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What legal ground is that?
The high ground.
What legal ground is that?
You're right in one sense, the majority of Texans do not want to secede. I have seen polls ranging from 20-40 percent, depending on how the question is asked.
You are wrong if you think you can boil Texas secessionist sentiments , which have been fairly constant since before the Civil War, down to fad issues of the day like public religion and gay rights. One has to keep in mind Texas' unique history and situation.
Texas is the only state that was once it's own Republic. We fought and won our own war of independence against Mexico. Today, the state of Texas maintains a sense of independence. We are far from just another rinkydink state....we are the largest in the lower 48 in land mass, we have a population and economy comparable to that of Canada, we have access to two bodies of water, 2 of the top 5 metro areas in the United States, and over 1/10th of the workd's Fortune 500 companies are headquartered here.
Yet we have the same representation in the Senate as New Hampshire or Delaware.
To characterize the question of secession as something limited to "nutters" does it a disservice, in my opinion. In a larger sense, there is some credence to the argument that a government which is closer to home is better able to service the needs of said population, and one can rightly question at what point a nation of 300+ million that encompasses an entire continent becomes too large to govern in a way that protects the interests of each of those 300 million dwellers.
We're a diverse country with diverse histories and divergent ideals. Perhaps rather than continue on our present course of infighting and polarization, it would be wise to consider alternative ways to divide up governance in such a way that all parties can have their interests fairly represented.
You can move it to California if you want. Was just offering to let you keep it running in Houston free of charge if that's more attractive to you than building a whole new set of facilities somewhere else, as scientific advancement benefits us all.
No need for any potential split to be hostile, that's a point I think many here are missing
I think Texas should be responsible for its fair share, sure, but what that "fair share" is would likely be a point of contention.
Well, if it's already apart..............No, Texas is apart of the US; you can't leave.
If the people of Texas or any state, or city for that matter, want to be autonomous then they should have that right.
:2razz:I believe that fits with the intent of the U.S. Constitution. Those who wished to join the Union could do so if those already in it consented. And this nation was founded on the concept that when a government breaks faith with the people and oppresses them against their will, that the people are justified in dissolving or removing themselves from that government.
Our Declaration of Independence from England started with these famous words:
When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to 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. . .
The opening statement was followed with acknowledgment that a people should not withdraw from a government without just and extreme cause. And then it went on to list the grievances the Colonists had with King George that provided the justification for dismissing the English government.
Certainly Texas could compile a long list of grievances of how the federal government has abused, misused, misapplied, and mischaracterized the letter and law of the Constitution. If they left, I want New Mexico to go with them.
The difficulty comes in the many many major federal installations in Texas not the least of which are NASA, 25 military installations and bases, et al that belong to us all. What could we do about that?
I believe that fits with the intent of the U.S. Constitution. Those who wished to join the Union could do so if those already in it consented. And this nation was founded on the concept that when a government breaks faith with the people and oppresses them against their will, that the people are justified in dissolving or removing themselves from that government.
Our Declaration of Independence from England started with these famous words:
When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to 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. . .
The opening statement was followed with acknowledgment that a people should not withdraw from a government without just and extreme cause. And then it went on to list the grievances the Colonists had with King George that provided the justification for dismissing the English government.
Certainly Texas could compile a long list of grievances of how the federal government has abused, misused, misapplied, and mischaracterized the letter and law of the Constitution. If they left, I want New Mexico to go with them.
The difficulty comes in the many many major federal installations in Texas not the least of which are NASA, 25 military installations and bases, et al that belong to us all. What could we do about that?
The high ground.
That's moral ground. You said you had legal ground, what is it?
If voted on by who? Just Texans or the whole country.
Are you talking about the part where Congress is granted the power to suppress insurrection?
Actually, that splitting into multiple states and thus getting more senators is sounding pretty good.
We have the legal right to split in to 5 states.. That's 10 new senators from Texas. Would you be OK with 1/5th of the senators in the U.S. being from Texas?
They would kick us out before they ever allowed that to finalize
Wanting to leave the union by a vote of the state government is not an insurrection.
The state government doesn't have the authority to secede. Texas V White made it clear the only avenues to independence are with the consent of the rest of the union, or open insurrection.
While unlikely anytime too soon, it's not unthinkable that one day, Texas might vote to secede from the United States and re-establish itself as an independent nation.
If done in a peaceful and democratic manner...that is, if the people of Texas overwhelmingly voted to withdraw from the U.S. In a referendum similar to the one recently held in Scotland, would you support the right of Texas to go her own way?
While unlikely anytime too soon, it's not unthinkable that one day, Texas might vote to secede from the United States and re-establish itself as an independent nation.
If done in a peaceful and democratic manner...that is, if the people of Texas overwhelmingly voted to withdraw from the U.S. In a referendum similar to the one recently held in Scotland, would you support the right of Texas to go her own way?
If the people of Texas or any state, or city for that matter, want to be autonomous then they should have that right.