Despite past hints of secession, Rick Perry says he doesn’t want Texas to secede
The Texas secession petition has reached over 70,000 online signatures, reported CBS News, but governor of Texas Rick Perry says he does not want Texas to secede from the United States. The secession petition to “Peacefully grant the State of Texas to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own NEW government” was posted Friday on the White House website We the People. Perry’s Press Secretary released a statement on behalf of the governor, responding to the Texas secession petition.
“Gov. Perry believes in the greatness of our Union and nothing should be done to change it,” Frazier said about Perry’s stance on Texas secession. “But he also shares the frustrations many Americans have with our federal government. Now more than ever our country needs strong leadership from states like Texas.”
The Texas secession petition was posted on the We the People website shortly after the re-election of President Obama. It states that the citizens of Texas would like to separate from the United States and form their own government system, citing a passage on the “dissolve of political bands” from the Declaration of Independence. The website claims that if a petition gets more than 25,000 signatures in 30 days, then the Administration will review it and respond. In this case, the Texas secession petition has far surpassed the necessary number of signatures.
In an interview with the Associated Press back in 2009, Perry also stated frustration with the federal government. When asked about a possible Texas secession, Perry responded by saying, “We’ve got a great Union. There is absolutely no reason to dissolve it. But if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, you know, who knows what may come out of that? But Texas is a very unique place and we’re a pretty independent lot to boot.”
Other states have posted petitions similar to the Texas secession one. Louisiana is the closest behind Texas with a little over 15,000 signatures. New Jersey, New York, Montana, Nebraska, Georgia, Mississippi and California were amongst other states that posted secession petitions.
Obama and his administration have yet to respond to the Texas secession petition.
