Did ya know about this: Attorney General: State Mandates Bible Teaching in Texas Schools

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 28 Attorney General Greg Abbott decided today that Representative Warren Chisum's bill (H.B. 1287) requires all Texas public schools to offer instruction on the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.

The 80th Texas Legislature passed into law Rep. Chisum's bill that requires all Texas school districts to provide instruction in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) and New Testament.

Jonathan Saenz, director of legislative affairs at Free Market Foundation, was instrumental in helping to pass H.B. 1287, and said, "For too long Texas school districts have been threatened and oppressed by enemies of academic freedom, for simply daring to offer instruction on the Bible."

At the request of the Attorney General, Liberty Legal Institute filed a brief which argued that H.B. 1287 mandates all Texas schools provide instruction on the Bible and that the course outlined in the law is a permissible way of accomplishing that mandate. Abbott's statement agrees with Liberty Legal, saying that schools must include instruction on the Bible's impact on literature and history.

Hiram Sasser, director of litigation at Liberty Legal Institute, said, "I applaud the Attorney General for deferring to the legislature, upholding the law and being a part of giving Texas students the cultural currency they will need to compete and be successful in the 21st century."

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/attorney-general-state-mandates-bible/story.aspx?guid=%7BD5A9BE3A-C6B1-4159-8815-0F06E67619D9%7D

Lawsuit to stop Palin investigation has Texas ties

A group of Alaskan Republican lawmakers trying to stop an inquiry into Gov. Sarah Palin's firing of her public safety chief are represented by a Texas legal institute with ties to conservative causes. The New York Times reports Hiram Sasser and Kelly Shackelford of the Plano-based Liberty Legal Institute are representing the lawmakers, along with Alaskan lawyer Kevin Clarkson.

The institute has strong ties to socially conservative causes. Shackelford led the fight for a ban on gay marriage in Texas. PolitickerTX.com interviewed Shackelford twice in late August. When John McCain was floating the idea of a pro-choice running mate, Shackelford shot-down the idea and described it as "foolish." Shackelford later told PolitickerTX.com he was "thrilled" McCain chose Palin. "Solidly pro-life and strong in every way," he said.

Clarkson reached out to Sasser "because of his constitutional expertise." The 26-page lawsuit was filed against Democratic state Sens. Hollis French and Kim Elton and an independent investigator.

The lawsuit contends that the Legislature does not have the constitutional power to conduct the inquiry and the whole process is politically biased. The inquiry stems from Palin's decision to fire Walt Monegan, her public safety commissioner. Monegan said he was let go because he refused to fire state trooper Mike Wooten, Palin's former brother-in-law. Palin said she fired Monegan for "insubordination" on budget issues.

Alaska Republicans, many of whom have been critical of Palin in recent days, said the inquiry had become too politicized. "What started as a bipartisan and impartial effort is becoming overshadowed by public comments from individuals at both ends of the political spectrum," state House Speaker John Harris wrote in a letter to Elton.

"The McCain campaign is the one that has made this partisan," Lyda Green, the Republican state Senate President told the Times. "This was 100 percent bipartisan effort on the part of the Legislature to ask questions that deserve to be answered."

http://www.politickertx.com/jasonthurlkill/136/lawsuit-stop-palin-investigation-has-texas-ties