More virulent anti-Texas sentiments...

[elfwitch]

In GD right now there is a poll about which state should secede from the union: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=1657936

Of course our beloved state is in the lead. Am I the only one that is pissed about everybody else ganging up on us?

Them judging Texas as bad based on the Chimp and friends is just as bad as the rest of the world judging the United States based on the Chimp and friends. Texans are not more evil because his sorry ass co-opted our state than Americans are evil as a whole because he stole our country.

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[elfwitch]

2. Do you live here?

Or are you another one of those who are judging the entire state by the current sorry state of affairs?

If so, I'm sure your own state has it's own forum. Why don't you go there? This one is supposed to be for Texans discussing problems that effect Texans.

[blackmoonlillith]

8. Yes, I do...

I moved here six years ago and can't wait to move out of state. When the economy picks up and my husband can look for another job, we're moving. Never met such distrustful and spiteful people in my life. If we can't move out of state, I wouldn't mind living in Austin, the only decent liberal area in the state.

[elfwitch]

9. Do you live in North or South Texas?

I've lived in both. North Texas is as bad as you say.
South Texas, not so much.

[blackmoonlillith]

12. I live outside of San Antonio...

Many of the folks I talk to are nuts. One man, after he found out I am a Democrat, harrassed me weekly until my husband told him to fuck off. The man would actually walk on to our property, spout how great a man Bush is, and put down Clinton, cussing the entire time. He's about 6'4" and weighs over 200 pounds. I on the other hand am an average sized woman. He'd clench his fist and spittle would come out of his mouth. I also realized that these people will gossip about you no matter what. I have rarely spoken to any of them in the six years I have lived here, yet I was a prostitute and was having numerous affairs with other men in the area. They can all go to hell as far as I'm concerned. Oh, and I'm a drug addict as well.

[NoPasaran]

35. If he was intruding on your property

You probably should have plugged him.

[amber dog democrat]

41. I am a 4th Generation Texoid.

Born in Wichata Falls, of all places. I have to say there are some conversations you just don't want to have unless you are sure of whom you are speaking to.

Overheard in a diner in Henrietta Texas, a mom talking to her 5 year old son " now when you fight someone you look them in the eyes. Don't you look away when you are fighting ."

I am afraid you and I are on an extreme end of a bell shaped curve. I am surrounded by people who buy into various myths and defend them out of ego.

Used to be say 120 years ago, when many Texans went around armed, it was a very polite society...cause it was dangerous not to be. But this worked if you were white.

[Mara Jade]

22. Right on!

I couldn't agree more, blackmoonlillith. We've been here for 2 years and I've found everything you've said to be absolutely true. Like you, we're just biding our time until we can get the f out of this state.

[yella_dawg]

16. Well, let's see...

Texas is full of:

homophobes - and what state isn't?

sexists - see above.

religious zealots - the only time in my life I've been harassed by a religious zealot at work was in New Hampshire.

don't care for newcomers - BS pure and simple.

more people put to death - sad, but true

theocracy - again, BS, pure and simple

You include racist in your diatribe, yet your language identifies you as a bigot. Get real.

[blackmoonlillith]

39. First of all,

this is my opinion based on experience. Some people may have had other experiences. While I have met some wonderful people in Texas, most of them warned me of what I have experienced. These people have lived here their entire lives. I also don't appreciate you alerting the mods. This is one of the reasons I rarely post on this site. The rare oversensitive individual. I could turn you into the mods for cussing at me, but I won't stoop to your level. If you're a Texan, then I have proven my case of many of these people being spiteful.

[tandot]

3. I live in Texas but am eager to move out

look at the money map on www.fundrace.org

Almost the whole state is red.

I live in a city with a population of 120,000 and they are building a new Baptist Church with seating for 100,000 people. Ultra-conservative and ultra-religious. They are protesting/boycotting Harry Potter movies and want to ban books trying to explain "sinful" family arrangements (Heather Has Two Mommies book, etc.)

I have seen one Kerry bumper sticker so far. And I seem to have the only car having anti-Bush bumper stickers.

[Philostopher]

4. Hey, I don't live in Texas either ...

but frankly, it can't be any worse than Ohio. It's not like anything they can blame on Bush* during his time as governor hasn't been allowed by the Republicans here the past dozen years. I know what an armpit Ohio is -- I live in it. I agree with you it's specious to blame Texas for that up east rich fratboy -- he shanghaied it every bit as much as he shanghaied the White House, and with the same things ... good connections and $$$.

[elfwitch]

7. Thank you!

He is a carpetbagger plain and simple. He and his ilk took over. I remember when Clayton Williams was running for Governor. Ann Richards kicked the crap out of that douchebag. It hasn't been that long ago. Ann was wonderful. Liberal and progressive to her core.

