Politics and Religion

The Breakdown of America...
DoctorGonzo 106 Reviews 5936 reads
posted

Not long ago, I predicted our country would fall victim to internal strife and would eventually breakdown into regional Republics.

Now it would seem there are forces at work to do just that. Well, not exactly, but the essence is there.

And you thought it was all that Amsterdam herb.

Secessionists meeting in Tennessee

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - In an unlikely marriage of desire to secede from the United States, two advocacy groups from opposite political traditions — New England and the South — are sitting down to talk.

Tired of foreign wars and what they consider right-wing courts, the Middlebury Institute wants liberal states like Vermont to be able to secede peacefully.

That sounds just fine to the League of the South, a conservative group that refuses to give up on Southern independence.

"We believe that an independent South, or Hawaii, Alaska, or Vermont would be better able to serve the interest of everybody, regardless of race or ethnicity," said Michael Hill of Killen, Ala., president of the League of the South.

Separated by hundreds of miles and divergent political philosophies, the Middlebury Institute and the League of the South are hosting a two-day Secessionist Convention starting Wednesday in Chattanooga.

They expect to attract supporters from California, Alaska and Hawaii, inviting anyone who wants to dissolve the Union so states can save themselves from an overbearing federal government.

If allowed to go their own way, New Englanders "probably would allow abortion and have gun control," Hill said, while Southerners "would probably crack down on illegal immigration harder than it is being now."

The U.S. Constitution does not explicitly prohibit secession, but few people think it is politically viable.

Vermont, one of the nation's most liberal states, has become a hotbed for liberal secessionists, a fringe movement that gained new traction because of the Iraq war, rising oil prices and the formation of several pro-secession groups.

Thomas Naylor, the founder of one of those groups, the Second Vermont Republic, said the friendly relationship with the League of the South doesn't mean everyone shares all the same beliefs.

But Naylor, a retired Duke University professor, said the League of the South shares his group's opposition to the federal government and the need to pursue secession.

"It doesn't matter if our next president is Condoleeza (Rice) or Hillary (Clinton), it is going to be grim," said Naylor, adding that there are secessionist movements in more than 25 states, including Hawaii, Alaska, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Texas.

The Middlebury Institute, based in Cold Spring, N.Y., was started in 2005. Its followers, disillusioned by the Iraq war and federal imperialism, share the idea of states becoming independent republics. They contend their movement is growing.

The first North American Separatist Convention was held last fall in Vermont, which, unlike most Southern states, supports civil unions. Voters there elected a socialist to the U.S. Senate.

Middlebury director Kirpatrick Sale said Hill offered to sponsor the second secessionist convention, but the co-sponsor arrangement was intended to show that "the folks up north regard you as legitimate colleagues."

"It bothers me that people have wrongly declared them to be racists," Sale said.

The League of the South says it is not racist, but proudly displays a Confederate Battle Flag on its banner.

Mark Potok, director of the Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence Project, which monitors hate groups, said the League of the South "has been on our list close to a decade."

"What is remarkable and really astounding about this situation is we see people and institutions who are supposedly on the progressive left rubbing shoulders with bona fide white supremacists," Potok said.

Sale said the League of the South "has not done or said anything racist in its 14 years of existence," and that the Southern Poverty Law Center is not credible.

"They call everybody racists," Sale said. "There are, no doubt, racists in the League of the South, and there are, no doubt, racists everywhere."

Harry Watson, director of the Center For the Study of the American South and a history professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said it was a surprise to see The Middlebury Institute conferring with the League of the South, "an organization that's associated with a cause that many of us associate with the preservation of slavery."

He said the unlikely partnering "represents the far left and far right of American politics coming together."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071003/ap_on_re_us/secessionist_movement_1

...I happen to be in favor of California seceding from the Union. We've been gettingthe shaft from the Federal government for decades, supporting welfare states and getting back less and less from the Feds while giving more and more.
But thats another thread.

Ok let me get this straight..You are in favor of California succeeding from the Union because you feel California as a whole pays more than their fair share of taxes yet you think the rich across the country should pay more taxes???..

DrFill2424 reads

California is not a class of person.  California is a state.  Classes of people are not usually states.  In fact, there is no such state.

Now, try this little test:  California is (a) state, (b) wealthy people, (c) tomato, (d) George Bush's favorite, (e) in your imagination.

Pick as many as you would like, but only one is correct. It's the first one, (a).  Now do you think you can guess which one it is?


Now go back to 9th grade, dipshit.

I learned reading comprehension without ninth grade .. Perhaps you think reading the words is good enough but the fact remains you do not comprehend what you read..Have you been on Jay Leno's All Stars ??

DrFill1994 reads

What is California? Choose one.

(a) it's a state.
(b) it's a state.
(c) it's a state.

Can you guess the right answer? or shall we sign you up for affirmative action?

It doesn't matter if you're an ungrateful biyatch, because we can always find a masochistic Democrat for you.  Probably a 300 lb whining ass woman, but that's all you get government issue.

-- Modified on 10/4/2007 6:42:54 AM

Tusayan1815 reads

That's not a feeling, it's a fact. California ranks 43rd in the amount of federal spending received vs. the amount of federal taxes paid.

California's nor Texas'. We are one nation under God, buddy and don't you forget it. It's a Grand Ol' Flag and may it wave mighty and high. I have two fists I fight with: One is with the Constitution and the other is with the Bill of Rights.

The Democrats have always wanted to secede from the Nation and thumb their noses at the Constitution when they don't get their way. Andrew Jackson disobeyed the Supreme Court and sent the Cherokee Nation on the trail of tears. Jefferson Davis and his brethren embroiled this great Nation in a Civil War and we lost thousand of lives. FDR wanted to pack the Supreme Court.

