Succession from the Union... in 2012?

If you're paying attention to the news, and scroll to the bottom of the page in tiny print, you may find a link to an article about a few states signing petitions to secede from the United States.

So what's all this about? Are we on the brink of another civil war?

Well, probably not.

And do I think that states are really going to secede from the US?

Nah.

Here's 3 questions we'll look at:
1. What's the point of the petitions?
2. Should it even be allowed?
3. Is it even possible for a state to secede?

What's the point of the petitions?

Well, first of all, I didn't write the petitions. Louisiana was the first to start a petition and it's up to 21 states now. Most of the petitions are simple and read something similar to this: "Peacefully grant the State of _____ to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own NEW government." Read the actual petitions on the White House website here.

I do not know the intent of the creators, but I find it difficult to believe that people are legitimately trying to secede from the US. It is most likely a drastic approach to show the Obama administration that citizens are not happy (to put it simply) and they want change (not "hope and change") and go back to constitutional principles that we have been drifting away from for far too long.

Should it even be allowed?

Short answer: Absolutely.

Long answer: Watch this video :) Only 4:30 long.




Is secession traitorous? I hope you don't think so. We celebrate hot dogs and fireworks secession every 4th of July. Remember that document called the Declaration of Independence? Here's how it starts:

"When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's god entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."

Shortly after that, it says this:

"That to secure these rights [unalienable rights], Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government..."

It then continues on to list the "repeated injuries and usurpations" done by the king.

(When's the last time you read the Declaration of Independence? It takes less than 5 minutes.)

So answer this question for yourself: Is it traitorous to petition to secede from a government that has usurped powers that were never intended for them to have and infringed on the rights of the citizens?

Is it even possible for a state to secede?

Not likely, but not impossible. Interestingly enough, the only state so far to reach the number of signs needed to have the white house consider it is Texas. Texas' petition reads as follows:

"The US continues to suffer economic difficulties stemming from the federal government's neglect to reform domestic and foreign spending. The citizens of the US suffer from blatant abuses of their rights such as the NDAA, the TSA, etc. Given that the state of Texas maintains a balanced budget and is the 15th largest economy in the world, it is practically feasible for Texas to withdraw from the union, and to do so would protect it's citizens' standard of living and re-secure their rights and liberties in accordance with the original ideas and beliefs of our founding fathers which are no longer being reflected by the federal government."

As I write this, Texas' petition has 47,544 signatures, just 3 days after it was created. Only 25,000 were needed by December 9th. Here's a printscreen from whitehouse.gov

If any state could do it, it would be Texas.

Pay attention to this, it should be interesting: