God and Guns
The Star-Telegram recently pandered to Lone Star pews by publishing an op-ed defending Texas’ decision to teach the Bible in public schools. Christians in general and the author, an outspoken Christian and former homeschool mom, are certainly entitled to their opinion, but the U.S. Constitution clearly states that they are not entitled to religious entitlement.
And that’s what explicitly teaching the Bible in public schools is: religious entitlement.
Based on the founding documents of this nation, the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution — in conjunction with that amendment’s Free Exercise Clause — form the constitutional right of freedom of religion. Combined in the First Amendment, the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause proclaim:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof …
The Establishment Clause serves as a dual promise and protection, prohibiting both control of the government by religion and political control of religion by the government. Simply stated, the federal government and, by later extension, the governments of all U.S. states and U.S. territories, are prohibited from establishing or sponsoring
religion. And mandating the Bible be taught in Texas public schools is not a passive, humble exercise — it’s an active sponsorship and an aggressive overreach. With all undue respect to the right-leaning Star-T, this point is inarguable.
I never homeschooled my four children. I also never saddled my kids with the terrible baggage of monotheism or theocratic exclusivity. I basically encouraged them to figure things out for themselves, chiefly because I didn’t want them stuffed like Thanksgiving turkeys with narrow belief- or value-sets, then Betty-Crockered up to accept or observe conclusions that were not their own
A couple of my children flirt with Christianity and may consider (or someday may consider) themselves Christians. I have no problem with that. I’d be surprised if they agreed with teaching the Bible in Texas schools, but they’re certainly entitled to their own views on the subject. Neither brainwashing nor intellectual freedom is foolproof
Personally, I have grave reservations about the Bible being taught in schools — mainly because it’s not holy. It’s quite holey.
American Christians used the Bible to justify slavery
American Christians used the Bible to denigrate, dehumanize, and destroy indigenous peoples and cultures across this continent and beyond.
American Christians use the Bible to vilify other nations and justify absconding with those nations’ natural resources.
American Christians use the Bible to restrict women’s reproductive rights
American Christians use the Bible to justify patriarchal primacy, control, indulgence, and abuse.
The Star-T says the Bible “has shaped human history in unfathomable ways,” which sounds nice but hasn’t been nice. The astounding, colossal hypocrisy of Christianity is quite fathomable and sinisterly apparent. Plenty of Americans — including Texans and Christians — have been onboard with all sorts of measures protecting our future — our children — against gun violence in our classrooms. Which is all well and good. But the alleged Author of All Things is something of a hack and has been a scourge for most of the rest of the world. And what his followers have done in His name is barbaric, monstrous, and evil So, how is mandating that the Bible be placed in our children’s hands any better than a gun (or as Marx phrased it, “a dangerous drug”)?
Oh, how silly of me. That’s where the saying comes from.
God and guns.
Happy Farce of July. — E.R. Bills
Fort Worth native E.R. Bills is an award-winning author and journalist. His next book, Devil of Devils: Unspeakable Crimes in Southwest Texas, will be published on Sep 22.
This column reflects the opinions and fact-gathering of the author(s) and only the author(s) and not the Fort Worth Weekly. To submit a column, please email Editor Anthony Mariani at Anthony@ FWWeekly.com. He will gently edit it for clarity and concision.
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4651 WEST FREEWAY | I-30 @ HULEN | 817-989-4700
No talking. No food and drinks. No drawing.
Come break the rules and say “yes!” to new art experiences at the Carter’s Second Thursdays!
Every Second Thursday is different than the last. You’ll never think of museums in the same way again.
SECOND THURSDAYS ARE ALWAYS FREE!
THURSDAY JUL 9 | 5–8 P.M.
DRINK & DRAW
Grab a drink and put pencil to paper with this evening themed around drawing works of art in our collection.
ART
‘American Tifo’
At the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, a new exhibit shows a colorful side of soccer.
BY RUSH OLSON
A new art exhibit might have the chance to set a new soccer world record: longest continuous use of a tifo.
Up now thru Aug 30 at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, American Tifo consists mostly of huge supporter-created works of art previously unfurled for brief periods of time at various U.S. soccer stadia.
“A tifo can range from a handheld banner size that maybe somebody holds up throughout the whole game, but it can also range to be a, like, 100-foot-by-60-foot or even bigger size,” said American Tifo co-curator Maria VanDyken Li, “basically a portable mural that soccer supporters work together collectively to sew and paint and design, and they raise it up for only a couple minutes before kickoff before it drops down again, and it’s gone forever.”
The job of VanDyken Li and co-organizer Justin Witte was to provide a second life to many of the multiple tifos that make up the exhibition.