It didn't used to be that bad here.

[salonghorn70]

28. I Beg To Disagree With You

If Texas is full of racists, then Ann could never have been elected Gov. So you must be wrong.:)

[Philostopher]

30. Ann was governor when I lived in New Mexico, back in the '80s.

I loved the fact the El Paso TV station used to report on everything she did or said on the news, because I got a big charge out of her.

[Lisa0825]

5. I have lived in Texas for 25 years, but I'd glady move if it meant

giving the wackos a country of their own, and having the rest of the US for us. I don't like it when people bash Texans as people, lumping us together with the conservatives here, but I didn't take offense to the poll. Texas is a Republican stronghold, and the majority of this state seems to be brainwashed into buying the party line.

[AndyTiedye]

13. Y'All Did Elect the Fratboy as Governor

How did that happen? You had Anne Richards, who was one of the best.

Sorry for the Texas bashing, but the usurper is trying to turn
the whole country into the United Fundie State of Texas.

But we're forgiving folks, you don't have to take him back.
We should send him to the Hague after he is deposed.
If they don't want him, we'll open up the upper level of
Alcatraz for the Bush* gang. Give him Al Capone's old cell.
It would be fitting.
We want those bastards where we can keep an eye on them.

[elfwitch]

15. How about we send him back to the state he was born in?

We didn't ask him to claim our state as his own.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

6. Here's the problem

The Chimp and Friends are voted into office consistently by a majority of the citizens of Texas. If your state keeps electing hatemongers, it deserves the disdain it receives.

On edit: Similarly, as an American, I don't get pissed off when I see people around the world condemning the United States. Irrespective of whether or not Gore actually won, we elected the assholes who are acting on our behalf. They REPRESENT us and our ideals as a collective. As such, we deserve the International disdain until we get off our asses and kick the bastards out.

[Freddie Stubbs]

11. No Democrat has won a state-wide election in Texas in ten years

Ten years. That is a long time.

[Frances]

10. I wish that we could solve our problems that easily

But I was living in Maryland, a blue state, when we elected Ehrlich, a Bush clone Republican, governor. His opponent was the daughter of Bobby Kennedy.

Then I moved to California, another blue state, and we recalled our democratically elected governor primarily because Enron had screwed us and our budget. We replaced the Democrat with the Gropinator.

By the way, I used to live in Massachusetts and the good people there elected Romney, a Republican governor who was not a legal resident of the state. One of his opponents had been in the Clinton administration.

[elfwitch]

14. that is exactly what I am talking about...

People are making out like Texas is the problem. This shit is going on everywhere. Texas just gets more press because the dickheads in charge claim this state to be their home. The thing is that they aren't FROM here. They are from up north. The Republicans are doing this kind of shit everywhere and Texas takes the rap for it because why? We're the biggest? We've got some of the biggest cities in the country? You tell me...

[Freddie Stubbs]

17. It has to be one of the most Republican states in the country

It has been ten long years since a Democrat has won a state-wide election in Texas. I'm not sure that there is another state that you can say that about.

I definitely feel for you. I lived in Texas a few years ago and saw the County Courthouse won by the Republicans for the first time ever.

[punpirate]

18. Umm, who voted for them?

Texans, that's who.

That's the crux of the biscuit. It's hard to swallow, but it's still true. I believe Molly Ivins quoted a former lieutenant governor, speaking of the legislature, "if you think they're nuts, you should see some of their constituents."

Texas, thanks, has given the country some exceedingly corrupt and crazy politicians, mostly because they keep voting for them.

If you want the rest of the country to stop thinking that the majority of Texans is bull goose loony, Texans will have to stop proving that they are.

Cheers.

[Lisa0825]

19. Don't lump us all together... there are plenty of good Texas Democrats

that do what we can to try to change things. Why not blame the citizens of the rest of the country who voted Bush into the White House?

[punpirate]

20. Complain if you will about non-Texans disparaging...

... Texans.

It was Texas politicians (James Baker immediately comes to mind) who subverted the electoral process, enabling Bush to seize power.

Note that I was careful to indicate "majority" wherever necessary. I'm not lumping all together, but in a majority-wins system of government, the majority determines the direction of the state. That, like it or not, defines the politics of the state.

More to the point, the people of Texas have elected to prominent positions some very dangerous politicians who have had tremendous detrimental effect on the rest of the country (Bush and DeLay obviously come to mind, and Bush could never have reached the White House without having the governorship of Texas as part of his bona fides)--therefore, one can't expect Texas to be viewed in a vacuum.

