What kind of action could a person take, who was seriously interested in working for a fundamental alteration of the national government we suffer under. We begin the discussion with the age-old idea of electoral politics, the traditional panacea of voting for a better Democrat or Republican, in Congress, in the Presidency, wherever, but it took no time for us to reject that as futile: The two main parties, after all, had proved time and again how beholden they were to the corporate masters who pay for their campaigns, and votes. We also took little time in rejecting the reformist lobby-Congress trap that so many environmental and liberal-cause groups spend so much money and effort on, since that was, just trying to influence those same paid-for elected officials. Next we considered the third-party alternative, thinking of Perot, Nader, and Pauls influence on national politics, and concluded that they did so poorly, despite considerable money and media attention, because the two major parties had essentially rigged the system so that outsiders couldn’t win. Besides, launching a party and fighting an election on a national scale if it stands any chance at all involves getting money and support from the same kinds of people and organizations that contribute to the other parties, and in the process becoming beholden to them. So if reformism in all its forms is rejected, what other means of action for serious change are left? There’s always revolt and revolution, of course, but it didn’t take much deliberation to decide that there was no way, even if there were trained militia bands and some weaponry smuggled in by separatist sympathizers, that a serious revolution could be mounted in this country today. And no reason to doubt that Washington would use its most potent weaponry to crush it if it arose. And so that leaves secession. Instead of reforming or attacking the corrupt and corporatist system, leave it. At first glance, it seemed like a crazy idea to many, and maybe as dangerous as a revolution, after all, the last time anybody in this country seceded, they were ruthlessly attacked and their society eventually destroyed, but the more we considered it the more it seemed like a reasonable option, particularly if it was done peaceably and openly, with full democratic support of the people. It is, to begin with, in the American tradition. The war of the colonies against the British empire was not a war of revolution, for no one wanted to take over London, but of secession, for leaving the empire and there was even a peaceable tradition of it afterward, for Maine seceded from Massachusetts peaceably, Tennessee from North Carolina, and Kentucky and West Virginia from Virginia. It also could justifiably be seen as legal and constitutional, since three of the colonies wrote provisions allowing them to secede before joining the Union, there is nothing in the Constitution forbidding it, and the fact that Congress considered passing a law against it in 1861 but failed to do so indicates it was not then considered unlawful. It could be done practically and democratically, either by a vote among all citizens of voting age with, say, a two-thirds majority, or by a two-thirds vote of the legislature of a state. Upon such a vote and a declaration of independence delivered to Washington, a seceding state could immediately appeal to the world, apply to the United Nations, and seek diplomatic support particularly from the fifteen republics that seceded from the Soviet Union and the seven nations that seceded from Yugoslavia, plus Norway (which seceded from Sweden), Belgium (from the Netherlands), Singapore (from Malaysia), Slovenia and the Czech Republic, plus all the colonies that declared independence from European empires. And its special attraction would be that not only does it allow a state to remove itself from the taxes, regulations, entangling alliances, bloated bureaucracy, militarized culture, and corrupting forms of governance of the national government, it allows a state to regain some measure of democracy, some hands-on control over the decisions that effect its life. We conclude with a strong feeling that secession would be a very powerful tool for promoting self determination, democracy, and independence, and also a powerful idea that could spread widely throughout this continent, as it has spread widely throughout the world since 1945. There are several places you can find more information on Secession at: Florida League of the South Northeast Florida League Of The South Florida Secession Movement Women For a Free Florida Todays Secession Movement Southern Secessionists
Posted on: Mon, 18 Nov 2013 04:45:19 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015