If you’re an American new to soccer (and that’s totally cool — with the World Cup here, there are a lot of you), you might be puzzling over whether “tifo” is one of those international acronyms that signifies “federation de” something-or-other. In fact, some signage near the front of the hall explains the term’s origins: “In the early 20th century, Italian sportswriters began describing deeply devoted soccer fans as tifosi, likening them to those who suffer from typhus, because of their delirious commitment to their teams. … Today, ‘tifo’ refers to the large banners, card mosaics, flags, and painted signs made and displayed by soccer fans around the world.”
VanDyken Li and Witte’s Chicago-based company, The Footy Museum, develops soccer-related exhibitions and content. The two soccer aficionados sourced these particular fabrics from followers of United States clubs. VanDyken Li said their research clued them in to the significance that tifos can hold.
“We were like, ‘Wow, this is bigger than we thought it was,’ ” she said. “These supporters’
groups go deeper than we thought they did, the amount of impact [the tifos] have, not just in the stadium atmosphere but also in their communities.”
The artworks’ immense scale alone gives some idea of the devotion supporters feel toward this expression of their fandom. You don’t go to that much trouble if you’re not truly bought in.
Though the museum gave VanDyken Li and Witte a large gallery in which to work, the organizers still often had to carefully select and fold large canvases not originally designed for long-term durability.
“They’re meant for a temporary display,” VanDyken Li explained. “You can see the wrinkles, where after it was done being shown, it gets folded and rolled away, and put in storage, and everybody goes and has a beer, and they’re like, ‘Great job. Well done.’ ”
Any noticeable imperfections speak to the original purpose of the artwork and do not obscure the legitimate artistic skill that’s apparent in many of the pieces.
“There’s a lot of really creative people out there, and they form these communities because they love soccer and they love their city, and they find a place where they can come together and do things together,” VanDyken Li said. “If they’re creative and they have the means and the talent, they can channel that into proving their devotion to their team through artwork.”
The artists often communicate that devotion in ways unique to their particular city or club. For instance, one might question the presence of a cuteish semiaquatic mammal on one of the banners near the front.
“ ‘What is this baby hippo doing on this Cincinnati banner?’ Like, ‘I don’t understand where this came from,’ ” imagined VanDyken Li about a possible attendee reaction. “But then you dig into it, and you’re like, ‘Oh, this is a local hero, the baby hippo from the Cincinnati Zoo.’ ”
That the intrepid Fiona the hippo shows up on a tifo speaks to the mix of soccer and community
inherent in local club supporters’ groups. Detroit City FC’s Northern Guard Supporters example bears the verbiage “it has never been just about sports,” the motto of their NGS Cares offshoot community-support organization.
The art also makes club-specific soccer references. The “8” on the Chicago tifo signifies the supporter group’s section in the team’s original stadium. Chicago, Cincinnati, and Austin all depict iconic players. The last is one of four Texas clubs represented, with local teams FC Dallas, Dallas Trinity FC, and Atlético Dallas all paying testament to the strength of the sport in North Texas.
The exhibit extends beyond the club level to also include a work of the American Outlaws, who support the United States national teams. It, too, reflects a bigger picture beyond the pitch.
“We have one in support of the U.S. women’s national team that, to me, speaks very loudly about just the spirit of support, supporting a group, and how that can be meaningful,” VanDyken Li said. “The full image is of a women’s national team player heading a ball into a glass ceiling that shatters. We had to fold it and make it smaller, but I think it contains all of this very powerful, simple imagery.”
American Tifo has the potential to appeal to all ages. The children who make up much of this museum’s primary customer base may not yet have a grasp of the nuances of a sport, but they may well relate to splashy, colorful artwork, especially when they can make their own versions at a table adjacent to the exhibit. The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History generally looks to create opportunities for kids to explore and discover. VanDyken Li hopes the exhibit also feeds young people’s curiosity.
“Just, like, the joy of entering a room with so much vibrancy and color and stories, learning something about this niche world that maybe they haven’t been exposed to, and maybe feeling a little bit inspired,” she said. “Maybe you get siloed into ‘you’re a sports kid’ or ‘you’re an arts kid.’ Well, here’s an example of where you can be both, like you can love sports and use your art to express that, and I think that’s a really valuable lesson to take with you through life. … You don’t have to just be one thing.” l
“In the early 20th century, Italian sportswriters began describing deeply devoted soccer fans as tifosi, likening them to those who suffer from typhus, because of their delirious commitment to their teams. … Today, ‘tifo’ refers to the large banners, card mosaics, flags, and painted signs made and displayed by soccer fans around the world.” Courtesy The Footy Museum
The hope is that American Tifo feeds young people’s curiosity.
Courtesy The Footy Museum
The artists often communicate their devotion in ways unique to their particular city or club.
Rush Olson
American Tifo Thru Aug 30 at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, 1600 Gendy St, Fort Worth. $12-16. 817-255-9300.
