Texas Democrats: Texas governor's secession talk was reckless - Dallas Cowboys Forum

**WoodysGirl** · 04-16-2009

Democrats: Texas gov should disavow secession talk

1 hr 20 mins ago

AUSTIN, Texas – A group of Texas Democrats says Republican Gov. Rick Perry was reckless when he suggested at an anti-tax rally that fed-up Americans may one day want to secede from the United States. They said Thursday that he should disavow such talk. Democratic state Rep. Jim Dunnam of Waco says talk of secession is anti-American and that some people associate it with racial division and the Civil War.

Perry's office did not immediately respond Thursday.

Answering a question from The Associated Press at an anti-tax rally Wednesday, Perry said he doesn't think Texas should secede. But he said the federal government was thumbing its nose at the American people and added, "who knows what might come out of that."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090416/...erry_secession

Bob Sacamano · 04-16-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by WoodysGirl

Democrats: Texas gov should disavow secession talk

1 hr 20 mins ago

AUSTIN, Texas – A group of Texas Democrats says Republican Gov. Rick Perry was reckless when he suggested at an anti-tax rally that fed-up Americans may one day want to secede from the United States. They said Thursday that he should disavow such talk. Democratic state Rep. Jim Dunnam of Waco says talk of secession is anti-American and that some people associate it with racial division and the Civil War.

Perry's office did not immediately respond Thursday.

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of course Dems would bring up race issues as a defense

**trickblue** · 04-16-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by JerryAdvocate

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It's their modus operandi...

**ABQCOWBOY** · 04-16-2009

You know, I don't want to see Texas do anything like this but, the possibility is definitely there. The Dems don't like it because it puts them in a position where they have no control over the situation. Republicans wouldn't like it either but the reality is that the Democratic Party is not listening to the Conservatives or even the Dems who are not supporting what they are seeing and they had better start if they don't want this kind of backlash.

ThaBigP · 04-16-2009

Here's my take on this whole secession movement thingie..

We're already in secession. The federal government has ALREADY seceded from the Union and the Constitution...and began that separation long ago. Unfortunately, it occurred with the tacit approval of several generations of Americans. But whether that movement is approved of or not does not define secession. The movement itself does. The unique problem of having a secessionist federal government is the apparent mindset that they have some supernatural power to demand DEMAND! that all fifty states submit to the secession and follow them into this brave new unitarian form of government. Imagine the horror if South Carolina had demanded upon their secession that the remaining states in the union follow suit or be branded traitors to the [new] union and suffer the appropriate consequences. And, to add insult to injury, anybody protesting and "clinging" to the Constitution themselves being labled "secessionist" in defiance of simple logic.

Can the federal government seceed from the union?

Of course. The Union is defined by the contract we call the Constitution, a contract between three parties: The people, the states, and the (then) newly created federal government. Any party can break a contract and be in breech (and in this case breech = secession). If, however, you are of the mind that the federal government cannot by definition secede, then you are promoting the idea that one party to a contract is in fact not bound by that contract...even though the contract stipulates that it indeed is. You therefore have no contract, but rather imposition on one party and total liberty for another dressed in the facade of an equitable contract. Furthermore, you are arguing that there are no practical limits to the power of the federal government.

Even the people can secede...although generally without much sucess. They would do this the same way a state would...or the federal government has. Simply refuse to abide by the contract. Refuse to recognise Congress' authority to levy taxes, for example, and refuse to pay them. Print your own US currency, thwarting the Treasury's sole Constitutional prerogative in that regard. People secessionists generally live in the woods or jail as a result. One way the people can seceed from the Union as defined by the Constitution (and get away with it!) is simple...vote for politicians who flagrantly violate the Constitution...because it benefits them materially somehow.

Why shouldn't Texas or its governer talk about secession, really? Everybody else has already done it. TX is late to the party, actually.

quick correction: Congress is actually granted authority under the Constitution to coin money, but has delegated that authority to the Treasury, but you still get the idea...

**WoodysGirl** · 04-17-2009

Updated article from link

By Kelley Shannon, Associated Press Writer – Thu Apr 16, 7:10 pm ET

AUSTIN, Texas – In a state that once was its own nation, a Republican governor who talked about secession without completely dismissing the idea has Democratic lawmakers in an uproar.

Gov. Rick Perry, in comments following an anti-tax "tea party" Wednesday, never did advocate Texas breaking away from the United States but suggested that Texans might at some point get so fed up they would want to leave the union. That was enough to feed opinions for and against secession on Web sites, cable TV and talk radio across the nation.

At the Texas Capitol on Thursday, Rep. Jim Dunnam of Waco, joined by several fellow Texas House Democrats, said some people associate talk of secession with racial division and the Civil War and that Perry should disavow any notion of seceding.

"Talk of secession is an attack on our country. It can be nothing else. It is the ultimate anti-American statement," Dunnam said at a news conference.

State Sen. Rodney Ellis, a Houston Democrat, said that by not rejecting the possibility of secession out of hand, Perry "is taking a step down a very dangerous and divisive path encouraged by the fringe of Texas politics."

The Democrats are proposing a House resolution expressing "complete and total disagreement with any fringe element advocating the 'secession' of Texas or any other state from our one and indivisible Union."

Perry emphasized Thursday that he is not advocating secession but understands why Americans may have those feelings because of frustration with Washington, D.C. He said it's fine to express the thought. He offered no apology and did not back away from his earlier comments.

Perry's remarks Wednesday were in response to a question from The Associated Press as he walked away from the Austin rally, where some in the audience had shouted "Secede!" during his speech. The governor said he didn't think Texas should secede despite some chatter about it on the Internet and his name being associated with the idea.

"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," Perry said Wednesday.

A day later, Perry said he found the fascination with the remark interesting.

"I refer people back to my statement and I got a charge out of it," he said. "I was kind of thinking that maybe the same people that hadn't been reading the Constitution right were reading that article and they got the wrong impression about what I said. Clearly I stated that we have a great union. Texas is part of a great union. And I see no reason for that to change."

Texas was a republic from 1836, when it declared independence from Mexico, to 1845, when it became a U.S. state.

Perry has been speaking out against the federal government lately over federal economic stimulus spending. He's also in a tough race for re-election against a fellow Republican, U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, whom he is trying to portray as a Washington insider.

Perry spokeswoman Allison Castle criticized Dunnam, saying he was "trying to distract from the fact that yesterday thousands of Texans, including many in his own district, expressed their extreme displeasure at Washington's rampant taxation, big spending and bloated government."

Dunnam suggested Perry is positioning himself for his political future.

"We all knew he wanted to be president. I just didn't know it was president of the Republic of Texas," he said to chuckles from onlookers.

rantanamo · 04-17-2009

Some of you are such talkers. If Texas really did become its own nation again and was then taken over by the cartel, you'd be the first ones running your ***** back to the US. I guess its fun to fantasize about being on the range, living in a modern old west, but reality would really bite.

BigWillie · 04-17-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by rantanamo

Some of you are such talkers. If Texas really did become its own nation again and was then taken over by the cartel, you'd be the first ones running your ***** back to the US. I guess its fun to fantasize about being on the range, living in a modern old west, but reality would really bite.

Meh. I wouldn't say that because the US would not allow that to go on this close to home.

I would label all this talk nothing more than show. And even if it did happen, it would be nothing more than show. Texas would still rely on the rest of the US for pretty much everything (trade, arms, etc.,) they would need to become independent of the US.

Basically, it would be like one of your kids moving out, but calling you all the time to borrow money, help with the laundry and cleaning, among other things. They would move out, but they would never really be away from home.