Burqas for the Cheerleaders!

I keep lamenting the fact that there has been no movement towards privatization of education even though we have a Republican majority. With fiscal conservatives fading and the religionists gaining the upper hand by default, this should come as no surprise. Why privatize the schools when the religionists can use the apparatus of the state to enforce the teaching of their ideas and mores?

For example, a Texas legislator has filed a bill to end sexually suggestive performances by high school cheerleaders. The Houston Chronicle rebutted with this editorial, which is about the best one can hope for without privatizing the public schools. This is not to say that it's really any good at all. What that editorial misses, of course, is that with the government running the schools, it also runs the cheerleading squads: It already is and will remain the "taste police".

Governments populated by religious zealots like to regulate how women dress in the direction of making them as unappealing (and powerless) as possible. And governments generally like to fund lousy art, too. Given these facts, I am a little surprised that some brilliant member of the Texas legislature hasn' t already suggested hiring some nihilistic fashion designer to produce repulsive uniforms for our cheerleaders! That would kill two birds with one stone, saving the taxpayer money!

On second thought, even that guy's not trying hard enough. Give him an A for effort on the scary head gear, but I do detect the provocative outlines of a feature or two of the female form under that blouse. Tsk, tsk. Burqas it'll have to be! And besides, the Texas legislature isn't feeling too frugal these days anyway....

-- CAV