Do you think secession movements will ever gain serious ground again?

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

Aside from Rick Perry shooting his stupid mouth off last year, I think the only notable secession movements have been in Alaska and Vermont.  In the former's case, the AIP nosedived after Walter Hickel's term, and now they can't break 1% of the vote in gubernatorial elections.  In the latter case, the hubbub (if you can even call it that) died down immediately after Bush left office, and the guy they gave two thirds of the vote to took over.

Uh, both of those secession movements are still very much alive and active.

Active doesn't mean they're gaining SERIOUS ground.

[Joe Republic]

Aside from Rick Perry shooting his stupid mouth off last year, I think the only notable secession movements have been in Alaska and Vermont.  In the former's case, the AIP nosedived after Walter Hickel's term, and now they can't break 1% of the vote in gubernatorial elections.  In the latter case, the hubbub (if you can even call it that) died down immediately after Bush left office, and the guy they gave two thirds of the vote to took over.

Uh, both of those secession movements are still very much alive and active.

  Sure, in the same America where Ron Paul has a legitimate shot at winning a presidential election, and anarchism is a feasible system for society.

[Phony Moderate]

Aside from Rick Perry shooting his stupid mouth off last year, I think the only notable secession movements have been in Alaska and Vermont.  In the former's case, the AIP nosedived after Walter Hickel's term, and now they can't break 1% of the vote in gubernatorial elections.  In the latter case, the hubbub (if you can even call it that) died down immediately after Bush left office, and the guy they gave two thirds of the vote to took over.

Uh, both of those secession movements are still very much alive and active.

  Sure, in the same America where Ron Paul has a legitimate shot at winning a presidential election, and anarchism is a feasible system for society.

It's funny that when someone says that O'Donnell would not win the general election in Delaware, Libertas demands facts, and yet when he says that Ron Paul will win the Presidency in 2012....

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

No substantive ones.....

[LBJ Revivalist]

I don't know why people here want to associate so much negativity to secession, outside of their centralized government ideology.

Those who love a UNITED States despise secessionist ideals. There is a firm line between being supportive of state's rights and wanting to sever union with this nation totally.

[Associate Justice PiT]

I don't know why people here want to associate so much negativity to secession, outside of their centralized government ideology.

Those who love a UNITED States despise secessionist ideals. There is a firm line between being supportive of state's rights and wanting to sever union with this nation totally.

     However, there is no requirement that one who loves the United States opposes secession. Loving an area does not necessarily mean wanting to be politically joined to it. I am sure that there are many Americans who love the United Kingdom, but how many of them do you think want to be united with the U.K. under one government?

[Storebought]

Only as a practical matter in the insolvency or military occupation of the "United States."

[LBJ Revivalist]

I don't know why people here want to associate so much negativity to secession, outside of their centralized government ideology.

Those who love a UNITED States despise secessionist ideals. There is a firm line between being supportive of state's rights and wanting to sever union with this nation totally.

     However, there is no requirement that one who loves the United States opposes secession. Loving an area does not necessarily mean wanting to be politically joined to it. I am sure that there are many Americans who love the United Kingdom, but how many of them do you think want to be united with the U.K. under one government?

If you don't want to be politically joined with the US, why do you live here?

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

Aside from Rick Perry shooting his stupid mouth off last year, I think the only notable secession movements have been in Alaska and Vermont.  In the former's case, the AIP nosedived after Walter Hickel's term, and now they can't break 1% of the vote in gubernatorial elections.  In the latter case, the hubbub (if you can even call it that) died down immediately after Bush left office, and the guy they gave two thirds of the vote to took over.

Uh, both of those secession movements are still very much alive and active.

Active doesn't mean they're gaining SERIOUS ground.

And what would constitute "SERIOUS ground"? Firing on Fort Sumter?

If secession is to be achieved, it has to be pursued the correct way. Barring some cataclysmic event, it's not going to happen overnight.

