Citizens from 15 states file petitions to secede from the US

[Sideways]

http://www.examiner.com/article/citizens-15-states-file-petitions-to-secede-from-united-states

I can't believe this. What is our country coming to when citizens want to secede. Please do note that most of the states are mostly southern states. Opinions?

[Xortberg]

I heard it's up to 19 now. On one hand, it's stupid as fuck and likely just a kneejerk reaction by a bunch of ignorant rednecks. On the other hand, there are a lot of ignorant rednecks. I hope it doesn't end up going anywhere, but given the sheer number of people I know who despise Obama and think he's actually the Antichrist, I wouldn't be entirely surprised if it does.

I just hope that if something does come of it, we don't have a repeat of the last attempt at secession >_>

Also, relevant.

[Milkyway64]

[Dr. Orange]

Seceding states eh? I heard it's up to 47 states. Only Washington, Maine, and Vermont haven't had petitions.

...

At least it ain't about Slavery.

[Drasiana]

Relax guys there's no way this is going to happen.

Even Texas, who has the most signatures (25k, I think?) is still hardly a dent in their population of several million. It'd also be hilarious trying to see, like, Alabama survive as an independant nation, so y'know. Not happening.

[CrypticQuery]

The fact that those who actually put their names onto these petitions for legitimate reasons actually think they could survive more than a few days as a member of an independent nation is laughable.

[Xortberg]

I'm actually talking to someone who's pissed that his state has a petition. He looked into it, and apparently most of the signatures he saw on his state's petition were from people in OTHER STATES.

What the hell.

[Thu'um]

Lol, you know. I'd actualy like to take a state or two and eject them from the union, . We could have realty tv shows about how they try to survive.

[Drasiana]

Well if we drop one of them at least we won't have to worry about adding another star if we end up officializing Puerto Rico's statehood.

[Xidphel]

[Fana McCloud]

It won't happen yet at the same time I would be SO happy if they did. I'd love to see them bawl when they have to pay import taxes on stuff coming from China through California's harbors when they try to truck it in - since, yanno, we'll no longer share the same country with 'em and all. You think taxation is bad now. The collective provincial attitudes of the bible thumping south just pisses me off on general principal, so I won't miss them too much.

Except the cool people in the south who aren't utter retards - I'm okay with you guys, and I know you exist. >:3

[Harlow]

Spain: Bitches please!

As if that's going to happen. It's way too comfortable to be American and all states are too lazy to war it up, You just need to look at Puerto Rico. (Which I doubt they're actually going to unite. Congress isn't that accepting)

If they finally accept them, you'll better merge states, It'll be easier, just like the Fairly Oddparents:

[Wes]

Nobody gives a shit about online petitions.

[Dublinthefox]

This has to be one of the most childish and idiotic things I've ever come across. Have people just given up on their patriotism?

[Vulvokunvrii]

WOw...so many immature people...."Oh no, the guy we wanted isn't president! Lets be immature idiots and secede like a child who was a denied a cookie and cries in the corner about it!"

Pfft. Wow...just wow....so many weak willed people....I'd say more, but probably get in trouble.

[Patch93]

These people are taking this way too seriously. So what if Obama got relected? Would Romney really do anything better than him?

[sroberson]

I haven't really looked too deep into these petitions but I get the idea its a bunch of sour conservatives and doomsday prophets that really annoy me because of their extremist and uncalled for attitude.

Now, having said that, I admit I have played with the idea of supporting ceding from the Union...not so much because of political angst but more so out of complete distaste for the irresponsible use of taxes to (insert all kinds of personal issues I have with shipping money overseas, silly wars, and corporate welfare)...but this sort of reasoning that is going on now is just dumb.

[Sideways]

I think most people have the same views that I do. I think its mainly the south being "butthurt" because a black man, Obama.. is the president again. They don't want it, so they'll secede from the US. Good luck with that. Doubtful that it will be allowed to happen. Or maybe it's a sign of worse things to come.

