Boxer Tracks Down Twitter Tough Guy

[quote]Cortes wrote:

Have you ever actually been to Texas? Genuinely curious. [/quote]

In reality, although I think your politicians are remarkably stupid, I have nothing against Texas or the people in it.

I do have something against those who genuinely think it’s OK to secede and make remarks about how their state would gladly secede, and sign petitions encouraging seceding, because that means you’re a traitor to your country.

If you’re joking around, than don’t worry about what I’m saying because it doesn’t apply to you. If you’re truly one of what appears to be a sizable piece of Texas that would like to be annexed by Mexico a week after declaring your “independence,” well yea I think you’re a traitor and should take that American flag out of your office.

Sorry - talk of secession hits a nerve with me. It’s disgusting.

Have you ever looked at a map of the world?
Look at Texas
with me just for a second. That picture, with the
Panhandle and the Gulf Coast, and the Red River
and the Rio Grande is as much a part of you as
anything ever will be. As soon as anyone anywhere
in the world looks at it, they know what it is.
It’s Texas. Pick any kid off the street in
Japan and draw him a picture of Texas in
the dirt, and he’ll know what it is. What happens
if I show you a picture of any other state? You
might get it maybe after a second or two, but who
else would? And even if you do, does it ever stir
any feelings in you?

In every man, woman and child on this planet, there
is a person who wishes just once he could be a
real live Texan and get up on a horse or ride off
in a pickup. There is a little bit of Texas in
everyone.

Texas is the Alamo. Texas is 183 men standing in a
church, facing thousands of Mexican nationals, fighting
for freedom, who had the chance to walk out and
save themselves, but stayed instead to fight and
die for the cause of freedom.

We send our kids to schools named William B. Travis and
James Bowie and Davy Crockett, and do you know why?
Because those men saw a line in the sand and they decided
to cross it and be heroes.

John Wayne paid to do the movie The Alamo himself.
That is the Spirit of Texas.

Texas is Sam Houston capturing Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana at
San Jacinto.
Texas has huge forests of Piney Woods like the Davy Crockett
and Sam Houston National Forests.

Texas is breathtaking mountains in the Big Bend .

Texas is the unparalleled beauty of bluebonnet fields in the Texas Hill Country.
Texas is floating the rivers of the Hill Country on a hot summer day.
Texas is the beautiful, warm beaches of the Gulf Coast of South Texas .
Texas is beaches you can drive on and have many memorable bonfires with close friends.
Texas is that warm feeling you get when someone asks where you’re from.
Texas is the shiny skyscrapers in Houston and Dallas.

Texas is world record bass from places like Lake Fork .
Texas is Mexican foods like nowhere else, not even Mexico .
Texas is chicken fried steak and world famous Bar-B-Q.

Texas is the Fort Worth Stockyards, Bass Hall, the Mort Myerson in Dallas, The Ballpark in Arlington, the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, the American Airlines Center in Dallas, and the Astrodome (the Reliant Stadium now) in Houston.

Texas is larger-than-life legends like Michael DeBakey,
Ann Richards, Denton Cooley, Willie Nelson, Buddy
Holly, Gene Autry, Audie Murphy, Tommy Lee Jones,
Waylon Jennings, Farrah Fawcett, Janis Joplin,
Sandra Bullock, Kris Kristofferson, Tom Landry,
Eva Longoria Parker, Darrell Royal, ZZ Top, Roger Staubach
Eric Dickerson, Earl Campbell, Nolan Ryan, Sam Rayburn,
Howard Hughes, George H. W. Bush, Lyndon B.Johnson,
George W . Bush, and let’s not forget GEORGE STRAIT,
the Big Bopper, Tex Ritter, George Jones,
Clay Walker, Mark Chestnut, and Tracy Byrd to name
ONLY a few.

Texas has great companies like Valero,
Dell Computer, Texas Instruments, EDS and Compaq,
Whataburger, Southwest Airlines, Bell Helicopter, and

LOCKHEED MARTIN AEROSPACE,
Home of the F-16Jet Fighter and the SF Fighter.
And Texas is NASA.

