Texas

[scubajoe]

Texas does have some stupid laws but we don't have Ahhnold for governor!
We have a new stupid law that made my I'd rather be diving license plate frame illegal. Got a warning ticket for that Saturday among other things.

 

[mofosaurus]

Hawaii was also an independent nation prior to joining the US

You might want to ask native americans what the US track record is for keeping treaties

all the native american lands (the US) were also independent countries

 

[archman]

As I recall from Texas history class, the state also has a provision allowing it to split into five new states if it wants. I could just imagine the difficulties THAT would bring up in the U.S. Senate...

There's also a neat provision forbidding the federal government to own lands in Texas. Military bases and wildlife refuges have to be "leased" from the state. Ever wonder why Texas has so few federal parks? Now ya' know.

Oh yes, and we can DRIVE ON OUR BEACHES. Waterfront property technically cannot extend beyond the seaward vegetation zone; past that it belongs to the state. That means no private beaches.

Don't forget the Texas Rangers!

 

[randyjoy]

Most of the Texas legends are just that: Texas legends. As a Texas lawman, I have heard lots of "strange laws" and legends of Texas. Some of the stranger laws actually existed many years ago (it was a felony to carry wire cutters in your pocket, which was a carry-over from cattle rustling), some are still around but unenforceable, and some are actually on the books (the beer three-sip isn't there, but it is considered evidence of bootlegging to possess more than 24 cans of beer in a dry area - (Texas Alcholic Beverage Code Section 101.32)).

The Treaty of Annexation and the subsequent Joint Resolutions contain the provision for splitting into smaller states, but the provision was actually added for several reasons, one of the primary being for slavery. Snopes has a great discussion in their urban legend pages: The Great Divide. None of the other "legendary" provisions mentioned earlier are present. You can check out all the annexation documents at The Avalon Project at Yale Law School.

Snopes also has an excellent discussion of the flag legend: High Flier

 

[DandyDon]

I saw a program on the history channel about the US flag. It mentioned all of the rules of flag etiquette. And it mentioned the the Texas flag can be flown at or above the US flag. It is because of an agreement when Texas a republic, joined the United States. The agreement was made by both parties involved. I have never seen it flown higher and probably won't. Texas unlike any other state was an independant nation before it joined the union.
I believe there is still a provision inforce that would allow Texas to leave the union. Been a long time since I've been to a Texas history class so I could be wrong.

Joe

Maybe it was that misstatement on the History Channel show that started the idea that The Lone Star could be flown higher than the National Ensign? To my knowledge, no flag in the world can properly be flown higher than the U.S. flag.

While Texas was indeed an idependent replublic joining under treaty, as Mofosaurus referenced - Hawaii was also an independent monarchy, and most of the U.S. as we know it today previously belonged to aboriginese peoples, but the U.S. governement of days past didn't care much for treaties or who was there when they got there. I was taught that Texas was "the only state that once was an independent nation" but that was when Hawaii was still a territory; maybe Joe is old enough to have heard it that way in 6th grade Texas History, too?

We had a treaty agreement right to leave the union, or split into up to 5 states, but not since the Civil War. We were not invaded during the war, I don't think, but afterwards was all down hill!