# For Texans and those who don't understand.  (long)



## coach (Oct 8, 2005)

Texas OUR Texas (must read for all Texans)



Hmmm, for ALL the naysayers.


When you're from Texas, people that you meet ask you questions like, Do you have any cows?" "Do you have horses?" "Bet you got a bunch of guns, eh?" They all want to know if you've been to Southfork. They watched â€˜Dallas.â€™

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 beâ€¦

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 some little bit of Texas in everyone.

Did you ever hear anyone in a bar go, "Wow...so you're from Iowa? Cool, tell me about it." Do you know why? Because nobody gives a crap about Iowa.

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 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 himself. That is the Spirit of Texas.

Texas is Sam Houston capturing Santa Ana at San Jacinto.

Texas is Juneteenth and Texas Independence Day.

Texas is huge forests of Piney Woods like the Davy Crockett National Forest.

Texas is breathtaking mountains in the Big Bend.

Texas is the unparalleled beauty of bluebonnet fields in the Texas Hill Country.

Texas is the beautiful, warm beaches of the Gulf Coast of South Texas.

Texas is the shiny skyscrapers in Houston and Dallas.

Texas is world record bass from places like Lake Fork.

Texas is Mexican food like nowhere else, not even Mexico.

Texas is the Fort Worth Stockyards, Bass Hall, the Ballpark in Arlington, Minutemaid Park, and the Astrodome.

Texas is larger-than-life legends like Michael DeBakey, Denton Cooley, Willie Nelson, Buddy Holly, Waylon Jennings, Janis Joplin, Kris Kristofferson, Tom Landry, Darrell Royal, Rick Husband, Eric Dickerson, Earl Campbell, Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemens, Sam Rayburn, George Bush, Lyndon B.Johnson, and George W. Bush.

Texas is great companies like Dell Computer, Texas Instruments and Compaq. And Lockheed Martin Aerospace, home of the F-16 Jet Fighter and the JSF Fighter.

Texas is NASA.

Texas is huge herds of cattle and miles of crops.

Texas IS football.

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, and for the Night In Old San Antonio River Parade in San Antonio. Texas is ocean beaches, deserts, lakes and rivers, mountains and prairies, and modern cities.

If it isn't in Texas, you 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 Pine Tree High in Longview or anyplace else at 20 feet, the Lone
Star flies at the same height - 20 feet. Do you know why? Because it is 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, D.C. and we can divide our state into five states at any time if we wanted to! 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!! 


AAAHHHHH  I couldn't have said any of it better myself!


----------



## alamocdc (Oct 8, 2005)

Brought a tear to my eye, Travis. Oh, Texas, my Texas!!! I've said it before and I'll say it again. Southern by birth, Texan by the Grace of God!! [] If you ain't from there, you probably couldn't understand.


----------



## woodbutcher (Oct 8, 2005)

Ain't that the place Kennedy got shot?


----------



## Ron Mc (Oct 8, 2005)

Coach,
GREAT write up. I'm glad and proud to raise my family here and call Texas home!
Besides there's nothing like pulling a nice bass out of lake fork or walking in the wood at the Davy Crockett National Forest.


----------



## Thumbs (Oct 9, 2005)

Well, I think most of us can find a little something to be proud of where we live.


----------



## DCBluesman (Oct 9, 2005)

For Texans who definitely <b>don't</b> understand.

Virginia 

 - 10th state in the US
 - Birthplace  to eight presidents and four of the first five: Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, WH Harrison, Tyler, Taylor and Wilson
 - Home of George Mason, author of the Bill of Rights
 - Home of R.E. Lee, offered position of Commander-in-Chief of both the Union army and the Confederate army.
 - Part or all of eight states were formed from the original boundary of Virginia: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, West Virginia and Wisconsin
 - Coastal plain, rolling hills of the piedmont, Blue Rige Mountains, Allegheny plateau.
 - Home of the Pentagon (Worlds largest office building)
 - First permanent colony - Jamestown (1607)
 - First English doctor (1607)
 - First English woman (1608)
 - First wedding (1609)
 - First Thanksgiving - Berkeley (1619)
 - End of American Revolution - Yorktown (1787)
 - First US theater (1716
 - First Naval ship yard - Norfolk (1767)
 - First University honor system - William and Mary (1784)
 - First President - Washington (1791)
 - First Supreme Court Chief Justice - Marshall (1801)
 - End of Civil War - Appomattox Courthouse (1865)
 - First flight from and landing on a ship (1910)
 - First jet plane landing on a ship (1946)
 - One of three founding laboratories of NASA - Langley (1958)
 - First solid propellant rocket launch (1961)
 - First elected Arican American Governor - Wilder (1989)

Home of Arlington Cemetary, final resting place of more Presidents, Generals, Admirals and Medal of Honor winners than all other national cemeteries combined.

