As an out-of-state student who hails from Texas, I knew almost immediately what Jonathan Reed’s article was about when I saw the word “secession” in the headline.
Naturally intrigued by something about my home state, I read the article from beginning to end and I can say that even for an opinion article the misrepresentation and manipulation of facts is just too much. To make allegations of unpatriotic acts and extremist political behavior requires solid, impenetrable evidence that stands under the closet of scrutiny. The evidence provided in this article however passes no such test and only serves to skew the readership’s perception of a situation based on the whim of a highly biased writer. Don’t fall into the trap of over stimulated hysteria by mass media.
Unlike what is proposed in Reed’s article, Texas is a state fully committed to patriotism. Those “Americans” who Reed so vividly described as holding to the American Dream and serving in the military happen to exist in Texas, too. In fact, Texas happens to have more of those “Americans” based on population within its borders than any other state in the union, except California. These hardworking people contribute over $1 trillion towards the U.S. economy, second only to California once again. Texas is home to 23 military bases deemed as “major and integral.” It also sends just under 200,000 brave men and women to all branches of the U.S. military, the second highest total of any state. Who in their right minds would dare deem these residents as unpatriotic? Maybe the people crying “lack of patriotism” should take a closer look in the mirror before they so readily denounce a vital part of the United States of America.
As for the gubernatorial race, Rick Perry and Debra Medina know their politics well and employ what many an elected official would use in any campaign, a gimmick. They’ll use anything and everything they can to stir up controversy to create exposure for their camps. It’s called getting the vote. When looked at closely, the quotes from the candidates the original article relies so heavily on actually do nothing to back secession. Both Perry and Medina know secession would be horrible and have admitted so themselves. Perry even wrote “I stated that we have a great union. And Texas is part of a great union. I see no reason for that to change.” Another reason to not secede is that under the contract Texas signed at the end of the Civil War, the state would technically be split up into five different countries if it chose to secede. To compound that issue, federal funding would completely disappear, the new countries would not have a military to defend themselves with, and, most importantly, the people of Texas do not wish to secede. These “supporters” of secession at the campaign rallies barely number a couple hundred, hardly a major source of political influence. How can a state move forward without the support of the majority position? Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t these people of Texas upholding democracy, not abandoning it?
Don’t be misled, readers: Texas is here in the union to stay. I hope that isn’t too much of an “extremist” position to take.
Isaac Fain is a freshman majoring in economics and English.
