Talk Of Secession Penetrates State Capitals

From Liberty Defense League:

Talk of Secession Penetrates State Capitals


Tue, Sep 14, 2010

Political Action, Secession, Timothy Baldwin

original found here.



On the eve of July 2nd, 1863, Major General George Pickett nervously sat around the camp fire contemplating the infantry assault he would lead in a few hours against the Union position on Cemetery Ridge.



It would be the last day of the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War.



With his comrades, he began to speak about why and how the war started, and he drew an interesting analogy about the South’s desire to secede from the United States.



“Say you joined a Gentlemen’s Club,” Maj. Gen. Pickett articulated. “Then later the club changed the rules not to your liking. Well, you would have every right to quit that club. That’s all we’re doing here. They’ve changed the rules and we want to quit the club,” Pickett said.



Maj. Gen. Pickett, of course, was talking about why Southern states had the right to leave the Union, and why he, like many others of his day, saw no reason why President Abraham Lincoln shouldn’t allow the states to do so, peacefully.



Pickett’s philosophy on secession became a mute point the following afternoon as the Gettysburg assault, known as “Pickett’s Charge”, was badly repulsed by the North, and the attempted charge became a renowned lesson in futility.



The word “secession” is slowly making its way in political dialogue in state capitals around the country, and is also being fueled by nationally known talk show hosts, and other political observers.



“Texas is ready to secede from the nation because of Obama,” famed radio talk show host Russ Limbaugh said on his show. “This (secession) is not the ranting of extreme kookism anymore, some might say the Civil War is already on,” Limbaugh told his 20 million listeners recently.



Texas Governor Rick Perry also floated the issue of secession in 2009 during the Obama health care debate, as it became apparent that the federally mandated legislation might adversely impact states’ financially.



“Hopefully voters will send people to Washington in 2010 and 2012 that will strictly adhere to the Constitution’s defined role for the federal government,” Governor Perry said.



Governor Perry reminded everyone that Texas entered the United States as the 28th state in 1845 as a Sovereign Republic, and many constitutionalists do believe could Texas can legally reclaim that status, even now.



Recent polling in Texas showed that 31% of Texans said the state has the right to secede, and another 18% they’d vote to secede if given the chance.



Secession was also mentioned in this year’s Tennessee gubernatorial Republican primary this year by former Congressman Zach Wamp. The Congressman (who later lost his bid to be the Republican nominee) suggested that Tennessee and other states have the right to consider seceding if the federal government doesn’t change its ways regarding strict mandates.



It is reported that 22 states have some kind of secession legislation under consideration. Most political observers note that the issue of secession is a long way off, but some state legislators are tackling how to make secession a reality – both legally and logistically.



The Alaska Independence Party (AIP) has been pushing for a ballot initiative for some time. It wants to allow Alaska voters decide whether the state should secede from the United States, or become a territory, a separate nation, or accept Commonwealth status.



AIP is the largest third party political organization in the 50 states.



Reporters questioned whether Alaska Governor and Republican vice presidential Sarah Palin was a member of AIP, and while it appears she was not, she did take the organization seriously as Governor, once sending the organization a videotaped welcoming message for use at its state convention.



Fox News talk show host Glenn Beck has also weighed in on state secession. “Tea parties might eventually be about secession. People might say, I think it’s time to get out of this (the United States)”. he said, adding, “You can’t convince me that the founding fathers wouldn’t allow you to secede.”



There was an Independence Day Rally over the weekend in North Augusta, South Carolina, and while only a small number of people attended, it attracted three local television news organizations.



The country is polarized over federally mandated issues, and thus talk of state secession will continue, fueled by an interested media, and a restless electorate.



Some observers believe that a galvanizing event, or the emergence of a prominent national spokesperson, might move talk of state secession from talk show banter – to possible reality