I hate to break it to any Texan who was hoping to only see 49 states on the United States flag, Texas will remain part of the Union.
The White House responded to a petition asking that Texas be allowed to break away from the country Monday, saying that “Our States Remain United.”
“Democracy can be noisy and controversial. And that’s a good thing,” said Jon Carson, director of White House public engagement, in a statement. “Free and open debate is what makes this country work, and many people around the world risk their lives every day for the liberties we take for granted. But as much as we value a healthy debate, we don’t let that debate tear us apart. No one disputes that our country faces big challenges, and the recent election followed a vigorous debate about how they should be addressed… Whether it’s figuring out how to strengthen our economy, reduce our deficit in a responsible way, or protect our country, we will need to work together, and hear from one another, in order to find the best way to move forward.”
The petition had argued that the original ideas stated by our Founding Fathers are no longer reflected in the federal government, thus giving Texas the right to secede.
This petition for Texas to break away from the country was created a few days after President Obama won re-election. It was submitted to the White House’s “We the People” web site, which is a forum for people to contact the White House on issues that they feel are important and need to be addressed by the administration. Any petition that receives 25,000 signatures within 30 days gets brought to the president’s attention—the Texas secession petition received more than 125,000 signatures.
The White House response not only addresses Texas, but to all the other states that issued petitions of secession, a request that has become popular among conservatives in recent months—residents in more than 30 states, including Georgia, Florida, and Alabama, filed similar petitions.
But not all conservatives jumped on the secession bandwagon. Texas Governor Rick Perry, who campaigned for president in the 2012 Republican primary, opposed his state’s petition.
“Governor Perry believes in the greatness of our Union and nothing should be done to change it,” Perry’s office said in a statement after the petition gained steam.
Abby Borovitz