THE HURTFUL SYMBOL OF THE MINNESOTA VIKINGS

Two nights ago, I enjoyed a couple of cool libations with a good friend whose lineage is clearly Scandinavian.  With blonde hair and blue eyes, he looks every bit as Norwegian as his name suggests.  For the purposes of this article, my friend shall be called "Thor."

As a teenager, Thor traveled from Illinois to Norway to spend vacations working on his relatives' farm.  He well remembers the long, beautiful summer days, when his work was done and he was able to hike to the shore and gaze in fascination at the majestic fiords which bounded his family's land.

During the time that Thor spent in the "old country," he assiduously studied Norwegian culture, including literature, art and music.  Thus, he emerged from his summer idyll with a renewed appreciation of his family's Norwegian heritage. It is absolutely true that once you get Thor musing about the composer Edvard Grieg, the film producer Arne Skonen, the playwright Henrik Ibsen and the artist Edvard Munch, he will literally talk the night away.  However, in the middle of my last visit with Thor, I noticed large tears welling up in his eyes.  "Thor, Thor," I cried, "are you all right?"  And it was then that Thor began to share the profound hurt that dwelt deep within his soul.

THOR'S NIECES AND NEPHEWS MARCH IN VILLAGE PARADE

Wiping his tears, Thor began to tell me of the pain that stereotypes of violent Vikings had caused him nearly all of his adult life.  Pathetically, he spoke from his heart, that his people had never raided lands to the south of Scandinavia, had never raped nuns, slaughtered clerics and sacked churches and monasteries.  All such notions had caused profound emotional and psychological damage for my dear friend.  Trying to empathize with Thor, I encouraged him to purge himself of the hateful stereotypes.

As Thor continued his story, it was clear that he felt an especial distress with certain logos and team monikers used in the world of professional sports.  In fact, this distress had inflicted such damage upon his psyche that he is now unable to take pleasure in American
football, mostly owing to the image portrayed by the professional team based in Minneapolis, the Minnesota Vikings.  Despite years of counseling, Thor revealed to me that the pain has never been mitigated.

THOR'S FAMILY'S NORWEGIAN FARM

Oh, dear readers, it is high time that Thor is relieved of that which vexes him!.  And now, in this gentle age of multiculturalism and political correctness, I can say that the time is right. Thor and all Norwegian-Americans deserve much better than the Minnesota Vikings.  Just like the editors of THE NEW REPUBLIC and THE WASHINGTON POST, who have decided to take a stand in behalf of Native Americans who might be offended by a team known as Redskins, I now rise up and swear to God almighty, that henceforth and forever and in an effort to support my dear friend, in all articles emanating from Two for Texas and America, the professional football team in Minneapolis will never, ever again be referred to as Vikings.  So, help me God!

YOUR INVITATION: CAMERON COUNTY REPUBLICAN FORUM

YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO ATTEND A FORUM SPONSORED BY OUR CAMERON COUNTY YOUTH OUTREACH AT 6:00 PM ON THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, AT THE BROWNSVILLE EVENT CENTER, LOCATED AT 1 EVENT CENTER IN BROWNSVILLE.  ALL ANNOUNCED REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES FOR STATE-WIDE OFFICES HAVE BEEN INVITED.  IN ADDITION, OUR ONLY ANNOUNCED CANDIDATE FOR CONGRESS WILL BE IN ATTENDANCE.

The Event Center is located just off Paredes Line Road.  Use Mapquest or other internet map service for complete directions.

IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE FORUM WILL BE A MEETING OF THE CAMERON COUNTY REPUBLICAN EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.  WE MUST HAVE 50% OF OUR PRECINCT CHAIRS PRESENT IN ORDER TO CONDUCT BUSINESS.  PRECINCT CHAIRS, PLEASE MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO ATTEND.

GENOCIDE AGAINST EGYPTIAN CHRISTIANS: ANOTHER FAILURE OF THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION!

Imagine a land where Muslims routinely burn Christian churches, rape young Christian women and are not loath to decapitate priests.  Sound like a bad dream?  No, this is Egypt in the 21st century.

