that corporate greed is destroying Texas. Testing companies and their lobbyists have hijacked the school curriculum. Nothing happens in a Texas school that is not directly geared to passing the standardized tests. The school day is nothing more than a flurry of endless, mindless worksheets, all designed to produce a generation of robotrons. The "No Child Left Behind" legacy of the Bush era is roundly condemned by parents and teachers, but it continues nonetheless.
Now, key business sectors are pushing the "Trans-Texas Corridor," adding yet another system of toll roads to Texas. And the medical mafia is preventing Texas from developing the kind of state health-care system found in Minnesota or Massachusetts.
Kinky recognizes the complexities of the illegal immigration problem, but he does not support the construction of a giant wall. "After all, in about 10 years," he explains, "we may want to get out."
Kinky represents an endangered breed of Texas - the rugged individualist whose sense of right and wrong lead him to favor free enterprise and social investments, which include investing in schools, hospitals and the poor. This stands in sharp contrast to the class warfare and Social Darwinism offered by the Republicans.
George W. Bush, formerly the Governor here (and known as the "Texecutioner") is no cowboy. (Kinky calls him "a good man trapped in a Republican's body"). But cowboys do not combine ignorance, arrogance and cruelty (what a combination).
When I was in grade school, we all had to read "Shane" by Jack Schaefer. It's about a cowboy who bravely confronts a cattle baron and his hired gunslinger. It's about a man who makes the right decision. Kinky is a true cowboy, and he even dresses like one.
[Note: Kinky is a great candidate, but he needs our help! He is running against the two major Parties, and independent contributions keep his campaign running. For more information on what Kinky thinks, click here (http://www.kinkyfriedman.com/issues/) . To get Kinky lawn signs, bumper stickers, t-shirt click here (http://www.kinkyfriedman.com/xcart/home.php). To donate to his campaign directly, click here (https://www.kinkyfriedman.com/contribute/). Virtual Citizens is located and staffed in South Texas. Please do all you can to support Kinky Friedman for Texas Governor.]
Click Here for the Original Article, courtesy of Virtual Citizens.
