Secession and Civil War

But what do we mean by the American Revolution? Do we mean the American war? The Revolution was effected before the war commenced. The Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people; a change in their religious sentiments, of their duties and obligations…This radical change in the principles, opinions, sentiments, and affections of the people was the real American Revolution. ~ John Adams, Letter to H. Niles, February 13, 1818 

 

States Seceding from the Union?

FOX News(2009) reported that Texas Gov. Rick Perry fired up an anti-tax “tea party” on April 15, 2009, with his stance against the federal government and for states’ rights as some in his U.S. flag-waving audience shouted, “Secede!” An animated Perry told the crowd at Austin City Hall – one of three tea parties he was attending across the state – that officials in Washington have abandoned the country’s founding principles of limited government. He said the federal government is strangling Americans with taxation, spending, and debt. Perry repeated his running theme that Texas’ economy is in relatively good shape compared with other states and with the “federal budget mess.” Many in the crowd held signs deriding President Barack Obama and the $786 billion federal economic stimulus package. Later, answering news reporters’ questions, Perry suggested Texans, at some point, might get so fed up they would want to secede from the union, though he said he sees no reason why Texas should do that.

The Huffington Post (2009) reported that Perry said, “There are a lot of different scenarios.” “We’ve got a great union. There’s absolutely no reason to dissolve it. But if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, you know, who knows what might come out of that? But Texas is a very unique place, and we’re a pretty independent lot to boot.” He said when Texas entered the union in 1845, it was with the understanding it could pull out. However, according to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, Texas negotiated the power to divide into four additional states at some point if it wanted to but not the right to secede. Texas did secede in 1861, but the North’s victory in the Civil War put an end to that.

The HuffPost (2009) further reported that Perry is running for re-election against U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, a fellow Republican. His anti-Washington remarks have become more strident the past few weeks as that 2010 race gets going. Perry had rejected $550 million in federal economic stimulus money slated to help Texas’ unemployment trust fund. Perry said the stimulus money would come with strings attached that would leave Texas paying the bill once the federal money ran out.

Johanna Neuman (2009) of the Los Angeles Times reported that Gov. Rick Perry – the hero of Hurricane Katrina who made way for thousands of evacuees from Louisiana and Mississippi – is facing a tough primary challenge this year from popular Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. So, maybe he should be forgiven for a little hyperbole. However, even when invoking the patriots of 1773 who dumped tea in the Boston Harbor to protest the British crown’s “taxation without representation,” threatening to leave the country seems a bit severe. Before a fired-up crowd on the steps of Austin City Hall, some in his U.S. flag-waving audience shouting, “Secede!” Perry said Texas’ economy was in relatively good shape compared with other states and with the “federal budget mess.”

Lauren Kornreich (2009) of CNN reported that Actor Chuck Norris has his eyes on the presidency, but not the White House. Norris wrote that if the state were ever to secede from the Union, he would be interested in becoming the president of Texas. “I may run for president of Texas,” Norris wrote in a column posted at WorldNetDaily. “That need may be a reality sooner than we think. If not me, someone someday may again be running for president of the Lone Star state, if the state of the union continues to turn into the enemy of the state.” The actor claimed, “Thousands of cell groups will be united around the country in solidarity over the concerns for our nation” and said that if states decide to secede from the union, that Texas would lead the way. “Anyone who has been around Texas for any length of time knows exactly what we’d do if the going got rough in America,” Norris wrote. “Let there be no doubt about that.”

Texas is not the only state considering seceding from the Union. Montana is also contemplating seceding. The Free Republic (2008) reported that Secretary of State Brad Johnson of Montana delivered a letter to the Washington Times about possible outcomes of the Heller decision. The U.S. Supreme Court will soon decide D.C. v. Heller, the first case in more than 60 years in which the court will confront the meaning of the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Although Heller is about the constitutionality of the D.C. handgun ban, the court’s decision will have an impact far beyond the District. The court must decide in Heller whether the Second Amendment secures a right for individuals to keep and bear arms or merely grants states the power to arm their militias, the National Guard. This latter view is called the “collective rights” theory. Numerous Montana lawmakers have concurred in a resolution raising this contract-violation issue. It’s posted at progunleaders.org. The United States would do well to keep its contractual promise to the states that the Second Amendment secures an individual right now as it did upon execution of the statehood contract.

