Texas Governor Rick Perry
By Catalina Camia, USA TODAY
Texas Gov. Rick Perry doesn't want his state to break away from the
United States, according to his response to a secession petition posted
on the White House website.
Perry spokeswoman Catherine Frazier sent a statement to The Dallas Morning News, following reports that there are have been dozens of similar petitions filed via the "We the People" program.
"Gov.
Perry believes in the greatness of our Union and nothing should be done
to change it," Frazier's statement says. "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."
Petitions
seeking secession for more than two dozen states have been filed on the
White House website asking the Obama administration to "peacefully
grant" these states withdrawal so they can create their own government.
The Texas petition was filed on Friday and had more than 70,000 signatures as of Tuesday morning.
To
get a White House response, the rules of "We the People" states a
petition must get 25,000 signatures within 30 days. It appears as though
the Louisiana petition also meets that threshold and the Florida
petition is getting there.
Some readers may recall the big uproar
over Perry's comments following a Tea Party rally in 2009. It's been
widely reported that Perry advocated secession, but Factcheck.org reported last year that is incorrect.
The
Republican governor was expressing his frustration at the federal
government in the 2009 interview with the Associated Press.
"There is absolutely no reason to dissolve it," Perry said in response
to the AP's question about being associated with secession. "But if
Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, you
know, who knows what may come out of that? But Texas is a very unique
place and we're a pretty independent lot to boot."