“I dearly love the state of Texas, but I consider that a harmless perversion on my part, and discuss it only with consenting adults.” -- Molly Ivins
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When I was a kid, perhaps no myth had greater power over my imagination than that of Davy Crockett. Like millions of other boys, I had a coonskin cap and a toy rifle. And like millions of others, I was mesmerized by Walt Disney's 1955 TV series version of Crocket's's heroic last stand at the Alamo.
The only problem is that it wasn't true.
Now, three Texas writers have published a book, "Forget the Alamo," revising the historical record in significant ways. They document that the territory's war for independence from Mexico, including battle between the ragged group of volunteers held up at the old mission in San Antonio and Santa Ana's Mexican army, was in part over the issue of slavery.
At the Alamo, the pro-slavery group, (Crockett's side), lost.
And there was nothing heroic about the occasion. Many of the volunteers broke ranks and ran, and were easily cut down in the open as they tried to flee. Crockett himself appears to have surrendered and was executed.
This information is only now gaining currency because the memoirs of Mexican soldiers at the scene and other contemporaneous accounts are finally being taken seriously by historians.
This couldn't happen at a more propitious moment, as the current government in Texas desperately attempts to ban serious discussion of the state's racist history in the schools. That's what the debate over "critical race theory" is all about.
And to top it off, John Wayne's movie, "The Alamo," in 1960, which furthered the heroic Crockett myth, was part of Wayne's fierce support for Richard Nixon for President. The film was simply a piece of political propaganda based on Wayne's belief that *his* America was falling apart at that time.
Sound familiar?
Today, in 2021, Texas is about to become a majority-Latino state. And the federal government is poised to declare Juneteenth (June 19, 1865) -- the date when slavery finally ended in Texas -- as an official national holiday.
So it really is time to abolish the old Anglo myths like the Alamo fairy tale, acknowledge the role of slavery in America's creation, and stop suppressing minority voters, which is happening right now, in real time.
The late, great Texas muckraker Molly Ivins got it right when she said: "There are times a country is so tired of bull that only the truth can provide relief."
This, my friends, is one of those times.
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The news:
* 'Forget The Alamo' Author Says We Have The Texas Origin Story All Wrong (NPR)
* Texas Governor Abbott Signs Law Banning Teaching of Critical Race Theory in Public Schools (National Review)
* ‘A Momentous Day’: New York and California Lift Most Virus Restrictions -- Officials made the move after more than 70 percent of adults in both states had received a first dose of the coronavirus vaccine. (NYT)
* Trump-era hunt for pandemic ‘lab leak’ went down many fruitless paths -- The quest by spy agencies and public health officials relied on public reports and intelligence from foreign governments. Now President Biden has reinvigorated the search, ordering a fresh intelligence review. (WP)
* Cases of a dangerous Covid-19 variant are 'rapidly increasing' in U.S., expert says (CNN)
* Many Post-Covid Patients Are Experiencing New Medical Problems, Study Finds -- An analysis of health insurance records of almost two million coronavirus patients found new issues in nearly a quarter — including those whose Covid infection was mild or asymptomatic. (NYT)
* As coronavirus recedes, colds and common viruses return — especially for kids (WP)
* Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, Forceful on Jan. 6, Privately Are in Turmoil-- The far-right groups face a cash squeeze, internal discord, social-media cutoff and isolation from the financial system. (WSJ)
* The nation cannot forget Donald Trump’s betrayal of his oath (Editorial Board/WP)
* One in three U.S. election officials feels unsafe - survey (Reuters)
* The Biden administration’s suspension of new oil and gas leases on federal land and water was blocked by a federal judge in Louisiana, who ordered that plans continue for lease sales that were delayed for the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska waters. It's a setback to Biden's efforts to transition away from fossil fuels and stave off the worst effects of climate change. [AP]
* In some areas of California, drought is a continuous state of being. (CalMatters)
* Senate bill would ban toxic ‘forever chemicals’ in makeup, which new study found are often unlabeled (WP)
* As storms grow more violent and Louisiana loses more of its coast, the family that makes Tabasco Sauce is fighting erosion in the marshland that buffers its factory from hurricanes and floods. (AP)
