why is the alamo such a proud piece of texas heritage...?

[dysfunctional press]

the people who died "defending" it would have been more than happy to be mexican citizens- if only they would have been allowed to keep slaves.

[Joe Fields]

1. What I cannot figure out is why Texans are so proud of Texas.

[DBoon]

30. because it ensures they are not Californians?

nt

[Joe Fields]

43. Mighty fine reasoning there, pardner.

[EFerrari]

83. Yeah, because going with that whole diversity, environmental, anti war thing

is such a blunder.

:rofl:

[VelmaD]

2. I would suggest...

that you go read the Texas Declaration of Independence to find out exactly why Texas was breaking away from Mexico.

BTW, Texas wasn't the only Mexican state that tried to break away at the time...we were just the only one that succeded at it.

[dysfunctional press]

7. the "exactly why's" are generally not found in a declaration of independence.

not in so many words, anyway.

[VelmaD]

10. I disagree

I find the US Declaration of Independence lays out the reasons we broke away from England in a rather straight-forward way. The Texas Declaration is the same.

[dysfunctional press]

20. the u.s. declaration of independence isn't all that straight-forward.

for instance- it doesn't come right out and say that the rich white guys are tired of paying their taxes.

and yet, that's exactly what it's about.

[theboss]

40. Oohhhh...someone watched "Dazed and Confused"

Well played, sir. Well played.

[ieoeja]

75. Taxes were only a small part of it.

Usually it wasn't even paying the tax that was a problem, but the administration of said tax plus the reasons for the increased taxes.

First the Bad Reason for increased taxes

Prior to the French & Indian War there was no large force of Redcoats in the North American colonies. The colonists fought all prior Indian wars by themselves. The Redcoats were brought in to fight the French. Towards the end of the war King George II died. After the war under the new king the colonist forces (the Rangers) were forced to disband, the Redcoats stayed to defend the colonies from the non-Europeans, and the colonies were forced to pay for these Redcoats that the colonists did not want.

It was notable that the British abandoned many forts built by the colonists to threaten the Indians while manning ALL of the French forts built to threaten the British colonies. The conspiracy theorists of the day claimed the Redcoats were there to take away the home-rule enjoyed by the colonies for over a century. In later years when all the private correspondence was made public, the conspiracy theorists were proven correct.

Shortly thereafter came the only North American Indian war ever fought by a British Army. They failed miserably. The colonies took it upon themselves to raise the militia and put down Pontiac's Rebellion. But then the British stepped in to negotiate the peace treaty in which they committed a huge blunder: the British let the Indians take custody of the half-breed children of White women taken as slaves (and raped by their captors) during the war. Over the course of a century of settlement, the Americans had come to accept half-breeds as full-breeds in their society. The newly arrived Crown soldiers and governors were ignorant of this accomodation as they were ignorant of so much else.


Example of bad administration

Why did the "rich white men" object to the Stamp Tax? Because they "did not want to pay their taxes"? Nobody WANTS to pay their taxes, but they grumble and do it. The tax in this instance was not a problem. The problem was that a single manufacturer, and a major contributor to officials in the Kings Ministry as well as Parliament (some things never change), had a monopoly on the stamped paper required by this "tax". When the tax was expanded from covering the British Isles to covering the entire British Empire, they had to double the manufacturing capacity overnight and increase their distribution over an area ten thousand times larger.

This could not, of course, be done. So Farmer Dan got thrown in jail for drunken disorderly then found he could not get out of jail because for six months because there was no stamped paper available for a release order. And when Johnny and Suzy just HAD to get married, little Johnny Jr ended up a bastard (with the attached social stigma of that era) because there was no stamped paper for a marriage certificate.

It had NOTHING to do with "rich white guys tired of paying their taxes" and everything to do with lives getting fucked up.

Want to cut down a white pine tree? Nope. The new King's ministers dusted off some old obscure law that reserved all white pines for the navy (masts).

I could go on. There were a lot of problems. "Taxation without representation" just made a good bumper sticker.

[Bucky]

8. Look up the Fredonia Republic

American Mexicans were angling to break Texas off and bring it into the Union from the moment they arrived. The notion of nabbing Texas predates the Mexican Republic itself. Aaron Burr's troubles in 1806 stem in large part from his schemes to pull Texas into his own personal empire.

