Rick Perry Stirs Up The Secessionists

It’s good to have a Texan’s perspective on this, KT.
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What was the Texan reaction to the New Deal? Was it similar?
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Do people there just hate anything that isn’t their idea to begin with?

Perry puts the *ss in *sshattery. In other news, students on campus are staging a “walk out” on Friday to protest the gun ban lifting proposal.

Also, where was Perry when the federal government was imposing No Child Left Behind? didn’t hear a peep out of him then.

Wait, I thought Texas was part of the Real America. Now they want to pack up their marbles and go home?

On the other hand, they are staying true to their “America, love it or leave it” slogan.

Cool! Maybe South Carolina will secede too, and we can recreate East and West Pakistan!

Steve Benen on Perry’s reality.
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Governor Rick Perry, five days ago: Governor Perry Calls FEMA To Assist With Wildfires
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Governor Rick Perry, last month: Governor Perry Calls For 1,000 Troops To Be Sent To Border
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Governor Rick Perry, five months ago: Governor Perry Requests 18 Month Extension Of Federal Aid For Ike Debris Removal
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Yes, ol’ Rick just can’t stand that "oppressive" federal bureaucracy that keeps "interfering" with Texas, except when he needs its help.

Stuart, not all the people here, just the crazy ones. He’s talking to the crazy base that he thinks he needs to win the GOP primary.

Cliff, my favorite ever bumper sticker pairing, for sheer cognitive dissonance, is a Confederate Flag sticker paired with “America, love it or leave it.”
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Cracks me up every time.

Ah Rick Perry, or as I like to call him, Captain 39 Percent (re-elected with 39% of the vote in 2006…AND HE WANTS TO RUN AGAIN!)
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I CANNOT WAIT for him to get rocked in the primary against Hutchison. Some early numbers indicate a +20 point margin of victory for her. Most of us in Texas, even the Republicans, do not like him. There’s absolutely no chance he will be re-elected again.
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As for the walk-out here at UT, it’s actually tommorrow, the anniversary of the V-Tech massacre. Classy.

Hey, Rick:
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Here’s your (ten-gallon) hat; what’s your hurry?

Time for Perry to “move on down the road” that was, incidentally, paved with federal dollars. Whoops! (local joke)

wvng-I thought that Perry guy down here is the same guy who was always asking the federal government for assistance on a whole host of things. But we should just forget that.

fourlegs, I remember that!!! When he was stopped by police and said that, I specifically remember that ad. ahhhh haha

One good thing. We don’t have to worry about Perry running for president of these United States since he will be president of TEXAS. Yee haw.

Karen: I hope your brother is doing OK.
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All: I will be retiring my name “Mad As Hell” as it now has right wing connotations. Oh well.

fourlegsgood:
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Thanks, that was a stupid question of mine.

gysgt213, did you not see where I said there’s no way he’ll get re-elected? Therefore, he couldn’t even be “President of Texas” anyway. Yee haw!

apollyon,
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Wasn’t the reason why he won the last time was because all the idiots who piled into the race spliting the votes?

Stuart, granted, the crazies outnumber us sane folk by a pretty significant margin.

gysgt213, yes. Kinky should have dropped out. Bell would have won.

Fourleggsgood, I am hoping that the crazies start to shrink.
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Is Kinky going to run again?

I’m in Texas and quite a few people here will point to the fact that Texas is the only state that can fly their flag at the same level as the Stars and Stripes as a reason we can become an independant nation again. Turns out, not so much. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Texas
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Good luck arguing though.
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As for Kinky, he thinks Texas, of all states, needs to be “Dewussified.”

It is only because American journalists have routinely permitted Republican politicians to engage in thinly-veiled or openly wackjob rhetoric that wingnuttery has completely consumed the GOP.
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KT jokes about grabbing her passport. Why? The presumption is that Perry is joking. And yet if KT really thought it was a joke, she would presumably say so explicitly.
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For the past 15-20 years, Americans — led by the media — have been asked to engage in a form of Orwellian, rightwing doublethink. “Limbaugh represents average Americans; to dismiss him is elitist. Limbaugh is a comedian; don’t blow his statements out of proportion.”
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With a few exceptions (e.g. the Schiavo fiasco), the GOP has had free reign to pander to its most unhinged, racist, xenophobic, bigoted, and ignorant fringes without being challenged by the press.

