There’s no other way to describe the talk of secession from the United States as anything other than anti-American and unpatriotic. Yet Texas Governor Rick Perry is doing just that.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry isn’t ruling out the possibility his state may one day secede from the nation.
Speaking to an energetic and angry tea party crowd in Austin Wednesday evening, the Lone Star State governor suggested secession may happen in the future should the federal government not change its fiscal polices.
“There’s a lot of different scenarios,” Perry said. “We’ve got a great union. There’s absolutely no reason to dissolve it. But if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, you know, who knows what might come out of that. But Texas is a very unique place, and we’re a pretty independent lot to boot.” – CNN.com
While the right may choose to stay silent about this kind of outrageous rhetoric because it’s coming from one of their own – from the top elected leader in the State no less – I won’t. I have a lot of great friends in Texas and through my frequent travels to the State, I’ve come to appreciate the people who live their and their culture.
However, there’s a difference between being independent and being defiant.
Gov. Perry should temper the anti-American speech and apologize immediately.
I live in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Milwaukee, WI with my wife Jen, our daughter Emerson, and sons Carter and Colton.
Hey, it’s just another opportunity they’ve created for themselves so they can ultimately hide behind the troops when they are quite predictably criticized over it.
Governor Perry should apologize only if Howard Dean and the citizens of Vermont also apologize.
http://hotair.com/greenroom/archives/2009/04/16/when-bush-was-president-secession-talk-was-cool/
How the HELL can Texas complain about our economy? It was YOUR BOY GW Bush who destroyed our country. If McPalin were in office you’d be happy as bull testicles down there.
In the mean time, if you try to sesseed from the Union you ain’t gonna wish you were involved in Civil War no more, you damn morons. We’ll cut you down so fast you wish you were Mississippi.
that’s my opinion on those asses in Texass.
raaa,
Spoken like a true jackass.
I don’t think it is either unAmerican or unpatriotic to consider seccession. The original vision for the country was a Federation of mostly autonomous states. While the ACW changed that balance a lot, I think there is still a lot of room for states acting independently. It is also hypocritic for people in the U.S. (which may not include Dan) who have called for self determination in other areas on the world (e.g. Palestine, Yugoslovia, USSR) to claim that talk about secession should be called unAmerican. Now calling it stupid is another thing.
Dan, the question is whether Texas decides how Texas operates, or Washington decides how Texas operates. With the increasingly centralized power in the US, I am not at all surprised by “don’t tread on me”-Texas talking about succession. State militias exist because the states have a right to defend themselves against the federal government. I will never understand the objection to a state deciding its own operations.
The governor is clearly reminding us that the laws of our country say that states are not required to bend to the will of Washington (drug war aside, apparently; thanks, Supreme Court).
If Texas secceeds I’ll go. I’ve been searching for another country to move to. The U.S. has turned into the laughing stock of the world. I love this country and what it stood for 50 years ago. No one has any pride or honor anymore. I’m tired of out-of-touch politicians with no common sense and other interests deciding what’s best for me and my family. I can take care of myself and my family if the government will get their fingers out of my, and the rest of the worlds affairs.
First, I’m about as anti-GW and his ‘Mini-Me’ Gov Rick Perry as your average Cali tree hugger. But I’ve lived in Texas most of my life, so let me explain to y’all a little bit about Texas history.
Texas is the only state that was a sovereign nation prior to statehood, the Republic of Texas 1836-1845. When a Texan talks about secession, he/she is talking about Texas returning to a sovereign nation, not returning to Confederacy. Texans don’t give a damn about the Confederacy. Texas does not have the legal right to secede, but Texans are proud of their ‘country’.
Perry’s statement reflects backward, living-in-the-past retoric. He’s about as dumb as a box of rocks. But I can guarantee you that his statement had no racial overtones.
Anyway, I’ll stay down here and try to convince these rednecks that global warming is real, it’s not a good idea to throw out the Geneva Convention, and foreign policy should be more than kickin’ sum ass. I’ve got my work cut out for me!
