From the comment section of this Washington Post story about recent petitions for state secession filed with the White House comes this nugget which, to me, illustrates how political issues can be boiled down and oversimplified to the point absurdity. 

“How about Texas taking over Mexico and becoming the new OPEC. Then the US would be bowing to us since the liberals would disband the armed services. lol 
We would have to build a moat along the red river then to keep out the illegals.”

I mean, sure, secede. That’s what the Constitution allows for, and there surely is precedent. And, this time around, I bet there wouldn’t even be an actual Civil War with fighting and killing and BOOM! There would be the quiet, final dissolution of the United States of America as individual states hustled up odd, targeted Constitutions and tarriffs and taxes and travel regulations spitefully built to inconvenience outsiders. Or whatever. I’m just as misinformed as the guy who wants to take over Mexico. I am sure the Zetas would be thrilled. Of course, I chalk all of this up to the Age of Superlatives we live in, where everything is BEST or WORST or FIRST or BLECCH and there is no room in the middle.