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by bennyfreshness 5202 days ago
It's unfortunate that Austin, such a creative and progressive city, is surrounded by the rest of Texas.
4 comments

Don't blame Texas - the Department of Homeland Security and border control checkpoints are all D.C.
A relative oasis, but there's still an awful lot of Texas in Austin.
"If I owned Texs and Hell, I'd rent out Texas and live in Hell" is how Ben Franklin put it.
First, you miss attributed this. It was Philip Sheridan; a Union General assigned to occupy Texas and oversee reconstruction after the Civil War. He was less than popular and removed from his post by president Andrew Johnson for his harsh application of the Military Reconstruction Acts.

Which leads me to a much better quote.

"Fuck You! I'm from Texas."

The guy wasn't even arrested in Texas. He was arrested by the Feds... who Texans usually have no love for. Succeed is on bumper stickers here. But yeah, I admit... Texas enforcement and sentencing can be BS. So don't break our laws and we wont break you.

> Succeed is on bumper stickers here.

Took me a minute to figure out what that bumper sticker was supposed to mean, but it's perfect.

Please unpack this for us foreigners who don't get the reference immediately.
Texas, like most southern states, is considered quite conservative on social issues; one might even call them "Christian Conservatives" (including laws regarding possession of illicit material). Austin, however, is considered a liberal bastion (and it's the capital), with many progressive ideas, and a vibrant music scene.