When I see articles discussing how Texas has sizable influence on textbook content and their Board of Education pushing for creationist or anti-evolution content to be taught; or when I hear Alex Jones is promoting some new conspiracy theory; or that the actual Governor of Texas has called out the state troopers to keep an eye on the Army's Jade Helm training exercises...

Look, maybe the sources I rely on are biased, but I never hear about stuff like this from other states. When your governor starts buying into conspiracy theory material, and acting on it, I start to feel that "know-nothingism and retrograde thinking" may actually fall a bit short.