Go ahead, flame me for not using spell checker…
The rethoric is pretty damn sad coming from the Rightwing Puppy Kicker’s!
All of this bullshit about to much money being spent, is just that bullshit!
Where were these people when their Moron (Bush Jr.) sent 12 million Cold Hard Cash to Iraq back in 2003! No paper trail what so ever, when the people who authorized it were brought before congress and asked the question of where it went, NONE OF THEM HAD A CLUE!!!!
Now they are bitching of to much money being spent! When the Republican control Congress back in 1998 voted to deregulate the financial system. Basicly putting the Prisoners in Charge of the Prison.
Governor Perry, ya know what, you are nothing but a typical politician trying very hard to keep your seat, can’t lose that salary that every taxpayer is paying for, or your healthcare. If you were really serious about the spending then you would give it up to prove a point….but we all know that will never happen!
Pandoring, Pandoring and Pandoring, the Rightwing Puppy Kickers are pisst because they got their butts whooped!
When they give up their salaries and their healthcare then I will listen, until then they can kiss my BUTT!!!!
I would love for Texas and any other States that suddenly find themselves so utterly miserable (ironically not until Obama became President)that they can’t stand to be an American any longer. I wish they had gone a long time ago, and with them take their predjudices, racist attitudes, and their hypocritical religious views. I have had it with the Right Wing. I say good riddance!
HOW DARE this liberal idiot suggest that Perry should disavow Secession statement. We are Texans first and American Second…TEXAS PROUD!
Our country was found on Christian principles. When our president says we are not a Christian nation it is time for TEXAS to think about secession. We love America but not where our “leaders” are taking us. TEXAS is the only State that does have the right to secede.
We welcome Jeff to TEXAS. Since Obama won the election We’ve proudly removed our American flag from the front of our house and now fly the TEXAS flag. Still we pray for America and our president.
Kind of weird how calling American troops terrorists, puttting up photos of a sitting president with the caption “assasins wanted” on letterman,telling stories proven to be complete falsehoods in front of congress comparing American troops to ghengis khan,and a list of other things the cancer known as democrats does is perfectly acceptable. But this statement is SSSOOOO HORRIBLE. Yea right, piss off ya piece of feces.
The stupidity of people amazes me. Whyputaname states people complaining about Obama’s spending is bullshit because George Bush sent 12 million to Iraq. Here’s a little math lesson for you. 12 million is a few cents per American. Obama is spending TRILLIONS. Now a TRILLION dollars is roughly $3000.00 for every man woman and child in America. Add in unfunded Medicare and Social Security and we are anywhere from 70 to 90 TRILLION in debt…you do the math on that.
Seceding sounds pretty good when you figure out what you owe.
Only a Texan would expect SOMEBODY ELSE to simply give real estate away. I’m thinking that if we SELL the state of Texas to Mexico, AND the state of Florida to Cuba, we might not only save our selves the humilation of future Bushies (read Tex and Ko-Tex ) from getting loose, but we might pay for that war. I say SELL!!! to the highest bidder.
Pesos, dollars, gold ore or kittens, not a problem. We’ll work something out. And don’t worry if you default. We’ll take up a collection!!
Jayhawks,
Before you are amazed at the stupidity of Americans, take a look deep inside. 12 million dollars doesn’t even buy an elementary school in America.
The Iraq war is already over $800 billion, and will certainly surpass ONE TRILLION DOLLARS by the time it is over.
Is it enough money for you to be mad about now? How about 4,000 of your countrymen dead so that Dick Cheney could achieve whatever his goal was (what was it again? oh right, we never really got a good solid answer on that one).
So hey, let’s spend a trillion dollars on Americans this time any maybe we’ll actually get something for it…
Jill,
We wasted money on the Iraq war? Is that why the Obama administration has dropped its rhetoric of a quick, unilateral withdrawal and quietly embraced General Petraeus’ plan of leaving slowly as events on the ground dictate? And those 30,000 additional troops going to Afghanistan aren’t being sent by Dick Chaney.