AMERICAN-EGYPTIAN WOMEN PROTEST GENOCIDE

It was not long ago that we were being assured by the likes of President Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Senator John McCain and the lying, ignorant General Clapper that the Muslim Brotherhood was a moderate organization which represented the will of the Egyptian people and would usher in a new era for Egypt.  Unfortunately, that was someone's pipdream; and, since the Egyptian spring of 2011, things have only gone from bad to worse.

One would think that any sane American administration and its supporters might have been somewhat concerned about a "moderate" Muslim Brotherhood president, such as Mohamed Morsi, who regularly lambasted Jews and Israelis as being the descendants of pigs and apes, and especially  so since Egypt is subsidized with 1.6 billion dollars of  American taxpayer money annually.

COPTIC CHURCH BURNED AND LOOTED

Be that as it may, the evil of Islamic fascism is now on the loose in Egypt..  The Christian minority of 10 million souls suffers each day the horrors of a persecution unimaginable to American Christians.   Not only have nuns been forced to march through the streets like lambs being led to the slaughter; at last count almost 50 Egyptian churches and monasteries have been looted and burned by Muslim Brotherhood supporters.  Hundreds have been killed in the aftermath of the military ouster of President Morsi, but the brunt of the outrages has been directed against Christians.  Thus far, only a few tepid words of condemnation have proceeded from the mouth of our president, during, of course, another one of his extravagant vacations at Martha's Vineyard.  But, one supposes that is to be expected from a president whose health care monstrosity will codify discrimination against certain Christian groups in America.

Not only do the twin abominations of multiculturalism and political correctness smother freedom of expression domestically, it is becoming all the more apparent that those who call the shots in our foreign policy are indisposed when it comes to calling a spade a spade.  In the meantime, not only are Egyptian Christian brothers and sisters being subjected to atrocities, the failure of this administration to function diplomatically in the Middle East as a whole makes it more and more likely that Americans on the home front will experience some hurtful consequences from this administration's incompetence.  And, come to think of it, why have we not heard American Muslims speaking out against the outrages in Egypt?  Is that not what one would expect from the "religion of peace?"

TEJANO HEROES OF THE TEXAS REVOLUTION

JOSE ANTONIO NAVARRO

By the end of the 17th century, Spain became fearful of the possibility of French settlement in the portion of New Spain known as Texas.  Reacting from concern as to what could be seen as a possible challenge to her suzerainty, Spain recruited subjects to settle  into three presidios  or fortified areas of Texas, in order to solidify her claim to the vast territory. The regions colonized by the settlers were located to the north in what would be called Nacogdoches, along the Rio Bravo to the south and beside the  San Antonio River, in the Bexar-Goliad region.

Nowadays, the word Tejano is used loosely to include food, music and virtually all Mexican-American residents of Texas.  Utilized more properly in its historical context, however, Tejano refers to the original Spanish settlers of Texas and their descendants.

Coming from the Spanish creole culture of Mexico, the Tejanos established their own unique way of life in adapting to the severe conditions encountered in Texas.  With the challenges of a harsh climate and the ever-present danger from indigenous attacks, the Tejano social order became one in which much emphasis was placed on the individual's ability to survive and flourish  against significant odds .

It has oft been said that every generation forms its own view of history, sometimes at the expense of fact and accuracy.  A widespread view encountered in many quarters of Texas today is that the idea of detaching Texas from Spain - and later from Mexico - was a scheme that was exclusively Anglo in its origination. However, as is so often the case, a closer look at history reveals a totally different picture.

In 1811, after his revolution was on the ropes and before he was betrayed and taken prisoner in Coahuila, Padre Hidalgo was fleeing Mexico for Texas, where he likely hoped to gain support from the Tejanos.  Also in 1811, there was a failed uprising against Spain in San Antonio de Bexar.  Finally, in 1813, Bernardo Gutierrez de Lara set up a short-lived Republic of the North at Nacognoches, which was quickly defeated  at the Battle of the Medina, the bloodiest battle ever on Texas soil, during which more than 1,400 revolutionaries lost their lives to a crack Spanish army under General Joaquin de Arredondo in fighting south of San Antonio de Bexar.  A 19-year-old junior officer in Arredondo's army was Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna.

