It's as if we identify ourselves as Texans first and Americans second until something like 911 happens and then it reverses itself. It's not that we aren't proud Americans because we are.
Texas also has a reputation around most of the world. Probably the closest correlation would be New York.
I can't imagine being from anywhere else but Texas. I now live in Oklahoma and I love it here but I still get a feeling of welcome home when I cross the border and see the Welcome to Texas signs.
LOL!
I'm glad to know someone else has that feeling!
Everytime I'd go into a new area in the bush and they'd find out that I was from Texas, someone would take a stick and draw a crude map of Texas (some of them surprisingly good!) and ask me to show them where Dallas was.
The Dallas TV shows were just showing up in the cities like Lagos and Port Harcourt.