Missives from the Bubba Brigade

For some unfathomable to me reason, Texans have somehow gotten a national reputation as a state full of ignorant Bubbas with heads full of nonsense. The current president does not help dispel this unfortunate myth. Nor does the way Hollywood often portrays Texans in movies and television. When you live in Texas you learn that while there may be a lot of ignorant Bubbas, likely reflecting the low high school graduation and college graduation rates as compared to the more advanced states, you also meet and hear of many many non-Bubba, non-ignorant Texans.

Reading the letters to the editor in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram each morning gives one a good reflection of the broad spectrum of the thinking, or lack of, of Texans. Sometimes the letters can make you cringe, usually those are of a religious bend, spouting pure unadulterated ignorance that makes one wonder why the paper prints their silly nonsense.

On Sunday there were several letters regarding an issue in the Grapevine-Colleyville school district where one totally Bubba family was protesting the fact that an elementary school was offering a Spanish class. The Bubbas felt that the school was pushing an agenda where the United States is to be taken over by Mexican culture and language.

Many people objected to these particular Bubba's strident position, some comparing them to those who blocked school house doors in Alabama back in the 60s.

And then today came a letter from one of the many enlightened Texans (unfortunately I don't believe their numbers are yet a majority) in which the letter writer put the issue in proper perspective.

I'll copy the enlightened letter to the editor below, with no further commentary.

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A Sunday letter (“Clash of words about Spanish”) said: “It’s inconceivable to me that some in this country are pushing an agenda for us to be taken over by Mexican culture and language.”

Maybe we should remember that Texas was first taken away from the Mexican culture during the Texas Revolution. In reality, Mexican culture was taken over by American culture, which is part of what caused the Texas Revolution in the first place.

The same letter writer asked: “Why aren’t we promoting our native tongue while encouraging the proper speaking and spelling of it?” Texans should be speaking an Apache or Comanche dialect because those people are the true natives of this land.

I, too, used to think that “if you come to America, learn to speak English.” But then I realized that America gives all people freedom, including the freedom to speak a language of their choice.

— David Falksen, Fort Worth