Live the Texas State Motto

To the Editor:

On June 7, Governor Greg Abbott signed HB 2497, creating the 1836 Project. Among other things, this new law directs the Texas Education Agency to prepare a pamphlet to be distributed by the Department of Public Safety to people moving to Texas. According to Abbott, this pamphlet “promotes patriotic education and ensures future generations understand TX values.” (Twitter @GovGregAbbott_TX 6/7/2021)

I would like to respectfully suggest a better way to communicate those values without having to spend money printing and distributing a pamphlet. The official State Motto of Texas is “Friendship.” (Anonymous, “State Motto,” Handbook of Texas Online, accessed June 10, 2021, https://www.tshaonline. org/handbook/entries/state-motto.) I would like to invite Governor Abbott, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, Fayette County Judge Joe Weber, State Rep. Ben Leman, State Senator Lois Kolkhorst, and all other Texans to live that motto. Every new Texan should know Texas’ Friendship, not from a pamphlet likely to end up on the floor of a car, but from the actions of real Texans.

I am concerned that Texas’ reputation among the other 49 states and abroad is far from our official motto. Texans are so much more than oil, guns, and football. The truth is that Texans are friendly and are among the first to lend a hand to someone in need. The Governor has given all of us the opportunity to discuss true Texas values. Let’s take him up on it.

Friendship. It’s more than a word in a silly pamphlet. Show the world by doing.

David DeLuca

La Grange