By 1821, Mexico had gained its independence from Spain; and, after the short-lived emperorship of  Agustin Iturbide, a federal constitution modeled on the constitution of the United States took effect in 1824. Although the new Mexican constitution reserved a favored position for the Roman Catholic Church, it formed a government which was structured around the concept of division of powers in the form of separate executive, judicial and legislative branches.

During the 1830's, Mexico's leadership took a drastic turn to the right, and the person of Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna became paramount in an effort to centralize power in Mexico City and to quash the 1824 constitution.  Rebellions sprang up in several Mexican states, including Coahuila y Tejas, in response to what would shortly become an all out effort in Mexico City to replace federal states with centrally controlled departments.  The erstwhile governor of Coahuila y Texas, Agustin Viesca, fled from Saltillo to Texas, where he joined his friend, Stephen F. Austin, in the effort to create an independent Texas.  

JOSE FRANCISCO RUIZ

ANTONIO DE ZAVALA

The fall of 1835 witnessed unremitting warfare between Texas revolutionaries and Mexico. On March 2, 1836, Texas declared independence.  Of those who were signatories to the declaration, three were former Hispanic citizens of Mexico:  Jose Antonio Navarro, Jose Francisco Ruiz and Lorenzo de Zavala.  Zavala, who had presided over the drafting of the Mexican Constitution of 1824 and had served as a minister in the Mexican government, would become an interim vice-president of the new republic, and, along with Navarro and Ruiz, would take a leading role in the drafting of the Constitution of the Republic of Texas.

JUAN SEGUIN

Tejanos, including Brigido Guerrero,an ancestor of my wife, were prominent in the storming of Bexar in 1835, and there were 8 Tejanos at the Alamo:  Jose Maria Esparza, Antonio Fuentes, Jose Toribio Lesoya, Andres Nava, Juan Abamillo, Juan Badillo, Jose Maria Guerrero, and Juan Seguin.  Of the 8, Seguin would live to fight and distinguish himself at San Jacinto and eventually be promoted to colonel and serve as a senator of the Texas Republic and mayor of San Antonio.  Although forced to serve in the Mexican army during the Mexican war, Seguin returned to Texas, where he served as a county judge and a justice of the peace.

Of the several prominent Tejano families that opposed Santa Anna, none was more renowned than the de Leon family of Victoria.  The sons and sons-in-law of Martin de Leon, including Jose Maria Jesus Carabal, Placido Benavides, and Silvestre de Leon, led military forces and supported the cause with their resources.  Benavides, owing to his long ride in alerting ranchers in south Texas to the approach of Santa Anna, became known as the "Paul Revere of Texas."   Like several Tejano families in Texas, the de Leons, despite their strong opposition to Santa Anna, opposed independence.

At the time of independence, there were no more than 4,000 Tejanos in Texas.  In terms of their support for the war against Santa Anna, they accounted for a greater proportion of their numbers participating in the revolution than a corresponding percentage of Anglos who were actively engaged.

In the loss of Texas, there were probably 2 factors that negatively affected Mexico more than any others:

1. Political instability early on became a way of life for Mexico. In the first 27 years of Mexican independence, there were 50 separate governments under various heads of state.  Santa Anna himself would serve on 11 occasions as head of state.  Unfortunately,  Spain had not bequeathed a legacy of participation to the creoles who tried to govern in the early years of Mexican independence

2. Most Mexicans were reluctant to endure the harsh conditions of life in Texas.  Therefore, the enormous land mass of Texas was open to settlement from non-Mexican quarters, and hardy Anglo-Saxons were more than happy to test their mettle in Texas

Despite their relatively small numbers, the Tejanos had an immense cultural influence.  From food and dress to architecture, agriculture and ranching, the uniqueness of Texas is indebted to the Tejanos.  Clearly, the Tejano influence is alive and well today; and, just as clearly, the outcome of the venture that culminated in the Lone Star Republic would have been more uncertain without the Tejano heroes of the Texas Revolution.

