(I never thought I'd get to post this poster)
Posted on 10/03/2007 6:23:44 AM PDT by free_life
Charleston Daily Mail Secessionists from South and New England to meet
The Associated Press
Wednesday October 03, 2007
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- In an unlikely marriage of desire to secede from the United States, two advocacy groups from opposite political traditions -- New England and the South -- are sitting down to talk.
Tired of foreign wars and what they consider right-wing courts, the Middlebury Institute wants liberal states like Vermont to be able to secede peacefully.
That sounds just fine to the League of the South, a conservative group that refuses to give up on Southern independence.
"We believe that an independent South, or Hawaii, Alaska, or Vermont would be better able to serve the interest of everybody, regardless of race or ethnicity," said Michael Hill of Killen, Ala., president of the League of the South.
Separated by hundreds of miles and divergent political philosophies, the Middlebury Institute and the League of the South are hosting a two-day Secessionist Convention starting today in Chattanooga.
They expect to attract supporters from California, Alaska and Hawaii, inviting anyone who wants to dissolve the Union so states can save themselves from an overbearing federal government.
If allowed to go their own way, New Englanders "probably would allow abortion and have gun control," Hill said, while Southerners "would probably crack down on illegal immigration harder than it is being now."
The U.S. Constitution does not explicitly prohibit secession, but few people think it is politically viable.
Vermont, one of the nation's most liberal states, has become a hotbed for liberal secessionists, a fringe movement that gained new traction because of the Iraq war, rising oil prices and the formation of several pro-secession groups.
Thomas Naylor, the founder of one of those groups, the Second Vermont Republic, said the friendly relationship with the League of the South doesn't mean everyone shares all the same beliefs.
But Naylor, a retired Duke University professor, said the League of the South shares his group's opposition to the federal government and the need to pursue secession.
"It doesn't matter if our next president is Condoleeza (Rice) or Hillary (Clinton), it is going to be grim," said Naylor, adding that there are secessionist movements in more than 25 states, including Hawaii, Alaska, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Texas.
The Middlebury Institute, based in Cold Spring, N.Y., was started in 2005. Its followers, disillusioned by the Iraq war and federal imperialism, share the idea of states becoming independent republics. They contend their movement is growing.
The first North American Separatist Convention was held last fall in Vermont, which, unlike most Southern states, supports civil unions. Voters there elected a socialist to the U.S. Senate.
Can we question their patriotism?
A World Of Warcraft convention would be more interesting, and infinitely more practical.
I have a better idea:
Repeal the 14th amendment and return to the original structure of government.
States can be free to be as liberal or conservative as they please. They will also be in competition for people and jobs.
Who do you think will win?
not again!
rather then let this spin out of control into another civil war leading to the deaths of thousands how about we pre-emptively dispose of these twits now?
LOL
Vermont was once an independent state (that was the first VT republic); so was Hawaii (not a republic). If the US ever crumbles these 2 flaky edges will be the first to fall off.
I can. Kooks ready to start a civil war.
Libertarian ping! To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here.
Before we start the talk of secession, we need mass migration of armed conservatives to the seceding state(s).
I vote for California. A few million red-staters could knock over Los Angeles and San Francisco in a few hours, and the state would be ours. From there we take Oregon and Washington and own the coast.
Being stuck in a blue state i would hate for the country to break up. The southern states keep the lunatics in check
There is recipe for success. no population and no guns to protect them from expansionist Canada.
Between the overthrow of the monarchy and annexation by the US, Hawaii was a republic.
Do you really think a meeting of kooks qualifies as breaking news?
I somehow doubt that an independent Vermont would have much gun control at all, just as the current State of Vermont has probably some of the best gun rights in the entire country.
Yeah? Them and what army?
Maybe Vermont should try just one year without paying any federal taxes or collecting any federal highway money, education money or HHS money and just see how it goes for them.
They're protected by the fact that most Canadians don't want them.
And this would be different how?
What year this is?
I’m a Southerner but I think the League of the South is full of KOOKS.
And here I was worried someone would correct me by saying “not a republic! a monarchy!”
send Biden to mediate
Secessionitis has returned?
Don’t tell me we’re going to have to burn Atlanta again.
spoken like another Yankee know it all. You probably have a Franken ‘08 sign up in your yard already.
True that. Most people don't realize there are two wholly-separate cultures in Vermont: an extremely liberal one, and an extremely old-school, backwoods individualist-type one.
And us Border Ruffians here in Missouri think those Kansans have been getting kinda uppity here lately.
Unfortunately we don’t have enough of them, especially in the east. One of the downsides of having a mostly urban population.
yea but sometimes I think the there are more people than we think who understand Freedom and Liberty but our voices get drowned out by the communist funded media. I often wonder what Russia is doing with its immense oil and natural gas money because it sure as hell isn’t going to provide economy for its people. My guess is some of it is going into propaganda that you can read or watch in the Guardian, NYT, LAT, Reuters, Associated Press, Stars and Stripes etc. I just don’t believe that the school of Marx, the Frankfurt school and the likes have given up on destroying Capitalism and human freedom to instill an engineered society complete with Orwellian freedoms. etc
You'll never guess which Presidential candidate speaks for affiliated groups?
I suspect that a lot of money is flowing from Saudi Arabia to the mainstream media. I’ve heard that rabidly anti-Bush columnist Eric Margolis is on the Kingdom’s payroll.
The Government of the CSA is
Being Re-staffed
Positions are Available
Direct CSA Link on this Federation of States Web Site
OR
Also Click URLs below for CSA Government Web Site
www.ConfederateStatesofAmerica.org
or www.ConfederateStatesofAmericaGov.org
www.CSAgov.org
For some reason this reminds me of the Hatfield/McCoy Annual Reunion.
Sorry ‘bout that.
Pedantry R us.
Hawaii governments: monarchy, republic, territory, state.
The Constitution is the contractual agreement between the people of the various states and the Federal government whereby the former cedes some specifically enumerated powers to the latter. When the federal government fails to live up to its contractual obligations then the contract is null and void and the people are free from their obligations under said contract. I’d say the constant and increasingly egregious violations of the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th and 10th Amendments to name but a few constitute, at best, the failure of the federal government to honor the contract. At worst these abuses are an outright manifestation of the complete contempt in which the federal government holds the people and their rights and liberties. In other words, if they have had enough, the people of Vermont, League of the South, et. al are free to go peaceably.
i have GREAT idea.
i call it “the united states”
1.all states govern on their on.
2.in case of an attack all states act as one to protect the other states
that is all.
People always act like this is so unique to their state. But it's common. First off all 13 colonies were independent states before and after the Revolution. It took several years to write and ratify the Constitution, which is where we were really joined. Texas was independent as well as part of Mexico, Spain and France before joining up. ("Six Flags"), California was the Bear Republic. I'm sure there were others. Some areas went diretly from European control to American: the Louisiana purchase and Alaska come to mind.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.