Sure, plenty of good Democrats (Charlie Stenholm among them). Not nearly enough of `em to stop the state from approaching supersonic as it goes down the rathole, and as it tries to drag the rest of the country down with it.

It's an unpleasant fact of life--prominent Texas politicians have a goal of making a theocracy of this country--and what makes Texas politicians different than similar politicians in other states is that the ones from Texas are in positions of great power, and wield that power mercilessly, to the detriment of all of us.

In large part, that's why the other thread continued as it did--the subject was Texas' unnatural recent bent toward theocracy, as judged by what its politicians and some of its religious leaders have been saying. Republicans control your state's politics, and I strongly suggest you read the entirety of the Texas Republican Party platform. That's what these people want to do to Texas, and to the rest of the country, if they believe they're powerful enough to accomplish it.

I didn't vote for those people, but enough Texans have done so.

Cheers.

[Freddie Stubbs]

21. How is Texas heading toward a theocracy?

:shrug:

[punpirate]

24. Well, let's start with what started the...

... original thread. Someone found a statement by a Tyler, TX preacher advocating that Texas secede and become a separate Christian nation.

That caused a number of people to say, paraphrasing here, "fine, go ahead, and take Bush with you."

I suggest that Texas may be heading in that direction because of the control the Republicans have on the state legislature, and how they have written their platform. I'd encourage you to read all of the latest (2002) platform, and ask yourself how much of it was written or directed by the Christian right:

http://www.texasgop.org/library/RPTPlatform2002.pdf

While much of the document has a strong Libertarian tone, there are plenty of coded phrases in it, and a couple of worrisome statements, such as defining the country as a Christian nation, founded on the principles of the Holy Bible. One other says, "Our Party pledges to do everything in our power to restore the original intent of the First Amendment and dispel the myth of the separation of Church and State."

I would also recommend:

http://www.theocracywatch.org

which includes the following comment from Tom Delay: "You see, I don't believe there is a separation of church and state."

Accounts of some of the informal comments made during the drafting of the platform are also interesting. Look through some Molly Ivins' article archives and you'll get the flavor of those.

It's not pretty, but it is out there and it's a force to be reckoned with. Add in the recent news that Bush has used executive orders to end-run around some Congressional limitations on faith-based initiatives, and that _none_ of the money disbursed has been accounted for and _all_ of it has gone to Christian groups, add in the Bush recess appointments of judges such as Pickering and Pryor and you begin to see the scope of the problem.

Texas politicians are a big part of that problem, and the 2002 Repug platform can be seen as a theocratic government's training wheels.

Cheers.

[Freddie Stubbs]

25. But what specific actions has the state of Texas taken?

What have the Republicans in the legislature, executive brach, or judiciary done to implement a theocracy?

Just because some wacko minister wants to succeed doesn't mean that it is going to happen. A number of people here on DU have said that they will move to Canada if Bush wins in November, but I doubt that there would be any mass migration if Kerry were to lose.

[punpirate]

26. Well, there's a few thin wedges afoot...

... such as HR 3920, co-sponsored by three Texas reps. There was, earlier in the year, an attempt to allow churches to make campaign contributions with the tax-deductible contributions of their parishioners (which is really an under-the-radar way of religion influencing government).

I'm not saying that Texas, day after tomorrow, will become a theocracy, but I'm reasonably certain, on the basis of what I read on the subject, that the intention is to make fundamental changes that will negate, effectively, democratic rule, and that the strategy is to turn the heat up gradually on all us frogs in the pot.

Cheers.

edit for syntax.

[Ishoutandscream]

23. I just stop reading those posts

knowing the south, and especially Texas, will be hammered. The bashing will never stop. It helps my blood pressure just to ignore the haters and go to other posts.

[2bfree]

27. I fucking hate this.

I like it here and really hate all of these people who constantly put our state down. Why all the hate? Does being so negative and rude do anyone any good? Shouldn't this state forum be one of the few places we can hang out at and not have people be so hateful about Texas?

I thought that DU was a place where we could all share a common goal and encourage each other not rip each other to shreds because of where we live.

[salonghorn70]

29. Great Post

What I have noticed about the Texas Forum is that we're never really rude. We may disagree on some things (I'm a DLC Democrat and I bleed Burnt Orange) but we're Texans and we just get along.

[texas1928]

31. I agree with elfwitch

OK, so this state has gone predominantly Republican. So why bash Texas Democrats. We are not the cause of this. I voted for Ann Richards, and I will vote straight democrat in the next Texas election.

If you want to blame Texans who voted for that horse's ass then go to the republican forums and gripe at them. There are a lot of other states who went republican also in the last presidential election and I don't see people harping on them.