The Vermonters sound like a bunch of whiners and the southerners do sound racist. I may not particularly like New York City but I will fight against all enemies that attempts to harm them. United we Stand is way of life for me not a convenient campaign slogan.

Now for the notion of Northern California separating from Southen California I will support that idea.


-- Modified on 10/3/2007 10:55:30 PM

That's an excellent start.

An interesting footnote Breaker.... of all the people in my personal social circle with whom I have discussed the secession issue... both the national and California topics... the one person who most strongly agreed with my "liberal" perspective, was my right wing nutjob business partner. He's quite the patriot... but fully supports and believes the Federal bureaucracy is overbearing and bloated.
He watches Fox, quotes Bill O'Reilley like a preacher quoting Scripture, and if I did not know better, I would have suspected him of being harryj. And he's in favor of California (at the least) splitting off and taking its 6th largest in the world economy with it.
California, of all the states in the contiguous Union, is better equipped to be self-sufficient than any other state.
Let's make a new thread Breaker, and see who tries to hijack it:)

and not just the republic of Vermont (actually lived there when Bernie Sanders was mayor of Burlington and Ben&Jerry were a couple of tyedyed hippy ice cream makers...).  

The union has survived intact over the past 2 centuries plus because by and large, most other "external forces" kept their noses out of our affairs.  I fear that is no longer the case.

The push to have a United Nation States of North America or AmeriMexiCan or CanAmeriMex is looming large to say nothing of the Mexican Government's stated desire to "take back" much of the South Western US may in fact assist, catalyze or acccelerate the splintering of the country.

Sadly should this be true... the parts will not equal the sum of the whole.  If you look at the US as a nation, one of the things that has led to stability and prosperity, is that each part of the country offers what other parts lack, and each part assists those who have a down turn.

my fear, this article is correct - but for reasons external to the country but certainly assisted by the cretins in Washington DC.

Chuck Darwin2326 reads

Breed your white genes!  Spread your seed!  Proselytize for procreation!  Especially with those gals the Beach Boys would date.  But Linda Rondstadt, Raquel Welch, Christina Aguilera look-alikes are OK.

It's the only way.  I'm just saying.  Honkie girls don't put out enough, and/or honkie guys aren't thrilling enough.  What is it?

I am not going for racial divides, rather ideology divides.  What makes for a somewhat stable community is when MOST of the folks obey MOST of the laws...  However - when large numbers of immigrants feel free to selectively disobey laws - then we begin a breakdown of society.

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi1462 reads

lustfully forcing their knees apart?

Aw I was so excited I forgot to mention the part about thrusting manhood and screams of shock and delight.

Can I get my Harlequin contract now?

-- Modified on 10/4/2007 12:57:46 PM

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi1561 reads

seeing as how you aren't answering other people's questions - if that's NOT what you mean, then what DO you mean?!

Is it your FINGERS that are cramping up here, or your BRAIN?!  

Please explain, is it your fingers or your brain?

Chuck Darwin1207 reads

you only want to fuck ideologically stable communities?

I probably couldn't fuck a community of more than a dozen babes, and they'd probably have to be dumb as red bricks, and hotter than brick shithomes, so I guess that's ideologically stable, you know, all those bricks and not so many brains.

Is that your interpretation you mean?

Chuck Manson1943 reads

I just want to know.

Chuck Manson2055 reads

how tough we Californians are!

Here are a couple scenarios I'm making up as I go along here... strictly for intellectual dialog of course.

1 - A natural cataclysm finally hits.... volcano in the northwest, earthquake along the San Andreas, another Katrina, a tidal wave hitting Manhattan... any of these would have the potential to be a catalyst leading to the breakdown of federal services, leading to the breakup of the union into regions or forcing the feds to deploy the Army against its citizens, which would lead to revolution etc etc.

2 - An unexpected nuclear attack on Washington DC. If they don't know its coming and don't get to the bunker, the Federal government ceases to exist. Not that there's much substance there now

3 - Agricultural disaster. A breakdown in the food supply. Chaos takes over, Anarchy reigns.

4 - Global Warming... Global Cooling... Environmental disasters... whether you agree or disagree with the theories of man-caused global climate change, the fact is we are running out of fresh water. That's no good whether you're a Democrat, Republican or Osama de Llama.

But in the end, I really do believe our country has sadly seen its best days. And in my opinion, it began on November 22, 1963, the day the M-I-C came to power. Its just a question of time, now.

My new mantra - Live Young. Be good, friend SuperDude... and I loved your recent appearances on Smallville. Looking edgier than ever:)

If a Disaster such as you mentioned occurs us the East Coast and the Federal Government is gone us Southerners will play Road Warrior on California and start all over..So your only option is to stick your head in the sand..

Chuck Manson1822 reads

and Road Warrior California!  I'm so scared!

As soon as they finish the 9th grade lesson on How To Read a Road Map, I guess.  I guess we'll just have to sit and tremble until then.

Maybe we should send a few of San Francisco's finest volunteers  http://thesisters.org/ down there to teach them how to read road maps, eh?  would ya like that, quaddy baby?

Don't you know lots of Northerners have moved to the South and they will need a new home also.  So when Gonzo's No Government anarchy days are here all we have to do is go the direction the sun sets and when we get close we will surely smell the place.I never made it to the Ninth grade but I went to Private Elementary schools and  they taught us how to read Road maps in First Grade and Topo maps in second.I reckon thats a Major at USC..

Chuck Manson2338 reads

The South is gonna Rise Again!  Will that be before or after the Second Cumming of Jesus?  

Jesus the guy in the next cell is cumming all the time.

darn electrons - told ya not to look here.

-- Modified on 10/4/2007 8:45:28 AM

Register Now!