Texas. 


The only way to really understand Rick Perry's thinking on state's rights and the 10th amendment is to get to know Texas. I don't mean the citizens of  Dallas, Houston, San Antonio or even Austin. I mean the citizens of Rule, Dalhart, Paris, Temple, Beeville, Amarillo and the like. Folks are not just from Texas. they are Texas. No matter where you meet a native or under what circumstance, one of the first things you will learn about that person is that they are a Texan. They'll tell you right off the bat. Native Texans live and breathe all things Texas, some transplants do as well. In my opinion, this loyalty has been passed down from those who founded the Republic of Texas. If you can count as kin Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston, William Travis, Jim Bowie or any of the other well and/or lesser known men who defended the Alamo, then you are as much royalty in Texas as Elizabeth is in England.


Other than moving there to experience it yourself, one of the best and most entertaining ways to discover the meaning of being a Texan is to read James Michener's Texas: A Novel. As always, Michener relates the history behind the story and in this novel, he captures the true spirit of those who settled, fought for and shaped the state to her present form. I've probably read it five or six times and just blogging about it here makes me want to read it again. I always learn something new. 


I personally am a nearly-native Texan. I was made there, but approximately three weeks before I was born, my father was transferred to Oklahoma. All of my immediate family members are natives. I have the luxury of being both an Okie and a Texan. There's really not that much difference, except high school football is not nearly the be-all  end-all here like it is across the Red. If for some reason I couldn't live in Oklahoma, you can be sure I'd be hot-footin' it south down I-35 as fast as I could go!