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.
Hmm, good luck with that guys - nothing is going to happen of course.
You'd be far more likely to have some sort of an effect by moving to a battleground state like FL, but oh well.
If they are serious, I swear my family and I will join them. No question. For now, I'm getting ready. A change is coming.
Oh yeah, that worked real well last time.
There's no contesting that the black-robed tyrants have foisted upon all moral people an intolerable situation. All the same, things are going to get really ugly really fast if any state attempts to secede from the Union.
Sadly, I am at a loss on how this intolerable situation can be remedied in any other way that will cut the legs out from under the anti-morality, pro-Leftist, pro-criminal, pro-perversion judicial tyranny we face.
Sounds like a good idea to draw attention.
WND Poll:
What do you think of the campaign to get Christians to move to South Carolina and then secede from the union?
It's just as brave as American colonists declaring independence from Britain 23.96% (81)
Christians are the majority in the U.S., why do they need to retreat to South Carolina? 17.75% (60)
It will fail, but may dramatize problem of America's increasingly anti- Christian culture 17.16% (58)
Feds will never allow secession – remember the Civil War? 10.06% (34)
I like the idea, but I'd prefer another state to South Carolina 7.69% (26)
The idea is intriguing, and I'd like to find out more information 7.10% (24)
It's insane 5.62% (19)
I'm on my way to South Carolina to support this 4.44% (15)
It's so radical, it will appeal only to a tiny fringe 3.25% (11)
It's a good idea, but not enough people will join in for it to work 2.96% (10)
Those would would tear up the definition of our democratic society for the lusts and predilections of a few are the real threats to the social fabric. We don't need anything new, we just need to ostracize the anarchists hiding behind their false (and rarely held) ideals, and berate them for their depravity and their lack of judgment.
This is equally a secular issue as well as a religious one. Anyone who says that it's the issue of separating church from state that prevents us from dealing with it are part of that tyranny of the minority.
The Japanese already beat you to it, stick to Boca Raton ...
I do believe SC was burned to the ground the last time this was tried. I don't expect it will do much more good if it's tried again.
Secession over Roe would have been perfectly justified.
I would pick Colorado myself. But you know, anywhere that respects my values looks good to me at this point. Give me a culture that values ordered, moral-based liberty again (no, not oppressively, but with the consent of the governed) and I'll live anywhere. I am finished with a fiscal nanny and social anarchist state.
It's not about a theocracy. It would still endorse freedom of religion. If you're an atheist who believes in moral community standards (not necessarily legislated, but not outlawed by government either) and the right of the people to make their own laws, then join up. It's just a back to the basics idea. It's not about legislating Christianity. I would be firmly against that. But religious expression would not be banned and labeled coercive, even in the public square.
Christian is another word that is being redefined.
Not off to a good start. South Carolina doesn't make near as much sense as Alabama or Mississippi. AL or MS would have a much better chance of getting the other to join, and perhaps TN, KY, AR, LA, maybe even TX & OK, than SC would NC or GA. If this idea ever had a chance, the key to success would be strength in numbers, and putting together the largest contiguous block possible.
Of course it will never happen, but an interesting 'what if' scenario, kinda like political 'Risk' Get a solid block from TX/OK to TN/AL, and you'd then have a shot at KS & NB, which could then pull in WY and UT, maybe ID. Do all that, and GA would probably come along. Now you've got a booming, self-sufficient Southern/Flyover block, that if successful in secession would more than hold its own economically, at some point perhaps luring the Dakotas, WV, and maybe even NC and CO.
OK, back to reality.
Same things that piss these folks off are on my radar too but this is not a state by state issue or even exclusively regional....it might be urban versus rural outside the South.
Nay, it's simply that we now have a sharply divided nation with our side driving the train but the left controls the tracks and the furnace and the whistle stops along the way.
Only cataclysm will stop this slide. We should pray for our descendents to prevail in the future, for this battle is surely coming.
NB=NE
OBTW, the new conservative republic would need a capitol, and appropriately it should go in the most miserable place possible, to insure lawmakers want to minimize their time there(and thus minimize their sessions.) So I nominate that the capitol be located either in Houston and only allowed to meet in summer, or Cheyenne and only allowed to meet in the dead of winter.
Heck, I went to see Shrek2 and they portrayed Pinocchio (sp?) as a boy who wore women's underwear -- a thong. They had a character known as "the ugly step-sister" who was a male cross-dresser and had the hots for Prince Charming.
Major Corporations (even media corp.) that annually give to the United Way refuse to let the money go to the Boy Scouts becuase they don't want gay scoutmasters. Kids are being taught in school that gay behavior is just another lifestyle choice. On and on...
I hope this organization is aware that S. Carolina is being invaded by illegal aliens and has one of the highest populations of blacks in the country. Not exactly a "conservative" base of population.
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