Do the Right Thing
I enjoy your articles each month, until it comes to your political writing. “Elephant Tricks,” from the elections coverage in your November issue, illustrates my concerns best. The article explains how the Republicans will continue to be wrong, not what they’ve done right over the past umpteen years. It only talks about how and why they’re going to lose Texas. I see this type of product in almost every news medium I find, and that’s a shame. Be bold, and quit appeasing the left like all the other political writers do. I will keep receiving your magazine because I love Texas, but if I read another political article and you guys stay in the same lane, I will simply quit reading them because they are so predictable. Let us make our own decisions. Politically speaking, Texas is still a red state. At least tip your Stetson to that every so often.
David Mills, Rogers, Arkansas
Give Us the Boot
I have seen your magazine become so left-wing that it has lost its appeal. Your only saving grace is the article by Cecilia Ballí [“Don’t Call Them the Sleeping Giant,” November 2020]. She brings a breath of fresh air to your Austinesque points of view. Austin is weird, it’s our capital, and I love it. Regardless, the political atmosphere in Travis County should not set the tone for the rest of our state nor for your writing. Leave out the teeth-grinding and give us facts, stories, and glossy pictures of cowboy boots.
Cesar Rodriguez, McAllen
Manifesto Destiny
If the Republican party in Texas would adopt the manifesto put forth by Heath Mayo [“A New Conservative Manifesto,” November 2020], I would be inclined to vote straight party for the first time in my life. Imagine if all our elected officials actually sat and listened to each other and discovered that they have common goals for all Texans. Imagine if we Texans led the country in civility and a desire for the best for each of us, not just the party.
Marylou Froh, Fort Worth
Warm Welcome
I laughed when I read your Texanist column in the November issue. My wife and I are from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, one hundred miles or so from the folks in Whitecourt, Alberta, who sent you that question about whether Texans were giving the cold shoulder to Albertans. We retired to Austin, and we love Texas. So many larger-than-life heroes and villains. So many big smiles on the faces of everyone you meet. And best of all for Canadians: no snow, or at least not much in our part of the state. And no subzero temperatures to endure through clenched teeth for weeks on end. So, Chris S., come on down, and spend your retirement years living the life you deserve and have always dreamed about.
Bill Lusk, Austin
Editors’ note: The article “Wild Allen West” in the December 2020 issue incorrectly stated that Allen West would become the first Black chairman of a political party in Texas history. In fact, Norris Wright Cuney, a Black man, served as chairman of the Texas Republican party in the late nineteenth century. We regret the error.
