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Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of Michigan Citizens for Science and co-founder of The Panda's Thumb. He has written for such publications as The Bard, Skeptic and Reports of the National Center for Science Education, spoken in front of many organizations and conferences, and appeared on nationally syndicated radio shows and on C-SPAN. Ed is also a Fellow with the Center for Independent Media and the host of Declaring Independence, a one hour weekly political talk show on WPRR in Grand Rapids, Michigan.(static)
Ed Brayton also blogs at Positive Liberty and The Panda's Thumb
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Posted on: January 15, 2010 9:09 AM, by Ed Brayton
This is actually several months old but I came across it researching something else and it made me laugh, so here it is. This is from Ted Cruz, former solicitor general of the state of Texas and now candidate for Texas attorney general, and was apparently said at a tea party rally last July:
"I like to think of Texas as America on steroids," Cruz said
Small penis? Check. Shriveled testicles? Check. Roid rage? Check. He may be on to something.
Politics
Comments
That's pretty dumb, but .... WANT MOAR PAT!!!
Posted by: ambulocetacean | January 15, 2010 9:15 AM
It be interesting to understand how much business Texas gains and loses based on their extreme positions regarding religion and politics.
My own observations when it came to tech start-ups from the 1980s forward was that lifestyle was a disproportionately large factor and perhaps only Austin could compete with the San Fransisco Bay Area, Boston, and S. California. I also observed difficulties by some of the older tech companies in getting even their own employees to move to Texas from areas that were more liberal or libertarian.
Posted by: Michael Heath | January 15, 2010 9:23 AM
If it wasn't for Texas' treason in the Civil War and its Johnny Come lately status to the Union, that might make some sense.
Posted by: History Punk | January 15, 2010 9:25 AM
Does this mean Texas is considered an unsporting cheat?
Posted by: Matty | January 15, 2010 9:33 AM
I've found that Europeans who have never visited the United States (and some who have) often think of it as though it just is one big Texas.
Posted by: Gretchen | January 15, 2010 9:47 AM
Nah, we also know about New York and LA (which is just New York with the water on the other side right?) ;-)
Posted by: Matty | January 15, 2010 9:51 AM
Re Matty
Actually, it would be more accurate to characterize San Francisco as New York with the water on the other side.
Posted by: SLC | January 15, 2010 10:07 AM
As an adopted Yorkshireman, I frequently think of Yorkshire as "England's Texas":
* Largest state/county (yes, I know about Alaska, but hey).
* Rurally right-wing with pockets of lefties in the cities.
* Regional accent lampooned by the rest of the country.
* You can find Texans/Yorkshiremen all over the rest of the country always banging on about "God's own County" or "The Lone Star State.
* Natives have vastly inflated sense of its importance.
Posted by: MarkW | January 15, 2010 10:22 AM
MarkW - Texans have deep pockets and short arms too? :) - Dingo
Posted by: DingoJack | January 15, 2010 10:34 AM
Is that true of Yorkshire? I had an instructor from Yorkshire years ago who spoke one of the most pleasant versions of English I've ever heard. Utterly unlike Texan.
Posted by: Scott Hanley | January 15, 2010 12:34 PM
SLC, Watch where you say that. It can get you shot in San Francisco. At the very least, nobody will ever buy you a beer again.
Posted by: James Hanley | January 15, 2010 12:49 PM
Scott: I like (some versions of) the Yorkshire accent, but most Brits will attempt an "eh up, see thee, now then" if encouraged.
Posted by: MarkW | January 15, 2010 1:39 PM
The absurd, quasi-arrogant regard that many Texans have for their state isn't limited to Texas or the U.S., as MarkW noted above. I read an essay years ago that compared native vs. outsider perceptions of Texas with native vs. outsider perceptions of Ukraine (the outsiders in this instance being European Russians)--the results were similar in both instances. It was really interesting.
@MarkW: thanks for your comment. I didn't realize that Yorkshire was so culturally iconic in the U.K. I know that the North is quite distinct from the South, and many Southerners regard the North as more quaint and a bit backwards. I've only been to Kingston-upon-Hull up there, so I can't comment too broadly. But I did note that some of the people I spoke to had a very thick accent, making it difficult for me to understand and discern certain individual words. I was getting my hair done, and the hairdresser actually guessed that I was from London from my accent (I'm from Kansas).
Posted by: Sadie Morrison | January 15, 2010 2:46 PM
Women rarely lie about rape. Most estimates show that people are more likely to lie about their car being stolen, but you don't see someone pointing out that the victim is probably lying every time someone says someone's car was stolen.
It's really not necessary, and is actually promoting the rape culture, to feel like it needs to be pointed out that the victim may be lying when someone claims they were raped.
Posted by: MomTFH | January 15, 2010 2:46 PM
Whoops, that last comment was intended for another thread. Ed, please feel free to delete it (and this one).
Posted by: MomTFH | January 15, 2010 2:48 PM
Go for it! Diss Texas all you can! Maybe you can help us shut down the thousand people a day who move to Texas from other parts of the USA. There are houses going up all around my place, and they have already tried (unsuccessfully) to make it illegal for us to target shoot in our back yards. Looks like we will add four new Texas members to the House of Representatives. Isn't that a frightening thought?
Posted by: Jim Thomerson | January 15, 2010 5:34 PM
Way to simultaneously miss the original point of the post and prove it, Jim.
Posted by: Sadie Morrison | January 15, 2010 5:39 PM
I puffy-heart Sadie Morrison.
Posted by: Captain Mike | January 15, 2010 6:51 PM
I can't wait to vote against this fool.
Thanks for the heads up Ed!
Posted by: Randallphobia | January 15, 2010 7:37 PM
So does that make me the Tenille to your Captain, Mike? XD
Posted by: Sadie Morrison | January 15, 2010 9:00 PM
Personally, I like to think of Texas as a basketball. Surrounded by cowhide and full of compressed air.
Posted by: Shay | January 17, 2010 4:33 PM