I never thought I had to write about something that shouldn’t be in place anymore. Simply put this is 2023 not 1950-80’s. Yes, I know there has been so many things in the news about how this world is coming apart at the seams. That is because we have people trying to cause the world to go back to times prior to people wining their civil liberties.

Well like they said don’t fix what is not broken, and if you try to update something don’t reverse it go forward. Apparently, Texas and other southern states have not gotten that message. I am just going to concentrate on Texas right now. The other writers in other states can talk about how messed up they are. I am going to go in detail about a lot of things.

I am going to say this once and only once. I am the type of person that believes in if it doesn’t harm you and is not against the law then mind your business. I don’t care if you are purple, pink, blue or orange. I don’t care if you are gay or straight. I don’t care if you need an abortion what you do with your body it is your body. I don’t care who you love if you get married or not. I have been on both sides of the fence when it comes people trying to change what I believed in how I acted. I protested for change which for the act that they were doing to me changed for the right reasons.

What I want to talk about I don’t know where to start however it needs to be said. The government religion need to stay out of the home however it needs to be kept that way. Yes, we took prayer out of school because religion does not need to be in school. That is not the only thing that needs to stay out of schools. Government needs to do that. The government also needs to stay out of how parents raise their children. I am not saying go back to the 1800’s but let parents discipline their children. For fuck’s sake my parents didn’t allow me to stay in front of the television, we were outside playing, we went to the park and if we were in trouble, we got it on the backside. I know by letting the government take care of a lot of things it made parents lazier but that needs to stop I understand that.

Let’s start off with the books. Okay books that don’t need to be removed or banned. According to PEN Texas across the state has banned over 801 books. (htt11) (htt8)April 2022 students filed a lawsuit stating that this ban had infringed on their 1^st amendment rights. The students won the fight and as of April of 2023 the books that were mentioned in this law were returned to the students and to the library. (htt12) Everyone knows that book banning started in 1637 in Massachusetts just makes me wonder if we have started to go backward. This latest ruling for the return of just a few books not the whole 801 books. It needs to be all of the books put back where they were at. People don’t understand that if the books are not at the library be it at school or at the public library you have to understand that you can find them online, Amazon, and if the person is really good at finding things you can buy them anywhere.

Why does the government have to step into something that is the parent’s responsible to police their child.

The last time I checked my body my choice or does the government change that aspect in talking to women and the aspect of rape. However, the State of Texas has nine laws dealing with abortions 87(3) HB 128, SB 34, HB 23, HB 36, HJR 5, SB 44, HB 99, Sb 16, SB 5 (htt5) all of these laws are on the books however they could be doing other things, but they are doing this. Because of this we are going back in time, again this was not a broken system yes there was some women out there that abused this however it is their bodies. Not to mention the fact that you have people scouting and if they see someone having abortion, they can get a bounty for someone turning the person in. You have people turning other people in just for the money and a lot of times they were not even having an abortion.

How about free health care? How about free college? How about a better legal system? Here is a thought protection of our children, lord knows there are a lot of retired military men woman who have no problem passing a mental check and would be willing to protect our children. Again, you are more worried about body’s that are not yours. Do your job and stay out of a woman’s body.

Talking about doing your job lets go more into detail. The next thing on the agenda for the supreme court is marriage. But did you know the Texas State Bill of Rights still has marriage set as one man one woman? (htt7) The funny thing also in the Bill of Rights the word woman is mentioned only once. It wasn’t until 2015 the Federal Supreme Court forced Texas and other states to change how the law looks at marriage. (Obergefell v Hodges, 57 U.S) However our bill of rights have not been changed. (htt6) Last time I checked people where not marrying the government they are marrying the person they care for. It doesn’t matter if it is a man or a woman. I am not gay; however, I have friends who are gay. I have friends who are bi. I have friends who Identify as an Apache helicopter, the thing is everyone has a right to be happy. The state needs to back out of it unless someone is hurting someone else. I will defend everyone that needs to be defended.

I know I am going around and around about the government and the interfering with people in the family. Let’s talk about parents and children. You need to let parents’ parent. If a child doesn’t want to be a boy and wants to be a girl, then let it be. I know my father was dressed in little dresses when he was a baby because that is what people did back in the day. If it helps a child and their mental status don’t interfere. But of course, your noisy to the point you are having people snitching on other people so much so HB68 HB1339 is in play. (htt4) However the Governor’s Executive directive orders an investigation into parents and medical facilities providing healthcare to transgender adolescents. Based on non-binding interpretation from the attorney general that classified gender affirming care as child abuse. (htt3) Both the governor and the attorney general I guess don’t have anything else to do but what else is new there are no one in the capital doing their jobs. The US Military already helps our troops with this care why cant you?

If you know anything about Texas, you know we love our military. In 2001 the President of the United States George W. Bush stated on a television news program, “I don’t think witchcraft is a religion and I wish the military would take another look at this and decide against it” (htt13) I am a Nordic Sedir in other words I am a witch. I am also a daughter of a MSGT United Airforce. Guess what I am also an Ordain Minister. Like I said before I defend everyone, and I honestly don’t care what religion you are if you’re a good person then I am there to help.