[VelmaD]

15. We covered that in 7th grade...

required Texas history. But it's been a long time...I'll have to go re-read up on it again sometime soon.

[AspenRose]

27. Ugh, I remember 7th grade Texas History. Huge-ass textbook

the size of the Houston phone book....

[The_Casual_Observer]

3. What else have they got? Dealey Plaza? Houston?

JR's Ranch?

The Alamo trumps 'em all.

[Gato Moteado]

9. the alamo is dull....it's just an adobe giftshop........

....but texas does have some incredible places to be proud of. big bend national park and guadalupe mountain national park are beautiful. there's even some beautiful wilderness in east texas. there definitely are some beautiful wild places in texas.

other things texas has (or had) to be proud of:

velmaD
molly ivins
velmaD
barbara jordan
bill hicks
velmaD
willie nelson
GOPisEvil

did i mention velmaD?
and yes DUers, she's single and available. the line forms here ===>

[VelmaD]

13. what am I...

chopped liver? :P

[Gato Moteado]

16. wait....lemme add you to the list....

...i knew i'd catch your attention.

[Gato Moteado]

19. ok....look here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=223515&mesg_id=223645

[VelmaD]

22. all is forgiven

:)

[DBoon]

32. You forgot some famous Texans...

Stevie Ray Vaughn
Roky Ericson
Gibby Haynes

[King Coal]

73. And don't forget that Texas is right by Oklahoma.

Now, Oklahoma has some history. I've only been there a couple times, but man, is Texas lucky to be close to that state.

[AnneD]

77. Try some of our younger famous Texans...

The Dixie Chicks, Beyonce (my fav), Rene Zellweger, Jamie Fox, Hillary Swank, Matthew McConnehey, Lance Armstrong, the Wilson brothers Owen and Luke. This is just in some of the art. I could go on but then this may start another bait job for a hate Texas thread.

On year on Spring Break, I took a trip through the Texas Independence Trail. Initially, the Mexican government wanted to develop what they thought was a semi useless area and they were fairly flexible. But when Texas started developing a bit to much and too independently....the Mexican government wanted peasants and they got more than they bargained for. There were other states that tried to revolt against Santa Ana too.

The actually Alamo was almost completely destroyed over time. A small portion, complete with bullet riddled pock marks still exists-that is what you see. Another thing you don't get from the history books is the fact that most of the defenders were not 'Native' Texans but settlers from many other countries-not just the US.
What is important about the Alamo, not the battle or the land, but that people should determine their own life, not have government determine it for you. That is as important now as ever before.

[TlalocW]

35. I think the grounds that it's on is quite beautiful

The whole hoo-rahing about the Alamo and stuff like that, I don't get, but I love visiting San Antonio especially during their city fiesta in April, and I love seeing the old Spanish colonial architecture in the historical sites there.

Plus, the friends I've taken with me down there were not as well versed with Mexican culture as I am and didn't know what cascarones were (empty painted egg shells filled with confetti that you smash on people's heads) so both times I went, I could buy cascarones right in front of them, and when they asked what they were for, I could say, "This!" and smash them on the head. Ah, good friends.

TlalocW

[ChickMagic]

45. And me

But here's my ignorant theory - Texans are ornery. I'm generation 9 Texan and I'm sure my 10th generation niece will soon deliver generation 11. Texans and Australians get along really, really well. My ancestors came here because the US didn't want them. They were criminals who killed an excise man. They fought at the Alamo because they were ornery. It's hard to make a living in Texas - in rural areas, it's a pretty hardscrabble life. There's a town called Comfort formed by atheists who actually had a sign saying that preachers would be shot. A freethinker newspaper had the largest circulation here in the 1800's - it was around 100,000 or so.

It's hard to believe now, I know. I'm proud of being a Texan - all this religious craziness and right wing bullshit is a new element here. This didn't happen until megachurches started isolating people.

On edit: The reason I mentioned Australia is that Texans and Australians celebrate getting their asses kicked. I was in the Gallipoli bar on Anzac day in Sydney and we were in complete understanding of that.

[Justitia]

49. Yes, the Freethinkers history in The Hill Country is quite something.

There are still some elements of it to be found, but I wish it had spread all over Texas.

I LOVE the Hill Country, it's magical and a place I always long for.

