Baja Oklahoma (1955)

Wilson Gray hwgray at GMAIL.COM
Sat Mar 10 07:03:39 UTC 2007


I'm aware of this attempt at insulting the Lone Star State. However, I
think that "Texan: wetback on his way to Oklahoma" is funnier.

-Wilson

On 3/9/07, Bapopik at aol.com <Bapopik at aol.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Bapopik at AOL.COM
> Subject:      Baja Oklahoma (1955)
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Any of you Texans out there heard of "Baja Oklahoma"? (Not in HDAS.) Rio =20
> Grande roulette?
> ...
> ...
> ...
> _http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/baja_oklahoma/_=20
> (http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/baja_oklahoma/)=20
> =20
> Baja Oklahoma
> =20
> "Baja Oklahoma=E2=80=9D (lower Oklahoma) is an Oklahoma nickname for the sta=
> te of =20
> Texas. The term is similar to Baja California. =E2=80=9CBaja Oklahoma=E2=80=
> =9D is a gentle =20
> insult and is not normally used by Texans, although it was the title of a Da=
> n =20
> Jenkins novel and film (1988).=20
>
>
> _Wikipedia: Baja  California_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baja_California)=
>  =20
> Baja California (literally =E2=80=9Clower California=E2=80=9D in  Spanish) i=
> s the=20
> northernmost state of Mexico. It is considered territory of  Northern Americ=
> a. It is=20
> sometimes informally referred to as Baja California  Norte, to distinguish i=
> t=20
> from both the Baja California peninsula, of which  it forms the northern hal=
> f,=20
> and Baja California Sur, the adjacent state that  covers the southern half o=
> f=20
> the peninsula. Before becoming a state in 1953, the  area was known as the N=
> orth=20
> Territory of Baja California. It has an area of  71,576 km=C2=B2 (about 27,6=
> 00=20
> mi=C2=B2, or 3.57% of the land mass of Mexico. The state is  bordered on the=
>  west by=20
> the Pacific Ocean, on the east by Sonora, the U.S. State  of Arizona, and th=
> e=20
> Sea of Cortez or Gulf of California, and on the south by  Baja California Su=
> r.=20
> Its northern limit is the U.S.-Mexico border, adjacent to  the U.S. state of=
> =20
> California. =20
>
> _http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094704/plotsummary_ (
> http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php?URL=3Dhttp://www.imdb.com/title/tt009470=
> 4/plotsummary) =20
> Plot  summary for=20
> Baja Oklahoma (1988) (TV)=20
> Dan Jenkins co-wrote  the screenplay based on his novel of the same name=20
> about Juanita, a barmaid in  Ft. Worth, Texas, who wants to be a country-wes=
> tern=20
> songwriter.=20
>
> 16  December 1955, Long Beach (CA) , pg. 2, col. 1:=20
> A  red-haired congressman from Baja Oklahoma=E2=80=94sometimes known as Texa=
> s=E2=80=94was=20
> about  ready Thursday to challenge Sen. Arthur V. Watkins (R-Utah) to a game=
>  of=20
> Rio  Grande roulette=E2=80=94Colt .45 Peacemakers at six paces.=20
>
> 20 September 1956,  Oakland (CA) Tribune, =E2=80=9CSooners =E2=80=98Raid=E2=
> =80=99 Texas Schools,=E2=80=9D=20
> pg. 38, col. 1: =20
> When it comes to football the new name for the great state of Texas is Baja=20=
> =20
> Oklahoma.=20
>
> 14 December 1958, Long Beach (CA)  Independent-Press-Telegram, pg. B12:=20
> The real lift to the morale of  the citizens of the former Lone Star State=20
> (if subdivided=E2=80=94ed.) would come from a  more equitable distribution o=
> f the=20
> inferior weather, which has been pretty well  monopolized by that section po=
> pularly=20
> known as =E2=80=9CBaja Oklahoma.=E2=80=9D=20
>
> 4  January 1960, Pasadena (CA) Star-News, comics:=20
> TELL ME, MY LITTLE  =E2=80=9CYELLAH ROSE,=E2=80=9D IS IT TRUE, NOW THAT IT I=
> SN=E2=80=99T THE BIGGEST=20
> STATE, THAT  TEXAS IS KNOWN AS BAJA OKLAHOMA?=20
>
> 21 October 1972, Dallas  Morning News, Tolbert=E2=80=99s Texas by Frank X. T=
> olbert,=20
> section A, pg. 23: =20
> =E2=80=9CWe=E2=80=99ll make Texas a kind of sub-state or junior province,=
> =E2=80=9D said my Okie =20
> friend, =E2=80=9Cand we=E2=80=99ll call it Baja Oklahoma.=E2=80=9D=20
>
> 13 January 1974, Cedar Rapids  (Iowa) Gazette, pg. D1, col. 1:=20
> This will be the first Super Bowl in  the state of Texas, and maybe that=20
> helps even the National Football league think  big. We=E2=80=99ve been needl=
> ing our Texas=20
> hosts a bit. You know, calling Texas =E2=80=9CBaja  Oklahoma=E2=80=9D and su=
> ggesting that old=20
> gag that there wouldn=E2=80=99t even be a Texas if  there had been a back do=
> or at the=20
> Alamo.=20
>
> 30 March 1979, Placerville (CA)  Mountain Democrat, pg. A5, col. 1:=20
> Sheriff run =E2=80=98em outta Arkansas in  the 1800s; and, the Rangers run=20=
> =E2=80=98em outta=20
> Baja Oklahoma (that there=E2=80=99s North  Texas) long about the turn of the=
>  century.=20
>
> 12 April 1991, Placerville  (CA) Mountain Democrat, pg. A13, col. 1:=20
> It runs from the outskirts  of Oklahoma City to the border of Baja, Oklahoma=
> =20
> (as Oklahomans call Texas).=20
>
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> email to everyone.  Find out more about what's free from AOL at=20
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