Texas is huge herds of cattle, beautiful horses and miles of crops.
Texas is home to the world famous King Ranch.

Texas is home to the most amazing sunsets of gold over an empty field.

Texas is skies blackened with doves and fields full of deer.
Texas is a place where towns and cities shut down to watch the
local high school football game on Friday nights
and for the Cowboys on Monday Night Football at
the new Cowboy Stadium, and for the Night
In Old San Antonio River Parade in
San Antonio.

To drive
across Texas is to drive 1/3 the way across the
United States.
Texas has ocean beaches,
deserts, lakes and rivers, mountains and prairies,
and modern cities.

If it isn’t already in Texas, we probably don’t need it.
No one does anything bigger or better
than it’s done in Texas.
By federal law,
Texas is the only state in the U.S. That can
fly its flag at the same height as the U.S. Flag.
Think about that for a second. You fly the Stars
and Stripes at 20 feet in Maryland , California ,
or Maine , and your state flag, whatever it is,
goes at 17 feet. You fly the Stars and Stripes in
front of Klein Oak High or anyplace else at 20
feet, the Lone Star flies at the same height - 20
feet. You know why? Because its the only state
that was a Republic before it became a state.
Also,
being a Texan is as high as being an American
down here. Our capitol is the only one in the
country that is taller than the capitol building in
Washington, DC. And we can divide our state into
five states at any time if we wanted to!
We can become a republic again at any time the voters of
Texas choose, and we included these things as
part of the deal when we came on.

That’s the best part, right there.

Texas even has its own power grid!!

Did I mention the LIVE music capitol of the world?

Yeah We are proud of our state. Oh well
GOD BLESS TEXAS

[quote]FightinIrish26 wrote:

[quote]Cortes wrote:

Have you ever actually been to Texas? Genuinely curious. [/quote]

In reality, although I think your politicians are remarkably stupid, I have nothing against Texas or the people in it.

I do have something against those who genuinely think it’s OK to secede and make remarks about how their state would gladly secede, and sign petitions encouraging seceding, because that means you’re a traitor to your country.

If you’re joking around, than don’t worry about what I’m saying because it doesn’t apply to you. If you’re truly one of what appears to be a sizable piece of Texas that would like to be annexed by Mexico a week after declaring your “independence,” well yea I think you’re a traitor and should take that American flag out of your office.

Sorry - talk of secession hits a nerve with me. It’s disgusting. [/quote]

The secession banter is tongue in cheek. Though we are tempted, at times. There’s also a meme that probably only people on Texas are familiar with, that purports that Texas is the only state in the Union that can legally secede. Some actually believe this to be true, most are smarter than that, but almost all Texans know this little urban legend and it is always relayed with the intent of expressing one’s pride in his State (which IS a uniquely American trait, as well it should be), and, so far as I know, not with the intent of expressing hatred toward the US proper.

I love the USA. I also love beef. I’m always happy to eat beef, but if I have a choice, I will take the short loin cut over the chuck every single time.

Texas is America’s short loin. (^_^)b

well you do have houstonguy

[quote]Testy1 wrote:
well you do have houstonguy[/quote]

Even short loin cuts occasionally include a bite or two of gristle.

[quote]Cortes wrote:
DFW area got a LOT worse after Katrina. I can’t imagine other areas were not affected, as well.

Oh, and as much as I want to love San Antonio (Remember the Alamo!), it has indeed turned into a crime infested city. Most of my maternal family live there, and that city has changed a LOT over the past 30 years. Not at all for the better. [/quote]

I was born and raised in San Antonio and I would not call it a crime infested city. Although I couldn’t tell you how different it is compared to thirty years ago, I have never felt the slightest bit unsafe in SA. Of coarse, there are certain areas to stay away from…

Brisket, why does everyone cook it into a greasy ball of mush? It’s not pulled pork goddamnnit!!

