Texas Senator Ted Cruz showed up at Joe Biden’s inauguration representing the state of Texas and flashing a very famous Texan symbol of resistance to overbearing authority.

Cruz’s face mask bore the unmistakable image of the star over a cannon with the words “come and take it” below it. The image is taken from the famous flag Texians used during the Texas Revolution during the Battle of Gonzales against Mexico while warring for its independence.

Sen. Ted Cruz wearing a face mask that reads "Come and Take It", arrives at the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2021, in Washington, DC.

📸 @gettyimages pic.twitter.com/oWga30b9iK

— USA TODAY Politics (@usatodayDC) January 20, 2021

The symbolism Cruz was trying to get across is pretty plain.

“Come and take it” was a challenge by Spartan King Leonidas to the Persian army during the Battle of Thermopylae when the Persians demanded the Spartans give up their arms. Texians later adopted this phrase when Mexican forces demanded the return of a cannon that they had given Texians in 1831 to fend off Native American warriors in the area. It was then being used against Mexican forces, and so they wanted it back.

The Texian response to the Mexican army’s demand was to hoist a flag made by Sarah Seely DeWitt and her daughter, Evaline. The flag was made from a wedding dress and bore the image of a lone star over the aforementioned cannon with King Leonidas’s words below it; “come and take it.”

The Biden administration has made some promises when it comes to restricting the rights of gun owners. Democrats overall have spoken about lashing out at Trump supporters, forming lists, and even “deprogramming” those who showed support for Trump. This is the same left that has cheered on censorship, encouraged cancel culture, and has resorted to un-personing people with whom they don’t agree.

Cruz’s symbolic message is clear. The left won’t lay claim to the rights of Americans, nor will it terminate the traditions and values of the United States of America without a fight. There will be resistance, and like the Texians of old, America will win in the end.

This is, of course, a symbolic message and not a call to violence, which Cruz has denounced and discouraged in the very recent past. Democrats and leftists have already begun demanding his arrest for inciting violence due to the mask, but anyone paying attention can understand Cruz’s meaning.