The South should be allowed to secede providing they agree to call their new nation Ignorantmotherfuckerland.

Perry’s talking about secession. Palin’s husband was a member of the Alaskan secessionist movement. Did they gag when when McCain chose “Country First” as his campaign slogan? Do only liberals think United States means that the states are united and part of a greater whole? Somehow it seems only fitting that the right wingers are making unpatriotic treasonous sounds. They cheered when Cheney and Bush tried to dismantle the constitution instead of uphold it. They cheered when we made torture a matter of policy. They approved of secret prisons. They supported warrantless wiretaps even when they KNEW they could warrants afterwards. When they talk about the “Real America” do they even realize that they aren’t a part of it?

“But if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people…” As was true for the last eight years, “the American people” means just those on the right, even though it’s a third of the country.
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I was impressed when Perry was so principled in accepting refugees from Katrina, but this sort of puts that illusion to bed. Just waiting for somebody to be just a wee bit more explicit and say that only Republicans are patriots.
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KT – hope you had a good trip around the college circuit. Give a little swamp love to your brother for us.

Mad as hell: Oh God, do you mean we all have to be cheerful on the left now?

Cliff, my favorite ever bumper sticker pairing, for sheer cognitive dissonance, is a Confederate Flag sticker paired with “America, love it or leave it.”
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That makes my head hurt.

Where is Molly Ivins when we need her.

The South should be allowed to secede providing they agree to call their new nation Ignorantmotherf**kerland.
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Gee it’s been so long since I’ve attempted to use cuss words here that I forgot about comment moderation.

“Ignorantmotherf**kerland! Want Fries With That?”

hellslittleangel: There are probably quite a few of them that would go for that name if only there weren’t so many letters in it. We’re not talking about class valedictorians wanting their own wingnut nation.

“Ahnga-GooGah-Mang! Want Fries With That?”

Is this kook actually serious? FBI on line one…

http://www.political-buzz.com/

Kinky is saying he wants to run as a democrat.

Kathy:

Have you seen the faces of these teabaggers? An unhappier group of people you will never see. They look like they’re in hell. Anyway, I’ve been Mad As Hell since 2004. It’s been hell on my social life. It’s time to be happy and cheerful now, at least for the next 8 years.

sacredh: I think the name is locked up, heh. And how much do I love the name hellslittleangel? Let me count the ways.

My favorite names on Swampland are mccainfluffer and flaccidcasual. The visuals alone make me laugh. For flaccidcasual, I think of a sport jacket and tennis shoes. Mccainfluffer…I see a grinning Palin.

The South should be allowed to secede providing they agree to call their new nation Ignorantmotherf**kerland.
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I hereby second the motion.

Anybody want to bet that Biko won’t be their national anthem?

GOP = militia movement.

Perry should paint his fluffy hairdoo bright red, and attach a bright red clown nose. Wear a Lone Star armband. He is an outrageous clown.
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I just saw a clip of him at the right wing ignorameous convention extorting that we didn’t like oppression then (the Boston tea party), and we don’t like it now! Of course, Texas was part of the Spanish colony of Mexico when all that was going on. As for oppression, I didn’t know the word was included in the right wing nutbag dictionary.
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Sen. Hutchison has got to the rolling on the floor in glee. I am liberal dem, but will support her run fully as no dem has a chance in nutland.

per Joe Klein correction:
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broken shard that represents all that’s left of the former GOP = militia movement

Elvis, this from Steve Benen is related to your “GOP = militia movement” thought, : [url=http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_04/017758.php]It’s what struck me as so strange yesterday. When DHS raised concerns about radical right-wing extremists who might commit acts of violence, Limbaugh, Hannity, Dobbs, Malkin, and others immediately thought, “Wait, maybe they’re talking about us!”[/url]

