Walter Williams on Leaving the Union

Walter Williams wrote a column, "Parting Company". In it he answers the question, "Is it treasonous to suggest leaving the union?" (I guess Gov. Perry has come under fire for alluding to such.) He gives several examples from ratification documents that clearly show that the original states saw it within their rights to take back the powers they had given the general government. He also discusses intermediate actions that come shore to secession with this quote from Thomas Jefferson: "Whensoever the General Government assumes undelegated powers, its acts are unauthoritative, void, and of no force." He suggests that one response would be for a state to refuse to enforce a federal law that the state finds unconstitutional. He goes on to talk about the nature of compacts and how they give both sides the ability to interpret. So the states have as much right to interpret the Constitution as the federal government does. He ends the article with this quote:

Which is a more peaceful solution: one group of Americans seeking to impose their vision on others or simply parting company?

So is it ever preferrable for a state to dissolve the bonds between itself and the USA and go its own way? If so when?

And also, is it more our patriotic duty to follow the Constitution or follow the current laws? And what is the proper response when they confilct?

UPDATE:
Thanks to OneMom's question (see comments) I did some research and found that she was right. Gov. Perry's comment that caused a stir was from one of his TEA Party speeches.