The calls for Texas to defend itself and defy the federal government have set fire to a long-simmering fight over states’ rights, emboldening right-wing figures.

Daniel Miller felt encouraged last week, as fears of a new civil war trended online and a coalition of powerful Republicans coalesced behind Gov. Greg Abbott’s standoff with the Biden administration.

As the longtime leader of Texas’ unlikely secessionist movement, Miller has for decades argued that the state is in a stranglehold by the federal government that, eventually, would prompt enough popular support for a vote to leave the union. The past week only reinforced that belief.

"It validates and confirms the position we’ve had all along, which is that if Texas ever wants to truly secure its border … the only way we’re going to do it is as an independent and self-governing nation,” Miller said in an interview.

At issue is the 47-acre Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, where Texas has for months been laying concertina wire along the Rio Grande to prevent migrants from crossing. In a 5-4 decision early last week, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the Biden administration, allowing U.S. Border Patrol agents to cut the wire to apprehend people who had crossed the river.

The narrowly written decision — which didn’t speak to whether the state had to stop laying new concertina wire — has emboldened Abbott, who vowed to continue his fight against the high court and federal government, citing Texas’ right to defend itself from what he claims is an “invasion” of migrants.

By week’s end — and as the Texas National Guard and state troopers continued to roll out wire and stifle federal agents’ access to much of the park — Abbott’s defiant calls were backed by 25 Republican governors, former President Donald Trump, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson and nearly all of Texas’ congressional delegation.

  • @carl_dungeon
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    4811 months ago

    Just let them go- Texas that is. They can build a wall around the entire state, and then stop being such a massive drain on federal funds every time it snows a bit or gets a little sweaty. They can take Florida with them.

      • @MegaUltraChicken
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        111 months ago

        I say we provide free transport to anyone who wants to leave. There are plenty of unclaimed islands to drop them off.

  • @betterdeadthanreddit
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    4011 months ago

    Somebody check Abbott’s high school yearbook, see if he won the vote for “most likely to secede”.

    • FuglyDuck
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      1411 months ago

      Abbott graduated from Duncanville High School,[5] where he was on the track team,[6] in the National Honor Society and was voted “Most Likely to Succeed”.

      from his wikipedia page. I did find this running a search though. Can we make fun of him??

      • Flying Squid
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        211 months ago

        Is that a pink shirt? Seems kinda… girlie?

        • @Zevlen
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          811 months ago

          deleted by creator

        • @MegaUltraChicken
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          611 months ago

          His other shirt that day got covered in urine from being a little piss baby.

  • @visnae
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    3511 months ago

    The Moskovites are on an influence campaign again I guess.

  • @TropicalDingdong
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    2711 months ago

    Fears of succession?

    Fuck 'em. Let 'em fuck around and find the fuck out. Can they take the rest of the alt-right nation with them?

  • @[email protected]
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    2611 months ago

    All of this over the status quo (give or take). Just wait until the real climate change migrations state happening. That’s when things really get to pop off.

    • @d00ery
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      1211 months ago

      Won’t that be Texan’s wanting to move north?

      • FuglyDuck
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        1611 months ago

        well, yeah.

        It’s all projection with them. The asylum seekers are invading. because that’s what they think they’re gonna do. ya’know?

  • @[email protected]
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    2311 months ago

    Lol do it! 26/38 of their Representatives and both their Senators are Republicans.

    Goodbye House majority, goodbye Senate filibuster, goodbye any chance of a Trump victory this year. Even just 1 year of them disappearing means Democrats could get a whole lot done before they start crawling back.

    • Ook the Librarian
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      211 months ago

      I’m a bit worried that the plan for the secessionists is to do something so spectacular (literally) as to try to cause there to be good reason to “pause to election”.

      Just so then, they can prove Biden to be a dictator, and actually have an argument. Pausing an election would be truly unsettling.

      So if there is a crisis about Electoral College stating of states close to November, that’s a powder-keg situation.

      I’m honestly not claiming we need to avoid this kind of crisis. Just saying be careful what you wish for.

      • @[email protected]
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        311 months ago

        IMO it’s one of the stupider bluffs because no one expects Texas to actually do it and it would hurt them more than it would hurt the rest of the US.

        • Ook the Librarian
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          111 months ago

          I’m happy to hang out in the “no, you won’t” camp with. But the support the idea of a Texit lately is markedly ramped up. (The idea was never without support.) Part of me kinda suspects that some of the “think tank” minds are worried about losing Texas in the general mostly due to the overturning Roe still hanging over their heads.

          If Texas is purple while CA is solid blue, then everyone will hate the Electoral College. The “think tank” conservatives can’t have that.

          So I agree, secession is unlikely, but IMO that’s because it isn’t a ballot initiative like Brexit. Not because the people saying it aren’t serious.

    • @Zevlen
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      111 months ago

      deleted by creator

  • @BigTrout75
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    2211 months ago

    How do you get social security when you are no longer part of the Union? I’m guessing they’re would be a large boarder crossing if Texas was up for grabs. Good luck👍

    • @[email protected]
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      1211 months ago

      It’s gonna be fun. When the drug. Carrels realize there is now a whole country they can take over just north of Mexico.

