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Steve Benen does a great job smacking down the latest secessionist nonsense coming out of Texas Governor Rick Perry.
There’s Perry’s rhetoric…
“I believe the federal government has become oppressive. It’s become oppressive in its size, its intrusion in the lives of its citizens, and its interference with the affairs of our state. [...]
“We think it’s time to draw the line in the sand and tell Washington that no longer are we going to accept their oppressive hand in the state of Texas. That’s what this press conference, that’s what these Texans are standing up for. There is a point in time where you stand up and say enough is enough, and I think Americans, and Texans especially have reached that point.”
… and there’s Perry’s reality.
I think Benen misses the larger point: Why can’t we just let Texas and the whole godforsaken South secede and get all this recurring idiotic bullshit over and done with once and for all? I am so sick and tired of being treated to their once-per-decade explosions of rightwing victimology and paranoia. Let the ignorant antebellums and appalachians form their own third-world failed state named Jesusland on our borders… In the final analysis, I think everyone would be better off.Governor Rick Perry, five days ago: Governor Perry Calls FEMA To Assist With Wildfires
Governor Rick Perry, last month: Governor Perry Calls For 1,000 Troops To Be Sent To Border
Governor Rick Perry, five months ago: Governor Perry Requests 18 Month Extension Of Federal Aid For Ike Debris Removal
Update: Glenn Beck thinks secession is a super idea:
This brings up a good point — by forming Jesusland, we will be able to deport loony fuckers like Beck and Michelle Malkin there.“Does the state have any right anymore? And I know, because I’ve heard it from all of the conservative, uh, you know, uh, the historians and scholars and everything else, but you can’t convince me that the founding fathers wouldn’t allow you to secede. The Constitution is not a suicide pact. And if a state says, ‘I don’t want to go there because that’s suicide,’ they have a right to back out. They have a right. People have a right to not commit economic suicide.
“I believe it was Davy Crockett, that as he was standing there in the well of the Senate and they were all yelling and screaming at him, he said — he looked them right square in the eye and said, ‘Hey, you know what? You can all go to hell. I’m going to Texas.’ About time somebody says that again.
“You’re telling me that states can’t say ‘Washington, we’re not going to commit suicide with you’”?
Update 2: Here’s Michael Tomasky’s three cents:
Secede! If that’s how you feel, just get out of the union. Texas has been (in political terms, not necessarily cultural ones) a greasy white zit in the middle of America’s nose ever since Dwight Eisenhower warned the rest of us about crazy Texas millionaires in 1954. Today, it’s still Texas billionaires who finance insane right-wing smear campaigns on a regular basis.This one state has done more than any other to retard progress in our recent history. The swift-boaters, much of the money to finance Reagan’s contra war, Karl Rove, the Bushes…all Texas.
If it left, those billionaires and Rove and the Bushes could run the new republic. Fine. Drive it into the ground instead of America. Secession would also produce 34 fewer Republican electoral votes, meaning either that a) no Republican would ever win a presidential election again or b) one might, but he or she would have to moderate his/her positions so much that they’d make Nelson Rockefeller look like Grover Norquist, in which case GOP rule wouldn’t be so hideous at all. And about 20 or so fewer wingnuts in the House of Representatives.Of course, there are a lot of good liberals in Texas fighting the good fight. My sympathies are with them. But really folks. Just move north. You’ll like it better anyway. Or maybe the good guys will find a way to Austin, and we’ll build a subway line down to you or something. After all, without Texas to worry about, we’ll be spending money on infrastructure to beat the band.
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oh well isnt this pretty… Im texan born and raised, liberal from El Paso, and this usual nonsense of secession really bothers me, not just from rick perry but also from fellow liberals that recomend that we should (like your post title)…really not an open minded way of thinking….
sorry, i am sometimes given over to hyberbole. i'm mostly just being dramatic
The joke about the name of this "new place" wasn't very funny to me. You're going to have to explain that one day to the big man up there. You'll feel sorry for it then.
considering i'm an antitheist, i'm not too worried. aren't you worried that you're going to have to explain yourself to Buddha or Vishnu after you're dead?
Just giving you fair warning. For it is written, "AS I LIVE, SAYS THE LORD, EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW TO ME, AND EVERY TONGUE SHALL GIVE PRAISE TO GOD."
It is also written: "Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun the frumious Bandersnatch!"
Not worried about being accosted by the frumious Bandersnatch in the afterlife either.
That's ok. I'll pray for you anyway.
please don't waste your time.
I never really saw Texas as progressive. *clap* *clap* Well played.
Like Texas or not, it does have a surplus in its state budget, the five strongest housing markets in the U.S. and a booming economy. It has taken no tarp money to run the state. Imagine if the other states followed the Texas model. Hmmm. seems the left coast could learn from the Texans. Texans seem to be the only ones who don't have their heads up their…
If you did let them sucede, it would be only a matter of time before you would be begging them to SAVE you and DEFEND you since you would obviously be stupid enough to disband the U.S. military. But then if Jesusland left, there would be nothing worth trying to rescue! Buddah bless you my brother!
If you want to stay in the union, then please ask your state board of ed to stop fucking with the textbooks in order to insert a partisan agenda.
