“Civil War” was released in theaters over the weekend. The much-hyped film depicts an America divided between a strange alliance between California and Texas and a group of “Western Powers” fighting the remnants of the federal government, led by Ron Swanson of “Parks and Recreation.” I’m drawing. If any state in the West is resisting the federal Leviathan, it’s Wyoming. The Cowboy State tends to give Republicans the largest margin of victory of any state in the fractured union.
The problem is that Wyoming can’t manage to weed out the cultural rot within its own system.
Unless we expand the roster of Red State Freedom Caucuses, the current cold civil war will be a one-sided battle. And we will lose.
Wyoming Freedom Caucus Wednesday issued an alarm After discovering that the Wyoming Department of Health has been controlled by Republicans; Yearis funding a bingo-themed drag show in Laramie. Event, It’s advertised as “Rated R and not for children.”” received $3,000 from the Department of Health from an account designed to fight the AIDS epidemic.
“Parental discretion is strongly recommended if it involves salty language, vulgar jokes, and large amounts of alcohol,” warns organizers of an April 27 event featuring male cowboys in stilettos. Because the way to stop the spread of AIDS is the same way Republican Gov. Mark Gordon’s mask mandate was effective in stopping the spread of the coronavirus: pro-sodomy events and drag protests. Because it’s about holding more shows.
It’s easy to imagine blue states funding events like this. But which is the reddest of red states?
“Taxpayers should not be expected to fund the escapades of ‘drunken cowfolk’ at ‘R-rated’ drug shows,” the Freedom Caucus declared in a statement. They asked Mr. Gordon to sever ties with the event’s organizers. “This careless use of taxpayer dollars is an insult to those who have suffered and lost their lives from this deadly and serious disease.”
Mr. Gordon, of course, has declined to comment, but Ministry of Health officials have tried to downplay their support for the event. However, their involvement was so significant that the department’s logo was featured on the flyer. The article was edited and deleted after the incident was brought to widespread public attention by the Freedom Caucus.
It’s no surprise that Wyoming officials promote liberal values on Gordon’s watch. Last month, he used a line-item veto to overturn a budget provision that would strip funding from the University of Wyoming’s DEI office and programs, saying it would jeopardize federal research funding. He also opposes a ban on castration of minors and blocked passage of Chloe’s Law last year.
But this year, the Freedom Caucus gained so much momentum with the passage of a new version of the Cloe Act that Gordon finally felt he had no choice but to sign it. Of course, the governor couldn’t help tearing down this bill in his signing statement.he I lamented Congress is “intruding into the private affairs of families” and threatening the rights of parents. that’s right. Because while somehow state funding a drag show is not an example of the government invading a personal matter, making a barbaric medical practice illegal is a “privacy issue.”
At the same time, Gordon vetoed House Bill 148, which would have regulated abortion mills. Didn’t Wyoming already ban abortion? yes. But Teton County Judge Melissa Owens, who was appointed by Gordon, issued an injunction.
In other words, a milquetoast Republican governor in the reddest state in the Union ensured that both the executive and judicial branches protected infanticide, child castration, and drug shows under the guise of privacy and individual rights.
Unfortunately, Mr. Gordon’s affinity for individual rights does not extend to the Second Amendment, and he vetoed a bill that would have abolished Wyoming’s “gun free zone.” But he needn’t worry. You can carry guns at state-sponsored drag shows unless they are held at a public school.
The revelations about state-funded drug shows are a textbook example of why it is important for conservative lawmakers to audit and expose the wayward behavior of red state institutions, even when Congress is out of session.
We have long suffered from an asymmetry of power between Congress and state executive agencies. While executive agencies operate year-round, legislatures are in session for only a few months and often have limited powers, staff, and oversight. As a result, state bureaucracies often implement left-wing policies as extreme as those found in deep blue California. The ability to participate in out-of-session oversight perfectly illustrates the need for and power of a national Freedom Caucus.
Obviously, no one wants a violent civil war. But unless we expand the roster of the Red State Freedom Caucus, the current Cold War conflict will be a one-sided battle. And we will lose.
