Extremism in government has ascended to new and greater heights these days. It seems that many Republicans now determine a candidate’s eligibility for the presidency by a thorough examination of his religiosity. In our nation where separatism of Church and State is specifically referenced in our Constitution, this development may be troublesome to some. It seems odd that we adapt a superior attitude to Muslim and Arab sects which see supreme leaders as earthly representatives of the Creator, and yet here in 21st century America, that is the very direction toward which we seem headed.
Texas Governor Rick Perry is moving forward in polls as an unannounced candidate for the Republican Presidential nomination. Rick Perry recently called for the good people of Texas to pray for rain. Nothing wrong with that. As Governor of the State, Perry declared April 22-24 to be “Days of Prayer for Rain in the State of Texas.” At that time Texas was experiencing devastating draught and wildfires.
Governor Perry has taken the plan a step farther; he has made the coming August 6, “A Day of Prayer and Fasting for Our Nation.” With no small degree of eloquence, Perry has asked Texans to pray for “The healing of our country, the rebuilding of our communities and the restoration of enduring values as our guiding force.” Perry’s co-chairman of the days of prayer designations is Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council; Perkins concedes that public demonstrations of faith will make a “big difference” to evangelical and social-conservative voters.
Rick Perry is a champion of States Rights and the 10th Amendment to the constitution. Federalists such as Perry seek to remove considerable power and authority from the central federal government in Washington and to assign much stronger authority and privilege to individual States. The term "federalism" describes a system within government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and constituent political units, such as states.
Article comments
1 - Glenn Contrarian
Since the "Days of Prayer" that Perry decreed in April, the drought in Texas has only gotten worse.
Of course, global warming has nothing whatsoever to do with it, and if global warming is real, then of course a half-billion cars pumping 20 pounds of CO2 in the atmosphere with every gallon of gas burned certainly can't have anything to do with it! Of course not! That would be against conservative dogma which - like the Party in the communist nation of your choice - must never be questioned!
No, Perry doesn't stand much of a chance - partially because of Bush 43. It might be said that one of the best things that Dubya ever did was to prejudice most of America against Texas enough that we would not elect Rick Perry to the presidency!
2 - Keith Wanless
Not to quibble over @Glenn #1's comment, but a US gallon of gas weighs about 6.175 lbs. The law of conservation of mass would indicate that Glenn's statement about pollution is at least a 3-1 exaggeration, which will not help win any converts to belief in man-made global warming.
3 - John Lake
Texas Gov. Perry: 'Gay marriage is not fine with me'
4 - jude folly
if gov. perry received the republican nomination (he'd wisely devote prayer toward avoiding it), he wouldn't have the liberty of sneezing or wincing without being the butt of an unfavorable comparison to george w. bush. be assured there will be a rabid segment of liberals reminding every voter of perry's off-the-cuff flirtation with secession.
texas--thanks, but no thanks. we'll manage quite all right without any more 'help' from your cowboy booted pols.
5 - Glenn Contrarian
Keith Wanless -
When gasoline is squirted into the cylinder and combusts, do you really think that ONLY the gasoline undergoes a chemical reaction? FYI, it's a very small amount of gasoline that is processed...along with the air that was inside.
It's the gas AND the air, guy. It's called "chemistry", in case you're not familiar with it. Here's a simplified explanation:
It seems impossible that a gallon of gasoline, which weighs about 6.3 pounds, could produce 20 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) when burned. However, most of the weight of the CO2 doesn't come from the gasoline itself, but the oxygen in the air.
When gasoline burns, the carbon and hydrogen separate. The hydrogen combines with oxygen to form water (H2O), and carbon combines with oxygen to form carbon dioxide (CO2).
CO2 molecule with one carbon atom (atomic weight 12) and two oxygen atoms (atomic weight of 16 each)A carbon atom has a weight of 12, and each oxygen atom has a weight of 16, giving each single molecule of CO2 an atomic weight of 44 (12 from carbon and 32 from oxygen).
Therefore, to calculate the amount of CO2 produced from a gallon of gasoline, the weight of the carbon in the gasoline is multiplied by 44/12 or 3.7.
Since gasoline is about 87% carbon and 13% hydrogen by weight, the carbon in a gallon of gasoline weighs 5.5 pounds (6.3 lbs. x .87).
We can then multiply the weight of the carbon (5.5 pounds) by 3.7, which equals 20 pounds of CO2!
6 - Arch Conservative
Oh goody another Texas neocon pretending to be a conservative. Just what this nation, and the world needs. Maybe we'll get lucky and he'll start wars in Iran and North Korea.
If GOP insists on harvesting it's candidates from Texas there is one guy who currently resides there and is a member of the US House of Reps who'd be a damn sight better for this nation than the current crop of maniacal whackjobs from both parties.
7 - Baritone
The line up for Perry's "Days of Prayer and Fasting" includes a # of religious and political nut jobs. As John noted in #3 above, Perry quickly separated himself from his "gay is okay" comments.
He will never make it to the White House unless he elects to take the guided tour sometime in the future.
B