[quote]Anthony50 wrote:

[quote]Cortes wrote:
DFW area got a LOT worse after Katrina. I can’t imagine other areas were not affected, as well.

Oh, and as much as I want to love San Antonio (Remember the Alamo!), it has indeed turned into a crime infested city. Most of my maternal family live there, and that city has changed a LOT over the past 30 years. Not at all for the better. [/quote]

I was born and raised in San Antonio and I would not call it a crime infested city. Although I couldn’t tell you how different it is compared to thirty years ago, I have never felt the slightest bit unsafe in SA. Of coarse, there are certain areas to stay away from…[/quote]

How long were you there, and when?

I cannot say that it is in fact a crime infested city, but I can say that without hesitation that it is becoming a lot more like Detroit and a lot less like the idyllic Hill Country burgh of my childhood. My family has lived there for upwards of 100 years. After WWII (incidentally, Japan), my grandfather raised a family of 7 kids working at the Pearl brewery for 37 years. My grandmother spent her entire career working at the Express-News.

The little piece of America my mother grew up in was already fairly bustling when she was born in the 50’s. I spent a large portion of my childhood in San Antonio as well, and I know it was already at that time included in the Big Three Texas cities. So I don’t believe it is because the city has grown that it has lost it’s innocence, so to speak.

My grandparents’ neighborhood used to be the picture perfect little snapshot of wholesome, safe, Leave it to Beaver American life. Now it is little more than a rotten, garbage strewn ghetto, covered in gang graffiti and overrun by weeds.

Downtown SA used to be a lovely, well tended cultural experience, the last time I went, it had become an obstacle course of homeless, panhandlers and loud-mouthed assholes. I was keyed up and on my guard every time we were out in public. And I have went to a bunch of different areas the last time I was there.

I’m not trying to pick a fight with you. It genuinely makes me sad to see such a majestic cultural center, certainly the most important city in Texas, fall to such disrepair.

[quote]mbdix wrote:
. And we can divide our state into
five states at any time if we wanted to!
We can become a republic again at any time the voters of
Texas choose, and we included these things as
part of the deal when we came on.

[/quote]
Many Texans I know think of themselves as Texans first and Americans second. That seems to be an uncommon cultural trait - to view state allegiance equal to or above national allegiance.

As a history note: Texas cannot secede. They tried that in 1861, much to the dismay of Sam Houston. Didn’t work.

[quote]mbdix wrote:
Texas is the Alamo. Texas is 183 men standing in a
church, facing thousands of Mexican nationals, fighting
for freedom, who had the chance to walk out and
save themselves, but stayed instead to fight and
die for the cause of freedom.
[/quote]

Although I actually do not mind Texas, the reason for the Alamo was Texas’ fight for independence after Mexico declared slavery illegal. So, a bunch of people fighting to keep their slaves is not really the best way to remember your heroes.

[quote]ukrainian wrote:

[quote]mbdix wrote:
Texas is the Alamo. Texas is 183 men standing in a
church, facing thousands of Mexican nationals, fighting
for freedom, who had the chance to walk out and
save themselves, but stayed instead to fight and
die for the cause of freedom.
[/quote]

Although I actually do not mind Texas, the reason for the Alamo was Texas’ fight for independence after Mexico declared slavery illegal. So, a bunch of people fighting to keep their slaves is not really the best way to remember your heroes. [/quote]

Utter horseshit.

