Rick Perry dismisses Texas secession talk
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More than 60,000 people have now signed an online petition calling for President Obama to "peacefully grant" Texas to secede from the United States of America, but the state's governor, Rick Perry, suggests he's not about to give the online movement any more traction than it's already ginned up.
Perry, who launched an unsuccessful presidential bid last year, has in the past appeared to issue some vague support for the idea of secession in the past, but his spokesperson Catherine Frazier tells CBS News today that even while Perry "shares the frustrations many Americans have with our federal government," the popular politician "believes in the greatness of our Union and nothing should be done to change it."
In the aftermath of Mr. Obama's re-election last week, some Americans have discovered the White House's "We the People" website, which purports to give "all Americans a way to engage their government on the issues that matter to them" by way of online petitions, which anyone can create. If a petition garners more than 25,000 signatures, "it will be reviewed by the Administration and we will issue a response," according to the site.
The Texas secession petition is well past the 25,000 mark, with 64,362 signatures as of this writing. Meanwhile, similar petitions have been created on behalf of more than 30 U.S. states, including West Virginia, South Dakota, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Alaska, California, and New York. Seeming to use generally the same template for each petition, most cite a passage in the Declaration of Independence stating that "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."
So far, the petitions on behalf of Texas and Louisiana appear to be the only to have earned the necessary number of signatures to merit a response.
Even if a White House official does address the secession pleas, however, it's unlikely any action will be taken; the website promises little more than a response even for the most popular petitions. Among those that have received responses in the past include one urging the U.S. government to call the "Sea of Japan" by a different name (Kurt M. Campbell, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, responded to the petition in the negative), and one about legalizing marijuana (Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, shot that idea down, too), an ever-popular topic on the site.
As with many fast-growing internet phenomena, however, the secession petitions have already sparked something of an online backlash: A new petition on the "We the People" website demands that anyone who signed a petition to withdraw their state from the United States be deported.
So far, that petition has 921 votes.
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The war ended at the Battle of San Jacinto, where the Texian army under General Sam Houston routed the Mexican forces with a surprise attack.
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America did not "Save us from the Mexicans". Everyone at the Alamo died, and with the battle cry of "Remember the Alamo!" the TEXIAN Army came back and defeated the Mexican Army, won our Independence and remained our own country for the next 10 years.
And a side-note - We literally caught their leader, Santa Anna, "with his pants down" because we sent in a woman who is now known as the Yellow Rose of Texas to "distract" him! : )
Listen to this song, and you will never want your home state to secede form the Union.
"I Love You, America"
On February 24, 1836, my ancester William Barret Travis wrote a letter addressed:
"To the People of Texas and All Americans in the World":
Fellow citizens and compatriots;
I am besieged, by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna. I have sustained a continual Bombardment and cannonade for 24 hours and have not lost a man. The enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken. I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, and our flag still waves proudly from the walls. I shall never surrender or retreat. Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism & everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch. The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily and will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days. If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible and die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country. Victory or Death.
William Barret Travis
Lt. Col. Comdt.
P.S. The Lord is on our side. When the enemy appeared in sight we had not three bushels of corn. We have since found in deserted houses 80 or 90 bushels and got into the walls 20 or 30 head of Beeves.
Travis
"Remember the Alamo"
As I recall Texas joined the USA, after we saved you from the Mexicans as your glorious uncle cousin grandad whatever Travis was defeated. Texas then seceded, then joined the CSA.
The CSA then go defeated in a horrible war.
You really think
A you will secede
B Do U think the USA will leave u one bayonet to fight the Mexicans that are already taking over
good luck with that
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America did not "Save us from the Mexicans". Everyone at the Alamo died, and with the battle cry of "Remember the Alamo!" the TEXIAN Army came back and defeated the Mexican Army, won our Independence and remained our own country for the next 10 years.
And a side-note - We literally caught their leader, Santa Anna, "with his pants down" because we sent in a woman who is now known as the Yellow Rose of Texas to "distract" him! : )
Hey wingnuts, you lost the election AGAIN. How does that make you feel?
Pathetic.
http://outfront.blogs.cnn.com/2012/11/08/sister-of-late-ambassador-chris-stevens-comes-outfront-to-give-thoughts-on-attacks-aftermath-and-her-brothers-legacy/#comments
It's a big deal but most of us are sleeping while our rights are taken away one by one.
It's really not partisan politics. The federal government as a whole needs to change the way they do business.
This is a great way to let them know what we want.