Politics:
Cris re "
Texas"

Hmmm... where should we start? As you can see, I am from Texas, so let us start from there. I find your article upon my state deeply offensive, and am most grieved that someone like you had a hand in the rewriting of a game that I have cherished for years. However the thing that I find most irritating is your lack of knowledge about the area that you slander (how liberal of you, and pardon the pun should you comprehend it).

First off let's talk religion. We have many different faiths here, not just your bible pounding "Religious Right", but Muslims, Catholics, Lutherans, Hindis, Wiccans, Methodists, oh and Episcopalians(thank you), not to mention myriads of others.

Evolution: I learned evolution in schools, and down here it is kind of an oddity to find a person who does not accept the idea of it. Or at least as much of an oddity as it would be in most other "developed" portions of the world.

Influence: Well you did have something right after all in your Texas-bashing. We are big, wealthy, and politically powerful. Should you go back to Europe, you shall see that telling people that you are from Texas receives a far more positive reaction than telling the average person that you are from the States. And speaking of influence, there was one little teensy tiny thing that you did forget to mention is the fact that we have an excellent electronics industry as well, surpassed only by California (and that may not be the case anymore).

Environment: Policy tends to be quote unquote lax in Texas, primarily because we are only recently having to deal with large numbers of people in this state. The East coast had to have several rivers catch on fire (Mill Creek and the Potomac to name a couple), before they started considering environmental policy, we happen to be well ahead of schedule when it comes to cleaning up.

Racism: Personally I have never witnessed a lynching, never seen a KKK costume, and quite frankly I do not believe that I ever will. Again racism tends to be as prevalent here (which is to say rarely) as it is throughout the United States, its just a little more "glamorous" for the national news to capture it in the South. And don't tell me for a second that Norway hasn't had its share of racism, your past with the Russians speaks volumes.

Hmmm... I think that this is the end to my little spiel just final comments and a little suggestion. Why don't you actually come to Texas, see the place first-hand, and stop spouting off what everyone wants you to say and think. From your article "The United States of Texas"

—Cris James
October 2002

JoT

 

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