Just curious, how does wanting independence make one into a bigot? Texas would never leave, but if it did, it would cause a very brief yet very serious crisis. Do you have any idea how many of our soldiers are from Texas? Bringing them back into the Union (which we would do) would be a chore and result in a protracted conflict whose costs would not outweigh its benefits. Do you remember the Alamo? Well, every Texan does, and that's what they would shout as they gun down American soldiers. Texas posesses some strange sort of nationalism, and when you combine that with tenacious southerners and guns, literally every single battle we fight against them is going to become a neo-Alamo. Old men and children are going to singlehandedly hold off Bradley IFVs while defending their own home as though it was the last bastion of freedom on Earth. Not to mention the paperwork. Would they join the UN? NATO? What would they do with all their dollars? And it's not like they have any trade potential, all their oil is long gone and cotton isn't quite the cash crop it once was. And what about the Texas State football team? Could they still be a part of the NCAA? The only thing they wouldn't have trouble with is defense, but other than that, Texas secession would just make everyone mad. Fun fact: did you know that Vermont was also an independent country for a short while? To this day, there is a Vermont secessionist party that believes they should become their own country again!