I think we <b>all</b> have a lot to be proud of.


----------



## Woodbutcher68 (Oct 9, 2005)

Sorry to burst your bubble coach, but only one World Record bass came from Texas:
Bass, Guadalupe 3-11 Lake Travis, TX Sept. 25, 1983 Allen Christenson Jr. 
Bass, largemouth 22-4 Montgomery Lake, GA June 2, 1932 George W. Perry 
Bass, redeye 8-12 Apalachicola River, FL Jan. 28, 1995 Carl W. Davis 
Bass, Roanoke 1-5 Nottoway River, VA Nov. 11, 1991 Tom Elkins 
Bass, rock 3-0 York River, Ontario Aug. 1, 1974 Peter Gulgin 
Bass, smallmouth 10-14 Dale Hollow, TN Apr. 24, 1969 John T. Gorman 
Bass, spotted 9-9 Pine Flat Lake, CA Oct. 12, 1996 Kirk Sakamoto 
Bass, striped (landlocked) 67-8 O'Neill Forebay, San Luis, CA May 7, 1992 Hank Ferguson 
Bass, Suwannee 3-14 Suwannee River, FL Mar. 2, 1985 Ronnie Everett 
Bass, white 6-13 Lake Orange, VA July 31, 1989 Ronald L. Sprouse 
Bass, whiterock 27-5 Greers Ferry Lake, AR Apr. 24, 1997 Jerald C. Shaum 
Bass, yellow 2-4 Lake Monroe, IN Mar. 27, 1977 Donald L. Stalker 
Bass, yellow hybrid 2-5 Kiamichi River, OK Mar. 26, 1991 George Edwards 

Every state has it's own things to brag about and putting them all together is what makes this country great! 
I think I'll just leave it at that!


----------



## Randy_ (Oct 9, 2005)

> _Originally posted by coach_<br />...the Ballpark in Arlington....


Not sure that is anything to brag about???  The stadium is certainly nice enough; but I wonder how many generations we are going to have to wait for the Rangers to win a World Series...not as long as SOX fans, I hope?[B)][B)]




> _Originally posted by coach_<br />...Texas is a place where towns and cities shut down to watch the local high school football game on Friday nights.....


And on Thursday nights they close down to watch the Safeway trucks unload!![][]




> _Originally posted by coach_<br />...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...


That is a really neat piece of information!!  I knew that Texas has some special legal/political standing by virtue of its status as a republic prior to statehood; but had never heard the "flag" thing before.  Thanks!!

P.S.  Surprised there was no direct mention of the 90's Aikman, Smith, Irvin Cowboys team....America's Team???


----------



## rtjw (Oct 9, 2005)

Travis, great thoughts. Texas is a wonderful place and I wouldnt want to live anywhere else.

Lou, You are absolutely right also. I am a huge history buff and love virginia also. I was honored three years ago to be able to do the funeral of a retired Chief of Staff in Washington D.c with burial in Arlington. It had all the pomp and circumstance with all the big political people. Exciting to get to see something like that. Would visit Virginia again in a moment.


----------



## dubdrvrkev (Oct 9, 2005)

I work with a guy from Texas, of course his nickname is 'Tex', and we were talking about the high school football thing. I asked him what was the big deal, his answer was, "well where I grew up it was because there was nothing else." Not exactly the answer I had in mind but it is what it is I guess.


----------



## coach (Oct 9, 2005)

I wasn't disrespecting any one elses states.  Just enjoyed the read and wanted to share it.  I agree on the Virginia sentiments.  I went there in '98 and to Maryland.  Very beautiful country filled with history.  I am a history teacher so I loved every minute of it.

I hope all are proud of where they live.


