Three sisters, three brothers, and how they voted...

[trof]

Miz t.'s siblings are all in Texas.
One sister and all three brothers voted for McCain.
As did their kids.
One sister and her husband voted for our guy.
Their kids voted mostly for McCain.

Miz t. asked me "How can my one sister be so smart and the rest of them are so dumb?"

Because Miz t. and her sister are the only ones who got out of Texas.
The 'good' sister is married to a career USAF officer.
They've lived all over the world from Okinawa to Germany.

And Miz t. married me.
I was an airline pilot.
We have lived in the burbs of Chicago and Boston, outside of our insular worlds of Alabama and Texas.
And my family has traveled with me and lived in many foreign lands for anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months.

You get out of your comfortable, insulated cocoon and see how the rest of the world lives. You learn about other people.

This is not a put down of Texans.
I still love my inlaws.
In spite of how they voted.
OK, maybe not QUITE as much as before.
:-)

It's just about folks who can't see, or understand, or empathize with people who 'aren't like us'.
I really hate that.

[Frances]

1. You make good points Trof

If I remember correctly, you live on Mobile Bay. I grew up 85 miles north of Mobile.

When I left Alabama I lived in a Boston suburb, Medford. Where did you live?

Then I lived for almost 30 years in Montgomery County, MD.

Now I live in California.

Having to adjust to different parts of the country and to different ethnic groups has made me more open minded, I think.

[trof]

4. Wolf Bay. Other side of the county.

Very quiet.
And very repug.
:-(
I called it a Boston burb, but it was in Merrimack, NH.
About 45 minutes north of Beantown.
My daughter and her family are in Melrose.

[Frances]

6. One of my friends lived in Melrose

when I lived in Medford.

One of my daughters lives in Cambridge (MA). Her husband said that everyone in line on election day was very serious. They knew how important this election was.

I have been to Wolf Bay. It's beautiful there.

[nannycee]

2. Born and raised Texas Democrat here....

Daughter of two Texas Democrats, raised two Texas Democrats, who married more Texas Democrats and are raising more Texas Democrats...working on this from the inside. :)

[trof]

5. Keep on keepin' on.

:thumbsup:

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. I think it is wise to mingle with people from an early age

I grew up on a university campus in my grandmother's house. Grandma let out rooms to students--and she preferred overseas students. So I learned about other countries and cultures from an early age. Grandma especially liked Kenyan students--she said they kept their rooms the cleanest and always paid on time. She would be pleased to know our new President has Kenyan roots.

My husband is a sixth-generation Texan, but his father was from New York City, and he grew up on the East Coast. His brother lives in Texas, and is liberal in his outlook as well.