Freethinkers of the Early TX Hill Country: http://www.ffrf.org/fttoday/1998/april98/scharf.html

[ChickMagic]

51. Some atheist groups were trying to...

place a cenotaph in Comfort commemorating the freethinker founders, and the
fundy brigade managed to stop them. They said it was devil worship. :eyes:

[Justitia]

52. yes, the writer of the piece I linked to is one of the group trying to get the memorial

How sad that such an enlightened place at one time has turned so provincial.

Whenever I go there, I like to think I can still hear their ideas whispered on the never ending wind around the hills. The Hill Country is magnificent.

My dad lives just outside Boerne, and I have many friends in The Hill Country.

[AnneD]

78. I've noticed that too...

All my Aussie friends love it here and we have great times togather. We really do understand exactly where each other is coming from. True GROCK. I thought it was growing up in wide open spaces....but you're right, we're both onery. Our state motto should be "we'll kick your ass", not the wimpy 'friendship state'.

[Bitwit1234]

4. Texans used to be people to be proud of

remember Ann Richards. Barbara Jordan. Sam Houston and all the real fighters. It is a shame that a bunch of trash like the bush's went there.

[VelmaD]

5. forget closing the border with Mexico...

heck, most real Texans have no problems with people coming across from the South. But is there some way we can stop members of the Bush family from entering the state?

[Gato Moteado]

14. well, seeing as they named one of their airports after poppy....

...they'll deny me entry before they'd deny a bush entry.

[SpiralHawk]

46. Send the Bush Family Evil Empire back to Connecticut

What the hell, everybody knows they are really Nutmegger Skull & Boners.

[POAS]

6. Don't forget Molly!

[dysfunctional press]

11. and ironically...

i'm the great-great-great-great-great grandson of sam houston. for real.

[VelmaD]

18. Sam was a good man

I think it's time to go back and re-read some of what he said as he was leaving public office. He was the real deal.

[AspenRose]

28. I agree!

Sam Houston :thumbsup:

[Virginia Dare]

71. His marriage that only last for about a day or two is kind of

murky though...I've always wondered exactly what that was all about.

[texastoast]

100. He was in love

with Tiana Rogers, Will's ancestor, a Cherokee medicine woman. I can just imagine what Tiana taught him and then he expected the same of his blue blood wife. I'm sure she was just shocked!

[Flying Dream Blues]

54. My husband is also related to Sam Houston, but not nearly

as closely as you. His great-great grandmother was his niece. So I guess that makes you two cousins.
:hi:

[barb162]

12. Oh, I know Texans who are proud of Ann and Barbara, etal.

There are a lot of really good Texans!

[Paladin]

42. "Really Good Texans"?

You'd never know it, from all the ugly Texas-bashing threads like this one that keep turning up in DU so frequently.....

[wicket]

41. Molly Ivins too

:(

[sweetheart]

17. its the great train robbery

the 9/11 inside job,
the brinks breaking,
the dead presidents,
name your worship...

.. how the white man stole north mexico from the mexicans,
by setting a fort inside their country and thieving it right israeli like.

[VelmaD]

21. uh...I don't think the whites...

built the Alamo. I believe it was one of the Spanish missions from back even before Mexico broke from Spain.

[sweetheart]

23. not built, armed and defended nt

[VelmaD]

24. you do realize that...

the people you're saying the whites stole northern Mexico from stole it from it's original inhabitants as well. No one was really innocent when it comes to that. The Mexican government, like the Spaniards before them and the US after, didn't give a rat's ass about the various native tribes that had called Texas home.

on edit: I'm headed to bed. I have to get up early in the morning to drive across Texas. :) Nephew's birthday. But y'all feel free to keep on Texas bashing...I know it's a lot of people's favorite passtime.

[sweetheart]

39. I love the drive across texas

You're lucky. I drove across several times when attending University,
and i like the west part the most.

If i'm to indict texas, i would not include the west, only east texas,
enron, huntsville, bush-1, bush-librarys, bush,.... Its the new bavaria for that.

:hi:

[mykpart]

25. Are you a Texan? If not, why do you care?

Do you live in Texas? If so, and you hate it, leave. If you are here because of your job, then obviously Texas has offered you something you couldn't get anywhere else. So why don't you STFU?