Under President Antonio LÃ?³pez de Santa Anna, the Mexican government began to shift away from a federalist model. The increasingly dictatorial policies, including the revocation of the Constitution of 1824 in early 1835, incited many federalists to revolt.[5] The Mexican border region of Texas was largely populated by immigrants from the United States. These were accustomed to a federalist government and to extensive individual rights, and they were quite vocal in their displeasure at Mexico’s shift towards centralism.[6] Already leery of previous American attempts to purchase Texas,[7] Mexican authorities blamed much of the Texian unrest on American immigrants, most of whom had made little effort to adapt to the Mexican culture.[8]
In October, Texians engaged Mexican troops in the first official battle of the Texas Revolution.[9] Determined to quash the rebellion, Santa Anna began assembling a large force, the Army of Operations in Texas, to restore order.[10] Most of his soldiers were raw recruits,[11] and a large number had been forcibly conscripted.[12]

The Battle of the Alamo was about standing up to an oppressive dictator who assumed he could treat Americans like serfs and peasants, and that dictator finding out the hard way that Americans don’t take very kindly to such treatment. There wasn’t a single man that crossed that line that did not know his doing so meant his almost certain bloody death at the hands of Mexican troops. No slave owner lays down his life for his slaves, much less the right to keep them. He, like Santa Anna, sends his serfs and peasants to die for that “right.”

The defenders of the Alamo were some of the bravest, most principled men this world has ever known. Take your ignorant, revisionist claptrap to someone who doesn’t know the story better than you ever will.

.

*edited

Talking shit about The Alamo to Texans.

SMH.

[quote]ukrainian wrote:

[quote]mbdix wrote:
Texas is the Alamo. Texas is 183 men standing in a
church, facing thousands of Mexican nationals, fighting
for freedom, who had the chance to walk out and
save themselves, but stayed instead to fight and
die for the cause of freedom.
[/quote]

Although I actually do not mind Texas, the reason for the Alamo was Texas’ fight for independence after Mexico declared slavery illegal. So, a bunch of people fighting to keep their slaves is not really the best way to remember your heroes. [/quote]

That’s actually not true, or at least highly misleading.

The primary motivations were religious, economic, and self-determination.

The Mexicans had promised religious freedom for Protestants and Jewish people then renigged and demanded everyone be Roman Catholic. (Yes, there were Jewish guys who died in the Alamo.)

They had promised limited taxation and more-or-less self-rule. They renigged on this.

In fact, most of the “soldiers” sent by Mexico were actually conscripted criminals who raped and pillaged the Anglos. This poised a problem.

The capital was moved and they had little say in governance, with serious discrimination against non-Hispanics and non-Roman Catholics.

The Mexican government was abjectly corrupt, with established ranches and properties simply being stolen and given to cronies of Santa Anna.

Slavery was potentially an issue, but it was a very small one, given Texas was not a cotton producer and had very little use for slaves. (Slavery was not mentioned as a concern in any of the contemporaneous accounts or Declarations of Independence.) In fact, many, many blacks fought for Texas independence, finding that the Texians were very accepting of free blacks as part of the culture — unlike in Mexico proper, where they were “free” but very much second class citizens.

It appears that slavery as a motivator is a construct of the modern education system whose job it appears to be (to an outsider) to create hatred and disgust with the founders of your country.

[quote]Jewbacca wrote:

[quote]ukrainian wrote:

[quote]mbdix wrote:
Texas is the Alamo. Texas is 183 men standing in a
church, facing thousands of Mexican nationals, fighting
for freedom, who had the chance to walk out and
save themselves, but stayed instead to fight and
die for the cause of freedom.
[/quote]

Although I actually do not mind Texas, the reason for the Alamo was Texas’ fight for independence after Mexico declared slavery illegal. So, a bunch of people fighting to keep their slaves is not really the best way to remember your heroes. [/quote]

That’s actually not true, or at least highly misleading.

The primary motivations were religious, economic, and self-determination.

The Mexicans had promised religious freedom for Protestants and Jewish people then renigged and demanded everyone be Roman Catholic. (Yes, there were Jewish guys who died in the Alamo.)

They had promised limited taxation and more-or-less self-rule. They renigged on this.

In fact, most of the “soldiers” sent by Mexico were actually conscripted criminals who raped and pillaged the Anglos. This poised a problem.

The capital was moved and they had little say in governance, with serious discrimination against non-Hispanics and non-Roman Catholics.

The Mexican government was abjectly corrupt, with established ranches and properties simply being stolen and given to cronies of Santa Anna.

