My Austin-American experience

I spent most of last week visiting the wonderful town of Austin, TX. In all my travels this far, I had somehow managed to stay away from the South and although Austin is said to be more liberal than most other cities in Texas I still anticipated to see some of the trademark symbols of deep-rooted conservatism. I was not disappointed because soon after I jumped into a cab on the way to the university I noticed a billboard put up by the NRA close to a Conoco Phillips gas station that said: "Conoco Phillips is no friend of the Second Amendment". This was also the time when a flurry of ballot initiatives were being decided upon across the country. The prominent initiative in Texas was a constitutional amendment to define a marriage as that between a man and a woman. Although the measure was passed by a two-thirds mandate and while, as some have pointed out, the wording of the amendment leaves the entire institution of marriage in limbo, in keeping with Austin's contrarian political leanings (contrarian from the rest of the state) -- which you will permit me to be amused by the irony of since Austin also serves as the state capital -- there was one lonely obscurely-placed signpost outside a largely student-infested apartment complex that read "Families matter! Reject Initiative #2!".

Banning all forms of marriage

December 2004 - March 2005

October 2004 - November 2004

July 2004 - September 2004

May 2004 - June 2004

April 2004

January 2004 - March 2004

October 2003 - January 2004

July 2003 - October 2003

May 2003 - June 2003

April 2003

January 2003 - April 2003

2002

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.