----------



## Thumbs (Oct 9, 2005)

Yeah?  Well don't get me started on Pennsylvania!


----------



## cozee (Oct 9, 2005)

Which star is Texas in our national flag? Which stripe represents the blood of Texans that has been shed for freedom? 

Not to take anything away from Texas, I truly believe that every state has something that it has and and does contribute to this great country today. In the birth of this country there are states which from which great men evolved to rise to the cause. but it was men, not a state or government which held the greatness.

I a bit of a history buff, myself, leaning especially towards military history. As for the Alamo, the great men you mentioned were from other states, Jim Bowie originally from Kentucky, David Crockett originally from Tennesee, and William B, Travis originally having grown up in South Carolina. Even the great General Sam Houston was originally from Virgina. All these men went to help the future Republic of Texas to gain it's freedom from being  under Mexican rule. Texas, as were most all of the states that followed the founding of our country, became, for ther most part by the men and women from states all ready established. Apparently it was Americans that fought at the Alamo. 

Now, as for the flag flying issue, first and foremost, there are no laws governing the flying of flags. They are codes meaning they do not hold any criminal penalties for their violation. They are simply codes; guidelines of tradition and etiquette regarding how, when, and where national and state flags should be displayed, and how one should act in order to show proper respect for those flags.

With a closer look at these codes we can see: 

<b>SUBCHAPTER B. DISPLAY OF STATE FLAG 

Â§ 3100.055. Display on Flagpole or Flagstaff With Flag of United States 

(a) If it is necessary for the state flag and the flag of the United States to be displayed on the same flagpole or flagstaff, the United States flag should be above the state flag. 

(b) If the state flag and the flag of the United States are displayed on flagpoles or flagstaffs at the same location: 

    (1) the flags should be displayed on flagpoles or flagstaffs of the same height; 
    (2) the flags should be of approximately equal size; 
    (3) the flag of the United States should be, from the perspective of an observer, to the left of the state flag; 
    (4) the flag of the United States should be hoisted before the state flag is hoisted; and 
    (5) the state flag should be lowered before the flag of the United States is lowered. </b>

Here we see no specific mention of Texas being the only state allowed to fly their state flag equally with the US flag while other states are denied that right. We see that every state has that right.

While the Lone Star flag is certainly special to Texans, nothing in federal law makes it more special than any other state's flag. 

Remember the Alamo and the great state of Texas, certianly!! Many Americans died there!!!

Again, I am not trying to take anything away from Texas, just wantoing to set a few facts straight.


_<b>SEMPER FI!</b>_


----------



## tinker (Oct 9, 2005)

You know what they say, one ah crap removes 100 atta boys. 
Bush![}][]


----------



## Darley (Oct 10, 2005)

I like your post Coach, give me more knowledge about the States, thanks Lou very amezing about Virginia, hope one day will visit the States 



> _Originally posted by coach_
> <br />Texas OUR Texas (must read for all Texans)
> 
> NO ONE DOES ANYTHING BIGGER OR BETTER THAN IT'S DONE IN TEXAS.


No heart feeling for all Texans, but Coach here in Australia we got the tallest, biggest grass hopper in the world .............. guess wich one [][][]


----------



## Ryan (Oct 10, 2005)

This is as close as I can get to zipped lips [|)][|)] My Momma said "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all"

Ryan


----------



## woodwish (Oct 10, 2005)

I may as well toss in a few facts about Florida-

* We got sand! Lots of sand!
* We are #1 in hurricane strikes!
* We lead the nation in beer consumption!
* We send astronauts into space, because I-95 is too crowded to drive them out!
* #1 tourist destination, spend your money here!
* Air conditioning was invented here, only about 50 miles from where I live!
* We have the other Bush, Jeb, as OUR governor.
* We don't allow offshore drilling (not sure why I mentioned that, just seemed timely)
* We have 3 college football teams in the top 20, more than any other state, and three pro football teams, only New York can match that.  Maybe we also know football?
* If it's an outdoor high school sport we can empty a whole town to watch: football, baseball, soccer, swimming, golf, track, softball, etc.  If it's indoor we can still get 3 or 4 people to watch.
* We've got sand, lots of sand (did I mention that already?).
* Even out-of-shape couch potatos can hike to the highest point in the state (about 300+ feet in a state roadside park just north of us near the Alabama state line.
* Our coastline is second only to Alaska, but we have more sand!
* We lead the nation in lightning deaths and shark attacks!
* You never will have to dig the rocks out of your yard, we have only sand, lots and lots of the &%#@& sand!

