Wednesday, February 3, 2010

No, Texas You Can't Secede Either

Following up on my Waco breakfast meeting:
For those that would answer that your State should secede or your not sure about it:

"Do you believe your State should secede from the United States?
Yes 23%
No 58%
Not Sure 19%"
you need to check out the law on this. Not just the law about what you think, but the law about what others must do about what you say and do.

U.S. CODE TITLE 18 > PART I > CHAPTER 115—TREASON, SEDITION, AND SUBVERSIVE ACTIVITIES
http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/18/usc_sup_01_18_10_I_20_115.html

Furthermore:
The Supreme Court in its opinion in Texas v White (74 US 700 [1869]), said that the entry of Texas into the United States was its entry into "an indissoluble relation." Legally, Texas did not secede even during the Civil War. It said that only through successful revolution or mutual consent of the State and the United States could a State leave the Union.

As odious as Texas politics can be at times, most probably The United States will still not give mutual consent to leave. So Texas or any other State could only secede by revolution which infers the use of force and thus is treason under the U.S. Code.

Now for you 23% of rank and file Republicans who want to have your State secede from the United State you are flirting with treason, pure and simple. For the 19% who are not sure, whether you fish or cut bait you are doing the same thing.

For you "fellow travelers" who listen to and associate with these persons and do nothing when things heat up, best you check out Chapter 115 above.

Some things it is just not sane to be "cute" about.

4 comments:

TStockmann said...

If the Texans get serious about seceding, I'd be happy to volunteer in a movement up to let them. I'm a Little American.

drlobojo said...

More fun to watch would be to get the current State of Texas to vote to split into the four potential States allowed in the Joint Resolution for Annexing Texas to the United States. Of course that would require a new treaty with each of the four new States, which would require at least 60 votes now in the U.S. Senate and of course that would put the current State in limbo meanwhile.

Also, I wonder, in the Civil War Winston County Alabama seceded from the State of Alabama. Could a part of Texas vote to secede from Texas and then petition to join the Union?

Based on the SCOTUS ruling about corporate contributions,could we get some serious money to obtain a State of Dr. Pepper, a State of Dairy Queen, a State of Lone Star Beer, and a State of Southwest Airlines? The possibilities boggle the mind.

TStockmann said...

I just think that poor landlocked Oklahoma would benefit from an international border

drlobojo said...

Landlocked? What, you've never heard of the Oklahoma Port of Catoosa?