“Just so you know, we’re on the good side with y’all. We do not want this war, this violence, and we’re ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas. ”
—Natalie Maine
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Media—String her up!
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Perry said. “We’ve got a great union. There’s absolutely no reason to dissolve it. But if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, you know, who knows what might come out of that. But Texas is a very unique place, and we’re a pretty independent lot to boot.”
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Media–Oh well (shrug)

How is that tea party going, anyway?
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I’m bringing home $78 a month more because of my tax cut.
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But I’d welcome any half decent reason why I should invest in tea. A challange to all you rw’s:
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Give me one, just one good reason why I should rally against taxation when my taxes went down!

sacredh, thanks for the shout out. Especially gratifying coming from someone of your stature. As for the name, it’s a slight adaptation of a song (Placid Casual) by Welsh band Super Furry Animals about an apathetic soccer hooligan. Anyone who thinks that all Europeans are a bunch of hippy peaceniks should probably look into the history of the “Casuals”.

If Texas wants to secede, I’ll help them pack their bags.

We want to keep Austin, though. Maybe we can make an enclave out of it, kind of like Berlin in East Germany.

Also, if Texas secedes, does that mean that Bush might be more likely to be tried for war crimes if he sets foot on US soil??? After all he wouldn’t be a ‘merkin any longer…

flacid, I don’t know about Europeans, but I do know that American right wing nuts are nothing but flatulence. Nuclear flacid. The stench assembled today in “tea parties”. By the hundreds.

flacidcasual: Was that a snark? “Someone of my stature”. I’m almost a troll. Granted, I don’t get called out much because for the most part I agree with the views of most of the commenters. Even if it was a snark, you’re welcome. Thanks for the info on SFA, I’ll check them out. I’m afraid the only bands I’m really familiar with from that part of the world are the Pogues (Holy Sh!t, do I ever love those guys), U2 and Enya.

53: they’re teabagging against income taxes of the future. They’re a forward-looking bunch, bringing the urban cutting-edge of hiphop to conservatism — it’s extreme conservatism, baby, making tomorrow look like yesterday, and yesterday look like the Promised Land.
Also the taxes on cigarettes.

I forgot the Chieftans.

Leave us not forget Rory Gallagher!
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Friar Tuck: OK, maybe I am familiar with more than I said. I’m not really bragging, but I think I burned out more brain cells in the 60′s and 70′s than most people have to begin with. There has been some informational loss. I remember the day Sgt. Pepper came out and then the next thing I knew it was 1981 and I in San Antonio or Atlanta. Which one has Disney World?

Friar Tuck, that clip is stupendous. I immediately thought of Stevie Ray Vaughan, and then saw another clip of them together. Thanks.

“I forgot the Chieftans.”
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What sacredh? No love for Thin Lizzy? Or The Clancy Brothers*?
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*Okay that one was thrown in for my father who made us listen to them ALL the time.

PNNTO: I don’t know how I could ever forget JailBreak. I went to see that tour in Pittsburgh and was arrested.

“and was arrested” the greatest words any concert going experience should include.

Texas might have hope if the democrats would talk Pete Laney into running for governor.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Laney
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http://www.thetexasblue.com/speaker-pete-laney-then-and-now
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sacredh – you can’t be a troll, you keep interacting with people in a meaningful fashion.

Dear Gov. Perry:
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Please be sure to leave behind the tens of $ billions of annual federal money and turn off the lights on your way out. And, please, do take George W. Bush with you (and thanks again so much for lending him to us).
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Seriously Karen, how much of this traitorous rabble-rousing should we allow to be mainstreamed? He’s the governor of a rather large and important state, isn’t he? Has there been anything this outrageous committed by either political party in over 140 years? Any journalists out there interested in the story of the century?!

