Small Rocks, Big Changes: How Individual Actions Shape Texas History

When I was young, I spent all of my free time hiking and playing in the woods of East Texas. My friend and I would enter the massive clumps of trees that cover the area at the first opportunity and wouldn’t be seen again until time for supper.

There was one particular place where we spent the majority of our time. Regardless of the weather, you could find us perched beside a nameless creek on an oil lease behind his house. We spent our days on that creek as most young people do. We found every rock that we could possibly find and threw it in. Most were small to medium-sized rocks. If we could lift it and hurl it, it went into the creek.

The walls of the creek were steep, and it looked as though it had one time been something more than what it was now. Over the years, starting long before we discovered it, it had been reduced to a trickle. Heavy rains would add some flow to it, but it never was more than a trickle.

One day, we decided that we wanted to dam the creek. Being pretty sure that it would never fully back up, our simple logic told us that this, somehow, was a worthwhile goal. Our plan was simple – keep adding rocks in the same general area until something happened.

Little by little, we cast rocks into the creek. We ran out of rocks in the immediate area, so we had to start putting them in backpacks and biking them in. Days went by, and the pile grew. As the pile grew, that “something” we were shooting for happened. While our intention was to dam the creek, the course of the creek adjusted and went around the rocks. I imagine that if you were to visit that creek today, the course would be virtually the same as when we left it.

Two kids, with too much time on their hands, had changed the course of a creek by using small rocks. Granted, some rocks were bigger than others, but it was our effort in collecting and placing the rocks that made the creek change.

Each of us can make that kind of impact. As a Texas Nationalist, your individual actions can be those rocks that change the course of Texas history. Start with the small rocks and keep adding to the pile.

The Original Small Rocks

These are the fundamental actions every Texas Nationalist should take. Think of them as the foundation stones that shift the current toward independence:

Buy a Texas flag and fly it. Buy two and give one to your neighbor. Buy a Texas Nationalist Movement flag and fly it. Every flag that waves is a declaration that Texas is a nation, not just another state.

Learn “Texas, Our Texas”. Go to your local school board meeting and insist that they start off elementary classes with singing it again. Any events that start with the “Star Spangled Banner” should also begin with “Texas, Our Texas.” Insist that they do.

Learn the “Texas Pledge”. If you attend any meetings where a Texas flag is present, suggest starting off the meeting with it. Offer to lead the “Texas Pledge” at your local government meetings as well. “Honor the Texas flag; I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one state under God, one and indivisible.”

Fly the colors. Wear a Texas Nationalist Movement shirt. Display a window sticker. Wear a Texas flag lapel pin. Show your Texas pride and spirit. Make it impossible for people to miss where you stand.

Start a Texas History library in your home. To remain free, we must be educated. You can start by visiting your local library as they often get rid of older books. This also becomes a resource for preserving and disseminating our history for your family.

Become a perpetual student of Texas history and civics. Learn all that you can about where we came from and how our government works. Knowledge is the ammunition of freedom.

Work on personal independence. Cut down debt. Store food. Practice self-reliance. Start a garden. Share your experiences with others. The more independent you become personally, the stronger independent Texas becomes.

Label shop. When you purchase goods and services, give priority to those produced in or offered from Texas. If you’re not sure, ask. Every purchase is a vote for Texas economic independence.

Celebrate Texas holidays. Learn them and observe them. The chief among these is Texas Independence Day. If you work for someone else, ask your employer to recognize Texas holidays. Throw a barbecue. Invite friends.

Uphold the values. Strive to live the Texas Nationalist values of fortitude, loyalty, righteousness, prudence, and broadmindedness. If you don’t understand what those mean, look them up.

Adding Bigger Rocks

As you master these fundamentals, it’s time to throw some heavier stones into the stream. These actions require more commitment but create larger ripples:

Speak up at government meetings. Attend meetings of your local government and speak on issues of Texas Nationalism during the “Citizen Comment” portion of the meeting. Don’t just attend – make your voice heard.

Call, email, and visit your elected officials. Contact your State Representative, State Senator, and the Governor. Let them know that you support Texas independence and you want them to support it as well. Be persistent and polite.

Observe and report. If you see any violations of rights by the government on any level, make note of it and share it with others. Document Federal overreach when you see it.

Share Texas Nationalism. Educate your friends, family, and co-workers. Offer your knowledge to the Texas History classes at your local school or local civic groups. Plant seeds wherever you go.

Teach your children independence. We live in a society of “helicopter parents.” Stop doing everything for them and teach them how to live independently. We can only hope to maintain Texas independence if we pass the independent spirit along to the next generation.

Be aware of your surroundings. Become a news junkie. Pay attention to what’s going on in the world and in your own backyard. Examine the facts and analyze them through the perspective of a Texas Nationalist. Ask yourself, “Is this good for Texas independence?”

Hold commemorations. If your city doesn’t have a Texas Independence Day celebration, hold a commemoration on the steps of your City Hall or County Courthouse. Take personal responsibility for remembering our history.

Monitor your children’s education. Pay attention to what your children are being taught about Texas history. Correct anti-Texas bias at home. Supplement their education with accurate Texas history books and resources.

Throwing Boulders

For those ready to make major personal commitments to the cause, these individual actions create significant impact:

Live as if Texas were already independent. Make major life decisions based on Texas first. Choose where to live, work, and invest based on what’s best for Texas independence, not what’s most convenient under the federal system.

Become financially independent from Federal programs. If you’re not already collecting it, then wean yourself off Social Security expectations, Medicare dependency, and any other Federal assistance. Build your own retirement and healthcare solutions.

Dedicate your career to the cause. Choose work that directly supports Texas independence or Texas sovereignty. Make professional sacrifices to avoid supporting anti-Texas institutions.

Become a walking encyclopedia of Texas. Study Texas law, history, and government until you know more than most professors. Make yourself a resource that others can turn to for accurate information.

Refuse to comply with unconstitutional Federal mandates. When the Federal Government clearly violates the Constitution, don’t participate. Accept the personal consequences rather than compromise your principles.

Restructure your entire lifestyle around Texas independence. Move to Texas if you’re not here already. Choose financial hardship over compromise with anti-Texas forces. Make every major decision through the lens of independence.

Sacrifice comfort for principle. Give up conveniences, benefits, and opportunities that require you to support the Federal system or erode the political, cultural, or economic independence of Texas. Live according to your beliefs even when it costs you personally.

The Power of Persistence

Remember, we changed that creek not with one massive boulder, but with countless small rocks thrown consistently over time. The Federal Government seems like an unstoppable force, but even stone gives way to water given enough time and pressure.

Your individual actions matter. Every flag flown, every meeting attended, every dollar spent on Texas businesses, every conversation about independence – these are the rocks that will eventually change the course of history.

The creek of Texas politics has flowed in the same direction for too long. It’s time for Texas Nationalists to gather our rocks and start throwing. The course of that creek is about to change, and we’re going to be the ones who change it.

Don’t wait for someone else to throw the first rock. Don’t wait for the perfect moment. Start today with whatever rocks you can find. The independence of Texas depends on what you do next.

The choice is yours. You can stand on the bank and watch the creek flow by, or you can pick up a rock and start changing its course. The ghosts of the Alamo are watching. What will you choose?