I heard Texas once had the ability to split itself into five separate states. That’s pretty fucking cool living in a state that can break apart and attack you like Voltron!
Moving penis-size contest from IMHO to Great Debates.
Unless it’s Northern Virginia, which is basically a completely different state.
Holy crap! In my experience, this myth is “common knowledge” here in Texas!
Lately I’ve pulled the old “Actually, according to the Internet…” on my Mother in Law. I’ve been trying to refrain since I’m sure it got annoying, but this… this is big!
And boy will it piss her off. 
-FrL-
:mad: Texas wants to secede?! By Og, we’ll . . . we’ll . . .
Hmmmmmm . . .
(Psssst! Do you guys think you could talk Oklahoma into going with you?)
We used to, but there was really no chance of it ever happening. As Mr. Snopes points out:
And Mr. Snopes also lays to rest the concept of Texas having the right to secede:
However, suppose that Texas could secede. What would happen if we did?
-
NASA is just south of Houston, Texas . We will control the space industry.
-
We refine over 85% of the gasoline in the United States .
-
Defense Industry–we have over 65% of it. The term “Don’t mess
with Texas ,” will take on a whole new meaning. -
Oil - we can supply all the oil that the Republic of Texas will
need for the next 300 years. Yankee states? Sorry about that. -
Natural Gas - again we have all we need and it’s too bad about
those Northern States. John Kerry will have to figure out a way to
keep them warm…. -
Computer Industry - we currently lead the nation in producing
computer chips and communications–small companies like Texas
Instruments, Dell Computer, EDS, Raytheon, National Semiconductor,
Motorola, Intel, AMD, Atmel, Applied Materials, Ball Miconductor,
Dallas Semiconductor, Delphi , Nortel, Alcatel, etc, etc. The list
goes on and on. -
Medical Care - We have the largest research centers for cancer
research, the best burn centers and the top trauma units in the world,
as well as other large health centers. Dallas has some of the best
hospitals in the United States . -
We have enough colleges to keep us going: University of Texas ,
Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Rice, SMU, University of Houston , Baylor, UNT
( University of North Texas ), Texas Women’s University, etc. Ivy
grows better in the South anyway. -
We have a ready supply of workers. We could just open the border
when we need some more. -
We have essential control of the paper industry, plastics, insurance, etc.
-
In case of a foreign invasion, we have the Texas National Guard
and the Texas Air National Guard. We don’t have an Army, but since
everybody down here has at least six rifles and a pile of ammo, we can
raise an Army in 24 hours if we need one. If the situation really
gets bad, we can always call the Department of Public Safety and ask
them to send over Chuck Norris and a couple of Texas Rangers. -
We are totally self-sufficient in beef, poultry, hogs, and several
types of grain, fruit and vegetables, and let’s not forget seafood
from the Gulf. Also, everybody down here knows how to cook them so
that they taste good. Don’t need any food.
This just names a few of the items that will keep the Republic of
Texas in good shape. There isn’t a thing out there that we need and
don’t have.
Now to the rest of the United States:
Since you won’t have the refineries to get gas for your cars, only the
President will be able to drive around in his big 9 mpg SUV.
The rest of the United States will have to walk or ride bikes.
You won’t have any TV as the Space Center in Houston will cut off
satellite communications.
You won’t have any natural gas to heat your homes, but since Algore
has predicted global warming, you will not need the gas as long as you
survive the 2000 years it will take to get enough heat from Global
Warming.
:D:D
I liked my visit there, but after reading this thread, I never, ever, ever want to see the word Texas again. Beyond losing all meaning, the word has mutated into some kind of Lovecraftian god of tentacles and strange jagged teeth in my mind*. Which isn’t fair, because it’s a nice place.
*And the word ‘secede’ is rapidly becoming its snickering, ratty little sidekick.
See that’s just it…you’d expect to hear talk of secession this close to Richmond if you’re going to hear it anywhere…but never…not once has it ever come up. Nor has anyone in Wisconsin, Illinois, North Carolina, Maryland, California, or Massachusetts ever mentioned the topic while I lived in those states.
In contrast, it is pervasive enough in Texas that nearly everyone posting in this thread has heard of it in one form or another, and it is pervasive enough that Snopes has to debunk it. The people in the OP were not just crazy fringe people. The belief in the legal right of Texas to secede is WIDELY held among Texans. The belief that they are actually going to do it sometime soon…not so much.
And I wouldn’t say I’m from Virginia, but I live here now, and like it quite a lot.
As an aside, when I was moving from Texas to Virginia, three different Texans asked me why I would want to move to The North. That was topped only by the Texan who responded, “Virginia, huh? Well, it might be a nice place to visit, but I’d never want to live in New England.”
Virginia has gotten over it. I don’t know a single Virginian who waxes nostalgic about secession or the Confederacy.
'S funny, I don’t remember John Kerry or Al Gore joking about how they want Texas to secede or otherwise sniping at Texas.
I pre-emptively ask for asylum from a secessionist TX/OK. I was born in Tulsa, but consider myself a Missourian.
Rice is tiny. Will it expand?
Yeah, like we couldn’t just change where we base our space & defense agencies. :rolleyes:
Most of your list is assuming an unusually closed border for any state, let alone one with huge wilderness border & coastline.
come on, expect me to leave a straight line like that alone?
Sure, just put it in some water.
In my experience a lot of things that are “common knowledge” in Texas are actually considered “pretty dumb” elsewhere in the country.
http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HCR50
I’ll be in Houston over the week end. If I see any secessionists I’ll report back.
I married into a family of Texans, so I am familiar with the theory of the Texas Centered Universe.
It is especially true since I am from Colorado which many Texans feel is a colony of Texas. (It often surprises Texans that we don’t agree with this belief).
Everytime one of my in-laws goes on and on about the importance, brilliance, beauty, size, etc. of Texas, I just recall the old chestnut that goes, “If I owned Hell and Texas, I’d rent out Texas and live in Hell.”
(OK, OK, that specifically refers to West Texas - but it is still part of Texas)
Looks like some “State Soveriegnty” legislation pushers; the weird “texassecede” site links to some Lew Rockwell and Thomas Di Lorenzo “up with the Tenth Amendment and State Sovereignty, down with Lincoln” websites as well. Very odd guys, but definitely not limited to Texas. Similar or identical bills have been introduced in at least nine or ten other states.
Washington
New Hampshire
Arizona
Montana
Michigan
Missouri
Oklahoma
California
Georgia
Some State Sovereignty websites claim that Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Alaska, Kansas, Alabama, Nevada, Maine and Pennsylvania all have legislators saying they’re going to introduce the same bill.
I lived in Fort Worth for a few years in the 1980’s…never heard that secessionist vibe being expressed. Nor did I particularly like living there, either. Too crowded and too hot.
And too many wannabe cowboys.