Do You Have A Flag? No Flag, No Country!

Eddie Izzard has a brilliant comedy routine where he attributes the building of the British Empire to the cunning use of flags. Explorers would sail to an already inhabited but primitive land and claim it in the name of the Crown. What made this just and correct, Izzard explains, is that natives did not have a flag. If you have no flag, you have no country.

Today is Flag Day - perhaps the most under-celebrated holiday.

By coincidence, I'm re-reading a book entitled The Power Exchange: A Novel of Texas Secession by Alan Erwin, a former Public Utilities Commissioner. It's a terribly interesting story written in 1979 where the word "power" takes on several contexts. It's a timeless story that could have today's setting considering that Texas' macro-politics haven't changed a whole lot in 30 years (yes, D's are free to disagree).

The book opens as a wicked winter storm hits the Northeast. Despite all efforts, Niagara Mohawk, Con Ed, TVA, and every other New England/Eastern power grid runs out of juice causing dozens of elderly to freeze to death; Texas becomes the national scapegoat. (Remember the power outage in the Northeast in Summer of 2003? Sure, Texas wasn't blamed, but the story shows how a small regional incident can turn into a large national crisis.)

[Background - Texas is the only state that has its own power grid (it only covers about 85% of Texas, but it's still intrastate). But because it's self-contained, were it to export power across state lines, it would de facto agree to interstate commerce regulation. Being perhaps the most fiercely stubborn and independent State in the Union (the reason we make easy scapegoats), the Texas AG wouldn't agree to export power without an non-jurisdictional agreement in place.]

As a result, Texas lost all its political power in the Congress. In order to make the delegation larger and take power back, Texas self-divides into five new States.

This is where the plot gets tricky because it's a fascinating political/legal debate.

Under the terms of the 1845 Annexation Resolution, the terms of self-division are straightforward. Whether an actual legal right is still valid is debatable.

Obviously, the United States takes issue with the rogue sub-divisions. And just as obviously, the five States defend their newly-acquired status. In the end, Texas secedes and a war is levied with the USA.

Ever since visiting the Alamo last April, I've given more thought to what I would do if that scenario became a reality. The ways and means for it are realistic: our economy (which is increasingly based more on technology/R&D and services but still reliant on oil and gas) would be in the top-10 worldwide, our infrastructure is sufficient (would theoretically increase as we're a donor state for the gas tax), we would have our own power structure (ERCOT), etc etc. I'm really thinking this thing through.

Although I'm firm in my allegiance to the United States, I live in Texas; I'm Texan.

A few weeks ago, I decided to display a flag outside our house. Once up, ours will be the first house on the street with a flag out front. I asked Melissa if she wanted one or two flags hanging from the porch. The caveat was this: if she only wanted one flag, it would be the Texas flag. She thought two flags would be too ostentatious. So, the Lone Star it is.

I e-mailed a good friend who works at the Capitol and she sent me a flag; it arrived yesterday.

But here's the other thing I'm thinking about- the Texas Pledge of Allegiance:

Honor the Texas Flag;
I pledge allegiance to Thee,
Texas, One and Indivisible.

The last three words are interesting. Indivisible?

What is that all about?