Secession

[Zarn]

I would love it if Texas seceded, George W. Bush wouldn't get to be president anymore.

He was born in Connecticut, IIRC.

 

[Shadylookin]

He was born in Connecticut, IIRC.

not to mention even if he were from Texas you can't just have your citizenship revoked as the US accepts dual citizenship. You have to specifically request it to be revoked and apparently it's a pretty big pain to pull it off.

 

[gangleri2001]

Billboards, stop signs, DO NOT PARK HERE signs, etc.

You have restaurant menus in Catalan too?

Yes, of course we have both.

 

[choxorn]

It was meant to be funny. Does no one understand my lack of ability to be serious?

 

[lovett]

I voted no, but I need to qualify that.

If a State's legislature approves secession, that's fine and I wish them well. If "Merle's Freeland" tries to secede with their 10,000 acres and 200 people, crush them like dogs.

But do you support the general principle of self-determination?

I.e, That people have a right to determine their own political status and method of governance?

And if so, how do you square these two positions?

 

[silver 2039]

I support secession in all other countries except my own.

 

[RedRalph]

If Cork tried to get away, I'd let them... they'd be our vassal state anyway.

 

[bhsup]

But do you support the general principle of self-determination?

I.e, That people have a right to determine their own political status and method of governance?

And if so, how do you square these two positions?

Not really. The borders are set. But States within the USA are sovereign in their own right so I would not be opposed to them leaving the Federation that they are willing members of.

What other nations do is their business. I couldn't care less if Russia forces Chechnya to stay.

 

[Winner]

We didn't fight the Slovaks when they decided to leave so I don't see any reason why to vote "yes".

 

[LucyDuke]

I will always support independence movements, if they have real merit to them. "I don't want to live in the same state as the NY Mets, so I'm taking Buffalo and making my own country called Billsistan" is stupid, but "Congress is not addressing our concerns as well as we could, and our way of life is in danger enough that we feel the taking up of arms validated" is of course valid. After all, our nation was born from a rebellion based on grievances, I would be hypocritical if I were to deny any other people the right to govern themselves if they so wish to be.

Inversely, I also understand the potential merits of being a protectorate, client state, or colony, but when the will of the people is to govern themselves, they have no right to be denied it.

Secession is the last resort, not the first. Depending on the situation, it may call for revolution, it may call for secession. Secession has the added implication that it is a specific region whose concerns are not being addressed, and the neglect is to their own detriment. Revolution seems more applicable if it is a part of the populace, and not a geographic thing; for example, the French Revolution, where it was a percentage of the population across the country who was up in arms; in the American Revolution, it was the concerns of the colonials, an obviously geographically seperate entity from mainland England, or the rest of the Empire. Or, for example, the Indian Partition, where it was a percentage of the average populace who was upset, but who was more concentrated in some areas than others (mainly East Bengal, the Nizam of Hyderabad, and the provinces that became West Pakistan), and so secession was demmed necessary (though mostly in this case by Jinnah), even though Muslims were spread out throughout India.

Those are really good posts.

I would love it if Texas seceded, George W. Bush wouldn't get to be president anymore.

1. He weren't born thar.
2. He's only got seven months left.
3. I would also love it if Texas seceded.

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

Those are really good posts.

Thanks.

One more thing I meant to mention when I was talking about Pakistan. In 1971, when East Pakistan broke away to form Bangladesh, it was precisely for the reasons I described; they were a seperate geographic entity whose concerns were not being addressed by the government in Karachi, and it did not make sense for them to throw over and form a new Pakistani government, since the Bengalis would have been equally unable to address the needs of West Pakistan, even though they were clearly the majority.

That the Indian government had a hand in booting the Pakistani Army out of Bangladesh is not important.

 

[holy king]

i think we should give away carinthia to slovenia.
would be fun to see all those right wingers under slavic rule...