Superior Intelligence.... Known In Texas As Horse Sense

Common Sense Commentary: I don't know for sure, the reason, but superior intelligence just keeps on popping up all over the state of Texas, like oil/gas wells, calves, and cowboys. It may be somethin in the water or good cookin or the Texas sunshine, but I suspect it is the gene pool of those pioneer, frontiersmen who settled this state back in the mid to latter 1800's. Back then it took more courage to pull your baggage, tools and ammunition, food and family overland or over the seas, through every kind of danger, than it does today to climb into a space ship to the moon.  Just getting to Texas took up to a year. The only people in this wild land, at that time, were a few Mexicans, various Indian tribes such as the Comanches, Apaches, Karankawa, Atakapa and others. These last two were unusually tall (6 to 7 ft.), heavily tattooed, pierced and painted. They greased their bodies with alligator oil against mosquitoes, on the Gulf coast, and cannibalized their enemies. One word for "stranger" also meant "enemy", and all those settlers were strangers. Besides the wild Indians, there were grizzlies, wolves, panthers, rattlesnakes etc. to put you to the Texas test. The only kind of settlers who survived the long trip to Texas and then survived the natural hazards of living here, were very smart, tough and determined folks. Absolutely no mentally or physically weak emigrants made it to Texas, back then. Those types who live here today flew or drove in from up north ... New York, Detroit, Chicago and such places.  Three of our early Texians were Davie Crockett, Jim Bowie and Sam Houston. The first two died in the Alamo. Houston decided to come to Texas after his young, beautiful wife divorced him after one day, and he lost his bid for re-election as governor of that state. He made this statement at the end of his concessionary speech.... " I'm going to Texas ... and you can all go to hell".  There were so many farmers and folks leaving the civilized north and east and setting off for Texas that it became their final farewell to friends and neighbors, to tack a note to their forsaken door or gate ... "GTT", which meant, "Gone To Texas".

My son Rex, born in Texas, sent me this video of a recipient of the Texas gene pool, from the heart of Texas, Mason County. This Texan is no doubt a descendant of one of those early, tough, smart survivalist Texans ... like Sam Houston ... maybe. RB

http://biggeekdad.com/2011/10/kellers-riverside-store/