The fake Texan George W. Bush, and remembering LBJ

[Ishoutandscream2]

First off, let me say that some of you may know that I'm a Texan, and I make absolutely no apologies about it. Some of you here buy all of the stereotypes about Texans, and President Bunnypants tries to bring them off, so to say, to the American public. Trust me, he's an embarrassment, and is truly "all hat, no cattle." He takes all the negative stereotypes from such ridiculous shows as "Dallas" and the even far fetched movie "Giant" and rolls them all into his persona. He tries to "strut" like a John Wayne, and wears shit kickers that have the presidential seal on them. When I see this, I cringe as he displays all the negative stereotypes that people from around this country (and the world for that matter) hate about Texas. He has made my state more hateable than it has been in a long time, and I resent the hell out of it. Now, he's even building his fucking "lieberry" in my home city. The man is a fucking cancer.

I think about our last true (and only) Texan we had as president, LBJ. Yes, he perpetuated some of the ugly stereotypes as well. But, he remained classy when JFK was murdered, never overshadowing Jackie or the Kennedy family. He gave Jackie and her children all the time they needed to move out of the White House. Lady Bird was ever so gracious and truly a lovely woman, and showed support for Jackie in her time of need. Jackie even wrote a heartfelt note to Lady Bird thanking her for her support.

LBJ tried to live down some of those ugly stereotypes about Texans and the south. He continued Kennedy's push for civil rights, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed. Imagine, a Texan pushing through such landmark legislation! It really boggles the mind. And LBJ's statement about this probably "losing the Democratic party in the south" pretty much summed up his bold move.

LBJ could be crass, cold, and definitely egotistical - somethings that others view Texans as. His escalation of the Vietnam War was, of course, his greatest mistake; and quite possibly kept him from being a truly great president. But, unlike Bush, LBJ was tortured by the many losses in Vietnam. We've seen the pictures of Johnson absolutely shattered by all the negative news. He was so obsessed by the war that he had three tv's in the oval office, all tuned to the three major networks of the day. The war cast a dark shadow over his presidency, and he had at least the courage to step down and give way to another president who could perhaps unite and heal a frustrated nation (he probably didn't foresee that Nixon would make it much worse).

My point being is that LBJ was a real Texan. With all of his many faults, he tried to do what was right. Bush, on the other hand, plays cowboy and keeps trying to tell us about what Texans "say" or "do." Don't fucking listen to him - he doesn't know. And I keep thinking of LBJ, tormented in the White House while things kept getting worse in Nam, not knowing what to do. Yet, here's Bush, and don't believe a second what that bitch Perino said today. He could not care less that 4,000 Americans are dead and countless Iraqis are also deceased. Trust me, a real Texan (like LBJ) views this as tragic and totally unacceptable. And Bush is no Texan. And no true American, to boot.

[yellerpup]

1. LBJ is one of my all time heroes.

He fought for civil rights legislation and signed them and he created the Neighborhood Youth Corps as part of the War on Poverty. No other president made such a direct and personal difference in my life. K&R for REAL Texans and especially for LBJ! :kick:

[Thothmes]

5. He is also responsible for

38,000 names on a black granite wall in DC. He was getting Americans killed at a rate of 634 a month for five years in Viet Nam.

[yellerpup]

6. I never said he was a hero for doing that. n/t

[Thothmes]

7. I never said that you did, but

in the case of these 38,000 dead Americans and probably another 200,000 wounded Americans, one awe-shit cancels out a lot of attaboys. I have no more respect for this man than I do for the current President. The both launched major wars against nations that were not threat to the United States based on mis-assumptions and outright lies.

[yellerpup]

8. The VietNam War was not Lyndon Johnson's idea.

The USA was already involved and had troops on the ground when he became President. LBJ knew he blew it, too, unlike today's CinC, and decided not to run for re-election. He was not a numbed out, narcissistic, alcoholic who took us to war for personal reasons. LBJ did some wonderful things that lifted my family out of poverty (because as a teenager I had a $1.60/hr.minimum wage job where I made more money in a week than both my parents combined) and threw all his weight behind getting civil rights legislation passed. You are welcome to your own opinion of him. I was there, I volunteered for VietNam, and later protested the war 24/7 until it was over. LBJ will always be a hero to me, and the fate of American soldiers killed and wounded will always mean much more than aw-shit.

[Thothmes]

10. Thats right

In Nov 1963, 15,000 U.S. troops in Vietnam. Within a year more that we have in Iraq now, in two years over 300,000. Ya he blew it. What was his reason for ravaging a country that could not in any way offer a threat to the United States. I am sure it was better than the current Presidents reasons for a war against a country that also offered no threat to the United States. I have forgot what the reason was to destroy that country and the lives of 38,000 American soldiers & airmen. I am sure it was for the most noble of reasons.

[yellerpup]

13. I am sorry if you suffered personal loss because of the devastating

American involvement in the affairs of VietNam. IMO, there is no good or noble reason for war.

[monmouth]

2. What a great post, and no one with any gray matter is going to judge

an entire state by some of its occupants. The wonderful people, including both LBJ and Lady Bird (a real favorite of mine, her beautification projects were wonderful), Willie and all the rest of that great genre and of course, yourself. Hey I'm from Jersey, there are many who think we're all cousins of the Sopranos! Fuhgeddaboudit!!

[Ishoutandscream2]

4. Thank you for your nice post. And Jersey has also gotten a bad rap

I was always told how "rude" people in New Jersey and New York were. But let me say, in my travels there, I never met one hateful person (believe it or not, I had an excellent chicken fried steak in Jersey in 1980. Blew my mind!) My mom took a trip to New York city by herself a few years ago, and absolutely loved it.

[Cabcere]

3. I don't see Bush as a Texan at all.

:shrug: Hell, I don't really see him as an American, and there are times I doubt he's even truly human. The man is likely a sociopath of some sort, and to me he comes off as a complete phony when he even pretends to care about anything. In short, I think he's full of shit, and I would never insult any of my Texan friends by comparing them to him. :hi: Peace.

[ordinaryaveragegirl]

9. Chimp = all hat, zero cattle...and no heart. n/t

[lutefisk]

11. I admit that the nightmare that is Bush has tainted my feelings about Texas

Thanks for the thoughtful post. It's good to be reminded that Junior isn't "Texas".

Bush wrecks everything he touches, but I think Texas will be the exception.

[txwhitedove]

12. Thank you. Georgie is an embarrassment for all of America.