Terry Canales 

March 2, 2014 12:15am

As a child my grandmother would often tell me, “Dime con quién andas y te diré quién eres,” which roughly translates into, “You can judge a man by the company he keeps.”

As a state representative, a Texan and an American, I am appalled and disheartened by the fact that our state attorney general, Republican Greg Abbott, invited and defends a man on his campaign for Texas governor who refers to President Barack Obama as a “subhuman mongrel” and “gangster.”

 Abbott’s hatchet man, the musician Ted Nugent, has also made disparaging racist comments about the Latino community in our country by saying these exact words: “We should put razor wire around our borders and give the finger to any (expletive) who wants to come here.”

 And Nugent’s abhorrent solution to comprehensive immigration reform, in his own despotic words: “I’d like to shoot them dead.” 

I am a strong supporter of the Second Amendment right for law-abiding citizens to own and bear arms. I am also a strong advocate who strives to protect Texans, especially women and children, from violent men.

 But what does Nugent think about the Second Amendment and women? Here is what he has to say:

 “Anybody that doesn’t think it is better to blow someone’s brains out than to be raped, deserves to be raped.”

 The fact that Abbott proudly lets Nugent — someone who sees no wrong in demeaning minorities and women — appear next to him on stage is alarming.

 Nationwide media outlets have made constant references to Nugent’s past acknowledgement of having sex with underage girls. Nugent has spoken of rape, shooting minorities and has by his own admission committed child sexual abuse frequently, according to reputable news accounts.

 Not only does this make Abbott and the Republican Party of Texas prove how out of touch they are with everyday Texans, it also gives us a clear vision of the type of people Greg Abbott will surround himself with in the Governor’s Mansion if elected governor of Texas.

 As the Texas attorney general, and former Texas Supreme Court justice, Abbott has no excuse for hosting Nugent, and further defending him along the campaign trail for the state’s highest office.

 Just as bad, Abbott is pretending not to know about Nugent’s past and his warped views of the world.

 This is an insult to all Texans.

 I have to say, Abbott isn’t fooling anyone.