Each Wednesday since the war began, Bob Buzzanco, associate professor of history at the University of Houston, has stood outside Halliburton's Kellogg Brown and Root subsidiary to protest.

Sometimes 40 people join him, sometimes 100. As they quietly wave signs such as "Bush's Economic Stimulus Package = War" and "Support the Business. Support Genocide", a few people honk their car horns while others yell at them to go home.

It is a small demonstration but an important outlet for the many Texans who object to the war but do not want to appear unpatriotic, or ungrateful to the Texan president. Texans, after all, stand by their own.

That is why, when the lead singer of the Dixie Chicks Texas country band criticised President George W. Bush to signal her anger at the war with Iraq, Texans turned against her.

"Texans are very proud of Texas and Texans who do well," says Michael Cruise, of Houston country radio station 93Q.

Yet Nathalie Maines told a concert audience in London: "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas."

The station put a poll on its website, asking if listeners wanted the Dixie Chicks off the air. Thousands of responses poured in, with 72 per cent against the band, despite it having the No. 1 country song on the charts. Similar polls forced the band off other stations.

"We'll keep them off until the audience says they want them back," Mr Cruise says.

Texas has a president and a general, Tommy Franks, to support, but Houston is also the energy capital of the world, and many of its companies stand to gain much from the conflict. At least 10 local companies have received big military contracts in recent years that will pay dividends during the war. Key among them is KBR, which has been contracted to fight fires in Iraq's oil fields and repair its infrastructure.

Privately, Mr Buzzanco said, many businesses say they support his protests outside KBR, alleging President Bush has damaged business interests abroad. At the same time, he said, many poor and middle-class Texans are angry the state is cutting social programmes while the administration puts $75bn (?70bn, £48bn) towards the war.

"We have an image in the world as gun-toting cowboys," Mr Buzzanco says. "It is the fourth biggest city in the country, it is an international city. It isn't that much different from Chicago or Boston. It's not the wild, wild west."

Indeed, even as thousands of Texans stand by their man in the White House, anti-war protesters have turned out repeatedly in the state capital of Austin. Many block streets or engage in other acts of civil disobedience until they end up in jail.

But those in the military town of El Paso have set aside personal beliefs to unite behind the yellow ribbons in honour of a local soldier, and those in the rest of the country, taken prisoner in Iraq. "The community has been very supportive," says Erika Johnson, younger sister of army cook Shoshana Johnson, a single mother taken prisoner.

"It's a painful time for everybody here," said Susannah Byrd, executive assistant to the mayor. At least 3,000 soldiers have been deployed from the nearby Fort Bliss. "The empathy runs real deep for those families."