Radley Balko (2008) of the Reason Magazine of the Republic of Montana reported, “Some speak of a ‘living constitution,’ the meaning of which may evolve and change over time,” supporters of the resolution explain on their website. “However, the concept of a ‘living contract,’ one to be disregarded or revised at the whim of one party thereto, is unknown.” Therefore, they argue, “A collective rights holding in Heller would not only open the Pandora’s Box of unilaterally morphing contracts, it would also poise Montana to claim appropriate and historically entrenched remedies for contract violation.” Said remedies include opting out of its breached compact with the federal government – in other words, seceding from the Union.

Daniel Person (2009), Bozeman Daily Chronicle staff writer, wrote that whether a resolution debated on the House floor on April 22, 2009, was a call for secession or an affirmation of the U.S. Constitution depended on who was doing the talking at any given moment. Montana House Resolution 3, sponsored by Rep. Michael More, R-Gallatin Gateway, was an over-generalization on state rights. “For those of you who would like the abbreviated version, here it is: The right to govern is derived from the consent of the governed. That is what this resolution is all about,” said Rep. More. Among other things, the resolution states that “any acts of Congress that abridge protected individual freedoms are not law and are void” and “every state has a right to ignore or reject all unwarranted assumptions of power by other entities within its boundaries.” Knowing the charges were coming, Rep. More said the resolution was not about seceding from the union, only an affirmation of the rights granted by the Constitution. The resolution failed on a 50-50 vote. All 50 Republicans voted for the resolution, and all 50 Democrats voted against the resolution.

Phyllis Schlafly (2005) wrote in the Lodi News-Sentinel: Does Hawaii want to secede from the Union? That sounds like a preposterous question, but the official Office of Hawaiian Affairs advertises on its website that the legislation scheduled for vote in the United States Senate will give Native Hawaiians “self-determination” to choose “total independence” or any other form of government. Hawaii is asking the U.S. Senate to create a Hawaiian race-based government for persons with Native Hawaiian blood living anywhere in the United States. I am not making this up. It is real. According to S. 147, a Native Hawaiian is anyone of the “indigenous, native people of Hawaii” who is a “direct lineal descendant of the aboriginal, indigenous, native people” who resided in the Hawaiian Islands before 1893 and “exercised sovereignty” in that region. That convoluted definition must have been written by lawyers.

Schlafly (2005) further wrote that the use of the word sovereignty is peculiar because only nations and kings or queens exercise sovereignty. Hawaii was a monarchy in 1893, and Queen Liliuokalani exercised sovereignty, but the bill can’t mean only her direct lineal descendants. So, to be a Native Hawaiian, you don’t need to have lived in Hawaii or ever had any affiliation with Native Hawaiian culture, language, or politics. You just need to have one drop of the right kind of blood. To find these pots of gold at the end of the rainbow, the Native Hawaiians want to pretend they are a “tribe.” This is fantasyland: the sponsors must have been reading too much Harry Potter. Creating a race-based society would take us in the wrong direction, a step backwards, offensive to our Constitution and to our national commitment to equal justice for all.

Secession or Civil War?

(The Civil War) created in this country what had never existed before—a national consciousness. It was not the salvation of the Union; it was the rebirth of the Union. ~ Woodrow Wilson, Memorial Day Address, 1915

There has been talk about states seceding from the Union as discussed above. If Barack Hussein Obama and the rest of his Chicago gang and czars turn the United States into a socialist state, then it may not be a distasteful idea to consider seceding from the Union. Texas, Hawaii, Montana, Vermont, California, Alaska, and maybe other states have or are considering such a move. Hawaii and Texas were the only two states of the USA that were at one time sovereign nations. So, going back to their origins is not totally out of the question.

The Philippines used to be a territory of the United States and became a sovereign nation. United States territories D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, United States Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa could do the same thing. However, D.C. would probably rather be a “kept” territory and stay on the virtual plantation since most of its citizens are those who want Obamacare, handouts, and entitlements. Their mindset is stuck on the “plantation.”

