The Ranger Up America's Sparta Shirt: The Spartans are, in contemporary culture, undoubtedly the most celebrated of the Ancient Greeks. We're mesmerized by the tales of battlefield sacrifice, discipline, and overall ethos. Furthermore, their distinct place within larger Greek culture is the envy of human history: a fiercely independent people who, on numerous occasions, carried the weight of a much larger society. America, in all her greatness, can be compared to Ancient Greece in many ways: our Shakespearian inner turmoil, warlike tendencies, exceptional rise to dominance, and distinctive patriotism. We are a unified people made up of many states and smaller cultures. So who are the Spartans of this collection of states? Well, like the Spartans of Ancient Greece, we have an independently minded group of people who dominate the southern part of our society. Like the Greeks of old, they pledge allegiance to their culture over the larger one. And like the Lacedaemonians, they've produced an untold amount of notable warriors, scribes, poets, philosophers, and statesmen. They're Texans: an independent people within the greater United States. There are no people like them in America. They talk differently, think differently, and act differently. And within that fiercely independent state, there is numerous other cultural difference. The people of South Texas are different than the people of Central Texas. The people of West Texas are different than the people of East Texas. The people of North Texas are different than . . . well, Okies. But they all share one common bond: they're Texans. They're easy to hate because of who they are. They've accomplished so much in athletics, warfare, literature, politics, business, agriculture, and in their state's history. They know this, too. They know how they stand out. They are Texans. They are America's Sparta.