TEXARKANA, Texas -Some Texans, long known for their independent streak, have been rumbling about dissatisfaction with the state of Washington, D.C.
"A lot of people in Texas believe it is time to 'stop the (federal) government,'" said Nancy Platt, an activist with the Texas Nationalist Movement.
TEXIT activists were in Texarkana on Saturday to inform others of their efforts.
"We believe Texas can govern itself more efficiently and with less corruption than being exhibited at the federal level," said James Lowry, a civilian with Red River Army Depot. "Afghanistan is the latest example of a string of things demonstrating the rotten state of the federal level. Just watching it go on, it is clear things are not good."
The activists met with people looking for more information in the parking lot of the Texas-side Walmart on New Boston Road. A good breeze and solid cloud cover made conditions more comfortable for a Texas August, so people came up to hear what they had to say.
Arron Eason of Texarkana, Texas, was one of those who came up to converse with the TEXIT spokespeople.
"TEXIT, Texas independence, I feel the discussion has merit," he said. "I feel the Texas government can do a better job than the federals right now. Where they are now has taken many years to get to, the frog in the boiling pot of water. This would take years as well, a grassroots effort, to develop.
"I've seen weird things before, like the non-stop partisan efforts against President Trump (voted for him both times, though was not a supporter until he got going in the primary). From my perspective, Bernie Sanders was in position to win the Dem nomination, but some elements interfered. I'm not a Bernie fan, as he was pushing communism, that was plain. But his level of success showed that something was wrong. Something still is wrong."
Texas Nationalist Movement began their signature gathering efforts in earnest in July.
"Our goal is to gather enough signatures to have a non-binding referendum for Texas separation on the 2022 Republican primary ballot," said Platt.
"We started this due to a lack of response from state representatives on this issue. We had a chance to put forth HB 1359 during the recent legislative special session. They basically blew us off. It never came up in committee."
(More information about the Texas Nationalist Movement and an online petition for Texas separation signatures can be found at https://tnm.me/)