Pumpkin spice, THC bans, and Cowboys chaos. From The Barbed Wire

Howdy, folks! I’m Brian Gaar, senior editor of The Barbed Wire. The triple-digit heat is finally crawling back to hell, football is on TV, pumpkin spice is lurking in every coffee shop, and Texas politics is still nuttier than a pecan pie left out at Thanksgiving.

Let’s dig in.

After being drugged and raped in 2014, Summer Willis discovered Texas law didn’t even recognize her assault — so she ran marathons with mattresses and crawled through Austin until lawmakers listened. Now, her namesake law finally defines consent and closes loopholes that let predators skate.

Meanwhile, Texas lawmakers couldn’t get a THC ban through the Legislature, so Gov. Greg Abbott slapped together an executive order that decrees no selling to minors. And while nobody (well those of us with mortgages) wants kids buying THC, you’ve gotta wonder if more extensive bans may creep up in the future. 

Meanwhile, The Barbed Wire’s Billy Begala writes about Texas’ wonderful, nonsensical, schizophrenic state. We’re one of the queerest, most diverse states in the country, yet our politicians treat LGBTQ+ kids and immigrants like punching bags while turning former WWII internment camps into ICE facilities. But for every Ted Cruz there’s a Molly Ivins, for every Alex Jones a Beyoncé — and as always, Texas remains a beautiful, maddening contradiction.

And fresh off the presses, I recently took a trip to The Bullock Texas State History Museum and sadly discovered that it glorifies Texas myths while treating slavery like an awkward uncle no one wants to talk about. And in football news, the Houston Texans spent all offseason fixing their offensive line only for C.J. Stroud to spend Week 1 running like he was late for a flight. Meanwhile, Jerry Jones traded away Micah Parsons, Dak Prescott got caught in a spit fight, and the Dallas Cowboys’ Super Bowl drought remains old enough to rent a car.

Texas’ Official History Museum Hides More Than It Shows

The Bullock Museum glorifies Texas heroes while treating slavery like an awkward uncle no one wants to talk about.

By Brian Gaar

The Bullock Texas State History Museum is an impressive piece of Texana, a hulking granite-faced structure across the street from the University of Texas campus. 

Step inside and you’re confronted with a giant mural of longhorns, horses, and cowboys that promises to tell you “The Story of Texas.” 

There are equally oversized quotes from famed author Larry McMurtry and others, telling you what an amazing state you’re currently standing in. 

It’s an impressive introduction to the state’s official history museum, projecting an aura that feels akin to the great history museums of New York and Washington, DC. But after taking the tour, I’m here to tell you that the story of Texas, as told by the Bullock museum, leaves a lot to be desired. 

It is, literally and figuratively, a whitewash. A (mostly) warts-free story told by people who want you to know that Texas is a great place and that almost nothing bad ever happened here. 

That’s a problem when state leaders are doing their best to erase the reality of slavery from public schools, universities, and libraries. The late lieutenant governor’s passion project hasn’t been spared from an agenda that values spin over truth. The Bullock Museum is, to put it bluntly, a beautiful facade for public relations copy.

I’m not alone in my assessment: Just a few years ago, celebrated Houston Chronicle journalist Chris Tomlinson called it “a propaganda outlet.” (More on that later.)

“Historical accuracy really matters, especially around slavery, racism, and the displacement of indigenous people,” said David DeMatthews, a professor at the University of Texas’ College of Education and a former history teacher, in an interview with The Barbed Wire. “Because if students don’t understand the past injustices, it’s hard for them to make sense of what might be some present-day realities.”

Of course, this problem isn’t specific to Texas. The fight against so-called “woke” exhibits has been a national issue, too, with President Trump recently trying to influence the Smithsonian Institution’s framing of history. But Texas often sets the tone for the conservatism that spreads to rest of the country and, with more than 9 million visitors, the Bullock Museum plays a prominent role in showing how those in power view our state’s history.

Or, at least, how they want it taught.

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