Politics: Everything?s Bigger About Texas

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Politics Everything's Bigger About Texas Not just in 2012! In 50 years, we may all be Texans—or Texans might not even be Americans. By Gail Collins Posted Tuesday, Jun 05, 2012, at 10:30 AM ET This is an excerpt from As Texas Goes ...: How the Lone Star State Hijacked the American Agenda, by Gail Collins. My fascination with Texas began rather suddenly. It was the spring of 2009—you will remember, that was the season when the political right was failing to adjust to the idea of a President Obama. And there was Gov. Rick Perry at a Tea Party rally in Austin, publicly toying with the idea that his state might consider seceding. It was quite a moment. Perry was standing behind a podium with a "Don't Mess With Texas" banner, wearing jeans, his trademark boots, and looking pretty damned ticked off. "Texas has yet to learn submission to any oppression, come from what source it may," he said, quoting the state's great founding father, Sam Houston. When Houston made that remark, he was definitely attempting to break away from the country to which Texas was then attached. "We didn't like oppression then, we don't like oppression now!" Perry roared to the cheering crowd, some of whom were waving "Secede!" signs. It did sure sound like an Alamo kind of crisis. Their backs were to the wall! And, important point: This was just a rally about the stimulus package. It was perhaps the first time the rest of the country had taken notice of the fact that 21st-century Texans did not necessarily consider the idea of breaking away to become a separate nation as, um, nuts. We non-Texans ... To continue reading, click here. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Why the U.S. Military Plans To Revive the Blimp Robo-Crop: Is It Ethical To Use Robots To Replace Farmhands? Abraham Lincoln Was a Flowery Public Speaker. And Then Came Gettysburg.	Advertisement
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