h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTl7A_KY0A4

This is Glenn Beck, Mormon, right-wing radio host and the latest star to rise to shine in the fundament on Faux News.

The rally behind him is a tea-bag party (so called after the Boston Tea party) and it seems to be a focal point for malcontents, especially aggrieved at having lost the election, and barely three months into the new administration, are upping the ante rhetorically.

So many thoughts about this, but let's treat it as a sensible question.

Should (or even could) Texas secede from the United states?

I fully support tea-bagging. I have participated in tea-bagging and am glad that religious right are willing promote the activity.

Should it... yes - as a neutral outside observer I think it would be a fun process to watch

Could it... see http://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/texan02.asp

I suppose they could support themselves with oil revenues and not have to tax the population? Texas Tea...bagging?

Texas is the only state that has the right to secede written into its constitution, so it's a possibility.

It'd be interesting to see how the Republic of Texas would pay to secure its borders - I suspect there wouldn't be much oil money left to pay for anything else.

My word, what a confused group of people. They love the USA *so* much that they want to leave it.

And Faux news supports this as an outpouring of conservative values: if Texas seceded, conservatism in the US would be finished: there's no way the Republicans could make up for the loss of those 34 electoral college votes.

It'd mean all the big states were either solidly Democratic or competitive swing states. The only exception is Georgia (and Florida when one candidates brother is Governor).

Actually, thinking about it, let them go.

In our hypothetical scenario it seems likely that the Republicans would be forced to move left a bit to compensate for the loss of Texan votes.

"Texas is the only state that has the right to secede written into its constitution, so it's a possibility."

I have heard that claim many times but I have also heard people saying it is a myth, any chance of a reliable link or something?

Anyway in this day and age surely any state in which a majority supports leaving the Union would be allowed to do so, after all America has been the most notable supporter of the right to self determination for much of the last century.

I don't know about that. None of the South was allowed to just leave in the Civil War after all, and Texas was among them.

>>I have heard that claim many times but I have also heard people saying it is a myth, any chance of a reliable link or something?<<

'Fraid not. I heard it on QI and I trust it, but I can't back it up with references and whatnot.

I'd heard it was because Texas was holding up readmission into the Union and they agreed to keep the secession clause in.

Fair enough I just am intrigued it doesn't bother me really one way or another but it irritates me slightly that I don't know.

Anyway as I said before given the world we live in America would find it very difficult not to grant independence to any state that wanted it.

Concerning the Constitution of the Great State of Texas (those who *lost* to Mexico at the ill remembered Alamo):

Sections one and two of Article one:

'Sec. 1. FREEDOM AND SOVEREIGNTY OF STATE. Texas is a free and independent State, subject only to the Constitution of the United States, and the maintenance of our free institutions and the perpetuity of the Union depend upon the preservation of the right of local self-government, unimpaired to all the States.

Sec. 2. INHERENT POLITICAL POWER; REPUBLICAN FORM OF GOVERNMENT. All political power is inherent in the people, and all free governments are founded on their authority, and instituted for their benefit. The faith of the people of Texas stands pledged to the preservation of a republican form of government, and, subject to this limitation only, they have at all times the inalienable right to alter, reform or abolish their government in such manner as they may think expedient.'

http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/SOTWDocs/CN/htm/CN.1.htm

I can't find any alusion to secession apart from that bit, which strikes me as just a re-entrenchment of the U.S. Declaration of Independence's 'That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness' which, of course, implies, that the right to secession of each and every state is entrenched in U.S. Federal law by the Declaration of Independence (if the Declaration has force of law)

The entire Texan Constitution is here http://www.constitution.legis.state.tx.us/ for those who have a fine-toothed comb and know how to use it.

Check out Section 50 of Article 16 http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/SOTWDocs/CN/htm/CN.16.htm

Those Texan homesteaders were actually New York lawyers!

Here's a second (roughly similar to mine) opinion: http://www.texassecede.com/faq.htm

Does Texas have the right to leave the Union? Morally, I don't see why not. Legally might be another matter...

I don't think this movement has any legs, though. This is just a rather shrill resentment from the American rightwing in Texas at having lost the Presidential election; when the "other side" get into the White House it seems to be normal for one of America's political tribes to start carrying on as though the whole country has gone to the dogs and freedom itself is under threat, political paranoia and anti-government hysteria seem to be hardwired into a significant part of the American population.

Yep.