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CALENDAR
Night & Day: The Red, White & Blue Edition
BY ELAINE WILDER
We have guests, y’all, so be on your best behavior. Do not shoot your guns into the air. Leave no dog unattended in the backyard. Don’t set anything on fire. EMS is too busy with the World Cup for your Yankee-doodle foolishness, and the shelters are already full of animals needing homes. There’s no room for your freaked-out Frenchie. Now, after you clean your room, get out there and have a good time! You turn 250 only once.
FIFA’s on Fire
Spectacular fireworks displays will be hosted during the World Cup this holiday, including massive shows to celebrate Independence Day. While the next Dallas Stadium match in Arlington is Fri, Jul 3, between Australia and Egypt, it’s at 1pm, so the official FIFA Fan Festival at Fair Park will host fireworks immediately following the fest’s screening of the Colombia/Ghana match that evening. As for July 4 proper, there are two World Cup matches in the United States. Canada/Morocco is in Houston at noon, and Paraguay vs. France will be at 5pm in Philadelphia, home of the Liberty Bell and a lot of other juicy history, so I’m sure there will be fireworks in the undisputed birthplace of America, which will be just as good or better than the fireworks videos your cousin tries to take every year with his phone.
Crosstown Sounds
Local punks LABELS are doing a summer tour this year which kicks off on Fri, Jul 3, at The Post (2736 W 6th St, Fort Worth, 817-945-8890) with Heavy Petal, Love Cuts, and Flower Bed. Two Guys Walk Into a Bar also have a show on Fri, Jul 3, at Second Rodeo in the Stockyards (122 E Exchange Av, Ste 340, Fort Worth, 877-517-7548).
On Sat, Jul 4, Historic Downtown Killeen (200 E Avenue D, 254-501-7600) hosts its annual Red, White & Blue Music Festival. The festivities start at 7pm, and the Bronson Louis Band is the headliner. For more July gig info, check out Crosstown Sounds in the Calendar drop-down at FWWeekly.com later this week.
Proceed with Caution
Town squares just love a parade, and Saturday is full of them. With the Texas weather doing what Texas weather does (hot, miserable), stay hydrated and wear comfortable shoes. Speaking of shoes, if the pavement is too hot for your bare foot, it’s too hot for Fido’s foot, too. They make dog shoes now. Dog. Shoes.
Other morning parades on Saturday include the Yankee Doodle Parade at 9am in Denton Square (110 W Hickory St) and the Parade Down Parkway in Coppell, beginning at Sandy Lake Road and Samuel Boulevard and ending at the Tom Thumb (106 N Denton Tap Rd, 972-304-3223).
Dog Days of Summer
Speaking of dogs, here are three more nuggets to consider.
1.) Now thru Sun, Jul 5, Lazy Dog (several area locations) is hosting Paws on the Patio. Bring your furry friends to the restaurant’s dog-friendly patio and receive a free Dog Bowl from the food menu for pups — and a special bandana — while supplies last.
Downtown Arlington has its 62nd Annual Independence Day Parade on Sat, Jul 4, from 9am to noon. It starts at City Hall (101 W Abram St, 817-265-3311) and winds throughout the nearby UTA campus. For more information, visit Arlington4th.org.
2.) I wasn’t kidding about the animal shelters being full. Fort Worth Animal Services is in crisis mode as both shelter campuses exceed capacity, with hundreds of dogs and cats — many of them kittens — packed into overcrowded spaces and temporary kennels. Officials are urgently asking the community to adopt or foster, saying every placement frees up lifesaving room for animals arriving daily. Supplies are provided for fosters, and residents are encouraged to step in now to help relieve the pressure. Interested residents can start by visiting FortWorthTexas.gov/ departments/code-compliance/animals.
3.) Did you know that the Weekly has an annual animal-oriented special issue? On Wed, Jul 29, be sure to pick up a copy of Creature Comforts in the stands. Meanwhile, send your ideas to Marketing@FWWeekly.com. Woof!
Lazy Dog hosts Paws on the Patio this weekend.
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EMPLOYMENT
Structural Technologies LLC has opening in Fort Worth, TX for Estimator 1. Remote work opts avail. Leads the dev of estimates. Defines and quantifies scope of work and preps conceptual, budgetary, and cost estimates for projects. Master’s or equiv + 1 yrs exp. 25% travel, or less, domestically per year. Send CVs to Structural Technologies, LLC, Attn: Tamarah Goldbeck, 10150 Old Columbia Road, Columbia, MD 24106. Must ref job title & code: ST-GM.