[dysfunctional press]

67. i'm not a texan, but my great great great great great grandfather was.

they even named a city after him- houston.

and after the idiots at the alamo had their asses handed to them, sam took care of business.

[AnneD]

80. No offense to Sam....

but in the scheme of things......the time, men, and material that Travis tied up holding Santa Ana at the Alamo provided Houston the chance to gather togather an Army. A large number of the Mexican army were killed at the Alamo. Hey may have lost the Alamo but they did not have their asses handed to them. They were suppose to have reinforcement and they never came. Those guys knew they would die and they accepted their fate and tried to help your 'grand father' the best they could. The Massacre at Goliad and then the Alamo was a sober reminder to the Texans that Santa Ana meant business. If they were not successful, they would be killed.
They were not idiots at the Alamo and shame on you for even thinking that. If they had not given him that time, Sam Houston would have been caught unprepared and you would not be typing such BS.

[texastoast]

101. Idiots?

Begging your damned pardon, but those were men. Brave men, willing to die for what they believed in, which they accepted as their only option. You could have learned much from your ancestor.

[RaleighNCDUer]

26. "When the myth becomes the story, you print the myth."

From "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance"

[Kindigger]

29. Because

Peewee Herman did a movie there? :P

[spoony]

31. But..the Alamo doesn't have a basement

so where the hell is his bike! :o

[demosincebirth]

33. Exactly. You won't find that in the Texas history books.

[mitchum]

34. Read Gary Wills "John Wayne's America" for a very good analysis...

of Texas and the myth of the Alamo

[PsN2Wind]

36. Probably the best way to find the answer

would be to go to San Antonio, find the closest bar, walk in, and ask in a loud voice, "How come y'all think that Alamos such a big deal". Please report back on your findings.

[Selatius]

37. Because American settlers moved onto the land and took it from Mexico?

:shrug:

[dEMOK]

38. "why is the alamo such a proud piece of texas heritage...? "

Because Congress supported the surge/escalation there :P

[Paladin]

44. Know What I Feel LIke, Defending Texas On This Thread?

Like I'm at the Alamo.

Take THAT, all you brain-dead Texas-bashers.

You know, one of these days, sooner or later (hopefully much sooner), the Currant Occupant of the White House will depart, and so will these endless Texas-trashing threads at DU. Were there some unsavory aspects of Texas attaining its independence? Sure, just like every other independence movement, including the United States of America's. But that's not the reason for this thread, now is it? No, this is just another attempt to make Texas residents (Democrats included) feel as bad as possible about their state, because of the jerk we have as president---as if he's a genuine Texan. And after he's gone, how are all you DU Texas slaggers, all of you liberal, inclusive, oh-so-tolerant Democrats, going to feel about your nasty contributions to threads like this one?

You make me want to puke.

Paladin
One of 2,832,704 Texans Who Voted For John Kerry in 2004

[fidgeting wildly]

53. "One of 2,832,704 Texans Who Voted For John Kerry in 2004"

I'm one of them also.

I grew up in San Antonio. I no longer live in Texas, but I cherish the place. I know many good Texas Democrats. They fight like hell every day for what they know is a lost cause, because they have hope that they can make a difference. That's the spirit of the Alamo. Maybe some people take the mythology too far, but ridiculing Texans, and forcing them to pay a penance for a president that doesn't belong solely to them, is getting awfully tired around here.

Anyway, thanks for your post, Paladin. :thumbsup:

[Flying Dream Blues]

57. And I'm one of them, too. Thanks Paladin.

This is getting more than old; it's downright offensive. One of the things you won't find a Texan doing is insulting people who've gathered for a common cause for something that is as important to them as their home. So maybe, in addition to the Alamo, the beauty of the hill country, the liberal mecca that is Austin, the proud history of settlers from all over the world, I'd like to say I'm proud of the common decency and acceptance that is part of every true Texan. The spirit of Texas is the thing I love most about it, and I've never found it anywhere else. The Australians seem to have it more than anyone I've met, and I've been all over.

Try to remember that 48% of all the Texans who voted, voted for Kerry. It may have been more, judging from some of the evoting stories I've heard. Where I live, we were solidly for Kerry, and I did lots of work and knocked on doors.

