¿Azul Tejas?

There ain't no place in America like Texas pardner. Or to be more linguistically suited for San Antonio: No hay ningun lugar iqual como Tejas amigo.      Everything about Texas is BIG; hair, ten gallon hats, ranches,  burgers, burritos, chimichangas, egos, and cities. Texas is not a melting pot, rather it's a glorious bowl of menudo filled with different ethnic groups, cultures, politics and values. It's also changing. This once bright red state is slowly, but surely, turning blue. Texas has always been a fairly conservative state, but its also always had a strong undercurrent of progressive thought. Just go to Austin. I did. I lived and worked there for ten years. The city's motto is Keep Austin Weird. With its tolerant, laid-back ambience, Austin is a mecca for artists, musicians, free-thinkers, alternative health and has a thriving gay and lesbian community. Austin looks and feels more like Berkeley than Brownsville.   The most ethnically / racially diverse city in America is not New York, Chicago, Los Angeles or Miami; it's Houston.  Cities like Austin, Dallas and Houston are increasingly attracting high-tech industries from the East and West Coast.     Besides, a state that produced Janis Joplin, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Barbara Jordan, LBJ, Selena, Flaco Jimenez and Molly Ivins can't be all bad.   But all the signs Texas is turning blue are all there. Here are just a few. Dallas Morning News Endorse Hillary for President This very conservative, Republican newspaper hadn't endorsed a Democrat for president since Andrew Jackson. Back then, the editorial board wrote: "We have reservations about Old Hickory's Indian removal and relocation policy, but we think he'll look great on the twenty dollar bill. Just get a haircut!" Castro Brothers Energize Latino Voter Turnout The Castro Brothers (the Mexicans, Julian and Joaquin, not those pedos viejos tristes commie Cubans, Fidel and Raul) have been inspiring and working to get out the sleeping giant Hispanic vote in Texas. Both of these guapo, rising rock stars in the Democratic  party are candidates to head the DNC. Why not both brothers at the same time? They are identical twins. Who'd know the difference?  Opposition to Racist Mexican-American History Textbook This textbook has been widely condemned by Hispanic commjnity leaders for its insulting, derogatory and stereotypical depiction of Mexican-Americans as "lazy" and "prone to drink on the job." Well, someday we'll get this whole Alamo myth right. Sorry Davy Crockett. You were not liberating Texas. You were trespassing.  Register to Vote at Your Local Corner Taco Truck This is actually happening all over Texas. "I'll have three tacos con carne asada, cilantro y cebolla and a voter regirstraion form to go please."   Campaign Droppings  Let's Pillory Hillary Again... A basket of deplorables? Sounds like sometrhing you have the FTD florists deliver to your ex- after a nasty, bitter break-up.        "Oh, a basket of deplorables! My favorites; thistles, poison sumac,  stink weed and cockle bur. How perfectly thoughtless you bastard!”        Hillary's comments were, of course, spot on regarding a certain segment of Trump supporters. She was trying to appeal to those few reasonable, moderate Republicants who find Trump deplorable.  Don't Want to Talk About It... I love the way Trump is backing off his birther conspiracy theory: "I'm not talking about that anymore. I've moved on to talking about basket weaving jobs for my deplorables.         How convenient...        "Mr. Hitler, what about all those Jews you shot, baked, fried and gassed?"       "Oh, I'm not talking about that anymore. I've moved on to talking about my peeps building VW bugs and buses for hippies."