THE GHOST OF JOHN ADAMS AND THE IMPERIAL, RACIST PRESIDENCY OF BARACK OBAMA

And be it further enacted, that if any person shall write, print, utter or publish, or shall cause or procure to be written, printed, uttered or published, or shall knowingly and willingly assist,, or aid in writing, printing, uttering or publishing any false, scandalous and malicious writing or writings against the government of the United States, or either house of the Congress of the United States, or the President of the United States, with the intent to defame the said government, or either house of the said Congress, or the said President, ......,then such person being thereof convicted before any court of the United States having jurisdiction thereof, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars, and by imprisonment not exceeding two years.  Section 2, Act in addition to the Act, Entitled "An Act for the Punishment of Certain Crimes Against the United States" (Alien and Sedition Acts, 1798).

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. ( First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America)

The Alien and Sedition Acts were four bills signed into law by President John Adams in 1798. Conceived by Federalist politicians who feared that Democratic-Republican opposition would threaten the power of the central government and bring a French Revolution-style of anarchy to the United States, the portion of the acts pertaining to freedom of expression were particularly onerous.  All told, 10 persons were
convicted under provisions pertaining to sedition.

Although these laws, in their time, were considered manifestations of a central government intent on the tyrannical exercise of power, the Supreme Court (not yet having any precedent for judicial review) never subjected the Alien and Sedition Acts to its scrutiny.  Nevertheless, President Thomas Jefferson pardoned those who had been convicted, and subsequent court opinions having to do with other issues have reflected a widespread view that the Supreme Court would certainly consider the legislation unconstitutional.

Today, generally speaking and with particular import for political expression, freedom of speech includes virtually any and all forms of expression proceeding from one's oral, written or bodily communication, with exceptions, of course, having to do with obscenity, libel, slander, etc.

Indeed, there are some forms of expressions which might be considered boorish or in bad taste, but such is the way of life in the political arena. For example, during a joint session of Congress on September 9, 2009, Representative Joe Wilson of South Carolina shouted, "You lie!" as President Obama delivered an address in which he indicated that illegal immigrants would not be covered in subsequent health care legislation.  Although many felt that Congressman Wilson's outburst was ill-advised and tasteless, he was within his rights in expressing himself in that manner.  As an aside, it would seem that Wilson's view on  health care legislation. has since been vindicated.

Just this week a hornet's nest was stirred up when a rodeo clown at the Missouri State Fair appeared in a President Obama mask.  By the resulting outcry and comments emanating from the White House, one would think that a unique, egregious violation had occurred.  Misguided and constitutionally uninformed officials at the fair banned the offending clown from future appearances in the arena, and Missouri's Senator Clair McCaskill - with a dubious record of underhandedness in her own political history - spoke out as if the poor clown had committed an unforgiveable transgression.

SOME MASKS OF PRESIDENTS PAST

Somehow, all this hulabaloo strikes me as ridiculous.  Various manufacturers have for many decades marketed outlandish masks of presidential likenesses, which have been worn in a variety of settings to express differences of political opinion.  I can remember when certain characters appearing at public events wearing George W. masks participated in some really disagreeable behavior, but nothing was made of it.

Somehow, with our current president, all caricatures should cease and the imperial person of President Barack H. Obama should not be sullied by the same sort of ridicule endured by previous chief executives. After all, these sorts of actions could very well be motivated by racism!  Whatever happened, pray tell, to the sentiment of  Harry Truman - a real Missourian, by the way - expressed as, "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!"

Apparently, in a move smacking of the same sort of stuff we used to associate with "re-education" under communist regimes, the folks at the Missouri State Fair have called for "sensitivity training" for rodeo participants.  For those in the U.S. who are still broadly educated, this will probably sound a bit too "Orwellian."


Sadly, race now affects virtually all aspects of the current administration in Washington.  Incredibly, every conceivable issue somehow reeks of ethnicity and tribalism; thus, resulting in a special type of  presidential racism, which is effectively used to obscure the many failures of the Obama White House.

Hopefully, the rodeo clown booted out of the fair in Missouri will put in an appearance at the Texas State Fair, where he will probably be received most enthusiastically.  Personally, I can't wait until he gets a big Texas round of applause!

