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<li><p>Rick Perry is not serious about secession. I watch Texas politics closely, and the probable reason Rick Perry said that was to appeal to his conservative base, which was becoming discontented with his liberal stances on illegal immigration. Rick Perry started out as a Democrat in the State House. He switched when the conservative wing of the Democratic Party began to desert to the Republican Party. </p></li>
<li><p>Aside from the legality (or not) of secession, isn’t it an accepted principle that people have the right of choosing their government? South Sudan separated from Sudan this year. Everybody agrees they had a right to do it, if a referendum on the question passed. So, why shouldn’t Texans have the same rights as the South Sudanese? </p></li>
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<p>Lastly, when I said that “progressive” was a liberal term that meant the same as the conservative term “the melting pot”, I didn’t mean exactly the same. I meant that conservatives used to hate cultural diversity. Nowadays, progressives want everyone else in America to have the same progressive views, just like conservatives used to demand that everyone step in line with the mainstream culture. After all, if Rice was in Africa, would anyone ask if it had too much black culture? Of course not. I didn’t mean to offend anyone, I just wanted to point something out.</p>