Please help me respond to this Texas email

[silverlib]

I know I should just ignore it, but sometimes one needs to refute this bull! Once again, from my ex-brother-in-law. DUer's have previously helped me bring him to his knees. I'd really like to bury him on this one (metaphorically speaking, of course).
******************************************************
SURE AM GLAD I'M LIVIN' IN TEXAS!!!!

Texas has given all those complainers plenty of time to get used to the
results. After seeing the whiners along the inauguration route, the
folks from Texas have decided that we might just take matters into our
own hands.Here is our solution:

#1: Let Kerry become President of the United States (all 49 states).

#2: George W. Bush becomes the President of the Republic of Texas.

So what does Texas have to do to survive as a Republic?

NASA in Houston, Texas (we will control the space industry).

We refine over 85% of the gasoline in the United States.

Defense Industry (we have over 65% of it). The term "Don't mess with
Texas," will take on a whole new meaning
Oil - we can supply all the oil that the Republic of Texas will need
for the next 300 years. Yankee states? Sorry about that.

Natural Gas - Again we have all we need and it's too bad about those
northern states. Mr. Kerry will figure a way to keep them warm..

Computer Industry - we currently lead the nation in producing computer
chips and communications: Small places like HP, Texas Instruments, Dell
Computer, EDS, Raytheon, National Semiconductor, Motorola, Intel, AMD,
Atmel, Applied Materials, Ball Semiconductor, Dallas Semiconductor,
Delphi, Nortel, Alcatel, Etc,Etc. The list goes on and on.

Health Centers - We have the largest research centers for Cancer
research, the best burn centers and the top trauma units in the world
and other large health planning centers.

We have enough colleges to keep us going: Texas A&M , U.T., TexasTech,
Rice, SMU, University of Houston, Baylor, UNT, Texas Women's University,
etc. Ivy grows better in the south anyway.

We have a ready supply of workers (just open the border when we need
some more ) .

We have control of the paper industry, plastics, insurance, etc.
In case of a foreign invasion, we have the Texas National Guard and the
Texas Air National Guard. We don't have an army but since everybody down
here has at least six rifles and a pile of ammo, we can raise an army in
24 hours if we need it. If the situation really gets bad, we can always
call Department of Public Safety and ask them to send over a couple of
Texas Rangers.

We are totally self sufficient in beef, poultry, hogs and vegetable
produce and everybody down here knows how to cook them so that they
taste good. Don't need any food.
This just names a few of the items that will keep the Republic of Texas
in good shape. There isn't a thing out there that we need and don't
have.

Now to the rest of the United States under President Kerry :

Since you won't have the refineries to get gas for your cars, only
President Kerry will be able to drive around in his 9 mile per gallon
SUV. The rest of the United States will have to walk or ride bikes.

You won't have any TV as the space center in Houston will cut off your
communications. You won't have any natural gas to heat your homes but
since Mr. Kerry has predicted global warming, you will not need the
gas.

Signed, The People in Texas

[silverweb]

1. *LOL*

Just saying "good riddance" should be adequate!

:D

[silverlib]

3. For you, but I live here!

Surely California has something that Texas can't live without? I would hate to be cut off from the rest of America and live under the Bush dynasty!

[silverweb]

5. Oops!

I'm sorry! I didn't realize you lived there, too. That does make responding a little trickier.

[GOPisEvil]

2. Riiiiiiiiight....like the US would let us keep NASA and the military bases

Like there are no oil or natural gas refineries in any other states.

Control of the paper industry? Tell that to Wisconsin.

This resident of Texas would tell anyone that thought that way to go screw themselves.

[silverlib]

4. Thanks - that's a great start! (eom)

[cjbuchanan]

6. Do you think it would even matter what you said?

However, if you really want to respond, I guess I will throw in some things. By the by, I am a Texan.

I guess the thing with NASA is, if Texas was no longer part of the US, the US government would not support NASA in Houston. Also, no lunches happen from Texas, so no new items could be placed into space.

As far as refining 85% of the gas, if we raised the price or stopped selling to the US, we would not get any revenues. Because of that, we could not afford anything like education. Also, if it was so high, other people would start making refineries. You can refine anywhere, as long as they still have the supply from the middle east.

Same could be said about natural gas. If we cut out the US, who would we get the money from.

Since we would have no income from natural gas or refineries, we would have to raise taxes. That would drive more then a few of the computer companies away.

The Health Centers get a lot of federal money. So no US, no Health Centers.

Finally, our public universities are financed from oil and natural resources revenue. If we are not selling them to the largest buyer (the US), how could we afford to keep them running without raising tuitions or taxes.

Just my thoughts

[silverlib]

7. That's wonderful!

...and yes, with him, I think it actually does matter. He sends me this stuff and says "see what your liberal friends think about this!" I think the responses, which I always credit to DUer's (without names, of course), give him food for thought. I know things like this challenge me to think!

