Houston Democrats

• Where others seek policies that would have government impose their version of "family values" on everyone, we offer common sense policies that value all of our families.


• Freedom from government interference in our private lives and personal decisions and full protection of civil and human rights.


• Separation of Church and State to preserve the freedom to pursue our beliefs.


• Full protection and equal opportunity under the law remain bedrock values of Texas Democrats. We believe every Texan and every family has the right to participate fully and equally in American society and enjoy its benefits and freedoms. The Constitution is intended to protect freedoms, not to be used as a tool to restrict freedoms or dictate social polic y by forcing states to discriminate against groups of their own citizens based on race, religion, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.


• We pledge to fight all forms of discrimination

There has been well deserved condemnation of the passage of
Rep. Robert Talton's (R-Pasadena) in the blogosphere. For those of you who aren't yet addicted to reading blogs all day long, here's a roundup:

• OffTheKuff: Like so many of my blogging colleagues, I'm disgusted by the action taken by State Rep. Robert Talton (R, Pasadena) to bar gays from being foster parents. I'm at a loss to understand the public policy rationale for this, since there's no evidence at all that children of gay or bisexual foster parents suffer in comparison to children of straight foster parents. Do we have such a surplus of foster parent wannabees that we needed to shrink the overall pool? Who will be bumped out next because we don't approve of their lifestyle? The childless? The non-churchgoers?


• PinkDome: Well, it's up to the Senate now to strip the amendment out of the full bill. Otherwise, Child Protective Services is going to have to hire some full-time HomoInvestigators.


• Houtopia: The possibility of the schools closing pales in comparison to gay foster parenting; kids losing their healthcare is tough, but it doesn't hold a candle to this foster parenting nightmare we're in; rural poverty is hard to take, but first we've got to do something about gay foster parenting!


• Injustice Anywhere: I assume Rep. Talton will be stepping up to take in the hundreds, if not thousands, of foster children currently being cared for by loving homosexual foster parents. Maybe he'll at least build them all a big group home.


• Burnt Orange Report: Because of Rep. Robert Talton (R-Pasadena)'s amendment to the Child Protective Services reform bill, your tax dollars will be spend on witch hunts seeking to learn the sexual orientation of potential foster parents (should the amendment pass the senate).


• Panhandle Truth Squad: I'm sure that all the abstinence-only crowd will be more than happy to take on foster care for a physically or emotionally disabled child (snort!).


• The Yellow Doggerel Democrat: That's our Texas Lege: first with the worst. It would be funny if it weren't so disgusting.