Formerly, Rory was a tragic loss. He had problems with booze that kept him from getting gigs with more well-known bands, but at his best, he just leaves you speechless.
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Here’s one he did with Peter Green:
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Hey guys, up above there were lots of disparaging comments about the South. I think one of the worst things in politics is generalizations and blanket statements (“Ignorantmotherf**kerland”). Don’t forget that the party I assume you identify with was the dominant party in the South until the 70s/80s (back when the South was much more racist than today, how about that?) Remind me where your party’s golden boy Bill Clinton is from? And no, I don’t identify with the Republicans, just thought I’d pre-empt that.
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Another unfortunate strategy in politics is to find an extreme, easily attackable opponent and tie them to your opponents in your entirety, seen here with Rick Perry (39%, 39%, 39%). Yes, the reason why he was re-elected in 2006 was because it was a crowded field with four candidates (Rick Perry, Chris Bell, Carol Keeton Strayhorn, and Kinky Friedman). If there was either a run-off or had Strayhorn and Friedman not run, Chris Bell, the Democrat, would have won. So don’t act like Rick Perry speaks for the entire or even majority of the state.

apollyon — I agree that we ought not characterize the entire south based on the ignorant few that come to our attention, especially because there are plenty of idiots up north.
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However, the GOP has the 11th commandment and that unwillingness to call your idiots on their crap is why Democrats are forced to. When liberals screw up we call our own on their crap and then decide if they should be forgiven. Conversely, the GOP refuses to chastise their own and then attacks any Democrat who tries.
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Most unfortunately, the argument so often use makes matters even worse. The GOP tend to use the faults of Democrats as a means to back Democrats off, as if in this context two wrongs will equal right. And then Democrats are forced to defend against a deed that has a statute of limitations which has long ago expired. It’s dishonest and counterproductive but even more important it accomplishes the one goal you seek, a change of subject.

Honestly, between Dubya, “Big John” Cornyn and Gov. Good-Hair, it’s getting harder and harder to be a Texan. I promise, we’re not all crazy down here, really. It’s just that the crazies tend to be louder.
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Perry’s apparent embrace of secession is laughable. How does the man think Texas would survive on its own? And what does he think will happen when he tells folks, “The Texas Legislature is now in charge?” (Believe me, nobody wants that!)
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The man is just a partisan hack, pandering to the lowest common denominator. Where is Sam Houston when we need him? Y’know, the Texas governor who sacrificed his career and reputation for denouncing secession the first time we tried it?

“Actually, Texas did secede once before, in 1861. I seem to recall that didn’t work out so well.”

That decision was FOR slavery.

Today’s would be AGAINST it.

Try to know the difference, eh?

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http://twitter.com/HULAgate

sue_n: some of my favorite friends have been Texas liberals. I mean, just think about it.

Austin.

Paved by liberals, for liberals.

Some change, eh?

Move On indeed.

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http://twitter.com/HULAgate

Maybe Rick Perry thinks that if we secede, it’ll help his chances of being re-elected! And I for one trust the Texas Legislature much more than the governor’s office. It’s much more even and divided than most people probably think (especially the House). Really though, most Texas people are for less intrusive government in general, in keeping with the independent spirit. And Dee, I couldn’t tell from what you said but did you mean I’m trying to change the subject? I was continuing the subject, trying to make the point that generalizing people based on geography is bad.
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And what the hell is hulagate (?) talking about?

Okay let me say it simpler. I agreed with you that generalization based on geography is wrong. However, Republicans have as their 11th commandment “thou shall not speak ill of a fellow Republican.”
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So since the GOP won’t call out their own crazies, Democrats are forced to do it. The GOP response is always well Clinton did this or Carter did that as if two wrongs make a right. Moreover when you do that all you really accomplish is changing the subject, which is probably what you are trying to do because you can’t defend some of the crap the right is doing.

apollyon
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Hula is a die hard troll trying to drum up interest in its twitter page. Please do not feed unless you want to see a gazillion nonesensical tourettes posts ruining the threads.

Molly Ivans to be exhumed, cloned, tried for Moore crimes against fat cells and American health care expenditures…

””””””””’

http://ow.ly/31hP

It’s West Texas’s fault, really. Austin’s as blue as they come, and even Houston and (gulp) Dallas are purple now.

Has anyone really paid attention to Gov. Goodhair in the past four years? I mean, the state’s response to Ike was so wimpy and muddled that our mayor and county judge had to step in and do all the work.