So not only did this hit hard for me but it also hit very hard for my brother and sisters that practiced the craft. Later after the president stating this it got very rough on us. Protest after Protest took place, and the news never broadcasted it. After a long time of protesting and talking and dealing with local officials the US ARMY allowed not only practicing area for the ones that are enlisted at FT. HOOD (which is now changed to something else but that is for another article)

Again, we are in fear of being hunted like the witch trials if in fact the state goes the way we think they are going to be going into. See the state is made up with over 80% of any type of church going religions and that leaves at least 10% of earth base religions. (htt9) In Tarrant County the stores that service our religion have been met with hard opposition and even harder taxes and licenses. It is the fact that separation of church and state is in question but just because of the type of religion out there is the fact that state needs to also stay out of our religion.

Another reason for the fear is the following bill that has come into place H.B. No. A3596. (htt10) This bill is a damn disgrace. We tried this back in 1861 it failed we failed.

With the fact that the governor did the abortion laws, the book laws, the governor, and his groupies are more than likely going to try to change the marriage act as well as religion. Not to mention the fact that he will also attempt to change the education of everyone in the state. There is also the fact that the disability community will be affect.

If you read the bill it doesn’t speak of things that are extremely important. For one the power grid. Or I should say the lack of power grid. The power grid does not include the entire state. The military, we have the largest number of military bases, not to mention the people who are enlisted in the US military, what are you going to do with them. Here are some questions you need to think about. Speaking about the military bases you know little towns, cities, depend on the money that service members and families bring to the area for survival what are you going to do when that dries up?

Social Security and Medicare, what are you going to do for the people who are on them. You know those people because of the amount of money that they get they can’t leave the state so what are you going to do for them?

Speaking of those people what are you going to do for the retired members of the military? You know they can’t leave, with the amount of SSI and benefits they get from the VA. What about VA benefits why are you going to treat them ill they didn’t do anything wrong but how are they going to get treatments? Rehab?

What about the disabled community? We have the ADA to protect us are you going to have something like that in place? Are you going to help us with better medical benefits because we don’t have a lot of money? Are you going to keep Section 8 housing? What about Food Stamps? What about federal pensions? What about ASL are you going to change it to TSL if then are you going to pay for relearning a language? What would something like that be? Are you going to force people to learn a new language?

Are you going to allow people to leave? Are you going to move federal prisoners? I know they are serving their time, but do you want to infringe their rights they did the crime in Texas.

What about all of the federal employees what are you going to do? Our streets are pitiful our boarders are a mess. What are you going to do about all of this? Our children have to dodge bullets because you are afraid of pissing off gun owners. News flash people who LAWFULLY own guns are willing to protect our kids you just want to fence them in what looks like prisons. If you get out of how we raise our kids you would have to worry about this.

The infrastructure needs to be replaced, that is cables, and water, not to mention gas lines. Cellphone towers, charging stations need to be increased and that is going to hit what we call a PowerGrid. Speaking about the power grid, it doesn’t include everyone in the state are you going to bring in the rest of the state to an already failing power grid? Solar and wind are not going to hold up with our changing climate. Not to mention that the Solar and Wind Farm in west Texas we have contracts with other states how are you going to work around those. I mean you are already causing Tax payors to pay the fine for the attorney general what’s a little bit more of blood out of a stone. Our hospital system is tore up that would not be able to handle the leaving of our nurses because frankly you don’t know how to treat them. You scare the crap out of the doctors and what is to say with all the abortion laws you have in place you won’t try to mess with any of the other healthcare they provide.

You are already trying to force different ways of living with abortion and lgbtq+ and Transgender care are you going to force a type of religion, are you going to interfere with schooling? Are you going to control what and how we access the internet?

Are you going to put prayer back in school? If so, what are you going to do with people who do not believe in your prayer?

The last question I want to ask is what you are going to do about the Modified North American Free Trade. They are coming through Texas, and that is part of the Treaty. This is one of the main reasons we are doing so well is the fact that this is bringing in money to our state.

Yes, our GPD would be second to none that would be before the mass “leaving” that would take place after this becoming law. But what are you going to do when that dries up? Are you going to enslave people like China does? You know these big ass tech companies that you are so proud of bringing to Texas will leave when you take away the benefits you had to give them to get to them to come. The federal government will have to tax companies for importing to the United States and that is going to cause even the smallest companies to leave. Then what? You will have to put in place state income tax and that is going to drive people and companies to states that do not have income taxes that have not already have left.

What are you going to do with the Airports and the TSA?

What are you going to do with Financial Aid for students that are going to the universities in the state?

Again, we have tried this before and we have failed. Yes, the federal system is broken but there are so many things in place to help why are you going to cause so much disruption that you are going to turn a beautiful state that is thriving to a bearing dead state?

Because of people in Government both state and federal who are starting to get too big for their britches the everyday person is scared to say something do something be something. This is not a way to live to breathe to be. I know I wasn’t going to say anything about other states but here is an example of another state getting stupid in their government Mississippi and House Bill 1020. We need to fix the system that is in place not break it all the way down and start from scratch.

Sheri Rhodes-Johnson. (Senator Art House Publication)