Embarrassed Texans Are Not Alone

There is a reason why we should avoid stereotypes. There is also a terrible temptation to use them. I am sure there are too many rational people in Waco Texas to justify renaming the place Wacko Texas, but more than a few events there have made such a renaming tempting. Similarly, although Texas has delighted us in the past by electing reasonable moderates such as Senator Lloyd Benson, paranoid idiots such as General Walker also had a large enough following in Texas to give that state a very unfavorable political reputation. More recently, the election of such anti-intellectual ignoramuses as Senator Ted Cruz, Congressman Louie Gohmert, and Governor Rick Perry have greatly added to the unsavory political reputation of Texas. Indeed, to those of us who are more rational it seems as though Texans have such a low opinion of all government that they consider political offices to be good, out of the way, places to deposit their lunatics and dumb asses.

What is with Louie Gohmert and his comments about bestiality? What the hell is he doing to the cows in his district? Is he treating them like his constituents? Meanwhile, Ted Cruz swallows and regurgitates illogical NRA dreck like a vulture. According to the NRA and Cruz, if you cannot stop all gun related homicides you should not try to stop any of them, and since the Nazi’s restricted gun ownership restricting gun ownership must be undemocratic. Never mind the fact that the Nazi’s came to power at a time when they and other paramilitary organizations were able to buy military style weapons and that they used such weapons in their efforts to overthrow a legitimate government. Pointing out such facts or trying to reason with people like Cruz and Gohmert is like talking to a stone. What good are facts or logic when pitted against paranoia and irrational beliefs. If Governor Rick Perry is not careful, someone might accuse him of trying to pass himself off as an intellectual by finally, grudgingly, admitting that the issue of secession was decided in the eighteen sixties when Texas and other southern states lost a very bloody war.

All I can say to the people of Texas who are reasonable enough to be embarrassed by the political reputation their state is gaining is that they are not alone. Even here, in blue state California, my Congressman is a right wing imbecile elected by people who seem rational enough if you do not try to discuss politics or government with them. I really wish I could say that I do not know how the reasonable people of Texas feel about the election of such misrepresentatives of their legitimate interests.