Adios Texas: don’t let the door hit you on the way out
Texas Governor Rick Perry (nicknamed Governor Goodhair by the late, great and much missed Molly Ivins) has apparently suggested that Texas might just decide to secede from the union. It seems that Perry, who faces a strong primary challenge from Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and is thus trying to snuggle up to the extreme right wing nutcase caucus (a/k/a the Republican base), is fed up — FED UP, I SAY! — with Washington placing conditions on the money it sends to the states, and he’s not going to take it anymore!
Now, as we all know, Texas actually tried this secession thing once before (despite Sam Houston’s heroic effort to talk some sense into the secessionists) and it didn’t work out all that well for them. But I guess that if at first you don’t succeed (or secede), try, try again.
Anyway, here’s what Perry had to say:
Perry: Texas is a unique place. When we came into the Union in 1845, one of the issues was that we would be able to leave if we decided to do that.
We 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 may come out of that.
The response to this suggestion from the left, so far, has actually been somewhat favorable. Both Michael Tomasky and Matt Yglesias seem inclined to let Texas go if it wants. As both note, the departure of the Lone Star State from the union would move the political balance in the United States decidedly to the left.
Besides, one can hardly help but be intrigued by any suggestion that would result in both Karl Rove and George W. Bush having to get a visa in order to enter the country. If Homeland Security does even a half-assed job, we should never have to see either one of them here again.
On a serious note: one has to wonder just how low the Republican Party will have to fall before some semblance of sanity returns. Because the really sad thing here, of course, isn’t that the governor of one of America’s truly great states (its contemporary politics notwithstanding) is willing to engage in this sort of insanity, but the fact that doing so, for a Republican, is now good politics.
Sad, indeed.
Update: Oh, and feel free to take Georgia with you.
April 16th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
Let them go and start their independent theocratic police state. Can we start the separation process today?
April 16th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
i’m a army wife stationed in killeen tx at ft hood. as far as i am concerned, this state could recede, secede, or whatever it wants. just get on with it and don’t darken the u.s ’s door again. call the army corp of engineers, dig a moat around this god forsaken hell hole and give it the F#$% back to mexico or whatever. with most of the texans in it. get jim hightower out first. and kaye from the crawford texas peace house…
when the “war on stupid” starts… texas will be the epicenter.
and i’d like to see bush/rove arrested at the border… gitmo for them. let them try a bit of the dish they liked to serve up… see if it is torture after all?
April 16th, 2009 at 7:44 pm
I have no problem with Texas seceding. However, Bush can’t stay here, he can go back to Conn. After all, he is a former president and has to stay in the US to get his secret service protection. So, he might as well take his ol’ buddy Perry with him. Oh, and Pappy Bush and his “beautiful mind” hateful wife have to get out too.
April 17th, 2009 at 1:48 am
I’m greatly looking forward to Texas seceding.
After the paperwork is done, the US should go in and seize or destroy everything in Texas built by the Feds,
Aided by the US, Mexico should invade Texas to reclaim it’s stolen property.
Then, Texans will be “illegal aliens,” and will be dealt with appropriately.
I can’t wait!
April 17th, 2009 at 7:56 am
Remember the Ah lame oh!
Adios, Gobernador Pelobueno
Buenos noches, ignorancia y alarde
Hasta luego, avaricia y racismo
Imarchese! arbusto y amigos
No deje a la puerta golpearle en el extremo por el camino.
April 19th, 2009 at 12:45 am
My oldest daughter lived in Dallas for two years. She hated Texas. I didnt like it much, either. I would be glad for Texas to secede from the Union. They havent offered much in the way of a good example to anybody or anything with their hatemongering, fearmongering and the worst President in American History. They managed to assassinate President Kennedy. They stuck us with LBJ and Vietnam. They are arrogant, gun toting, tedious blowhards with the exception of Molly Ivins, God rest her soul. If we could vote on it, I would vote for them to barricade themselves from the rest of us and continue shooting each other for any irritation that “made their day.”
April 20th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
A while back I wrote a pice here about Texas being ceded back to Mexico & the Mexican government seizing GWB & hustling him to the Hague for war crimes. I hope it works.