Slavery was potentially an issue, but it was a very small one, given Texas was not a cotton producer and had very little use for slaves. (Slavery was not mentioned as a concern in any of the contemporaneous accounts or Declarations of Independence.) In fact, many, many blacks fought for Texas independence, finding that the Texians were very accepting of free blacks as part of the culture — unlike in Mexico proper, where they were “free” but very much second class citizens.

It appears that slavery as a motivator is a construct of the modern education system whose job it appears to be (to an outsider) to create hatred and disgust with the founders of your country.[/quote]

BTW, I learned that in American History 8th grade — taught in Israel. Your education system sucks.

[quote]Cortes wrote:

Downtown SA used to be a lovely, well tended cultural experience, the last time I went, it had become an obstacle course of homeless, panhandlers and loud-mouthed assholes. I was keyed up and on my guard every time we were out in public. And I have went to a bunch of different areas the last time I was there.

I’m not trying to pick a fight with you. It genuinely makes me sad to see such a majestic cultural center, certainly the most important city in Texas, fall to such disrepair. [/quote]

As recently as this past August I walked the River Walk at 3 a.m. by myself and wasn’t the least bit threatened. The River Walk was still clean, no trash, no graffiti anywhere.

I’ve lived from Coast to Coast, and San Antonio is still my favorite city. That town has a party for everything, the food is great and beautiful, Hispanic college girls everywhere.

[quote]mud lark wrote:

[quote]mbdix wrote:
. And we can divide our state into
five states at any time if we wanted to!
We can become a republic again at any time the voters of
Texas choose, and we included these things as
part of the deal when we came on.

[/quote]
Many Texans I know think of themselves as Texans first and Americans second. That seems to be an uncommon cultural trait - to view state allegiance equal to or above national allegiance.

As a history note: Texas cannot secede. They tried that in 1861, much to the dismay of Sam Houston. Didn’t work.
[/quote]

1st. I for one love the U.S.A and I am proud to be an American. I also love Texas and I am proud to be Texan. For me it’s a lot like the Flags they (fly) are at the same level.

2nd. Wrong. Texas did secede. Joined the Confederate States, but later restored with the Union, after the civil war.

[quote]doogie wrote:

[quote]Cortes wrote:

Downtown SA used to be a lovely, well tended cultural experience, the last time I went, it had become an obstacle course of homeless, panhandlers and loud-mouthed assholes. I was keyed up and on my guard every time we were out in public. And I have went to a bunch of different areas the last time I was there.

I’m not trying to pick a fight with you. It genuinely makes me sad to see such a majestic cultural center, certainly the most important city in Texas, fall to such disrepair. [/quote]

As recently as this past August I walked the River Walk at 3 a.m. by myself and wasn’t the least bit threatened. The River Walk was still clean, no trash, no graffiti anywhere.

I’ve lived from Coast to Coast, and San Antonio is still my favorite city. That town has a party for everything, the food is great and beautiful, Hispanic college girls everywhere.

[/quote]

I have lived in Texas my whole life. Been all over, but have never been to San Antonio for more than a drive through as an adult. Thinking I need to change this soon.

[quote]Cortes wrote:
Talking shit about The Alamo to Texans.

SMH. [/quote]

183 men against THOUSANDS. Dare I say it? Underrated?

[quote]Cortes wrote:

[quote]ukrainian wrote:

[quote]mbdix wrote:
Texas is the Alamo. Texas is 183 men standing in a
church, facing thousands of Mexican nationals, fighting
for freedom, who had the chance to walk out and
save themselves, but stayed instead to fight and
die for the cause of freedom.
[/quote]

Although I actually do not mind Texas, the reason for the Alamo was Texas’ fight for independence after Mexico declared slavery illegal. So, a bunch of people fighting to keep their slaves is not really the best way to remember your heroes. [/quote]

Utter horseshit.

