Republic of Texas

According to Yahoo News, the Texas Republican party's committee on party platforms has drafted a document calling for a referendum in 2023 to determine whether Texas should secede from the union.  This development comes as no special surprise, following on the heels of the Texas GOP's declaration, overwhelmingly approved, rejecting the "legitimacy" of the 2020 presidential election.

The reader comments to this story were also "overwhelming" -- let them go, and good riddance, was the general thrust of reader reaction.  

Devout American patriot Sen. Ted Cruz, exercising what passes as Texas caution, declared: "We're not there yet, and if there comes a point where it's hopeless, then I think we take NASA, we take the military, we take the oil."

Readers hooted, pointing out that the federal government owns NASA and the military.  Maybe the erstwhile state would keep the oil.  The federal government would end all subsidies, including Medicare and Social Security payments to the "Texas Republic's" aging citizenry.  Texans collect more from the feds than they pay back in taxes -- kiss those subsidies goodbye, too. 

But, for many Texans, like their emotional brothers and sisters in England, it's all about sovereignty -- economics and the financial welfare of their citizens (i.e., themselves) is irrelevant.  Texit and Brexit -- the two great 21st century accomplishments of ideology over reality.

I doubt if anyone takes "Texit" seriously.  The issue of state sovereignty was decided in the 1860s, regardless of the arguments by some Texans that their accession to the Union was different and "special."  I'm sure the Texas Rangers would fight bravely against the U.S. military, but to no avail.

Still, it's fun to consider building a "Big Beautiful Wall" along the Texas border, and crying out against the bandits, murderers, and rapists who try to sneak across from the slums of Dallas and Houston.  Hopefully, normal diplomatic relations would soon be worked out, with an American ambassador sitting in the U.S. embassy in Austin.  Probably American consulates in Dallas, Houston, and El Paso (unless El Paso breaks away and joins New Mexico).  Senator Cruz drools at the thought of becoming president; now he could do so -- but  President of the Lone Star Republic of Texas.

Most important, of course, would be the formation of an all-Texas college football league -- Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Christian, Baylor, Houston, Rice -- probably others.  All joined together, because they'd have nowhere else to go.  

Hook em Horns! 

Now back to the real world ...