    • @acceptable_pumpkin
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      6211 months ago

      No, Texas is part of the US. Instead, we should execute any of these secessionists as the treasonous people that they are.

      • @GhostFence
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        2011 months ago

        Let them go and the white nationalists forever lose electoral power in what remains of America. As a black man… I support this reduction in threats to my life and my family’s life.

    • @[email protected]
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      11 months ago

      I don’t think they’ve ever filed the paperwork - like they keep loudly saying how they so badly want to go, but then they never follow through, can you imagine that?

      Wanna fight me bro, we can go outside RIGHT NOW.

      Okay.

      Oh uh… I have somewhere I need to be right now…

      • Baron Von J
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        1211 months ago

        They tried to get secession on the GOP primary ballot this year, actually. A petition with like 100k signatures. The party officials rejected it, so the secessionists asked the state supreme court to intervene. The court declined.

        • FuglyDuck
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          11 months ago

          All of three point-three percent of their population. Give or take. (edit to correct math)

          • @GhostFence
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            311 months ago

            #III% delusion brigade has entered the chat

            • FuglyDuck
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              11 months ago

              huh? okay. you got me to look it up. Texas has a population of 30.5 million (that’s where I go the 3.3 percent figure. 100k actually comes out to 3.2% .32%.)

              The petition had 139k votes. so it actually comes out to 4.5% .45% It’s still… essentially…uh… nobody.

              (edit to correct the math…)

              • @Got_Bent
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                311 months ago

                Your decimal place is off by one. It’s 0.45%.

                • FuglyDuck
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                  311 months ago

                  erg. Math is hard. sorry for the typo.

                • 【J】【u】【s】【t】【Z】
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                  11 months ago

                  Oh man I did that the other week only was talking about potentially a genocide. Not a good time to forget to carry the decimal.

    • @[email protected]
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      1511 months ago

      Can we realistically move everybody who wishes to remain a US citizen? Who pays for their move?

      What about all of the federal government employees, including military, who currently live and work in the state?

      This kind of thing would probably take months just for physical moving of households and I wonder if we even have the throughput to get this accomplished before whatever arbitrary succession date.

      No matter figuring out what happens to everybody paying into federal services such as social security and Medicare. The fed will laugh in the face of anybody trying to claim back 20 years of taxes because they aren’t using a system they paid into. 20 million or so taxpayers who decide to secede will have to just give up what they’ve invested.

      • edric
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        1311 months ago

        All the 5 major cities of Texas, where most people live, are blue. Moving everyone would probably mean only the rural folk will remain.

        • @[email protected]
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          811 months ago

          Texas will not cede its land. Those cities will remain under the care of Texas. That means the people who don’t wish to remain Texans must move.

          There’s no way that Texas will allow independent or US-aligned havens within its borders. Have you read what their legislators have said about sanctuary cities?

      • @SendMePhotos
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        611 months ago

        Whoever moves would pay for themselves.

        The government would pull out and relocate offices.

        Texas would no longer receive imports like foods and supplies.

        This is fucking stupid. Fuck around and find out. It will end in Texas crawling back and apologizing.

        • @[email protected]
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          611 months ago

          Let’s say you have 100k federal and military employees in Texas. Are you suggesting that they just up and move on their own dime, when joint travel regulations and US code do not allow for this?

          Again, the government would pull out and not pay for their move?

          It largely is not the place for the federal government to micromanage trade outside of certain “national security” line items and some sanctions. It’s a lot harder to sell sanctions on your former neighbors to the international community, let alone your own legislators.

          I get the zeal, but a clean secession sucks for everybody and in no way does anybody come out on top. This is without accounting for any violence or armed conflict over disputed items like military bases, national guard posts, defense contractors like Boeing and Lockheed, and energy production facilities.

          • @SendMePhotos
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            111 months ago

            Yes

            No, government people usually get paid for relocation AFAIK.

            You are correct.

            You are correct.

    • @nexguy
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      411 months ago

      What about the 45% of the state that doesn’t support the Republicans?

    • @ghostdoggtv
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      411 months ago

      Nope, they have to fight their way out.

  • @DesertMagma
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    2011 months ago

    Give em back to Mexico and make sure the “remain in Mexico” policy sticks. Mexico will know what to do.

    • @Buddahriffic
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      211 months ago

      Laugh when the idea is first mentioned to them, followed by, “wait, you’re serious?” Then more laughter?

  • @SPRUNT
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    1411 months ago

    Those people are hoping for violence. They believe a war is coming, and that they are poised to win.

  • @sailingbythelee
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    1111 months ago

    In Canada, Alberta has this same notion that they got a raw deal in federalism and that secession is the answer. They are the Texans of the north: conservative, religious, oil-rich, strong capitalist rhetoric (though there is plenty of corporate welfare, of course). But Alberta is a fully landlocked province of a few million people with not much else besides oil. And, get this: they want to secede because they supposedly can’t get any new oil pipelines built to the ocean in Canada. Did I mention that they are landlocked? What a bunch of morons.

    • @the_ocs
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      11 months ago

      '+ oil isn’t exactly the commodity of the future

    • SnausagesinaBlanket
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      211 months ago

      Fully close the border for couple years but also do not bail out any companies/farms large corporations and banks that fail