[Gato Moteado]

61. 48% of all texans voted for kerry? i wish.

it was actually 38%. 61% voted for chimpy.

i was one of the 38%ers living there as well.

as the hispanic population grows in texas and as more of the old time texas rednecks start croaking, hopefully we'll see the blue percentage go up.

i'd like to see texas as a blue state in my lifetime and i think the hispanic community there will be a key in making that happen.

of course, velmaD could single handedly turn the state blue if the dems would hire her to work full time year round.

[Flying Dream Blues]

65. Oops, my mistake! But point being, lots of good people in Texas. nt

[dogday]

60. I grew up in San Antonio as well and moved

to Houston... I don't like these smears any more than the next Texan... I don't know why people feel the need to trash the state.. We did not produce the shrub, Connecticut did...

[BluePatriot]

62. *waves* fellow Texan here

I know our culture genuinely perplexes out-of-staters (example: in college my TA was always saying things like, "what the hell is it with you guys and the Texan thing and all the truck commercials, I don't even know what the Ohio flag LOOKS like") What's wrong with a regional cultural identity? The Alamo's a "last stand against all odds" sort of thing, an interesting story we learn in 7th grade...that's it. To those in the thread, if you're not from around here, don't over analyze, it's somewhat important yet vaguely minor (been there, seen it, overrated yet historical, go see some other stuff in San Antonio too)

And don't forget that my Texas hometown was home of the 3000th Iraq War casualty. We hate Shrub too, and he's from Connecticut anyway.

:hide:

BluePatriot
One of 2,832,704 Texans Who Voted For John Kerry in 2004.

[texastoast]

102. Thank you

He makes me want to puke too.

[AngryAmish]

47. I heard the Alamo has a really cool basement

[Justitia]

48. Letters from the Alamo, by Col Wm Travis (the doomed), somber & moving

http://www.ntanet.net/travis.html

He died at the age of 26, defending the Alamo

The Battle of San Jacinto ("Remember The Alamo!") was the overturning victory over Santa Ana.

We Texans consider the Alamo more of a sacred tomb / grave site, moreso than a point of boastful pride. In fact, there is a huge sign saying that when you enter, and it asks you to be quiet and respectful as such. It's a solemn place.

[AspenRose]

58. Technically it is a shrine.

You are right. And it is considered one of the missions on the San Antonio Mission Trail. At least it was when I grew up there and studied Texas History. So there is supposed to be a reverential attitude towards the place, out of respect for the lives lost there.

There seems to be an attitude of disrespect toward Texans in general here at the DU and it is disheartening, maddening and unfortunate. While I no longer live there, my family still does and I KNOW they didn't vote for Bush. They survived Jim Crow East Texas in the 50s and 60s. My best friend lives in Harlingen. I campaigned for Ann Richards in one of the most hostile territories known to Democrats: Texas A&M. So I really don't understand the animosity and smarminess against Texas and Texans here....the democratic allies you insist on insulting every chance you get.

Texas Democrats need and deserve your support and respect, not your scorn and ridicule. Those of you who insist on trashing Texas every chance you get, why don't YOU try fighting for progressive values in 'hostile territory' and see how you feel ducking 'friendly fire' among your supposed allies after fighting the good fight.

:rant:

[Justitia]

63. Yes, "shrine" - that's the word I was looking for, pre-coffee!

Yeah, we Texans take a lotta crap. And yes, our current prevailing politics are in a sad state. But, as you said, we have some of the "fightingest" Dems anywhere. We are locked in hand-to-hand combat with ruthless repukes every day. And we have some really legendary Dems from here that have made a lasting mark on national politics. And we do give some pretty good ass-kickings once in awhile, I mean we DID finally get Tom DeLay out of DC, thanks to some tenacious Dems in TX.

It's easy to be a liberal progressive in a blue state.
You have to have the courage of your convictions and a steel spine to be one in Texas.

I think people have the erroneous impression that the state is overwhelmingly repuke and it's just not true. All our major cities are Democratic. Even some of our rural and border towns are distinctly Dem. I mean, hell, it's not like we're Utah or something.

And the state is so much more than it's current politics. It's not something I can adequately describe to someone who has never lived here, but it's palpable to those that have.

Texans disappoint me every election, but there is too much good & too much at stake to ever give up on Texas.

[Meat Stew]

50. Or

Why Lincoln is so revered...he only freed slaces cause he was getting his ass kicked...he wanted to send all blacks back to Africa...and Camp Douglas was an extermination camp...under him...

