See, I think that the North is the pro-militarization, anti-liberty half of the nation. I was raised in the south and don't really know many folks at all represented by the characature presented in this thread. I ripped some guy on this very subject not too long ago about the kids in louisiana getting the gob's justice. It seems like on npr's fresh air, the question was posed if the south was threatened by a return to Jim Crowe in light of the recent Supreme Court racial quota ruling.
To me forced integration via racial quotas is not only deliberate population control, it is also an effort to strip the individual of any sense of identity/community/self outside of that defined by the state. Racial quotas are a phenomenon of the north and the elite along the west coast, why? because that is where the racists live in their largely segregated subdivisions... white flight.
"The south" as some sort of easily defined entity within this country is a complete fraud. I live in south texas and I assure you that my part of the state is more culturally tied to central america than say new york or d.c. It has always been this way, even before the United States was even a thought and has never changed... hopefully it never will. It is my home, it is what I know, where I plan to stay and therefore feel the need to respond w/ such a long post... I just hope all the yankees out there (yankee, as defined by me is anyone north of San Antonio) have the patientce and attention span to stick it out to the end.
The problems brought up in this thread is not a problem of the people, but rather the institutions corrupted by power and outside influence. These are the same folks that will cry to you about welfare queens because they only received $200,000 for not raising X, and for raising Y... even if you can't really grow corn down here (knowing this of course, you don't really bother buying all that fertilizer or diesel fuel you'd need either, since it ain't gonna come in anyway)... These folks are typically the children, grandchildren ...on down the line... of formerly slave owning, resource grubbing Americans and are supported by the army of immigrants who moved in from the rust belt back in the late 70's/80's, and have in the last couple of years been coming in droves (really though, I'd take the mexicans and otms over more nosey, uptight yankees any day of the week).
You can always recognize these folks by:
1) The insanely large metal gate with cut out cowboy on the trail, the name "rancho blah blah blah," made to look written in rope, and the enormous Lone Star right in the middle.
2) Their vehicles' [brand name] logo replaced with a Texas Flag and/or the texas flag in the towing hitch of their truck they never use to tow anything (ok, maybe the rv sometimes, but only during the summer when it gets too hot).
3) Their nasally, rapid and often rude speech, attitude, and tone of voice.
4) The general aura that I assume is caused by the realization that you were born in some other little, wimpy state.
Most native Texans I know are extremely liberal (in a social sense) and accepting of anyone who likes to party, shoot firearms, damn the eyes of all authority, raise a fuss in jest over just about anything, talk shit and hear it in return, and respect everyone's right to just be left the hell alone if that's what they so desire... anyone and everyone regardless of color, age, sexual orientation, all those things the institions try to legislate significance into.