* Putin agrees at "pragmatic" summit with Biden to resume arms talks (Reuters)
* Putin says that he and Biden have agreed that their two nations will start consultations on cybersecurity. (AP)
* Once, Superpower Summits Were About Nukes. Now, It’s Cyberweapons. -- But with the ease of denying responsibility and the wide range of possible attackers, the traditional deterrents of the nuclear age no longer work. (NYT)
* Israeli Aircraft Bomb Gaza Just Days Into New Government -- After a day of rising tensions, which saw a far-right march in Jerusalem and incendiary balloons launched from Gaza, Israel’s new coalition government ordered airstrikes against Hamas. (NYT)
* Portland begins removal of illegal campsites as homelessness rises (WP)* New York grapples with growing presence of homeless in midtown Manhattan (Reuters) * Computer trouble hits Hubble Space Telescope, science halted (AP) |
* My Father Vanished When I Was 7. The Mystery Made Me Who I Am. -- My dad was a riddle to me, even more so after he disappeared. For a long time, who he was – and by extension who I was – seemed to be a puzzle I would never solve. (NYT Mag)
* NotMilk says it has achieved a breakthrough: plant-based milk that mimics dairy (WP)
* Senate Votes To Make Juneteenth Federal Holiday So Long As No One Thinks Too Hard About Its Significance (The Onion)
***
"Ballad Of Davy Crockett"
Greenest state in the land of the free
Raised in the woods so he knew ev'ry tree
Kilt him a be 'are when he was only three
Davy, Davy Crockett, king of the wild frontier
Addin' redskin arrows to the country's woes
Now, Injun fightin' is somethin' he knows
So he shoulders his rifle an' off he goes
Davy, Davy Crockett, the man who don't know fear
Makin' up yarns an' a singin' a song
Itchin' fer fightin' an' rightin' a wrong
He's ringy as a be 'are an' twict as strong
Davy, Davy Crockett, the buckskin buccaneer
His reg'lar soldiers we'll put to shame
Them redskin varmints us Volunteers'll tame
'Cause we got the guns with the sure-fire aim
Davy, Davy Crockett, the champion of us all
But Red Stick was leadin' a merry chase
Fightin' an' burnin' at a devil's pace
South to the swamps on the Florida Trace
Davy, Davy Crockett, trackin' the redskins down
Till the Creeks was whipped an' peace was in store
An' while he was handlin' this risky chore
Made hisself a legend for evermore
Davy, Davy Crockett, king of the wild frontier
That his Injun friends could keep their land
An' the rest of his life he took the stand
That justice was due every redskin band
Davy, Davy Crockett, holdin' his promise dear
Happy as squirrels in the ol' gum tree
Bein' the father he wanted to be
Close to his boys as the pod an' the pea
Davy, Davy Crockett, holdin' his young'uns dear
An' the meltin' snow showed tracks of game
An' the flowers of Spring filled the woods with flame
An' all of a sudden life got too tame
Davy, Davy Crockett, headin' on West again
Makin' up yarns an' singin' a song
He's ringy as a be 'are an' twict as strong
An' knows he's right 'cause he ain' often wrong
Davy, Davy Crockett, the man who don't know fear
Where the trees is tall an' the grass is green
Where the fish is fat in an untouched stream
An' the teemin' woods is a hunter's dream
Davy, Davy Crockett, lookin' fer Paradise
In his heart he wanted to leave it all
An' lose himself in the forests tall
But he answered instead his country's call
Davy, Davy Crockett, beginnin' his campaign
They put in Davy 'cause he was their kind
Sent up to Nashville the best they could find
A fightin' spirit an' a thinkin' mind
Davy, Davy Crockett, choice of the whole frontier
So they sent him off to Washin'ton town
With his best dress suit still his buckskins brown
A livin' legend of growin' renown
Davy, Davy Crockett, the Canebrake Congressman
Fixin' up the Govern'ments an' laws as well
Took over Washin'ton so we heered tell
An' patched up the crack in the Liberty Bell
Davy, Davy Crockett, seein' his duty clear
An' his speeches made him friends to beat the band
His politickin' was their favorite brand
An' everyone wanted to shake his hand
Davy, Davy Crockett, helpin' his legend grow
Of his hopes for White House an' fame as well
But he spoke out strong so hist'ry books tell
An' patched up the crack in the Liberty Bell
Davy, Davy Crockett, seein' his duty clear
The western march had just begun
So he packed his gear an' his trusty gun
An' lit out grinnin' to follow the sun
Davy, Davy Crockett, leadin' the pioneer
To the Texas plains he jest had to go
Where freedom was fightin' another foe
An' they needed him at the Alamo
Davy, Davy Crockett, the man who don't know fear
From grassy plains to the mountain crest
He's ahead of us all meetin' the test
Followin' his legend into the West
Davy, Davy Crockett, king of the wild frontier
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