[tabasco]

59. You have a very loose grip on history.

Please consider your biased sources.

[johnnie]

55. Because Ozzy got drunk..

...and pissed on it.

[Liberal In Texas]

56. Why do you care?

Other than stirring up some flame-bait.

[dysfunctional press]

68. i just get sick of the alamo being held up as some sort of honorable fight.

it wasn't.

[Justitia]

76. How do you know? Were you there? Or just because you say it is?

Like you said, you're not a Texan (besides claiming some lineage to Sam Houston), so why the hell are you crapping all over the battle of the Alamo?

I don't hold it in some mythical regard, but I know a lot about it having grown up in SA and I have no idea why someone would want to shit all over the place.... :shrug:

[dysfunctional press]

81. history says so.

as for the reasons...i already addressed that.

[bmbmd]

64. Just remember what a terrific ass-kicking

Santa Ana got a little while later. Tends to happen to people who think they can demean the spirit of the Alamo and get away with it.

[dysfunctional press]

66. it was my great-great-great-great-great grandfather that delivered that ass-kicking.

sam houston.

[texastoast]

103. I don't guess it would be you though, would it?

You weren't there and it looks to me you know little about the people who settled the rocky Texas land (or any land anywhere) and the many of them who tried to get along with the natives (Comanches weren't the easiest folk, if you recall). You weren't there to arrive in a wagon from Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Norway or Moravia, broke, with nothing but your spirit to eke out a living toiling in the hot sun, deep in the woods or high on the plains, surviving in spite of the lack of inocculations against disease, losing children in your lifetime, and dying old and tired.

If Sam were here, he'd have little to do with you, grandson or no. He wouldn't understand you at all.

[Tin Man]

69. If you've ever visited the Alamo, you'd understand.

Those Texans are serious about martyrdom... Prominent sign at the entrance reads (paraphrasing): "Remember, Texans died here for your freedom: please, no talking"

History is written by the victors: as part of the US, the story of the Alamo has become one of martyrdom, not defeat.

edit: Oops, meant to reply to the OP - sorry.

[EFerrari]

85. What planet do these theads start on? The United States faked a

reason for war to take what it wanted. This wasn't a football match. It was a predatory land grab.

Demean the "spirit of the Alamo"? :wtf:

I be you think Hawaii became a state, too.

[piedmont]

93. I think you've got your history mixed up...

Texas gained its independence from Mexico in a TOTALLY different war from the Mexican-American War.

[EFerrari]

98. I bet you think Hawaii became a state, too.

lol

[piedmont]

99. You said that already. Think of something else to say that isn't ad hominem and non-sequiter.

lol

[SoCalDem]

70. Because it was spun as a "brave" last-stand.

The odd thing is that one can be brave and stupid all at the same time..

Myths often spin catastrophic losses as "moral victories".. But the questions is...moral by whose standards?

The eventual winner always gets to write the histories :)

[Disturbed]

72. Maybe Texas started being percieved as a negative

after JKF was assasinated there? Also, LBJ might have contributed to a negative about Texas. I am only wildly speculating. I lived in San Antonio for a year, '65 to '66. and liked it there.

[Bucky]

74. Yay! it's another bash Texas thread. These things are so productive!

I'm certain if we only insult the second largest state in the country often enough, we'll end the war and balance the budget and insure a generation of Democratic control of Congress.

Whoever started this thread, thank you for making America stronger with your gratuitous insults.

[girl gone mad]

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

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.

[Saphire]

82. Excuse me, 7th generation Texan here....I live in San Antonio

and wouldn't live anywhere else. I plan to die here. My son was, at one time, the youngest living descendant of a defender of the Alamo. I personally would not be happier being a Mexican citizen, and that's exactly why our ancestors fought so valiantly to defend it and their way of life.

[EFerrari]

84. So, where did your people stand on slavery? I think you forgot that part.

[Saphire]

87. My ancestors owned slaves......I wasn't around then, so I really

don't know their feelings about the subject of slavery,(obviously, they approved of the practice) but they definitely did not want to become Mexican citizens, hence their giving their lives NOT to become just that. The war with Mexico was to gain Texan independance so they could govern their lives and uphold their way of living, whatever that may have meant to them at the time. I'm pretty sure they were against letting women vote, too, but hey, times change. Their g-g-g-g-granddaughter does vote, and , by the way, owns no slaves, and neither has anyone else in my family for the past 150 years.

