Lone Star Secession

Texas Governor Rick Perry certainly made news the other day at one of those tea party rallies. Not only did he protest big government and taxes, he started talking about the "S" word--secession. Yes, the governor of America's second largest state began waxing poetic about Texas leaving the union:

"'Texas is a unique place,'" the governor told reporters in Austin. "'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. My hope is that America, and Washington in particular, pays attention. 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.'"

Most scholars think the talk of secession is just political hot air aimed at positioning Perry for a primary fight against fellow Republican Senator Kay Bailey Huchison:

"A&M professor Walter L. Buenger is a fifth-generation Texan and author of a textbook on Texas’ last secession attempt. (The federal occupation lasted eight years after the Civil War.)
'It was a mistake then, and it’s an even bigger mistake now,' Buenger said by phone from College Station, where he has taught almost since Perry was an Aggie yell leader. 'And you can put this in the paper: To even bring it up shows a profound lack of patriotism,' Buenger said. The 1845 joint merger agreement with Congress didn’t give Texas an option clause. The idea of leaving 'was settled long ago,' he said. 'This is simple rabble-rousing and political posturing. That’s all it is.  . . .  Our governor is now identifying himself with the far-right lunatic fringe.'"

If Texas does eventually decide to seceed, the Federal Government won't just wish them well. And, it wouldn't turn out very well for them. But public opinion in Texas is clearly not with the secessionists: 75% of Texans want to stay while only 18% want to leave. Still, I'm amazed that 1 out of 5 would opt for Texas secession...