Ted Poe: “There is a battle brewing back home in Texas. According to news reports, it seems that some in our education system have…”

“There is a battle brewing back home in Texas. According to news reports, it seems that some in our education system have taken issue with one of the most treasured and significant historical letters in Texas history, Lieutenant Colonel William Barrett Travis and his passionate plea in his letter ``to all the people of Texas and all Americans in the world.'' To add insult to injury, they have also called into question the heroic nature of Travis and the 187 volunteers who sacrificed their lives at the Battle of the Alamo on March 6, 1836. A committee evaluating the State's history curriculum standards has proposed that we eliminate the study of Travis' historical ``Victory or Death'' letter. They have also recommended that we remove the word ``heroic'' from the curriculum because it is a value-charged word, a hero and the heroes of the Alamo. Well, to quote Travis, I have a value-charged word or two to say about that: ``Victory or death,'' Mr. Speaker. These are the most iconic words in Texas history. That is our battle cry and has been our battle cry since 1836. It is who we are. Texas' defiant, independent nature was born from those words of that letter written from behind the walls of a besieged Alamo mission in Bexar, Texas. The words on that paper are as much a part of who we are as the blood that runs through our veins. We shall ``never surrender or retreat,'' to quote Travis.…”