I'm proud of my heritage. I love the beauty of my state. I love the spirit of true Texans. Why bash it? Aren't there any things about YOUR state your proud of??

[diamidue]

86. It is hard sometimes to tell

at this late date, the myth from the facts. To me, the Alamo always represented the few who were brave enough to fight against the many - to take a stand for something and be willing to die for it. My family settled in TX in 1849 and, tho I live in CA now, we were all born in TX & we Texans are a proud lot. But many of us don't like what the state has become.

As (Texan) Bill Moyers said: ".. if you go home to Texas today, it’s a Christian empire. The state of Texas is a Christian nation. Conservative Christians dominate everything there".

BTW, those are quite some credentials your son has. Awesome.

[Saphire]

89. We have his handwritten account of the battle. He was a Dr., and

was one of the men sent for help. Very interesting stuff, although, I'm sure he "embellished" his role a bit. But that's a Texan for ya...lol.

[tammywammy]

88. I love to find TX bashing on DU

Oh, come and complain about everything Texas, because we just are horrible horrible people down here. I mean how dare we actually be proud of our state. And how horrible is it that I would rather live here than anywhere else. And how horrible that my entire family lives here.

And even worst, our crappy Texas history. Alamo FU. San Jacinto FU. And really Austin you liberal paradise you're in Texas so FU too. And Dallas proper, you may be blue as well (that darn Hispanic lesbian sherriff), but FU as well. City of Houston that took in so many Hurricane Katrina survivors, FU. Oh and for a little personal info, FU to my whole family that's full of union workers that always vote dem.

BTW, in case you forgot, Bush isn't from Texas, so I expect you to start Conneticut bashing next. Thanks.

[piedmont]

90. Anything south of the Mason-Dixon line is fair game here

Some folks REALLY have bought into "red state/blue state" bullshit and its predecessor, South-bashing

[tammywammy]

91. Oh I know

I can't believe that people fall for that red vs blue crap. Come on, you can give me a hard time about that dude that wants Texas to stop teaching evolution, because that's just crap. But the Alamo, seriously??

[Texasgal]

95. No shit...

The ALAMO is a piece of HISTORY.

Should we burn down the White House because of Hiroshima?

*sigh*

[tammywammy]

96. but but but

we're a red state! Don't you realize we're all ignorant redneck hillbillies, too stupid to know better than to vote republican.

Screw that whole culture, history crap, Texas sucks, therefore the Alamo sucks too.

:sarcasm:

Oh and in the interest of full disclosure, Jim Bowie is a great grand uncle of mine. :)

[Rex]

92. Because it reminds people about how The Duke fought off

thousands of Mexican soldiers, he went by another name back in those days - Davey Crockett. You all remember The Duke! King of the wild frontier! I think the History channel is making a 'infomovie' to help educate the children. :sarcasm:

[Texasgal]

94. Ahhh yes... yet another Texas bashing thread...

*sigh*

Slow news day for ya?

I am a very proud Texan and honestly, there is no where in the United States of America that I would rather live. I've been many places, and have found that many people, specifically in the Northeast are the rudest people I have ever come across. I was never more proud to be a Texan after visiting some northern "blue" states this past year. The rudeness shocked me....It made me PROUD to come from a place where no one is a stranger.

I find that many folks here on DU are misinformed about Texas, I once had someone post to me a few years ago that said she was so sorry that I lived in around such heathens and backward hicks! HA! I guess she knows nothing about AUSTIN, TEXAS the bastion of liberalism! :eyes:

And just so ya know... I will also sign off as:

TEXASGAL

One of 2,832,704 Texans Who Voted For John Kerry in 2004

Thank you.

[Rex]

97. They've never been here, think we still ride horses and

well shit we do!!! WTF!?!

I'm gonna head down to the saloon!

Yeehaw!!!!

*bang* *bang* *bang*

[texanwitch]

104. Hell, I will meet you there.

I am a sixth generation Texan, my people were in the Texas Army.

Another proud Texan here.

No I don't wear cowboy boots or a cowboy hat, but I can ride a horse and work cattle.

I love Texas.