Reply #79: Don't you know that the more you tear us down..

[girl gone mad]

the stronger we become?

Texas is the place that taught me to be strong and fight for what I believe in. No offense to those other 49 states, but liberals from just about anywhere else can be a bit wishy-washy. Texans are polite, but we aren't pushovers.

Bush is not a Texan. He just doesn't embody a single characteristic I consider representative of this state. LBJ was a Texan, flawed, but strong enough to support civil rights and decent enough to admit mistakes.

Look at the Dixie Chicks or Nora Jones. These are Texas women who weren't afraid to speak out, even if it cost them popularity.

I guess that's what the Alamo represents to us. Fighting for what you believe in, no matter the personal cost. Not David vs. Goliath, but David vs. 10,000 Goliaths knowing that he can't win. So, we're a bit masochistic at times.

I don't consider this state red. The Republican brand has been popular here for the past few years, in part a backlash to our immigrant explosion, the rapid rise of suburban corporate culture and the subsequent loss of some true identity. The Texas that I know is much too complicated for any collection of political labels.