Whether it’s a TRILLION being spent on war or another TRILLION being spent domestically, it spells trouble, economic trouble, as in inflation and stifling debt.
Welcome to post-prosperity America.
@Jill,
I’m with you. The Iraq war was a useless expense, and it continues to be. Increasing efforts in Afghanistan will be no different. It all needs to stop.
I think some people here are a bit confused. The highest density of neocons is not in Texas. In fact, aside from Texas and perhaps New Hampshire, I’m not sure where you can find real, pre-neocon Republicans. There were plenty of Texans who were standing with the left in outrage at what Bush was doing in foreign nations as well as the domestic spending and bailouts.
The domestic spending is an issue, though. It’s easy to say “let’s spend $1 trillion on us this time”, but we don’t *have* $1 trillion. Government can’t create money; it can only print currency.
One part where I will have to agree with some of the folks above is the debt. If there is anything that will continue to push the talk of succession forward, it will be the trillions of dollars in debt that Washington is putting on our shoulders. You only have two options: stick around and co-sign the debt or disassociate yourself with it.
Texanfor Obama: Some good points, and I agree with you for the most part. Also refreshing to hear from someone who actually knows their history and just doesn’t shout “SECEDE!!” because his uncle or dad did.
I think the whole argument is just silly and based in historic lore more than anything else.
On a larger point, I can always tell when something I write gets picked up nationally, because all the crazies come out of the woodwork, including the person who said they’re a “Texan first and American second”. That’s very sad.
Also, it should be pointed out the whole “can Texas secede” question has been answered in our Country before in the Supreme Court case Texas vs. White.
@Dan,
Using Constitutional arguments to say that a state cannot succeed is dubious at best, since the main problem here is a federal government that does not abide by the constitution, which requires state sovereignty. The pro-big-federal-government side is quick to hang their collective hat on the few words of the Constitution that favor centralized power, but it tends to ignore little things like 9th and 10th Amendments. (The same is, of course, true for the “general welfare” clause!)
The reason for those amendments, by the way, was to create a STRONGER union. The founding fathers rightfully realized that government is rule by averages, and the larger the size of the government, the more variation in opinion there will be from that average. In other words, the distance between what’s decided in Austin and what a dude in Lake Charles thinks is a heck of a lot smaller than the distance between Washington and Lake Charles. Localized governance is a source of unification and strength, whereas centralized governance results in infighting and discontent and a feeling that one cannot get what one wants through the system. This is an idea that dates all the way back to the age of the empires.
“Texan first and American second”. That’s very sad”……”Gov. Perry should temper the anti-American speech and apologize immediately……”While the right may choose to stay silent about this kind of outrageous rhetoric”……….Dan,your comments like these examples of your faux outrage entertain me. You know that the governor is not serious about the state of Texas receeding from the country. He is making a point about the overexpansion of the Federal government and the intrusion on the rights of states. Our country was specifically founded on the concept of a limited central government and individual rights of states.Youll find this kind of “outrageous rhetoric” all over the words of the founders Dan, who you lefties sometimes pretend to revere. Then tell us all how “outraged” their words make you and how “anti-American” they were.
Why is it that liberals can never see the forest for the trees? The governor is venting the anger that many feel at the massive over-reach of big government and the reduction of our liberties.
Democrats decried George Bush’s attack on our civil liberties for 8 years, and the only examples they found were terrorists in Guantanomo. Now that the government is using taxes, mandates and ordinances to change the very way that Americans live their daily lives, liberals stand by and level the charge “Un-American” against people who stand up to say “enough”. Doesn’t liberal mean open and tolerant? Then why is it always liberals who are telling me what I can and can’t do or think?
Interesting pro-succession article from the left: http://www.frontporchrepublic.com/?p=2879