[Faisul]

Note that, for petitions to even be accepted for review by Washington, it has to have 25k signatures. This is a pathetically tiny fraction of many of these states and basically identifies who is and who isn't a whiny crybaby that's got a major boo-boo on because their super duper candidate didn't get elected for presidency. It's conservatives throwing tantrums and nothing more, they've pulled this crap before and nothing came of it.

Congress preserves the privilege to say 'fuck off,' pretty much. And these people are kidding themselves if they think they could maintain nationhood successfully just due to the sheer amount of work involved. Interestingly some polls (where I found them, or even by what agency they were conducted, I can't remember; take it with a grain of salt) have shown that, should push come to shove, a majority of even these lovely secession-happy cuties would refrain from supporting a declaration of secession. It's posturing and it's funny.

ALSO,

[Brutus]

[Sideways]

LOL RON PAUL.

[Fana McCloud]

LOL RON PAUL.

Yet he's not at all wrong about the right to secede IMHO - I just think that it'd be very stupid tactically for the red states to actually do so. XD Whether they like it or not, they rely an awful lot on the labors and tax dollars of other states: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/11/states-federal-taxes-spending-charts-maps My state (California) actually receives LESS in aid/programs than it contributes - in other words their states lean on US financially (as well as a few more states, the majority of which happen to be blue states but there are a few exceptions like Texas). Do they honestly think that tossing their poor under the bus by eliminating welfare programs would help anything? Instead they'd have more panhandlers and homeless dying of starvation.

[Faisul]

The 'right' to secede was pretty much written off the books after the Civil War. Modern society, economics and demographics is also so very different from what was around back then that it is pretty dumb for Ron Paul to talk about secession as a valid form of action, at least in the US. Though, being a libertarian, I'm not surprised he calls for a serious consideration of the possibility and legality of secession, which is fair enough, I suppose. Cuz' nothing would help him and his fellow ideologues to achieve success more than total anarchy and lasseiz faire economies in the post-secession Southern wastelands.

On a more serious note, seceding would be if not certainly, at least very likely, a total and irrevocable disaster for the US the more states that leave the union, if we even want to begin considering that hypothetical. Personally, I think all this hoo-haw about secession is part of the desperate last kicks and screams of the hardline right-wing in America as well as a consequence of being spoonfed the idea by Fox & co that Mitt winning the presidency was a foregone conclusion. Nothing causes shock and outrage easier than having certainties - erroneous they may be - shattered before your very eyes.

Note that if you read the comment section on some of these petition sites you'll get the 'I'm not racist but I'm actually a hardcore racist' brand of criticism of the president. It's unfortunate that this nonsense is still going on.

[DZComposer]

There are no provisions in the constitution for a state to leave the union. The Articles of Confederation went even further, and declared that the union was permanent. Yeah, we threw the articles out, but if the founders wanted states to be able to leave at will, they would have created a process for it.

I don't know why people are making a big deal of this. It's just a bunch of butthurt Republicans.

Here is some perspective. At the time of this post, the Texas petition had 109603 signatures. There are 25145561 living in Texas as of the 2010 census. THe number has obviously gone up, but it is a reliable number so I'll stick with it (and correcting the error would be even more in favor of this point anyway).

So, let's do some math: 109603 / 25145561 = .0043. In other words, 0.43% of the population of Texas has signed this, and that DOESN'T account for out-of-state signatures. Not so impressive a number now, is it?

Also, in that video Ron Paul proved he is an idiot with this statement:

"It's VERY American to talk about secession!"

Right, so it is "VERY American" to not want to be part of America anymore. Riiiiiiiight.

Look, kids, Ron Paul is a Republican who likes to pretend he's a libertarian. Yeah, he talks about being different and radical. To that I say look at his congressional record. He voted with the Republicans the vast majority of the time. He's also a racist. You don't let racist shit go out in your name and not retract it until it becomes politically inconvenient if you disagreed with what was said!

I will say this: he was a damn-good OB/GYN, but he's a terrible politician.

So, to recap, Republicans are butthurt, there is no right to secede, Ron Paul is a racist a fraud and a moron, and less than 1% of Texans have signed the petition.

[Patch93]