EMPLOYMENT
Mouser Electronics, Inc. seeks Cloud Engineer III in Mansfield, TX. Ensure optimal performance of all servers by proactively conducting ongoing performance; monitor, tune, adjust as necessary. Work from home allowed 2-3 days/week. Must work from employer’s Mansfield, TX office location at other times. Apply: https://www.jobpostingtoday.com/Ref #15339.
EMPLOYMENT
General Motors seeks a Vehicle Systems Resident Engineer, in Arlington, TX that Works with execution zone manufacturing engineers engaged in developing manufacturing processes, designing equipment & tooling, integrating equipment, installing them into the plant, & monitoring to steady state. 40% domestic & international travel required. Hybrid Work Policy - 3 days In-office, 2 days remote - Must be able to report to local office. See full req’s & apply online: https://search-careers.gm.com/ en/jobs/ Job Reference: 202613545.
EMPLOYMENT
Vytelle, LLC seeks IVF Scientist in Fort Worth, TX, to perform laboratory research for Bovine IVF program. 8% travl requird to vrious unanticpted locations throughout the U.S. PhD+3. Send CV to HR@vytelle.com w/ Ref# AC0126.
EMPLOYMENT
Pattonair USA, Inc. (dba Incora), Senior Supplier Quality Manager, Roanoke (Northlake), TX. Lead & oversee entire supplier quality management process. May telecommute. 50% domestic travel reqd. Email CV Brian. Briggs@incora.com. Ref. 11104.17.2
HISTORIC RIDGLEA THEATER
THE RIDGLEA is three great venues within one historic Fort Worth landmark. RIDGLEA THEATER has been restored to its authentic allure, recovering unique Spanish-Mediterranean elements. It is ideal for large audiences and special events. RIDGLEA ROOM and RIDGLEA LOUNGE have been making some of their own history, as connected adjuncts to RIDGLEA THEATER, or hosting their own smaller shows and gatherings. More at theRidglea.com.
PUBLIC NOTICE
The following vehicles have been impounded with fees due to date by Texas Towing Wrecker, 205 S Commercial St, Fort Worth TX 76107, 817-877-0206 (VSF0000964): 1965 Truck bed Trailer, No VIN, No Plate, $1300.88; 2021 Coolster Motorcycle, Vin L6ZDCCLA6M1005452, $1375.08; 2005 Lufkin 53ft Dry Van trailer, VIN 1L01A532X51155072, $2871.35; and 2022 Horizon Rolloff Trailer, Vin 3EWGR2429NR001566, $3557.77.
PUBLIC NOTICES / AUCTIONS
NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE PURSUANT TO CHAPTER 59 OF THE TEXAS PROPERTzcCODE: Curio Storage Vega Dr, Fort Worth, located at 6129 Vega Dr, Fort Worth, TX 76133 n(phone: 409-203-4147) will hold a public auction of property being sold to satisfy the owner’s lien for unpaid rent and other charges. The sale will take place at www. bid13.com beginning on 7/18/2026 at 12:00 AM and ending on 7/29/2026 at 6:00 PM. Property in each space will be sold by the space. Deposit for removal and cleanup may be temporarily required. No cash accepted. Seller reserves the right to not accept any bid and to withdraw property from sale. Allcunits may contain household goods, furniture, boxes, and/or miscellaneous personal items. Sale subject to cancellation if payment is made prior to auction closing. Name and unit number of tenants: Ryan Hopkins, unit 220; Lakeshia D. Jenkins, unit 317; Maya Marquez, unit 403; Lakeshia D. Jenkins, unit 430; Merkle draughn, unit 503; Chonte Donnell, unit 635; Dietra Alexander, unit 708; J Gilberto Reynoso, unit 712; Gina Rigney, unit 715; Ezekiel Forrest, unit 716; Camerynn Jaco, unit 726; John vitto, unit 732; Krystal Winton, unit 821;
PUBLIC NOTICES / AUCTIONS
NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE PURSUANT TO CHAPTER 59 OF THE TEXAS PROPERTY CODE: Curio Storage DeSoto, located at 601 S Interstate 35 E | DeSoto, TX 75115, (phone: 409-203-4147) will hold a public auction of property being sold to satisfy the owner’s lien for unpaid rent and other charges. The sale will take place at www.bid13.com beginning on 7/18/2026 at 12:00 AM and ending on 7/29/2026 at 6:00 PM. Property in each space will be sold by the space. Deposit for removal and cleanup may be temporarily required. No cash accepted. Seller reserves the right to not accept any bid and to withdraw property from sale. All units may contain household goods, furniture, boxes, and/ or miscellaneous personal items. Sale subject to cancellation if payment is made prior to auction closing. Name and unit number of tenants: Keasha Anderson, unit 0A22; India Johnson, unit 0E03; Khalilah Mclemore, units 0F15 & 0G59; Dionte Heath, unit 0G61.
VETERAN CAR DONATIONS:
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