Texas GOP pushing to secede from the Union — Bye, bye Texas; sorry, but we won’t miss you.

I haven’t written in a while. Although I’ve been pondering a story that sums up all the outrages we’re facing in America and in the world…some travel, some other writing projects and a lot of ennui, have kept me far from my keyboard.

And then yesterday I received an email that snapped me out of my lethargy.

The email was from Reddit. Now, full disclosure, I have no idea what Reddit is. And while I’m sure I’ve received emails from Reddit before, I’ve never opened one. Until now. Why? After reading the subject line, “Texas Could Vote to Secede From U.S. in 2023 as GOP…,” I had to read more.

Reddit, I learned, is a social news aggregation, content rating, and discussion website. This particular Reddit post was submitted by a user forwarding an article from Newsweek. The Newsweek story began,

(All bold emphases mine)

“Texas Republicans are pushing for a referendum to decide whether the state should secede from the U.S. The demand for Texans to be allowed to vote on the issue in 2023 was one of many measures adopted in the Texas GOP’s party platform following last week’s state convention in Houston.“

Among the other “many measures” adopted at the convention:

• A resolution declaring that President Joe Biden was “not legitimately elected;”
• A call for full repeal of the Voting Rights Act of 1965:
• A plank describing homosexuality as “an abnormal lifestyle choice,” also declaring that the party opposes “all efforts to validate transgender identity;”
• A call for a total ban on abortion and “equal protection for the Pre-born;“
• Planks on education that include:
• The education system should focus on “imparting essential academic knowledge, understanding why Texas and America are exceptional and have positively contributed to our world, and while doing so, also offer enrichment subjects that bless students’ lives;”
• Calling for students to learn about the “Humanity of the Pre-born Child,” including teaching that life begins at fertilization.
• Demanding that the state legislature pass a law prohibiting the teaching of “sex education, sexual health, or sexual choice or identity in any public school in any grade whatsoever.”

Maybe it’s time to re-think applying to the University of Texas, boys and girls.

But back to the main subject of this essay — Texas’ threat to secede from the Union.

According to Newsweek, “The U.S. Constitution makes no provision for states to secede and in 1869, the Supreme Court ruled in Texas v. White that states cannot unilaterally secede from the Union.

Even the hero of the SCOTUS right, the late Justice Antonin Scalia once wrote, “If there was any constitutional issue resolved by the Civil War, it is that there is no right to secede.”

Not surprisingly, I find myself once again disagreeing with Justice Scalia.

I say, if Texas wants to secede, let them. The values espoused in the Texas GOP’s platform do not reflect my values. And, they don’t reflect the values of the majority of Americans. So go, Texas, leave. And don’t worry about closing the door on your way out. We’ll close the door…and double lock it so you can’t get back in!

By the way, if double locking doesn’t work, anyone want to help “build that wall?” I guarantee that we’ll get Texas to pay for it.