Rick Perry's comments about secession were careless and
irresponsible, but Rick Perry will be Rick Perry, I guess (adios, mofo.)
However, perhaps it was naive of me not to realize that there is now a
whole organized secessionist movement in this state, complete with its
own web site and radio station.
Wow. Really?
What
kills me is that I'm imagining that most of these same people screamed
"treason" when Gregory Lee Johnson burned the American flag in Dallas in
1984. I'm imagining that most of these same people screamed "God Bless America" and
were the first in line to buy a flag when the twin towers fell in 2001.
I'm imagining the cries of "USA!" from their living rooms as they watched the green,
ghostly streaks from the infrared cameras trained on the
Baghdad night sky. I guess they expect Texans to wrap ourselves in the
flag, get behind the President, support the troops, and ask God to bless
our nation as long as the Republicans control Washington, but as soon
as the nation fairly elects a Democrat, now we're expected to pee on
the flag and stock up on ammo in preparation for the inevitable bloody
revolution?
That's not the way it works, folks. California and
New York didn't start bandying about the "S word" when Bush was elected,
even though many of them undoubtedly felt just as disenfranchised by
Bush's policies as some Texans feel about Obama's. However, let's be clear
about two things: (1) no one has raised our taxes yet, and (2) Texas is
far from being a solid red state. It is the pinnacle of hubris for
these secessionists-- as well as Perry-- to believe that Texas speaks
with one voice and that they are that voice. Perry was re-elected with
38% of the vote (1.7 million votes)-- hardly a mandate, to be sure. Meanwhile, 3.5 million Texans (44% of those who voted last November) voted
for Obama.
Texas is a vast land with many diverse cultures and
ethnicities. We have mountains, canyons, tall forests, plains, deserts,
the biggest of cities, and the smallest of towns. Despite our huge
areas of open space, most of which are privately owned, nearly 90% of
Texans live in urban areas. This is a larger percentage of urban
population than even New York! Texas is a land that defies
categorization, a state with at least four distinct regional accents, a
state in which less than 50% of the population is Caucasian. How could
any one person or group claim to have their finger on the pulse of our
whole state?
But let's entertain, for a moment, the prospect of
making Texas a sovereign nation again. The U.S. military consists of
1.5 to 3 million men and women, depending on whether or not you count
the reserves. Assuming Texas could muster a proportional number of men
and women to serve in its armed forces, the Texas army would still be
outnumbered by the Mexican army. Perhaps the secessionists would rather
relive the Alamo than remember it.
On paper, Texas produces
approximately the same GDP per capita as the U.S. average. However, how
much of our economy hinges on free trade with the other states? How
much would Texas' economy suffer from the inevitable war for secession
or even a war with Mexico? How much of Texas' population would simply
leave if Texas were allowed to secede? I'm imagining millions, and you can
count me among them. How much additional expense would Texas incur if
it no longer was able to rely on the federal government for military
protection, highway funds, etc.? Think for a moment where the
technology behind U.S. defense is produced: mostly not in Texas. Texas
has one of the lowest tax rates in the Union, but ironically, the Fair
Tax folks would find that their taxes would probably have to increase if
Texas were to stand on its own.
Those who don't learn from
history are doomed to repeat it, as the saying goes. We've been down
this road before. The two major reasons why the Republic of Texas voted
to become a state were: (a) military protection against Mexico, and (b)
the U.S. agreed to assume Texas' huge national debt. Despite what Perry
and others would have us believe, there was no "right to secede"
included in our annexation resolution. The only special provision
included in this resolution was one that would allow Texas to split
into as many as five states if it so chose. This has intriguing
possibilities, but it's a far cry from secession. Actually, maybe we
should just take advantage of our right to form a new state, give the
secessionists their own chunk of the desert somewhere, and see how well
they fare on their own. The reality TV rights alone would be worth
millions.
No state has the "right" to secede. Texas, like every
other state, is an integral and symbiotic part of the United State of
America. Talk of secession is an insult to the many brave men and women
who died for this nation and our flag and "the republic for which it
stands ... INDIVISIBLE." Talk of secession is also an insult to the many brave men and women who would die trying to maintain the integrity of the nation If Texas tried to secede, as well as an insult to the many families who
would be torn apart by civil war. It's an insult to those of us who
still believe in America and what America can do. I was born and raised
here. How dare someone tell me that I can't be both a Texan and an
American?
So, are y'all still going to want to secede if a Republican gets elected in 2012? I bet not.