"loony fuckers"? Reads like a hate crime.
I thought liberals were supposed to be doves?
Rick Perry didn't threaten to secede. No where in there is a there a threat to secede. But, he knows how Texans will vote in 2010.
And, as to the point regarding "Why can't we just let Texas and the whole godforsaken South secede?"…. First off, I doubt "Jesusland" qualifies as "godforsaken." And, well, it's kinda sad that you don't know that the South did try to secede and the Union came to win the south back. Believe you me, I'd rather that Texas was self-governed than federally dictated by Liberals. (In fact, given that Texas is the only state in the Union to have been an independent nation prior to annexation, it would be sensible to let Texas leave if it wanted.) I mean, maybe businesses will stay with the US so they could pay higher taxes and deal with all the inflationary policies. Nah… businesses like making money.
Liberals don't get it. Freedom is only possible in the the following 2 instances: 1. an independent and virtuous Judiciary (Not one that makes rulings based on other country's laws or tries to create legal rulings that contradict current law because of how the judge/s believe it should be.) 2. That the government provide for the common defense and a common rule of law for interstate business or contract dealings, criminal cases, etc, while it leaves to the states the decisions on how to govern within their own borders.
I'd love to argue the points of Liberal vs Conservative differences face to face to see if we could come to agreement. (And, yes it would be an argument, regardless of either person's initial intent.) Unfortunately, I get the feeling that we are both too far off from each other's point of view to accomplish that without many hours, days, or weeks of arguing.
Let em go. If they do i’ll be the first to move there. Whether they do or don’t this country will fail either way because of dumb liberals like you.
Can you elaborate on that?
Why do you consider him and similar liberals dumb?
How will they cause the country to fail?
Since they blame conservatives for their problems when liberals are the ones destroying this country?
In that case, what are they doing to destroy the country?
Aren’t conservatives to blame for a greater portion of the last decade’s problems? Or are you one of the people who only started noticing how bad things were after Democrats won an election? Have you forgotten why they won in 2006 and 2008?
1. Economically, we’re certainly in a better state than it was before Obama took office. Most of that is just the business cycle, but do you honestly think we’d be doing relatively better with McCain-Palin running things? What serious-minded proposals and governance did they have on offer? As I recall the 2008 election, McCain’s campaign adviser declared the election “not about the issues” and tried to run purely on McCain’s maverick personality and POW biography. As for Palin…well, she was still being brought up to speed on how to answer questions from reporters, which didn’t do much to reassure us about her competence. (Also, have you looked at her approval numbers in Alaska? The people who actually lived under her governorship give very low ratings. She is not popular, and her endorsement of Joe Miller is part of why Murkowski managed to win the Senate election as a write-in candidate.)
2. In the international sphere, conservatives gave us the Iraq war and the torture of prisoners, two utter disasters that make the Bush presidency rank worse than Nixon’s in my view. Obama has made some progress towards remedying both situations. He’s far from perfect and I disapprove of his escalation in Afghanistan, but he’s certainly been more responsible than the Cheney-McCain-Palin-style neocons.
3. And finally for personal liberty, conservatives remain staunch opponents of gay rights. (hopefully the Senate will finally overcome Republicans’ DADT filibuster this week).
ok…what problems have they caused? economically we’re headed to socialism, obama has done the most to cause problems, states don’t have enough rights, with the iraq war we took down a dictator and fought terrorists, torturing terrorists is fine with most people as long as there is a good reason like to obtain important information that will protect our country, and gay people can’t get married. I think homosexuality is wrong but we do have the right so..they should get to marry. But if Texas secedes and I go there I’d hope they don’t allow it just to keep them from wanting to be there.
1. We’re headed to socialism? There’s been an expansion of the welfare state--subsidies for low-income people to buy health insurance. I don’t support it, but it’s distinct from socialism, which has a specific meaning: state-run enterprise, like what the public option would have done to our insurance market (in part).
2. What exactly has Obama done to cause problems?
3. I’m all for states’ rights, but over the past decade conservatives bear considerably ore responsibility for federal encroachment. Remember, Democrats haven’t been in power very long, and they’ve been focused on national problems…
4. When the US invaded Iraq, there were no terrorists of note. The terrorism and insurgency is a reaction to our occupation. Taking down a dictator does not mitigate the disaster of an unjust war. There are a lot of dictatorships in the world. If invading them military produced good results and was cost effective, we could do a lot more of it. But it isn’t, which is why in 2000, George W. Bush ran on a platform against nation building. Three years later he proceeded to betray that and completely botch the war, resulting in one of the worst foreign policy disasters in American history.
5. Torture… well first of all, it is illegal under US and international law. During the Clinton impeachment, Republicans went on and on about the rule law. It was a cornerstone of conservatism. Why have they betrayed it? And for essentially no meaningful benefit was had form torturing prisoners, with much moral ground lost. This reduced US soft power, made much of the world hate us, and inspired reactionary recruitment and training among terrorists. And your argumentum ad populum is simply useless…
6. Thank you for supporting same-sex marriage. It’s certainly the only decent thing to do--but most conservatives over 30 can’t get over their prejudice. I take it you’re on the young side : )