Posted on 05/23/2004 11:54:30 PM PDT by KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle
Calling the approval of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts "the straw that broke the camel's back," a group of Christian activists is in the beginning stages of an effort to have one state secede from the United States to become its own sovereign nation.
"Our Christian republic has declined into a pagan democracy," says Cory Burnell, president of ChristianExodus.org, a non-profit corporation based in Tyler, Texas. "There are some issues people just can't take anymore, and [same-sex marriage] might finally wake up the complacent Christians."
Burnell is leading the charge for a peaceful secession of one state from the union, and after originally considering Alabama, Mississippi and South Carolina due to their relatively small populations, coastal access, and the Christian nature of the electorate, Burnell says South Carolina has been selected as the target location.
The plan initially calls for at least 12,000 Christians willing to be active in political campaigns to move to the Palmetto State.
"We're not an invading force, we're reinforcements," Burnell tells WorldNetDaily, saying it would be a waste to move to liberal-minded states such as Massachusetts, New York or California where conservative votes would be diluted.
According to the ChristianExodus website, which is slated for a major relaunch next month, "Christians have actively tried to return our entire land to its moral foundation for more than 20 years. We can categorically say that absolutely nothing has been achieved. If you disagree, consider this:
* Abortion continues against the wishes of many states * Children may not pray in our schools * The Bible is not welcome in schools except under strict federal guidelines
* The 10 Commandments remain banned from public display * Sodomy is now legal and celebrated as 'diversity' rather than perversion
* Preaching Christianity will soon be outlawed as 'hate speech' * Gay marriage will be foisted upon us in the very near future
"All these atrocities continue in spite of the fact that we now have the 'right' people in places of power. Indeed, the occupant of the White House is a professing Christian. The U.S. attorney general is believed to be a devout Christian. 'Conservatives' control both Houses of Congress, and Republican presidents appointed seven of the nine Supreme Court justices."
The idea of moving thousands of people to affect the voting in one state is not new. As WorldNetDaily has previously reported, the Free State Project has goals of restoring certain personal liberties and limited government – but without seceding from the union. Last year, a group of 4,500 libertarians decided New Hampshire would be the best state.
S. Carolina state flag
Burnell, a math teacher and cell-phone dealer, stresses he's not looking for bloody battles that took place in the American Revolution and the Civil War, but is rather seeking a "political divorce."
"It's got to be different today," he says. "It has to be peaceful, brokered."
But he admits if the federal government decides to use military force to stop the effort, "Then it can't happen."
Already a dozen people are actively working on the project, and some 1,500 by e-mails of support have been received.
If all goes according to plan, Burnell is hoping to have a constitutional convention by 2014, with a president of the new nation – still to be known as South Carolina – elected in 2016, which is also a presidential election year in the U.S.
He says the nation would be founded on Christian principles, and the people writing its constitution would have to hash out details to safeguard it as a Christian republic.
For now, Burnell prefers to shy away from specifics on the precise laws governing the country.
"Independence first, details later," he says.
In 1776 we were united
No, we weren't. It was all BRITAIN back then, remember? The British Colonies seceded from the British Crown. No unity at all. Britain was a divided empire.
It's also worth noting that the division was not evenly geographical. About 1/3 of the British-Americans supported the Crown (we call them Canadians today); conversely there was a large amount of support for our cause in Britain itself, from the common folk all the way to some of their top officers who resigned rather than fight us.
Name one that will work. We're all listening.
It is one thing to decide to take over a state and go about as hardcore as possible for state law, but the complications surrounding succession make that look like child's play.
If money is dried up, how long will people actually stay there? Ft. Jackson for example would be shut down, giving a body blow to Columbus' economy. All the federal agencies would shutter.
Another factor is that South Carolina is one of the top states in receiving back federal dollars. According to the Tax foundation, South Carolina receives $1.34 in federal spending for every $1.00 in taxes it pays. Texas for example just gets $.92 cents back, California $.76 cents.
Not to be trite, but South Carolina is in a sense a welfare state then.. They hand Washington around $21 billion a year, and receive $25 billion back roughly speaking.
They can slash spending, reduce salaries for governmental employees, but starting out a banking system from scratch with the open hostility of the US Government is a recipe for economic devastation.
