# Why not let Texas secede? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 15, 2013, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-let-texas-secede/671264 "2013-10-15T00:40:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-let-texas-secede/671264/101 "2013-10-17T02:07:13Z")
Considering what a small percentage of Texans actually want to secede this thread strikes me more like intellectual masturbation than an actual debate. Now masturbation, when done properly, is quite enjoyable, but nothing compared to the real thing. I feel the same regarding its intellectual corollary. Now, if someone can present evidence from reliable sources of a significant number of Texans wanting to separate from the Union, which are stronger than separatist movements in Hawaii, Vermont, or Alaska, things might change. ---
**Author:** ![Snupzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/54ee81/32.png) [@Snupzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snupzilla)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-let-texas-secede/671264/102 "2013-10-17T02:14:39Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > Are you from Texas? > > Of course, dirty liberal policies have kept Texas from succeeding for years. > > As for thinking I’m better than Texas, I’m perfectly happy to tell them “It’s not you, it’s me.” Yes, I’m from Texas and I’m also a terrible speller. I don’t blame my Texas public school education for that though. The state board of education may be full of morons but the spelling curriculum isn’t their biggest weakness. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-let-texas-secede/671264/103 "2013-10-17T02:20:03Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > Considering what a small percentage of Texans actually want to secede this thread strikes me more like intellectual masturbation than an actual debate. > > Now masturbation, when done properly, is quite enjoyable, but nothing compared to the real thing. I feel the same regarding its intellectual corollary. > > Now, if someone can present evidence from reliable sources of a significant number of Texans wanting to separate from the Union, which are stronger than separatist movements in Hawaii, Vermont, or Alaska, things might change. Irony can be enjoyable as well. And there is quite a bit of irony in some of the folks in this thread stereotyping all Texans based on what is a minority view point. I mean, you can’t buy straight lines like some of the stuff in this thread. It’s comedy gold I tell you! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Snupzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/54ee81/32.png) [@Snupzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snupzilla)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-let-texas-secede/671264/104 "2013-10-17T02:21:43Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Wikipedia actually has a [Texas Secession Movements page](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_secession); there do seem to be quite a few people for it, although I’m not sure if they qualify as a “large segment” or not. Well if there is a Wikipedia article about it then it must be a serious movement. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second\_Vermont\_Republic](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Vermont_Republic) ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-let-texas-secede/671264/105 "2013-10-17T05:41:08Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > Are you from Texas? > > Of course, dirty liberal policies have kept Texas from succeeding for years." As someone who earlier poo-hooed against straw men, the poster you quoted said nothing even close to that. What on earth in that post led you to think that the poster was arguing that “liberal policies have kept Texas from succeeding for years”? And I’m even giving you the benefit of the doubt by leaving out the “dirty” part. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-let-texas-secede/671264/106 "2013-10-17T10:33:13Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > As someone who earlier poo-hooed against straw men, the poster you quoted said nothing even close to that. What on earth in that post led you to think that the poster was arguing that “liberal policies have kept Texas from succeeding for years”? And I’m even giving you the benefit of the doubt by leaving out the “dirty” part. It was just a joke about the misspelling of “secede” as “succeed,” Sheldon. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-let-texas-secede/671264/107 "2013-10-17T13:50:46Z")
: > [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > It was just a joke about the misspelling of “secede” as “succeed,” Sheldon. :smack: And I almost did the whole Emily Litella thing myself, earlier. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-let-texas-secede/671264/108 "2013-10-17T15:08:52Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > : > > :smack: And I almost did the whole Emily Litella thing myself, earlier. 😃 Never mind! ---
**Author:** ![knel3030](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecae2f/32.png) [@knel3030](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knel3030)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-let-texas-secede/671264/109 "2013-10-21T05:57:31Z")
If current federalistic oppression policies keep on preceding as they are, then Texas might be the last bastion of liberty. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-let-texas-secede/671264/110 "2013-10-21T08:28:22Z")
> [@knel3030](#): > > If current federalistic oppression policies keep on preceding as they are, then Texas might be the last bastion of liberty. I don’t follow you. ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-let-texas-secede/671264/111 "2013-10-21T09:09:38Z")
> [@knel3030](#): > > If current federalistic oppression policies keep on preceding as they are, then Texas might be the last bastion of liberty. Texas law enforcement has a long, long history of being the last bastards to give you any liberty. Unless you are a white male who owns land of course. ---
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-let-texas-secede/671264/112 "2013-10-21T10:24:31Z")
> [@aNewLeaf](#): > > Texas law enforcement has a long, long history of being the last bastards to give you any liberty. > > Unless you are a white male who owns land of course. I’m a white male who owns land… SCORE! (unless it matters that the land is in Canada) ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-let-texas-secede/671264/113 "2013-10-21T10:37:20Z")
Furriners are not always welcome in Texas. As a white male, you’ll be relatively safe passing through unless you speak to anybody. Or if you are in a bus. Busses get stopped and searched in Texas. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-let-texas-secede/671264/114 "2013-10-21T11:51:25Z")
I think it’s funny that all of these red state team party movements started talking about secession and a significant part of the population said, “that’s a great idea, do you need help with the paperwork?” ---
**Author:** ![knel3030](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecae2f/32.png) [@knel3030](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knel3030)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-let-texas-secede/671264/115 "2013-10-21T12:05:02Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > I don’t follow you. I was just thinking of Texans as being more independent minded and less susceptible to federal pressuring. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-let-texas-secede/671264/116 "2013-10-21T15:26:23Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I think it’s funny that all of these red state team party movements started talking about secession and a significant part of the population said, “that’s a great idea, do you need help with the paperwork?” There are WAAAAY more Northern liberals who want Texas to secede than there are Texans who want to secede. As we keep telling you, there ISN’T any secessionist movement worth taking seriously in ANY Southern state. The South ain’t going anywhere! ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-let-texas-secede/671264/117 "2013-10-21T16:09:06Z")
Welcome to the board Knel3030. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-let-texas-secede/671264/118 "2013-10-21T16:29:36Z")
It would be cmpletely unfair to the Texans who don’t want to secede. US citizens shouldn’t be forced to become citizens of a foreign power, that’s just crazy. ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-let-texas-secede/671264/119 "2013-10-21T17:07:12Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > My recollection is that it was removed to appease Joe Lieberman and his patrons in the Hartford insurance industry. > > To the OP topic: > “Texas is the only state that came into the Union by treaty. It retains the right to secede at will. We have heard them threaten to secede so often that I formed an enthusiastic organization—The American Friends for Texas Secession. This stops the subject cold. They want to be able to secede but they don’t want anyone to want them to.” > > - John Steinbeck in _Travels with Charley_ Texas. It should be like a whole other country. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-let-texas-secede/671264/120 "2013-10-22T00:11:23Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > There are WAAAAY more Northern liberals who want Texas to secede than there are Texans who want to secede. As we keep telling you, there ISN’T any secessionist movement worth taking seriously in ANY Southern state. > > The South ain’t going anywhere! We can dream. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-let-texas-secede/671264.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-let-texas-secede/671264.md?page=7)