Calling him “Cowboy Dan” Stephen Colbert laughed himself into a frenzy bashing Dan Rodimer’s race for Congress in the Texas 6 Special Election.
What Colbert missed about Texas is that the Republic gained its independence from Mexico thanks to those rascally “carpet baggers.”
In 1836, men from out of state showed up at a place called the Alamo to help Texas break free of Mexico.
Specifically, James Bowie, William Travis and Davy Crocket fought at the Alamo and died to give Texas her liberty.
After the massacre at the Alamo, a man from Virginia, Sam Houston, rallied men to confront Mexico’s President and General, Santa Anna.
Santa Anna was ruthless. We all know what happened to the men at the Alamo, but a lesser-known event happened at Goliad days after the Alamo fell.
Santa Anna ordered the execution of over 400 Texans who were captured as prisoners of war.
The men were lined up and shot at point blank range. Those wounded who survived the first execution attempt were clubbed or stabbed to death.
The Texian commander, James Fannin, was the last to be executed after we has forced to watch his men die.
He made three requests before his death: that he be shot in the heart, be give a Christian burial and that his belongings be sent to his family.
The Mexicans took his belongings, shot him in the face and burned his body.
Word of Goliad made it back to Sam Houston and his men.
You can only imagine their rage as they sat on as they waited for the right moment fight back.
And Sam Houston was patient, to the point of being called a coward.
But a month after Goliad, on April 21, 1836. Sam Houston met up with Santa Anna and his army at San Jacinto.
Houston had only 900 men compared to Santa Anna’s 1,300.
In Houston’s notes before the battle, he wasn’t hopeful but as he told his men, “We are nerved for the contest, and must conquer or perish.”
While Sam’s notes were pessimistic, he prepared for a single outcome, destroying the only bridge that would allow a Mexican retreat.
As Santa Anna ordered his men to rest during the afternoon, the Texian Army attacked with one thing collectively on the minds of the men: revenge.
Now, you have to step back and put yourselves in the shoes of the Mexican soldiers that day.
They knew their atrocities and they knew there would be men motivated by both freedom and revenge coming for them.
So when the Texians attacked with their battle cry of, “Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad!” a shock of fear ran through the entire Mexican Army gathered at San Jacinto that day.
And the fear was well deserved.
So the Mexicans ran.
As they fled across the river, Texian riflemen positioned themselves on the riverbank and shot anything that moved. They showed no mercy.
650 Mexicans were killed at the Battle of San Jacinto while only 11 Texians were killed. It was the most one-sided victory in history and it only lasted 18 minutes.
So yes, a bunch of carpet baggers showed up in Texas to help them wrestle free from a tyrannical government.
So when a man like Dan Rodimer shows up from out of state to represent Texas against a hostile Congress, Texans are prone to accept the help without worry about a man’s origin.
They know Texas history and they respect it.
Stephen Colbert can laugh all he wants but given he was born in Washington D.C., he should consider a move to Texas as they don’t care where you come from as long as you’re there to help.