Under President Antonio LÃ???Ã??Ã?³pez de Santa Anna, the Mexican government began to shift away from a federalist model. The increasingly dictatorial policies, including the revocation of the Constitution of 1824 in early 1835, incited many federalists to revolt.[5] The Mexican border region of Texas was largely populated by immigrants from the United States. These were accustomed to a federalist government and to extensive individual rights, and they were quite vocal in their displeasure at Mexico’s shift towards centralism.[6] Already leery of previous American attempts to purchase Texas,[7] Mexican authorities blamed much of the Texian unrest on American immigrants, most of whom had made little effort to adapt to the Mexican culture.[8]
In October, Texians engaged Mexican troops in the first official battle of the Texas Revolution.[9] Determined to quash the rebellion, Santa Anna began assembling a large force, the Army of Operations in Texas, to restore order.[10] Most of his soldiers were raw recruits,[11] and a large number had been forcibly conscripted.[12]

The Battle of the Alamo was about standing up to an oppressive dictator who assumed he could treat Americans like serfs and peasants, and that dictator finding out the hard way that Americans don’t take very kindly to such treatment. There wasn’t a single man that crossed that line that did not know his doing so meant his almost certain bloody death at the hands of Mexican troops. No slave owner lays down his life for his slaves, much less the right to keep them. He, like Santa Anna, sends his serfs and peasants to die for that “right.”

The defenders of the Alamo were some of the bravest, most principled men this world has ever known. Take your ignorant, revisionist claptrap to someone who doesn’t know the story better than you ever will.

.

*edited[/quote]

Maybe I should have not said that the Heroes fought for it, but, like Jewbacca also pointed out, the economics were an issue (I know that his whole argument was against mine) which included slavery. I over generalized the issue, but that still was an issue.

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/culture/articles/040412/12alamo_2.htm

[quote]Jewbacca wrote:

The Mexicans had promised religious freedom for Protestants and Jewish people then renigged and demanded everyone be Roman Catholic. (Yes, there were Jewish guys who died in the Alamo.)
[/quote]
Just like the Protestants in the US, before the Constitution, did not want to give religious freedom to others. Also, just like many of the more radical Christians are trying (and have been trying) to institute a Christian government and state.

The Civil War saw the Southern states secede because of a lack of state’s rights, but that was viewed as negative at that point.

[quote]
In fact, most of the “soldiers” sent by Mexico were actually conscripted criminals who raped and pillaged the Anglos. This poised a problem.[/quote]
Raping and pillaging sounds very familiar. Seems like Cortes (EDIT Not the T-Nation user, but the Conquistador) might know something about that. Also, what happened to the Native Americans again?

[quote]
The capital was moved and they had little say in governance, with serious discrimination against non-Hispanics and non-Roman Catholics.[/quote]
Texas had very little say in the US government after the Civil War, and the South had rampant discrimination against all non-whites.

[quote]
The Mexican government was abjectly corrupt, with established ranches and properties simply being stolen and given to cronies of Santa Anna.[/quote]
I wonder how Native Americans felt about their land being stolen and given to settlers.

[quote]
Slavery was potentially an issue, but it was a very small one, given Texas was not a cotton producer and had very little use for slaves. (Slavery was not mentioned as a concern in any of the contemporaneous accounts or Declarations of Independence.) In fact, many, many blacks fought for Texas independence, finding that the Texians were very accepting of free blacks as part of the culture — unlike in Mexico proper, where they were “free” but very much second class citizens.[/quote]
Slavery was not that important in Texas? Pretty sure you have been taught incorrectly.

I will admit that I overgeneralized, and that was a mistake. However, to say that slavery was not an issue is only selectively looking at history. The people who fought in the Alamo did not necessarily fight for that cause, but I will guarantee you that large plantation owners (and future Texas plantation owners) loved that bit that the US has not allowed slavery. Plus, history is a two way street. You cannot complain about being treated unfairly when you do the exact same thing.

[quote]
BTW, I learned that in American History 8th grade — taught in Israel. Your education system sucks.[/quote]

It’s easy to make fun of the US educational system, but at least I know history.