THE NEW SATYRICON: AMERICA IN THE 21ST CENTURY

This know also, that in the last days, perilous times shall come.  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy   Without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers incontinent, ...despisers of those that are good. Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.  Timothy 3: 1-5.

It may not be coincidental that American popular culture these days is reminiscent of Petronius (27 AD - 66 AD), the Roman voluptuary, satirist and courtier whose Satyricon is sometimes cited by scholars as being the first literary work in novel form in Western civilization.

First exposed as a college sophomore to Petronius in a course in Roman literature, the degeneracy of   Nero's era was more than a little unsettling for a wet-behind-the-ears 19-year-old. Be that as it may, from the standpoint of today's standards, I can imagine that Petronius might very well be at home in 21st century America.

If Petronius were standing in line at any number of grocery store check-outs, I can well imagine that he would happily flip through the pages of National Enquirer and The Globe, two publications that put great stock in besting each other in their world of a sensational style of journalism based on revelations of unrestrained sex and bizarre crimes. Certainly, any voluptuary worthy of the name would want to know that Katy Cuoco - sorry, but her identity escapes me - is "addicted to bad boys", and that Simon Cowell has "...dirty secrets."  In addition, The Globe has recently broken a graphically descriptive story of the painful death throes afflicting Queen Elizabeth.  In Brownsville, Texas, where I live, there are no longer any major bookstores in operation; but, from my own informal tabulation at my local HEB store, there would appear to be ample readers of these publications.

In a land with a desire for violent entertainment, an ongoing sexual fixation, compounded by wide-spread gender-confusion, and which is rapidly accommodating and appeasing homosexuality throughout all areas of society, Petronius would have an unlimited setting from which to draw material for further writing in the same vein as his Satyricon..

That more and more people choose to view spectacles on TV, or on the silver screen, depicting all manner of death and disfigurement cannot be disputed.  In many ways - just, for example, consider the "sport" of ultimate fighting - we are not far removed from the entertainment provided throughout arenas in the Roman world in Petronius's time.

The modern technology facilitating the spread of pornography would delight Petronius, as would the ready availability of mind-altering drugs.  And, let us not overlook the the sky-rocketing divorce rate and the resulting break-ups of home life, which produce the types of rootless individuals so easily preyed upon by a degenerate society.

With the ultimate decline of the Roman Republic came a withering away of the virtues that had sustained Roman society for centuries, thus establishing a wide comfort zone for perversion, depravity and the orgy-filled lives of Petronius and his fellows.  With this in mind, what are we to make of our world today, which encourages extra-marital relations, "sexual exploration" and total liberation as "...normal and healthy?"

A symptom of the waning of traditional American culture may also be seen in the ongoing decline of mainline Christian denominations. The hierarchies of the Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopal, Lutheran and other churches have all been rushing like lemmings to accede and adapt to popular culture. Consequently, Americans have been fleeing their pews in sky-rocketing  numbers.  At the same time, Hollywood and the entertainment industry continue to turn out motion pictures which ridicule traditional American values, including the Church.

"ONCE UPON A TIME, SO VERY LONG AGO..."

Petronius, owing to his fall from favor in the Roman court, took his own life, an act that was not uncommon in his day.  In our own death-centered culture, suicide is widely seen as a perfectly acceptable option and, along with growing acceptance of euthanasia, drives an attitude which cheapens human life.  That 50 million children have been aborted since Roe v. Wade and that organizations such as Planned Parenthood sanction partial-birth abortion now undergird a society with many who would favor forcing Christians opposed to such practices to support them with their tax dollars.

Alexis de Toqueville, commenting on the strength of America, wrote:

"Not until I went to the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power.  America is great because she is good, and if ever America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great."

Looked at today, America appears less and less "good."  But beyond its decline in goodness is a growing gulf between two Americas, both of which condemn each other.  One America denounces the other as bigoted, homophobic and racist, while the other America persists in its adherence to traditional values and beliefs, in total opposition to the new religion of political correctness and multiculturalism.  In effect, this is a culture war of major proportions for America's heart and soul.  The battle is not yet totally joined, but we are nearing an historical juncture which will make it inevitable that this basic issue will be resolved. Will the moorings of morality, decency and godliness be just a dim memory from another age?  Will the outcome of cultural conflict result in a new Petronian order, or in an America which reverses course and returns to its roots of greatness, exceptionalism and basic goodness?  Like it or not, you will likely be a part of the decision-making process!

