While other parts of the country showed some glimmer of protest against the struggling Republican leadership, Texas plowed along like a good red state soldier. Embracing the Klan’s legislative agenda by a three-to-one majority, Texas voters wielded their flaming crayolas to write Prop. 2 into the Texas State Constitution along with other miracles of democracy such as authorizing credit advances and clearing land titles. Texans reserved their ire for defeating commercial loan reform and term extensions, because high interest rates and long-term political appointees are almost as unpalatable as gay marriage in this state.

Meanwhile, Texas’ junior Senator, John Cornyn, warned against questioning the virtues of the Patriot Act. With all the froth and conviction of a Jonestown believer, Cornyn implied that those _questioning_ the oppressive legislation might be the ones guilty of “false reports or scare tactics.” Granted, it’s difficult to make fact-based reports when the Star Chamber proceedings leave no public records to review, but I’m sure such things don’t trouble ol’ Corny.

All told, it’s another banner day for Texas politics. At least our Board of Education didn’t reject centuries of scientific inquiry on their way to actively sanctioning ignorance, but I’m sure that’s not far behind. As yesterday’s election and John Cornyn continue to demonstrate, any bad idea that’s good enough for other states is certainly good enough for Texas.