Omorka, as ashamed as I am to admit it, you’ve got to add East Texas to the “redder than red” pile. People here are convinced Obama is coming for their guns, and that he is a socialist-communist-fascist-atheist-Muslim (and, yes, just typing that makes my head hurt). Shrub remains very much a hero to these people, Sarah Palin is their idol, Bobby Jindal is a freakin’ genius, and we should just let Israel do whatever the hell it wants, especially if it involves nuking Iran.
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It’s a little like living in the 1950s, here.
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As for Gov Good-Hair, I would have thought he’d be done after his Trans-Texas Corridor fiasco, when he tried to take land away from ranchers and farmers and give control of it to a Spanish company. Talk about “messin’ with Texas!” By all rights, that should have nailed the lid shut on his political future.
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If only Grandma and Kinky hadn’t mucked up the works …

@ apollyon, 5:33 p.m. April 15:

As for the walk-out here at UT, it’s actually tommorrow, the anniversary of the V-Tech massacre. Classy.

Yes, it is classy, and, as a UT grad, I’m incredibly proud of the students. They’re walking out to protest the idiot Legislature’s attempt to allow guns on college campuses. One of the students participating in (and perhaps even helping to coordinate, I’m not sure) is a grad student who was actually in the V-Tech shooting. He knows whereof he speaks when he says more guns in the hands of panicked students would only have made things worse.
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So, yeah, Hook ‘em Horns!!

Dee, I see what you mean about the 11th commandment, I agree, it’s wrong, just as the mindset “my country, right or wrong” is also bad.
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I can’t speak for West Texas but Bush’s average for the rest of the state (as of October 2008) is/was quite low: http://www.laits.utexas.edu/txp_media/html/poll/features/200810_approval/slide1.html
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And I agree that Trans-Texas Corridor thing was ridiculous, I also have been upset at how he’s handled education funding (I’m from Plano, if that gives you any indication). Top 10% still exists too, which is becoming extremely problematic for the university I attend, UT.
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sue_n, to me, using a tragedy for political exploitation is un-classy, which is exactly what is going on today. This is the same way I feel about John Woods, the student you’re referring to, who like clockwork mentions the tragic death of his girlfriend at Virginia Tech at any mention of guns. In regards to V-Tech, don’t you think today should be a day of remembrance, and that politics should be set aside, if only for today? This to me is just like when neo-con Republicans politicize 9/11.

There are solutions that are not loony. The Mexican border wars prove that lax gun regulations serve only the criminals. ………..

http://thefiresidepost.com/2009/04/16/the-nra-supports-mexican-drug-cartels/

I’ve heard that point repeated several times (90% come from U.S., actually, it’s 90% of traceable guns are from the US, since US gun manufacturers do what others don’t, in that they label their guns). The actual figure of guns in Mexico that come from the US? 17%. Far cry from 90%, hmm?
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Besides, that argument is wrong to begin with, since it’s saying essentially that we should change our laws in order to accommodate countries whose governments are too corrupt/ineffective to deal with their own problems. As far as gun law effects here in America, tell me, how have the crime rates in areas that allow concealed carry changed compared to ones that don’t?

My family fought for this country in every war that ensured the success of a free society, a society with responsible taxation and proper representation. We are so far from that today. Real true blood american descendents are fed up with both political parties and the whole corrupt governing bodies that use Americans money to cure the world problems, fight the world fights and turn around treating those same Americans like terrorists. Step back and look at America people, is this really what our ancestors died for ? Reverse racism, religious control of policy, foreign control of our currency. When those seccess flags start waving, I will stand by true blood Americans and attempt to return our hostage country back to the free people. Close our borders, build our wall and secure our Govt before China has their way and has its name printed on our money. Obama needs to stop sucking the communist tits or he will have a country that breeds patriots like true blood Americans do.

[...] (0) | Email This Maybe, it was meant to be a consolation prize for Governor Rick Perry, after that whole secession thing didn’t work out and all. But the Texas Legislature’s effort to establish an official flag for the [...]