Our own little "Russia" right here in Texas

[William769]

Dan Branch, Tacking Right for the AG's Race, Asks San Antonio to Drop Proposed LGBT Protections

During his decade in the Texas House, Republican Dan Branch has never been one to demagogue on social issues, always more focused more on fiscal and other matters that lined up better with the values of his Park Cities constituency. Now that he's waded into the attorney general's race, however, he's abandoned his former moderation in favor of a campaign strategy built on pretending to be Greg Abbott.

So, two weeks ago you have Branch's amicus brief with the Texas Supreme Court in defense of the state law defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman. And now, you have Branch intervening in the contentious debate over San Antonio's proposed ordinance banning LGBT discrimination.

That debate has long since jumped the shark. The religious right has worked itself into a lather, convincing itself that making it illegal to, say, fire someone for being gay is an unconstitutional abridgment of the First Amendment right to think homosexuality is wrong. Then, City Councilwoman Elsa Chang responded to a recording of her making retrograde comments about the LGBT community by claiming she was being attacked for exercising her right to free speech and blaming the staffer who leaked the lengthy clip for violating her privacy.

See also: The Religious Right Thinks Anti-Discrimination Rules Are an Attack on Christianity

Branch has no dog in this particular fight, but he decided to send San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro a letter, obtained yesterday by the San Antonio Express-News, urging him to drop the push for LGBT protections.

http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2013/08/dan_branch_letter_to_san_anton.php

The letter in it's entirety.

[NYC_SKP]

1. Awww, poor Mister Branch isn't taking the good news very well, is he.

Maybe he should just keep his fucking religious beliefs to himself.

If he can just do the work he was hired to do, government work separated from the church, then he can't possibly be accused of discrimination and then might not get so tense about it.

It's so simple. Maybe I should send him a nice letter about how to fix his problem.

Ass-ho.

[gopiscrap]

2. agreed

[theHandpuppet]

3. Mr. Branch would like to put the wrong people in the closet

Matthew Chapter 6...

5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites [are]: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

[Behind the Aegis]

5. Brilliant! +100.38

[nomorenomore08]

6. Perfect! Now we have another ready-made comeback for these assholes!

[LuvNewcastle]

4. You'd think that discrimination against gay people was a sacrament

in their religion the way they act, as if treating LGBT people equally would damn them to hell. Baby Jesus cries when they smile at gay people. Fundies are so dramatic!