Must be some others but that's what comes to mind.


----------



## Thumbs (Oct 10, 2005)

Well now we have super lists for Texas, Virginia, and Florida!  I'm going to be terminally numb if I have to go through this 47 more times!  Oops!  I forgot the great grasshopper from the outback!  I hope you folks down under have more than that to cheer about!  LOL!

Don't complain, Ray, some of us would like to have some sand to go along with our rocks......


----------



## Darley (Oct 11, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Thumbs_
> <br />Oops!  I forgot the great grasshopper from the outback!  I hope you folks down under have more than that to cheer about!  LOL!



Yep! everythings you guys don't have we got it [], Our Football, Rugby leager, Cricket, beautifull sunny day our beaches ( more sand [] )our Pubs our Beers and most of it our MATES[]

Fraser Island the largest and biggest SAND Island in the World  [8D]


----------



## Randy_ (Oct 11, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Darley_<br />...our Pubs our Beers...



Without a doubt, Australia is the best place in the world to down a beer or three!!  I can attest to that with first-hand experience.[][]


----------



## Darley (Oct 11, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Randy__
> <br />
> 
> 
> ...



Randy you have probably good time but if you come to see me I will introduce to some of my fisher men mate and when we do BBQ it is not 2 or 3 beer, but a slab ( slang word to say a carton, 24 stubby ) and wifes got they champagnes or wine, good conversation about footy or cricket, but no SAND []


----------



## Randy_ (Oct 14, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Darley_<br />Randy you have probably good time but if you come to see me I will introduce to some of my fisher men mate and when we do BBQ it is not 2 or 3 beer, but a slab ( slang word to say a carton, 24 stubby ) and wifes got they champagnes or wine, good conversation about footy or cricket, but no SAND []



No offense, Serge.  I'm sure your fishermen mates are a terrific bunch; but my choice would be to down a slab with some of those fine Aussie women!!!  [][]


----------



## Darley (Oct 14, 2005)

Are you been cheeckie!![] you see day time is mates time, night time is LOML time [][]


----------



## Randy_ (Oct 15, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Darley_
> <br />Are you been cheeckie!![] ......night time is LOML time [][]



Maybe a little  []  but those Aussie gals are fine company 24/7!!![][]


----------



## Darley (Oct 15, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Randy__
> <br />
> 
> 
> ...



[], So when are you coming over[8D]


----------



## Randy_ (Oct 15, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Darley_<br />[], So when are you coming over[8D]



Gotta sell a few more pens, first, to make beer money and a plane ticket!! []


----------



## BigRob777 (Oct 15, 2005)

Coach,
Man, you should live in Delaware.  We are Texas's opposite.  The diamond state, but you won't dig up any diamonds here.  We were the first state and that's about all there is to brag about it.  Except that sometimes the humidity is under 100%.  I remember a day just last year when it dipped to 98%.[]  Oh yeah, there is this guy who sells some really nice pen blanks in Delaware, now what was his name?????
Actually it is nice here.  Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey are only 10 or 15 miles from my house.
I don't think anyone famous ever came from Delaware, except for Randy white and maybe the DuPonts.  No taxes, when you go to a restaurant, or store.  Wow, this is pretty pathetic.  Any more room in Texas?  I do remember an old joke that my drill instructors used to say, when they came accross someone from Texas, but it isn't appropriate for this forum.


Hey, Serge.  I think I would have to take a crash course on Down Under slang, to understand anything over there.  You still might see me around there, but if you do see me at the beach, make sure nobody has any harpoons in their hands. [][)] I'm still waiting for some wood from New York and then I can run that special.

Rob[]


----------



## Darley (Oct 16, 2005)

Come on Randy sell about 200 pens , don't worries about the beer got plenty use to do my own but got no time now beside when you're with a sheila you don't drink much [], Rob you're welcome, just don't be cranky to people with harpoon []

Here's something you may need [][]

http://www.australianexplorer.com/australian_slang.htm


----------

