TMZ.com
EXCLUSIVE

Dan Rather I Got a Message for the Austin Package Bomber ... 'You Lose!'

The violent jackass behind the deadly Austin package bombings is picking on the wrong city, and the wrong citizens ... according to Dan Rather, who has a home there.

The veteran newsman is a born and bred Texan, so when we got him Tuesday in NYC ... he had some tough talk for whoever's responsible for the tragic bombings. The most recent one went off early Tuesday morning at a FedEx near San Antonio, but the package was bound for Austin.

Rather says the Texas capital is overflowing with smart, young people who don't have patience for prejudice. Cops think the suspect might be targeting black citizens -- but Rather says the bomber's made a serious miscalculation.

As they say, don't mess with Texas ... and Dan says that's especially true in Austin.

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