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Texas Gov. Rick Perry Says He Doesn't Support Secession

Texas Gov. Rick Perry speaks to the media in January.
Allison Joyce
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Getty Images
Texas Gov. Rick Perry speaks to the media in January.

We told you yesterday about a petition on the White House website signed by more than 70,000 people that seeks the secession of Texas from the union.

Well, the governor of the great state doesn't agree with those people.

The Dallas Morning News reports that Gov. Rick Perry's press secretary Catherine Frazier sent out a statement about the controversy. She said:

"Gov. Perry believes in the greatness of our Union and nothing should be done to change it. But he also shares the frustrations many Americans have with our federal government. Now more than ever our country needs strong leadership from states like Texas, that are making tough decisions to live within their means, keep taxes low and provide opportunities to job creators so their citizens can provide for their families and prosper. We cannot allow Washington's tax and spend, one-size-fits-all mindset to jeopardize our children's future, undermine our personal liberties and drive our nation down a dangerous path to greater dependence of government."

The petition to allow Texas to "peacefully" part ways from the United States was submitted through the White House's We the People function. It allows citizens to submit any question or petition and promises an official response after they get a certain number of signatures. In this case, the threshold was 25,000, which was easily met.

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Eyder Peralta is NPR's East Africa correspondent based in Nairobi, Kenya.