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    A Desperate Man?

    Rick Perry, Christian warrior: Attacks gays in the military in attempt toinflame the culture wars for Iowa

    Sarah Rufca
    Dec 8, 2011 | 10:06 am
    Rick Perry, Christian warrior: Attacks gays in the military in attempt toinflame the culture wars for Iowa
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    Pity poor Rick Perry. He was supposed to be the candidate to unite the disparate Republican wings — Tea Partiers, fiscal conservatives and religious voters, all behind one shepherd with phenomenal hair.

    Somewhere along the way in his presidential campaign — sometime between telling anti-immigrant conservatives that they don't have a heart and forgetting about the Department of Energy, I think — Perry stopped being the darling of the religious right. Or any of the right, for that matter.

    In Iowa, a state where evangelicals make up 60 percent of Republican primary voters, Perry is only polling as the top pick of 10 percent of likely caucus-goers. He's polling behind a man on his third wife, a staunch Libertarian and a flip-flopping Mormon.

    Perry's solution? Dropping the C-word — as in Christian. Perry's campaign released a 30-second ad on Wednesday that's jaw-dropping in its completely un-ironic appropriation of the culture wars:

     

    I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m a Christian, but you don’t need to be in the pew every Sunday to know there’s something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military but our kids can’t openly celebrate Christmas or pray in school. As president, I’ll end Obama’s war on religion. And I’ll fight against liberal attacks on our religious heritage. Faith made America strong. It can make her strong again."

     

    I realize trying  to refute Perry with logic is like bringing a knife to a swordfish fight, but let's just correct the record: Kids can both openly celebrate Christmas and pray in school.

    This is quite the Hail Mary. Or whatever the Baptist version of a Hail Mary is. Forget the general election, Perry is just trying to stay alive through South Carolina's primary.

    He isn't talking about gay marriage (a hot-button issue in Iowa right now, with conservatives attempting to pass a repeal of the institution). He's going on record that it's wrong that gay people (I'm sorry "gays") can serve openly in the military, a policy that 68 percent of Americans ( and nearly half of Republicans) support.

    He's also doubling down on the Republican trope, popularized by Fox News, that Christians and Christmas are under attack. I realize trying to refute Perry with logic is like bringing a knife to a swordfish fight, but let's just correct the record: Kids can both openly celebrate Christmas and pray in school.

    First of all, let's not pretend Christmas is banned in schools until someone stops designing the academic calendar around it, OK? When I picture someone who can't "openly celebrate" their religion, I think of Jews hiding lit menorahs and whispering Hebrew prayers, lest they be discovered and tortured during the Spanish Inquisition. Not children who are subjected to holiday parties rather than Christmas parties in their classrooms.

    Since Perry is so smitten with our forefathers, perhaps he'd prefer to celebrate Christmas the way the Puritans did, by ignoring it and banning it altogether.

    And while teacher-led or state-sponsored prayer has been ruled unconstitutional in schools since the 1960s (which I believe was before Obama took office), it's still perfectly acceptable for kids to pray. And attend Fellowship of Christian Athlete meetings. And wear clothing with bible verses on it. We can debate where exactly to draw the lines between state-sponsored and student-led religious expression, but the idea that schools have been de-Christianized is ridiculous.

    Want to know what a war on religion looks like? It looks like the violence in Egypt that left 26 Coptic Christians dead and 300 injured in October. It looks like the widespread arrests and detentions of Christians in China. It looks like the 54 churches bombed in Iraq since 2003.

    Of course, I'm not the demographic Perry is trying to court in Iowa. Can Perry make the culture wars cool again in Iowa? I guess we'll see.

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    This Week's Hot Headlines

    Houston restaurant serves Beyoncé a Southern feast and more top stories

    CultureMap Staff
    Jul 5, 2025 | 10:32 am
    Taste Bar Kitchen Jay Z Don Bowie
    Courtesy of Taste Kitchen + Bar
    Legendary rapper Jay-Z with Taste Kitchen + Bar chef-owner Don Bowie.

    Editor's note: t's time to look back at the hottest Houston news of the week, starting with a Southern feast fit for Queen Bey. Plus, new bar openings from some big names. Get the details on our most popular stories below, then head to this guide for 4th of July weekend fun.

    1. Houston restaurant served Beyoncé a Southern feast for her first meal in H-Town. One of Houston’s most prominent Black-owned restaurants gave Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and her family their first taste of the Bayou City. On June 27, the party ordered an extensive spread from Taste Kitchen + Bar, the restaurant in downtown known for its chicken and waffles and other Southern-inspired fare.

    2. Exclusive: New cocktail bar from Houston hospitality stars coming to the Heights. The Heights’ growing bar scene will soon welcome a new addition with serious cocktail cred. Anvil owner Bobby Heugel has partnered with bartender Jacki Schromm to open a new cocktail bar in the former Ready Room space.

    3. Country star Koe Wetzel opens new location of his lively bar in Houston. One of Texas country’s rising stars has brought his lively bar to Houston. Koe Wetzel's Riot Room opened in Midtown in June.

     Koe Wetzel Riot Room Houston The pickup truck on the front of the building makes it easy to spot.  Photo by Motion Theory Media  

    4. Houston will have vivid sunsets and air quality issues from Saharan dust. An annual meteorological phenomenon has blown in to make Houston's sunsets a little more spectacular. A huge Sahara Desert dust cloud made its way to the Houston area on June 29, bringing hazy skies. The bad news is that air quality might worsen; the good news is that locals can expect a week of Technicolor twilights.

    5. Houston CEO's art-filled River Oaks mansion listed at $6.2 million. Art lovers seeking a home that’s a perfect showcase for their collection will be very interested in 1069 Kirby Drive, currently on the market for $6.2 million. The home is owned by Pete Bell, the CEO of Cotton Holdings.

    most popular storiesbeyoncethe heightsanvilkoe wetzelopeningshome-for-salecelebritieshot-headlines
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