Thank you! I've also come up with most of the tech companies moving operations overseas. I know AMD is opening up a new engineering plant in China soon. Austin is a tech "ghost town." We also have more "ready workers" than we have jobs.

[DAGDA56]

8. This is so-o-o stupid, on so many levels...

...natives of Texas, if found in the US holding anything but a tourist visa would be immediately deported. On the other hand, you could easily convince the INS that you were a political regugee and be welcome. And if your e-mailing friend thinks Bush is the best your state can offer, he really is in a dream world...I forsee a bloody revolution for control of the second Texas Republic...and who do you suppose the legtimate US would support?

[silverlib]

10. So true!

I guest we would have to "deport" Molly Ivans, Jim Hightower and many other wonderful Texans!

[DAGDA56]

12. Unless they become part of the "Texas Underground"...

...I can see a whole series coming out of that!

[jburton]

9. Well for one thing, the computer part is BS

Computer Industry - we currently lead the nation in producing computer
chips and communications: Small places like HP, Texas Instruments, Dell
Computer, EDS, Raytheon, National Semiconductor, Motorola, Intel, AMD,
Atmel, Applied Materials, Ball Semiconductor, Dallas Semiconductor,
Delphi, Nortel, Alcatel, Etc,Etc. The list goes on and on.

HP? Dell? So they're Headquarters is in TX. Their employees are in India now.

Alcatel is a FRENCH Company.

Motorola doesn't really make any equipment or software in the United States anymore. Hell, none of them really do.

[fudge stripe cookays]

15. Alcatel is a French company...

that regularly screws its employees and replaces entire departments of workers every few months!

That's something to be proud of?

[TexasProgresive]

19. When the idiots were smashing French wine

I wondered if they would like to come into my Central Offices and roll a bull dozer over the racks of Alcatel equipment. Yeah, let's do away with that nasty Freenchh stuff- we don't need no fucking dial tone or high speed internet. Give us Merican stuff.

Well I guess we will have to use Japanese, Canadian or (oh no) German.

These fools are the same ones who think that the US should shut down the borders. They can't get past their hate for immigrants and believe some myth that America, and us Texas are sometimes the worst, can stand independent against the world. Without Chinese imports Wally World would have to close.

[jburton]

11. And another thing

"You won't have any TV as the space center in Houston will cut off your
communications."

==

NASA controls tv broadcasting??

:wtf:

[DAGDA56]

13. "Houston, you have a problem..."

nt

[2bfree]

14. When I get these crap-ass emails.......

I usually just ask that person to take me off of their forward list and check and see if I can find a link for them on breakthelink.com.

[drfemoe]

16. All you need to do

is live another 20 years or so. Then you won't give a rat's ass about what people like this write, think or say.

I wouldn't care to waste my time dealing with them.

[yella_dawg]

17. Several years ago

a coworker was going for his citizenship, and some of the guys were ragging him about wanting to be a citizen only so he could join some radical secessionist group. I cheerfully joined in (this is the guy that swapped all my mouse balls while I was on vacation so that it took two days to get everything working when I got back). I was putting together a "Welcome" packet, and I decided to fix up an application for the Texas Wackos to put in the packet. I did a web search and this is what I found. These guys may be "serious", but I kinda doubt their sanity, if you know what I mean.

[GoBucksBeatBush]

18. you're forgetting basic education...

although texas has admittedly high caliber universities, you still need to educate the little 'uns so that they can GO to the universities...having formally taught in texas for 4 years, i can testify that the "texas miracle" that's being advocated by sec of ed rod paige ("i got my phd dissertation in coaching offensive linemen!") is truly a miracle...if what you want is little automatons who are skillful at filling in bubbles by the hundreds. sure, there are some who manage to make it through without being beaten down into submission at the alter of the almighty high stakes tests, but the majority of them lack much skill in critical thinking beyond what "the test" requires.


also...motorola is an illinois company, not texas. HP only moved to houston after buying compaq b/c there are lower taxes on businesses (and higher tax burden on homeowners as a result), so they're sure to head for greener pastures if the world truly does end at el paso, beaumont, or whichita falls.

i also think that guv'nr ann might be inclined to have a say in the matter as to who's the president of texas.

[texastoast]

20. What a crock

Show me somebody in one of those Dallas skyscrapers who knows how, when, and where to butcher a hog.

And if General Dynamics can't build a plane any better than an F-16 and keep 'em from falling out of the sky or build a radar-guided Gatlin gun that will work on a ship, well, then get another plan.

Haha, and how many of those wonderful Texas companies have offshored half their jobs?

And we are in tertiary recovery on oil. That's expensive. That means there is not much left.

Some Yank wrote this to make us look bad. Real Texans know a crock when they see it. And I think this is Comanche pottery done up right.