As for seceding from the Union, Texas is the only state who joined the United States out of their own free will. We have the right to secede if we want and also have the right to break our state into 5 seperate states if we so choose. The Texas state flag is the only flag that can be flown at the same height as the American flag. Other states have to have theirs below our national flag.

Lay off us, we are Democrats too. We have had to live with the republican mess longer than you have. I mean hell majority rules, we can not do anything about that except show the facts and give cold hard truths about what he has done. This back biting and name calling does not help our cause. I have heard a lot of Republicans who are waivering on Bush. When I hear them say that I start talking to them about the truth, and I feel I have changed a few of their minds about who they want to vote for come November. I am doing my part, so everyone else do yours.

If you really have to lay blame, Florida was the cause for the little horse's ass getting in to the White House.

[Lisa0825]

32. BRAVO!!! BRAVO!!! OVATION!!!

Couldn't have said it better myself!

:yourock:

[Lithos]

33. Very well said

Except it took more than one state to vote for Shrub, so while Florida did vote for Gore once the votes were tallied, I'm sure that there are enough people in Nevada, New Hampshire and other close states who wish they could change their votes now to have avoided this horses ass.

L-

[texas1928]

36. Well I said Florida because it was the biggest state of contention

At the time. And you can blame the Florida leadership who kept changing the rules for the recount.

[Freddie Stubbs]

34. Some info on TX splitting into smaller states or seceding

Although the provisions of the Texas Annexation document allowing for the creation of four additional states are popularly regarded as a unique curiosity today, they were largely superfluous. Article IV, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution already specifically provided for the formation of new states through the junction or division of existing states:

New states may be admitted by the Congress into this union; but no new states shall be formed or erected within the jurisdiction of any other state; nor any state be formed by the junction of two or more states, or parts of states, without the consent of the legislatures of the states concerned as well as of the Congress.

Another Texas-related legend holds that the Texans negotiated an annexation treaty which reserved to them the right to secede from the Union without the consent of the U.S. Congress, but the terms of Texas' annexation contain no such provision.

http://www.snopes.com/history/american/texas.asp

[texas1928]

38. This was after the war of Northern Aggression.

[NoPasaran]

37. I would remind the Yankee advocates of Texas secession

that we tried to secede once and got our ass roundly stomped by y'all. So you're stuck with us.

[Moloch]

40. I think in many ways, Texas is a lot less backward than..

most of the South. As far as the American Taliban Republic, I would say that title would certainly belong to Alabama.

I just have one question for you Texas folk; How did Shrub, with no government experience, beat out someone like Ann Richards for the governorship? I don't think I understand that one at all....

[JayS]

46. That depends on who you ask. One big factor in my area was...

...Governor Richards' refusal to not only not allow the CHL (our version of the concealed handgun license) to pass but would not even allow it to come up for a vote. I see Richards around town every so often and I have always been tempted to ask WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!

Add to this the revolution in the U.S. House and Senate that was occurring and the probable "spillover" into state politics and you can see Bush getting a boost in his campaign. Oddly enough, Bill Clinton attributes the revolution in part to the Democrat's gun control policies. Bit of a trend going here.

In some ways I think the raid and resultant standoff at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco hurt her also. I doubt she approved the bizarre plan for the raid or allowed it to go forward after the element of surprise was long gone, but she did appear to allow herself to get steamrolled on the posse comitatus issues. Something about seeing the U.S. military engaged in hostile action on Texas soil was incredibly disturbing no matter what kind of nuts the Davidians were.

[amber dog democrat]

42. I think this state has always had an electoral mean streak

and this goes back to Reconstruction ( and before ) .
There are events I feel good about, but overall I have such low expectations of Texas having a progressive or humane approach to legeslation, the ways public education are funded, more.


Not that I am not pleasently surprised occaisionally. But I am in the minority.
I think Texas is a microcosm of the whole nation however. We are being brainwashed into focusing on security, status quo, and standard of living concerns.

Part of Texas's identiy lies in having an economy based on the extraction of natural resources. We have yet to get over it.

[cycleberg]

43. moving back, we are, and can't wait!

I can't stand the Texas bashing and usually don't read it. In regards to all the so-called 'Texans' voting repub - many are transplants from elseware!

We've been in Indiana for 2 years and are moving back to Houston. Taking a break from packing right now. We can not wait to move back.

Indiana isn't a liberals haven either! yech.

[salonghorn70]

44. Welcome Back cycleberg

To the great state of Texas.:hi:

[fudge stripe cookays]

45. Make sure to get your voter registration ASAP!

But I don't have to tell you that!

Ya'll need to move to DeLay's district to help them kick some butt for Richard Morrison! ;-)

[texastoast]

47. Great!

Come on home and help take our state back from those transplants.

Here's some news. It's hot and humid.

B-)