As Rick Perry stumbles towards the New Hampshire primaries, the national media continues to engage in one of its favorite pastimes -- ridiculing the Lone Star State and its conservative extremes. (See "Perry Gains Endorsement from an Arizona Sheriff Tough on Immigration," New York Times, Nov. 29, 2011.) Reporters loved Rick Perry's plan to do away with federal agencies, whichever they were, and oozed outrage over the faded N-word painted on a rock at his childhood hunting camp. The laser beam on conservatism in Texas has also pinpointed the de-funding of Planned Parenthood, counted death row executions, and blasted political cronyism. The images that go along with these stories conjure all the usual Texas stereotypes -- Perry's head on top of a cactus, George W. as a grinning cowboy.
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