Old Folks At Home

State museum canceled book event examining slavery’s role in Battle of the Alamo after Texas GOP leaders complained, authors sayhttps://t.co/KWETvASLBE

— Jason Kao (@jsonkao) July 2, 2021

Jerry Patterson hasn't read the book:

Former Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, said he has doubts about several claims the authors make. The Texas General Land Office that he once ran has jurisdiction over the Alamo site in San Antonio.

But instead of supporting the event's cancelation, Patterson said he was looking forward to the authors facing tough questions about their sourcing and accuracy. 

"It would have been better if they had been asked hard, specific questions and been forced to answer them. And in that case, they should have been allowed to be at the Bullock," Patterson said.

He’d have been disappointed to find out the book was extensively supported by footnotes and references, and reflected the consensus of academic historians for the past several decades. 

The real problem here is the Bullock State History Museum being turned into a propaganda arm because you don’t mess with Texas mythology.  And I love the story of the Alamo, but I love the “true” story even more.  The myth is mostly bullshit embroidered and filigreed by Walt Disney and John Wayne.  That kind of “history” I don’t need.  Which makes this a good place to drop this in:

We heard about the ‘Forget the Alamo’ drama (*cough* Dan Patrick & friends *cough*). 👀

This is where your indie bookstores and local libraries come in clutch. Pick up your copy from us and learn something new. https://t.co/3Who6l95QS pic.twitter.com/LXvnaHpgS7

— BookPeople (@BookPeople) July 2, 2021

Now let's hear from the authors:

A @BullockMuseum employee says they had to cancel following a social media campaign by rightwingers and an order from the board, which includes @GovAbbott, @DanPatrickTX, @DadePhelan and @DrSchwertner. Apparently, they worry true Texas history might get out. #ForgettheAlamo

— ChrisTomlinson (@cltomlinson) July 1, 2021

But we don’t regurgitate the propaganda that Abbott’s Texas 1836 Project wants to promote. We reject the Heroic Anglo Narrative that came from white supremacists in the 19th century. We promote a more holistic and honest view of Texas’s glorious history. #ForgettheAlamo

— ChrisTomlinson (@cltomlinson) July 1, 2021

Oliver at @WritersLeague wants to reschedule because she believes in freedom of speech and an open exchange of ideas. We will not be censored by @BullockMuseum's clumsy cancel culture. Ironic that the state’s conservative leaders would pull a stunt like this. #ForgettheAlamo

— ChrisTomlinson (@cltomlinson) July 1, 2021

If you wanted proof that Abbott and the GOP leadership is inclined toward dictatorship and punishing dissidents, here is your proof. Kicking us out of an event @BullockMuseum would have been unthinkable five years ago, what do they have planned for the next five? #ForgettheAlamo

— ChrisTomlinson (@cltomlinson) July 1, 2021

Why do I think the Bullock cancelled our Forget the Alamo book event? We broke Memory Laws. Let me explain. https://t.co/lDvTR8GGv8

— Jason Stanford (@JasStanford) July 2, 2021

I’ve worked all over the world for 35-plus years and I had to return to Texas to get my first government censorship and actual death threats. #ForgettheAlamo @JasStanford @cltomlinson @penguinpress

— Bryan Burrough (@BryanBurrough) July 2, 2021

I wish this were new, or surprising. But it sounds just like the Texas I grew up in. That, of course, is the problem.