Eric Chomko wrote:

The Texas Mentality

When faced with the choice of the world vs. the US, always choose the
US.
When faced with the choice of the US vs. Texas, always choose Texas.

The problem now is that we have Texas vs. the world and the rest of the
US is along for the ride. Like it or not!


Consider the historical event that is basis of Texan pride: The Battle
Of The Alamo.
A group of Texans take over a basically indefensible strategic position
which Santa Anna's forces could easily have bypassed in order to lure
him into battle and hold him up till Sam Houston rides to their aid.
Aiding them in this historic cause are many non-Texans, including Jim
Bowie and Davy Crockett.
When it becomes obvious that the Mexican forces vastly outnumber their
own, the Alamo defenders do not retreat to a safer position, they hold
their ground.
When Santa Anna offers them surrender, they do not accept it, they hold
their ground.
They are then slaughtered to a man in battle.
Then Sam Houston's forces do take on Santa Anna and win.

What grand lessons does this teach the Texan mind?
1.) Texans are there to inspire people from other states to join them in
their worthy cause.
2.) It's worth losing if you can even temporarily hold the enemy up, and
inflict some harm on him.
3.) Real men don't retreat even when the situation is hopeless.
4.) Nor do they ever surrender, no matter what the alternative is.
5.) As long as everyone is brave enough to die, victory will surely come
shortly.

A lot of this sounds familiar.
This is the Japanese WW II Bushido mindset in action:
If we are all extraordinarily brave and take extraordinary risks, the
gods will reward us with sure victory; in fact the more willing to die,
and in fact the more of us that die, the more sure that victory will become.
Every setback is not a setback, but merely shows that we haven't been
brave enough yet- the more desperate and hopeless the situation the
greater the opportunity for glory on our parts. No retreat! No
surrender! Better to die to the last man than face the ignominy of
having shown cowardice in the face of the enemy!
We all remember how well that whole strategy played out for Japan when
it was actually put into action... mass pointless banzai charges
slaughtering their troops that could have resisted for far longer if
properly used and strategically withdrawn when the enemy showed
overwhelming strength.
But the Texan mindset is fixed- when your greatest heroes were the
slaughtered of the Alamo, and most historically defining event a bloody
military defeat, then the bloodier the battle the better! To do any less
would be a betrayal of your Texan soul.
Surely, if we just keep it up enough and keep escalating more and more,
no matter what the losses, then sooner or later Sam Houston will come
riding to our rescue and a great victory will be ours! If not, then we
went down fighting!
So if things don't go right in Vietnam, then it's time to try harder, no
matter what the casualty figures are like. Victory is inevitable with
enough time, courage, and blood.
And if things don't go right in Iraq, the same rule applies. It just
takes more effort and sacrifice on our parts- the basic concept is
certainly not unsound.
But our enemy is using a different battleplan- strike, withdraw,
regroup, strike again at a different point; never attack your enemy
where he is, attack him where he isn't. Bypass him, cut him off, avoid
direct large scale battles at all costs unless absolutely necessary, and
then whenever possible only when you are completely sure of a swift
victory that immediately advantages your strategic position. Always keep
your forces intact, even if it means retreating. Sound familiar? What if
the guy saying it was smoking a corncob pipe, wearing sunglasses, and
had a really unkempt looking General's hat on?
What if the guy saying it long before him later became our country's
first president?
Right now, our Iraqi "green zones" are like Japanese held Pacific
islands- they are mighty formidable, but hell to supply with all those
insurgent submarines lurking out there...and the insurgents aren't
playing fair by not doing a manly direct attack on us, the way that
decent Texans would. It shows their cowardice and inferiority... mind
you they might win this way, but the moral victory would surely be ours,
and that's worth dying for. And besides, their victory would be
short-lived, as at any moment God is going to come riding over the hill
with six angelic battalions of the Army Of The Republic Of Texas behind
him...provided of course that we show that we are _worthy_ of His aid by
holding the fort no matter what the cost. Remember the Alamo was a
church, and he obviously saw what was going on their, and intervened
against the Godless Spanish.
But no, it's up to Texas to show us all the rest of how to as great of
men as Texan's are, and if that means dying to the last man, so be it.

The latest political line out of Washington is how unfortunate it was
that the people in power didn't tell the American public just how long
and costly in both lives and treasure the war in Iraq would be, so that
they would be ready for what has transpired since it began.
This is a very novel argument...because if they had told the public that
it would take years upon years, cost them over 300 billion dollars, and
send back thousands of their sons and daughters in body bags, as more
and more Ready Reserve and National Guard members were called up, the
American people would have told them to go **** themselves and the horse
they rode in on.
So they didn't tell them that... the told them it would take a few weeks
or months, cost around 50 billion dollars and everybody would be home
for Christmas.
In short, they either:
A.) Completely ****ed up as to what the war would entail, indicating
gross incompetence on their part.
or:
B.) Realized what it would entail, and lied about it.

Pat