Texas conservatives have long fantasized about secession, (Gov. Rick Perry included), but now the Texas Republican candidate for attorney general, Barry Smitherman, adds his own wrinkle.
To wit: Texas doesn't want to leave the union -- no, that would be unpatriotic -- but since America is clearly on the verge of collapse, isn't it time our great state made some plans, for, you know, WHEN IT DOES? In an interview with World Net Daily titled, "Texas Official Preparing for Independence" Mr. Smitherman said:
“Generally speaking, we have made great progress in becoming an independent nation, an ‘island nation’ if you will, and I think we want to continue down that path so that if the rest of the country falls apart, Texas can operate as a stand-alone entity with energy, food, water and roads as if we were a closed-loop system,”
In the week since that appeared, Mr. Smitherman's thesis has been rejected as alarmist paranoia warmly embraced by Texas conservatives like David Bellow, who writes:
We are not talking about pushing for Texas secession. We are just talking about being prepared for anything that might happen if the very volatile and unstable federal government falls apart. This means being prepared for even the possibility of Texas secession, independence, surviving on our own, etc.I am not advocating for Texas to become enemies with America or turn our backs on America, and neither is Smitherman, but there is a very real possibility that the U.S. will fall apart and crumble over things like MASSIVE debt. What will we do if the U.S. falls apart? Do we have a plan for Texans to survive on our own? Are we capable of surviving on our own? The State of Texas should not wait until the U.S. fails to simply be prepared and be capable of surviving IF the U.S. fails.
So, to put this in terms of a romantic relationship: No, sweetheart, we're not breaking up, and I'm not talking about breaking up. However, I am going to put all my stuff in boxes and wait by the door because I'm expecting you to fail me any day now. Actually, I'm counting on it and will do everything I can to make that happen. And when it does, it'll be all your fault. But if there's one thing we are not talking about, it's breaking up.