[thechat] Something Else...Sci-Fi I Guess (Was: Silk?)

[Bruce Heerssen]

Ben Dyer wrote:

> On 08:50 AM 1/11/2002, Bruce Heerssen said to me:
>
>> Other interesting facts about Texas:
>>
>> - Texas is the only state to have been it's own nation before joining 
>> the union.
>
>
> Well, technically, Hawaii was an independent nation, and many people 
> argue that California was, too...
>
> http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Senate/1029/

I didn't know that about Cali. The Hawaii thing was a brain fart on my 
part. My only excuse is a bad case of flu - makes it hard to think clearly.

>
>> - Texas still maintains the right to leave the union. That was a 
>> condition of joining in the first place.
>
>
> Yeah, because technically, the annexation of Texas was 
> unconstitutional, but it appeased the hardliners. (But some people 
> just can't let go...*cough*...http://www.texasrepublic.com/)

It's more of fun fact than anything else. The idea of actually leaving 
the union is pretty laughable, IMO.

>
> http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/editorial/97/05/01/brock.0-1.html
>
>> - The word 'Texas' comes from the Native American (I forget which 
>> tribe) word 'Tejas', which means 'friends' or 'friend'. Quite ironic 
>> considering the fate of Native Americans that previously populated 
>> the area.
>
>
> Actually, "Tejas" is Spanish.  It was a variant of "Tayshas" (which 
> was the Caddo Indian word for "friend").

That seems about right. I got my info from a sign at the rest stop 
entering Texas on I-10 (from Louisianna). I don't remember the exact 
wording, but that was the gist of it. I don't think it mentioned 
"tayshas", but it might have - it's been a while.

Unfortunately, I was in other states for most of my elementary school 
career, so I missed out on a lot of this fun stuff.

-Bruce