After receiving some intelligence from resolutions committees around the state that are now meeting in various counties, I’ve identified three important resolutions that have been overlooked and which people might want to take to their local SD resolutions committees to make sure they get considered. It’s not too late to submit them to your local resolutions committee or at the state level. You can download the PDF or here is the text:
SUPPORT THE USA FREEDOM ACT
WHEREAS many security measures were enacted after the 9/11 attacks that were intended to be temporary, including the Authorization for the Use of Military Force, the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, the USA PATRIOT Act and the expansion of FISA powers;
WHEREAS these security expansions have made US citizens less secure in many ways, opening us up to warrantless surveillance, violating our privacy rights and even making us subject to detention without due process of law;
WHEREAS the rule of law and the sanctity of the rights of citizens are the cornerstones of a free society;
WHEREAS the indefinite continuation of a heightened state of security is a first step towards government tyranny;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that our nation’s security apparatus should operate under reasonable restrictions as it did prior to 9/11, capable of assisting appropriately in national defense, but without engaging in wholesale violation of the rights of US citizens. To restore a rational balance to national security we support the passage of the USA FREEDOM ACT (HR3361) which is already sponsored by 66 Republican representatives, including Representatives Burgess, Gohmert, Poe, Farenthold, Stockman, Weber and Marchant from Texas.
RESOLUTION TO RESPECT STATE SOVEREIGNTY
WHEREAS the federal War on Drugs has cost hundreds of billions of dollars and done incalculable harm to our society;
WHEREAS states have a sovereign right to control their own policy regarding other intoxicating substances like alcohol without federal interference;
WHEREAS prohibition at the federal level has never worked and leads to increased crime and violence;
THEREFORE we urge the Republican Party of Texas to endorse the passage of the bipartisan Respect State Marijuana Laws Act (HR1523) or equivalent legislation protecting state laws regarding marijuana from interference by the federal government or otherwise ending federal jurisdiction over drug policy.
SUPPORT CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS
WHEREAS it is the responsibility of the public school system to provide our children with the necessary skills to learn effectively throughout their academic careers;
WHEREAS success in higher education depends on skills learned in primary and secondary school;
WHEREAS successful education programs throughout history have relied on teaching students how to think and analyze information systematically;
THEREFORE the Republican Party of Texas endorses the teaching of critical thinking skills, including logic, rhetoric and analytical sciences starting at an early age as an essential part of a classically grounded education program which encourages individual thought and analysis, not just rote memorization or preparation for a standardized test.
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