WANTED: LESS ELECTION FRAUD, AND MORE VOTERS WITH PRIDE IN THE ELECTORAL PROCESS

Common practices like boarding an airplane and purchasing Sudafed require photo ID, and we should expect nothing less for the protection of our right to vote.  Governor Pat McCrory, upon signing North Carolina's new voter ID law.

When I turned 21, I walked several blocks to the courthouse, where I proudly entered the office of the county clerk and registered to vote.  For me, this was a serious affirmation of my coming of age as an American.  The very fact that I expended a little bit of effort in the act was a sign that I would take very seriously the right for which so many had sacrificed so much.  Compare that with practices prevalent today, which assist citizens to register in almost any old place - even including their homes - and it is not difficult to discern that not only does the system not inspire pride but that it also has opened itself to the great likelihood of fraud.

Shortly after the 2012 election, there was a story hitting the various media of an election judge in Ohio who had managed to vote 8 times - all the votes were for President Obama, of course.  If that election judge managed 8 votes in one election, just imagine how she might have facilitated the same type of behavior for others coming to her polling place.

For one not to have a photo ID in this day and age seems virtually impossible.  I was thinking just yesterday of all the situations in which one is required to show a picture-ID:  to check into a hotel, to drink a beer, to get a library card, to board a plane, to buy a train ticket, to cash a check, etc.  It goes without saying that, in the 21st century, one does not get far in life without a photo ID.

In Texas, non-driving, state-issued photo IDs are available at any driving license office at a cost of $6.00 for those over the age of 60. while those 59 and younger pay $16.00.  At last count, in the congressional district in which I live, there were 23 sites where the service was available.

As for those who oppose photo IDs for voters and scream to the high heavens that voting fraud is negligible in the U.S., may I remind them of the many incidents that were uncovered in Florida and California of non-U.S. citizens voting in 2012.  Also, notably in New York, there was a long-standing practice of the registration of individuals with fictitious names, followed by political operatives voting those names on election day.  And, don't forget, that ACORN and other so-called "community organizing groups" have a sleazy past of all sorts of tomfoolery in the registration process. Then there are probably more than 50,000 people registered to vote in both Florida and New York.  If it seems that this is a minimal number of people voting in elections without the right to do so, please recall that it wasn't so long ago that a certain close election in Florida was hanging by a mere "chad."

Democratic critics of photo ID charge that such a requirement will serve only to diminish election turnouts; however, in state after state which has adopted a photo ID requirement, turnouts have increased.  Using Georgia as an example, after photo ID legislation was passed, the state sent mobile bus units into neighborhoods across the state, which were equipped with the on-site ability to register voters and even to provide them with photo IDs.  In the first election after the ID requirement, voter participation shot up dramatically, and even included a 5% increase in the black vote.

Despite all of the demonstrated benefits of a photo ID requirement for the electorate, nonsensical challenges to state law still occur.  Lately, the ACLU is bringing suit against North Carolina's new law; and, in Texas, the Holder DOJ is ever more determined to continually scrutinize the Lone Star State's legislation on voting regulations.

In deep South Texas, where the votes of an unsophisticated electorate are bought with barbecued chicken and beer and where campaign workers regularly load semi-comatose voters from adult day care centers into vans bound for polling places, election chicanery has been for too long a way of life.  The state requirement for photo IDs is a start in the right direction; but, to bring places like Cameron and Hidalgo counties into conformity with above-board voting procedures will entail close supervision from Austin.

Looked at closely, the opposition to a photo ID from certain quarters should not be surprising.  After all, since 2009, the U.S. has had to bear the weight from its highest echelons of a Chicago and Cook County mentality, which has never had a reputation for clean politics.  But, then again all the arguments against photo ID when taken to their logical conclusion, obviously come out lacking.  Thus, all the Democrats are left with are their usual faux-cries of "Racism! Racism!"  For all practical purposes, the case against photo ID collapses under the weight of its own absurdity.