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LITTLEFIELD, Texas I drive for what seems like hours through theRoscoe Wind Farm, watching endless armies of turbines brisklyspinning their blades. Texas, famous for its oilmen in 10-gallonhats and cowboy boots, is actually the foremost state in the unionfor production of wind power, with a total capacity of more than 10,000 MW of renewable energy . Texas is chock full of quirky, sometimes noble, contradictions: astate with one of the worst civil rights records in the countryproduced a president who arguably did more than anyone else toenshrine equal rights in the law. Of course, Lyndon Baines Johnsonhad other qualities that made him seem more typical of the greatTexas tendency towards excess: just think back to his blithe, very public unveiling of his gall bladder scar . I spent an afternoon in the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall ofFame, dedicated to the spirit of cowgirl in short, I cando anything, if I want it badly enough and work at it. I had notthought of Texas as a bastion of feminism, but it was there, loudand clear. I discovered, to my shock, that Sandra Day O Connor, the firstfemale Justice of the Supreme Court, was a cowgirl honoree,courtesy of her upbringing on a cattle ranch in Arizona. I cannotquite picture Justice O Connor in the rhinestone chaps, turquoiseleather boots, or solid gold buckles prominently featured in themulti-media museum, but she was in good company. Other honoreesincluded Georgia O Keeffe, the great painter of the Westerndesert; former First Lady of both Texas and the United States LauraBush; Nebraska author Willa Cather, winner of a Pulitzer Prize forfiction; and Patsy Cline, the famed country-western singer. Oh, andDale Evans, of course. My favorite Texan so far, though, is Molly Ivins, whom I met atthe theater the other night. Ivins herself is, most unfortunately, not around, having succumbedto breast cancer in 2007, at the age of 62. But in Red HotPatriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins, I found a woman I couldadmire. The play tracks the syndicated columnist through her career, as sheskewers Texas politicians, exposes hypocrisy, and occasionallylauds a public figure for courage. She is especially merciless regarding George W. Bush, whom sherelentlessly calls Shrub. A thousand points of light, and we get a dim bulb, she snorts. In back of the actress playing Ivins, a large photo of GovernorRick Perry flashes briefly on the screen. Next time I tell you not to elect someone from Texas, I hopeyou ll listen, she said, to general, if nervous, laughter. Perryis still popular here, although some were embarrassed by his lessthan stellar showing during the Republican presidential primarycampaign. Ivins does laud former Texas Governor Ann Richards, who once, it issaid, persuaded the ACLU to drop their objections to a nativityscene on the Capitol lawn by saying Oh, let It be. It s theclosest that three wise men are ever gonna get to the Texaslegislature. Slapstick and drama, tragedy and farce Texas has it all. After the play the other night, I gathered with some otherplaygoers. They, like me, had enjoyed the show, and I soon gatheredthat these were quite liberal Texans all lawyers, most of themtransplants. I asked, as always, how they thought things would end up in thefall. I hope Texas will go for Obama, said one of them, Abe. Butit s gonna be close. I was very comfortable with the group until they started talkingabout guns. Yes, we have several, said Abe. My wife has an unfired Colt45, and I ve got some in very good shape. We keep them on top ofthe refrigerator. They have passed their love of firearms on to their children, itappears. Yes, indeed, our son was just accepted to college in D.C., laughed Abe. We were worried, though D.C. tried to pass anordinance to ban guns from college campuses. We weren t sure thatour son would agree to go without his firearms. The matter has, fortunately, now been cleared up, according to Abe.Junior can pack his Remington, or whatever he has, in his collegebackpack. I hightailed it out of Fort Worth the day after the play, lookingfor more exotic locales. I am now in the middle of nowhere just a little northwest ofLubbock, in a town called Littlefield. The skies are blue-black,with a promise of golf-ball sized hail and dangerous lightning so Idecided to check into a hotel for the night. Boy, you are far from home, said the tall, buxom receptionist,whose name was Kim. I explained my mission to drive all over the country and look atthe political climate in this election year. She shook her headruefully. Politics! she said. That s a dangerous subject round here.Everyone is Republican. You can t really talk to them aboutanythin . They just take a position, and there s no reasonin with em. Kim, herself, is an Obama fan. He won my heart in 2004, she said. His appearance at theconvention was the best speech I have ever heard. Then Illinois State Senator Barack Obama delivered the keynoteaddress at the Democratic National Convention in Boston in July,2004 an electrifying performance that effectively kicked off hisrun for the presidency, which he won just four years later. Texasgave its 2008 electoral ballots to John McCain, though he tookthe Lone Star State with 56 percent of the vote. Kim cast her ballot for her hero, but has had to pay for it. My former boss was, like, So, what, you are in favor ofabortion? You want the government runnin everthin ? But I toldher, Hey, it s none of your business. And my grandmother? Shedoesn t know African-American or black or anythin likethat. She just uses the n word. That s the way people aroundhere are. Kim is an anomaly in Texas she laughingly calls herself theproduct of a mixed marriage. My father is a Texan, my mother is from Oregon, she said. Mymother takes all of this very seriously. She loved JFK. Now shegets all her news from Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. Thinking back to the Obama magic of 2004 and 2008, Kim sighs a bitsadly. I know it was only words and promises, she said wistfully, but I am sticking with him anyway. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Plastic Bottle Lids Manufacturer , Lip Balm Containers Manufacturer, and more. For more , please visit Lip Balm Containers today!
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