Moving Time Has Arrived

The time has arrived for my move from Amarillo to Austin. For the next few days, I will be packing, transporting, and unpacking all of my possessions.

That means I will not have the time (or the internet connection) to keep up with this blog. I have made some pre-scheduled posts so the blog will not go dark over the next few days -- but I will not be able to make new posts or to moderate the comments.

I hope to be unpacked and have a new internet connection by the 9th or 10th, and will eagerly resume regular posting at that time.

Let me make one thing clear. I am not leaving because of any ill feelings about Amarillo. That city has been good to me and my family, and I've made lots of wonderful friends there. Despite the redness of its politics, Amarillo is not a bad city to live in.

But an opportunity presented itself in Austin that simply could not be turned down. I know I will quickly fall in love with Austin and make good friends there also -- and I promise to do my part to "Keep Austin Weird".

Religion No Excuse For Not Doing Your Job

It seems like these religious nuts never learn. Now we have another example of someone who wants to use his religion as an excuse for his failure to properly perform his job duties. In the past, we have had some pharmacists trying to use their religion in this way, but remarkably it's a bus driver this time. Who knew driving a bus could make god angry?

The Capital Area Rural Transportation System (CARTS) operates buses near Austin, Texas. They drive some fixed routes and also do "some door-to-door service within its rural coverage area." Back in January, CARTS fired a driver because he refused to take a customer to a Planned Parenthood office. CARTS had to send a second driver to get the customer to her destination.

The fired driver claims to be a minister (although probably not a very good one since he can't make a living doing it) and says his religion would not allow him to take the customer to Planned Parenthood because she might have been going there to get an abortion. Frankly, it's none of his business why she was going there or what she planned to do. His job was to drive her there -- not interfere in her personal life.

Last Wednesday the ex-employee, Edwin Graning, filed suit in U.S. District Court in Austin against CARTS, claiming they violated his religious freedom. He is asking for back pay, reinstatement and "compensatory damages for pain, suffering and emotional distress." His attorney says, "It's only because he voiced his religious beliefs that he was canned. Employers have a legal responsibility to at least attempt to accommodate an employee's religious beliefs. . ."

What a ridiculous statement! The company did nothing to violate his religious freedom. Graning however violated his promise to do his job for a certain pay. This contract was at least implied when he was hired. He agreed to transport CARTS customers to their destinations. For him to decide on his own what customers he would transport and what customers he would not transport is a violation of the terms of his employment and he deserved to be fired. Can you imagine what an economic and business disaster CARTS would be if all their drivers acted like this?

If this guy wanted to be a bus driver, he should have done his job and transported passengers to whatever location they desired. If he didn't want to do that then he should never have agreed to do that job in the first place. This is a frivolous lawsuit. I hope he not only loses it but also has to pay for the company's attorney fees.

Religion is not a good excuse to fail to do a job you agreed to do. Ever.

Zombies Invade Austin !

I used to think I wanted to live in Austin, but not anymore. It seems the capitol city of Texas has been invaded by an evil horde of undead Zombies! This awful truth was verified to horrified citizens last Wednesday morning.

Fortunately, a couple of unknown heroes were able to break the padlock on some highway department signs, and hack into the signs' computer to warn the unsuspecting citizens of Austin. It is believed that the warning on the signs allowed innocent motorists and others to take evasive action, and luckily, it seems that no one was hurt.

Rumor has it that the Zombie horde is led by the supremely evil undead monster called "39%" and his imbecilic sidekick "Dewie". We can only pray that the good citizens of Austin can protect themselves until the Zombies are driven from their city. Some believe it could take until 2010 to rid the city of this evil.

The People's Mansion Burns

I was in Austin for the Texas Democratic Convention last weekend. It was such a great convention, that I went to bed on Saturday night a very happy person. But when I woke up Sunday morning, I was greeted by the sad news that there had been a very destructive fire at the Governor's Mansion early Sunday morning.

By the time I got home on Sunday, it was being reported that the fire was probably caused by an arsonist. That made it even worse. Who would do such a dastardly thing to the people of Texas?

This mansion doesn't belong to any one Republican or Democrat. It belongs to the citizens of our great state. We just let a Republican or Democrat live there while they serve their term as governor.

Making matters even worse, this is the 4th oldest governor's residence in the nation. It is the oldest one west of the Mississippi. This arsonist didn't just try to burn down the house where the governor lives -- he tried to destroy a piece of Texas history. In effect, he spit in the face of every Texan.

I hope they apprehend him quickly and punish him severely. I know he wouldn't want to have me sitting on his jury!