That was tried once, about 140 years ago.
At least one ultra-liberal columnist is inviting the South to "depart in peace". Perhaps when the bumperstickers begin to sprout: [IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SECEDE, TRY, TRY AGAIN!] he will have second thoughts. On the other hand, he's a fairly thoughtless fellow.
http://www.thebulletin.com/archives/2005/june/perspective0617.htm Nobody Wants Unity
Donald Kaul
The movement to forge the countries of Europe into a single economic and political entity, now more than 50 years old, got a pie in the face last month. The voters of La Belle France, one of the founding members of the European community, voted to reject the European Union constitution that had been presented to them for ratification.
The stated purpose of the constitution was to make rational the rules that govern the 25-nation bloc and to lay the groundwork for further growth and unity; in other words, take another step toward the United States of Europe. On the surface that would seem like a pretty good thing for Europe, seeing as how the United States is the Big Cheese right now and China is coming up fast on the outside. Why, then, were the French against it?
· Well, for one thing, they’re French. Give a Frenchman half a chance to vote no on something and he’ll take it. It’s part of the national character.
· There was some suspicion among the laboring classes that the constitution was but a Trojan Horse that would bring in foreign laborers to take their jobs and introduce American business concepts, like mere two-week annual vacations, a mandatory 40-hour workweek and health care only for those who can afford it. This might have been the case, actually; it’s called globalization.
· Hardly anybody understood the document they were voting on. The thing is 450 pages long. That’s not a constitution, that’s a Russian novel.
· Generally speaking, people would rather be among their own kind and exclude all others, whether the distinction be race, color, religion, class or accent. Western Kansas wants to break away from eastern Kansas, for crying out loud. This is why we have so many civil wars.
The French don’t want to be Europeans, they want to be French and it’s the same with Italians, Germans, English and almost every other country. Their histories are stories of warring tribes and they are reluctant to give up their animosities.
How have they come so far in unifying the place then? They haven’t let the people vote much on the issue. The E.U. is the child of the political elites of Europe and ratified by their parliaments, bypassing actual voters. In France, they decided to put it up to a vote. Big mistake. The real question is what happens now?
The short answer to that question is nobody knows. The proponents of the constitution were full of dire predictions if the French voted it down, but people who want your vote always try and scare you. My guess is that, for the time being, Europe Union will go galumphing along, making do with the patchwork of treaties that it now operates under.
Viva la France.
Not that I’m totally against disunity for Europe, or for the United States for that matter. For example, I have long advocated the allowing or even encouraging the states of former Confederacy to secede from the Union, thereby rectifying Lincoln’s error.
I propose that without hostility. It’s just that the American South and North have become vastly different places and I see no reason for them to put up with each other any longer.
Think of the advantages for the former Confederacy:
· It could have a constitution that would do away with the separation of church and state---with the separation of church and practically everything, for that matter. This would undoubtedly lead to:
· A school system in which the primary science text is the Bible.
· Stem cell research being made a sin.
· The restoration of stoning as a punishment for adultery, but only for women. Men would get probation with community service.
In addition:
· NASCAR could become the official national pastime.
· Country the official music.
· Southern the official language.
· Tom DeLay could be president.
I’m telling you folks down South, it would be bliss, a win-win proposition. Think about it. In the meantime, y’all have a good day.