Come and Take It: Texas State Capitol

Benjamin and Steven in front of the largest U.S. state capitol - the Texas State Capitol

We just had a day and a half in Austin before we caught our plane home. It was a crisp 47 degrees in the state capitol and it was also New Year's Day, so very little was open.  We decided to warm up with a brisk walk around the state capitol grounds, where we witnessed something definitively Texan. Nearly 200 members of  Open Carry Texas and Texas Carry peaceably walked to the capitol steps to commemorate the first day of "open carry" in Texas. The group casually displayed their holstered firearms, and carried signs that read "Come and Take It"* and a quote by Adolf Hitler: "To conquer a nation, first disarm its citizens." 

Image and full story at:
http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2016/01/01/texans-celebrate-open-carry-uncovering-handguns-capitol/  

We also viewed a statue on the capitol grounds lauding the Confederate army. Erected a hundred years ago, it reflects the sentiment of that time.  It reads in part:

Monument for Confederate Dead at Texas State Capitol, Austin

DIED 

FOR STATE RIGHTS 

GUARANTEED UNDER THE CONSTITUTION. 

The people of the South, animated by the spirit of 1776, to preserve their rights, withdrew from the federal compact in 1861. The North resorted to coercion.  The South, against overwhelming numbers and resources, fought until exhausted.  

*There are a number of phrases associated with Texas. Explanations below. 

Everything is Bigger in Texas.  I thought this didn't require much explanation, but Texas is not the biggest state by area or population.  Alaska and California, respectively, take the top spots.  But Texas comes in second in both size and population.  And Texans supersize everything, including trucks and burgers and state capitols.  So it does make some sense. 

 

Don't Mess with Texas.  This phrase actually started out as a Texas state anti-littering campaign slogan in 1985 and is actually a federally registered trademark, but it now seems to appear on every third t-shirt in Texas. 

Come and Take It.  In 1831, the Mexican government loaned a smallish cannon to the folks of Gonzales, Texas.  In 1835, when the Mexicans wanted it back, they were told to "come and take it." When the Mexicans came to take it, the Texans beat them off.  The Texans created a flag for the occasion, which has been updated for use on a seemingly limitless number of souvenirs, as well as adapted by the Open Carry groups in Texas.  See illustrations below. 

Original flag, 1835

Revised in the 21st century (photo source: http://comeandtakeitamerica.com/tag/open-carry/)