Republican politicians try to appear tough John Dunphy FacebookTwitterEmail Pandemic be damned! The Lone Star State won’t be intimidated by some wimpy little virus. On March 2, when Texans celebrated the anniversary of their forebears’ 1836 Declaration of Independence from Mexico, Republican Governor Greg Abbott stated, “It is now time to open Texas 100%.” The “people and businesses” of Texas “don’t need the state telling them how to operate,” Abbott insisted. On his Late Show that night, Stephen Colbert observed that an assertion such as “It is now time to open Texas 100%” could be construed as meaning that Texas now has open borders and anyone who wants to enter the Lone Star State from Mexico is welcome to do so.