But just for the record, and since you presumed to be speaking for everyone when you so wittily said "we're all listening", how about trying to live out the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5ff). Seems to me that would be a good start. Or is this just all about somebody trying to advance their personal agenda ? Some sort of Christian Jihad masked as a "Christian Exodus" (so-called) ?? We all are frustrated about the state of the world, but that doesn't give us the right to pick a state to make into our own personal little closet to separate ourselves from the evil neighbors. Christ expects us to live among these people and allow His reflection in our lives convert them. Becoming like Muslims or some Cult is not the answer.
Not necessarily. It's possible to secede by due process of law. However -- was the American Revolution wrong, in your understanding?
been there, done that!
one civil war is more than enough.
No, the American Revolution was not wrong in my understanding. I view it to be a unique event in history though.
All I can say is numerous other posters and I have been on this forum for approx. three years warning folks about the reconquista movement with it's numerous nation-destroying elements and as far as I can tell, I've never once seen your name surface in these discussions. Where've you been....under a rock somewhere?.....and since it's obvious you're new to the debate, how about some fresh ideas to counter this invasion?
Hey amigo, I'm all in favor of making a stand from where I am in the Dallas area but there is one problem down here and that is most Christians don't know their history and worse yet they're being led by pastors whose only allegiance is to their precious IRS granted 501C-3 tax exempt status. That's why their sermons are seemingly odorless, colorless and tasteless....don't want to offend the powers that be at the IRS and possibly have all their tax benefits revoked doncha know.....don't know what Bible they preach from but I could've sworn there's something in there warning about man attempting to serve two masters.
Worth repeating.
And then only when the meet OUTSIDE, WITHOUT A TENT or FIRE.
I understand the sentiment entirely. I think it has, however, been proven that this is not the way to go about it.
How to prevent our country from going down the tubes? Frankly, I intend to fight for every square inch of it until we win. God and time are on our side. We know that our opponents are going to destroy themselves. We just need to help them along.
I've always found it ironic that the states-rights loving, ruggedly-individualistic Red States are generally giant welfare queens. Military bases, cheap water and massive agricultural subsidies are the favorite drugs of many a Republican state.
Respectfully, Jesus rebelled against the moneychangers at the Temple.
When teaching biblical scriptures is considered hate speech and punishable by imprisonment, where will you draw the line?
Besides, liberals don't give a d@#% about our feelings when they take over OUR states.
I say this as a 40 year old native Californian who has watched my home state transformed from a paradise to a dump in my lifetime... and the liberals have offered no apologies. So if we clean up some other state and a few of them get upset, should I care?
Sorry that you don't like what happened to your state, but that doesn't warrant you and your friends' taking over the property of *another* state, does it? It might in fact be more prudent and even more Christian to try and affect change from within, mightn't it?
We need to try some simple civil disobedience. In Redwood California, for example, the ACLU has managed to cow the city government into removing the cross from the city seal. Now, why can't every automobile owner in the city place a sticker of the OLD seal on their automobile. And why couldn't the seal be placed anonymously all over the place? Put so many up that it doesn't matter what the CITY has on their seal, or what the ACLU wants, it's swamped by what the people want.
And in Alabama, why can't the citizens post signs with the Ten Commandments everywhere around and within the courthouse. Why couldn't they have chained themselves to the monument?
There are plenty of things that could be done. For myself, I'm going to the Rally for America on Monday, and I'm bringing my checkbook.
That wouldn't be a problem! Praise god and pass the ammo!
No it wouldn't. Without federal meddling and nannying, we could make some real progress having a real border patrol.
What I would worry about is all the fags and perverts that would run to Texas to try to force the experiment to fail. They see Christians as the enemy and they'll take the opportunity to rub their immorality in our faces.
I'd suggest a v-e-r-y tall fence.
Not "taking over" property... BUYING property, moving in, and voting just like everyone else does. Why is that okay for culture-wreckers to do, but not okay for us to do?
It might in fact be more prudent and even more Christian to try and affect change from within, mightn't it?
Sometimes working within the system is effective, and sometimes it is not. Much depends on whether the system wants to reform, or not. In the case of modern America, what we're seeing is not reform, but its exact opposite: a deliberate, conscious departure from righteousness in the face of strong, vocal, principled opposition. To quote the article, ""Christians have actively tried to return our entire land to its moral foundation for more than 20 years. We can categorically say that absolutely nothing has been achieved."
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