Anyway, as I mentioned, this year is actually the first time ever that the Second Vermont Republic is running it's own candidates, so Joe's claim that Obama somehow killed the secession movement is pretty blatantly false. Secession movements are getting more organized and better mobilized to effect change each and every day now.

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

I don't know why people here want to associate so much negativity to secession, outside of their centralized government ideology.

Those who love a UNITED States despise secessionist ideals. There is a firm line between being supportive of state's rights and wanting to sever union with this nation totally.

     However, there is no requirement that one who loves the United States opposes secession. Loving an area does not necessarily mean wanting to be politically joined to it. I am sure that there are many Americans who love the United Kingdom, but how many of them do you think want to be united with the U.K. under one government?

If you don't want to be politically joined with the US, why do you live here?

The two have nothing to do with each other. Americans have roots here with the land, the people, the institutions they choose to associate with. The regime in Washington is irrelevant to why people stay here, except perhaps in the case of the power-mad politicians themselves.

[Vepres]

Generally, talk of secession is used by passionate opponents of a President/congress to gain attention. If a serious movement does arise, it will be over issues that don't even exist at this time, no doubt.

It would essentially take a region to develop a culture so radically different from the rest of the country that those states/regions would be, from all social (though not political) perspectives, a separate nation before the secession movement gained traction.

[Joe Republic]

Anyway, as I mentioned, this year is actually the first time ever that the Second Vermont Republic is running it's own candidates, so Joe's claim that Obama somehow killed the secession movement is pretty blatantly false.

Well I guess I stand corrected.  After all, the SVR does in fact have a phenomenal 125 members!  Who knows how many more half-dozens (or even dozens!) more members they could have recruited after they stopped issuing memberships five years ago.

[Beet]

Here's the problem. Secessionist movements put themselves in a highly, highly polarizing situation in which they are at a disadvantage and their opponents are at an advantage. In politics, that's generally the worst position that you can possibly put yourself in.

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

Anyway, as I mentioned, this year is actually the first time ever that the Second Vermont Republic is running it's own candidates, so Joe's claim that Obama somehow killed the secession movement is pretty blatantly false.

Well I guess I stand corrected.  After all, the SVR does in fact have a phenomenal 125 members!  Who knows how many more half-dozens (or even dozens!) more members they could have recruited after they stopped issuing memberships five years ago.

Yes, the movement has outgrown the stage of issuing membership cards. A lot of organizations have stopped issuing official membership cards considering it's a pointless and outdated practice, plus it gives fedgov and hate groups like the SPLC an easy enemies list to target.

Thus your giving a count of official members from five years ago means nothing. The movement for secession is far greater than the people who actively joined the SVR organization in it's infancy. It is a grassroots movement, not a top-down directed organization.

[Associate Justice PiT]

I don't know why people here want to associate so much negativity to secession, outside of their centralized government ideology.

Those who love a UNITED States despise secessionist ideals. There is a firm line between being supportive of state's rights and wanting to sever union with this nation totally.

     However, there is no requirement that one who loves the United States opposes secession. Loving an area does not necessarily mean wanting to be politically joined to it. I am sure that there are many Americans who love the United Kingdom, but how many of them do you think want to be united with the U.K. under one government?

If you don't want to be politically joined with the US, why do you live here?

     I live here as a matter of pure happenstance. I wouldn't really care one way or the other if California seceded from the United States.

[Joe Republic]

Thus your giving a count of official members from five years ago means nothing. The movement for secession is far greater than the people who actively joined the SVR organization in it's infancy. It is a grassroots movement, not a top-down directed organization.

Perhaps you're right.  Maybe the SVR candidates can count on over five hundred real people to vote for them this November!  And who knows, perhaps most of those voters will understand exactly what they just voted for!

[Storebought]

I will modify my previous comment: A secession driven entirely by a political process will not happen unless/until the "US" faces some terminal financial crisis -- eg. individual states refusing to accept repayment of their portion of a debt incurred by the US Treasury as a whole.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

I think Mississippi seceded and just didn't tell anyone

[Zarn]

Excessive breaches of the Constitution could do it.