To look at handsome, rugged Texas Governor Rick Perry on TV standing next to our train wreck President Bush, you wouldn't think that Gov. Perry had anything in common with party girl and fashionista, dead FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover.
But after reading Gov. Rick Perry's rants in the excellent Atlanta gay newpaper Southern Voice (sovo.com) about how wrong homosexuality is while making a show of signing legislation in churches instead of government offices, J. Edgar's homophobia while going home to Clyde comes to mind.
Sure, there was that malicious rumor in 2002 about Gov. Perry's gay affair and impending divorce that Gov. Perry vigorously denied, calling it a "baseless smear." Funny, I haven't seen other governors being "baselessly smeared" with gay rumors lately. Have you?
I wouldn't "ask nor tell" if Gov. Perry hadn't made a point of dissing gay vets, American soldiers who may be gay, fighting in Irag. "We don't want them coming to Texas when they get out of the service," good-Christian-Gov. Perry announced to smiling and nodding other good-Christians. "If they want to have gay marriages or civil unions, let them go somewhere else." My quotes are approximate, give or take, more or less, like some people's declarations of their avowed heterosexuality.
It's good to know that after Texas Governor Ann Richards was defeated by Karl Rove's smear machine (speaking of J. Edgar!), Texas has been made safe from rational, clear-thinking, inclusive,honest grownups who are interested in governing all the people all the time.