A slave is one who waits for someone else to free him. ~ Rosellen Brown, American author & university instructor in English and creative writing

I don’t know if native Hawaiians think the same way. However, Senator Daniel K. Inouye, D-Hawaii, is doing everything he can to increase native Hawaiian entitlements and “pork” projects to keep them on the “beaches” if not the sugar/pineapple plantations. Another state that could secede because of its disenfranchised, remote location, and being formerly a territory of the United States, Alaska could consider seceding also. Thus, if Comrade Hussein Obama and his over 50 czars accomplish their power grab, more talk will come about regarding (a) seceding from the Union, (b) voting Obama out of office in 2012 (which may not arrive because with one big manmade catastrophic incident, he may declare martial law and forcibly take over the country as a dictator), (c) starting impeachment proceedings, or (d) considering civil war (again).

If the States do not have the right to secede, then they have no rights at all. ~ Dr. Walter Williams, George Mason University Economics Department

Martial law is not an original thought of mine. In an Associated Press (2008) article published in the Austin American Statesman, State Board of Education Member Cynthia Dunbar isn’t backing down from her claim that Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama is sympathetic to terrorists plotting to attack the United States. The Texas Freedom Network, a watchdog group that monitors the board, released a public statement on November 3, 2008, asking Dunbar to retract the statement. “I don’t have anything in there that would be retractable,” said Dunbar, R-Richmond. “Those are my personal opinions, and I don’t think the language is questionable.” In a column posted on the Christian Worldview Network Website, Dunbar wrote that a terrorist attack on America during the first six months of an Obama administration “will be a planned effort by those with whom Obama truly sympathizes to take down the America that is threat to tyranny.” She also suggests Obama would seek to expand his power by declaring martial law throughout the country.

Of course, Obama may not be able to get the entire military and law enforcement to follow his commands. That is why he is moving forward to develop a Civilian National Security Force (CNSF) with the budget, size, secrecy, and armed power equivalent to that possessed by the military. He was planning to funnel $8.5 billion into the ACORN organization until they were derailed by national heroes James O’Keefe and Hannah Giles. This CNSF move of Obama’s is scary because when Glenn Beck asks who is the “enemy” within the United States that would require Obama to establish such a civilian armed force, the only sensible conclusion that one can come to is the right-wing, republic-loving conservatives, veterans, and senior citizens who oppose his socialistic programs and ideology.

Friends, patriots, and loyal grassroots Americans, there is a battle looming ahead of us. Be prepared and be vigilant! Some good quotes to know:

• “Don’t tread on me.” ~ Legend under the coiled rattlesnake on the Gadsden flag.
• “I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” ~ Patrick Henry, March 1775.
• “I only regret that I have but one life to give my country.” ~ Nathan Hale.
• “I want my country back!” ~ Rick Roberts, 760 KFMB AM.
• “Duty, Honor, Country” ~ General Douglas MacArthur.
• “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” ~ Preamble to the United States Constitution.
• And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor. ~ Last sentence of the Declaration of Independence.

All we ask is to be left alone. ~ Jefferson Davis (1808–1889), First Message to the Confederate Congress, March 1861

The Problem

I have lived for over 68 years. In all those years since Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Hideki Tojo, Joseph Stalin, and Mao Zedong (or Tse-tung), I have never seen any leader or president as dangerous as Barack Hussein Obama. This man must be stopped at the polls. I am an eight-year Air Force veteran, a minority originally from Hawaii, and a loyal American of Japanese Ancestry (AJA). I love our country too much to see this man take it down with all of his socialistic programs. Never a day goes by without Breaking News of something else strange that the Administration is involved in. Things are so bizarre, so surreal. The Obama administration is moving at warp speed to transform America into a third-world banana republic. Let’s not allow that to happen. Citizens of the United States of America, UNITE, and never give up until this cancer is removed from the body politic! Above all, never give in.

Corey Cramer (2009) of the Des Moines Republican Examiner said that I know Obama is a Marxist. I will not wait until our country is destroyed to speak out. I will not be silenced by this evil man or his brainwashed minions. And neither should you. Take a good look at your children. If we don’t speak out now, if our voices aren’t heard loud and clear, your kids will have a bloody battle on their hands if they ever wish to be free from the bonds of socialism. History has taught us that much.

Cramer (2009) further stated that I know it may feel like sometimes you are alone, but remember that you are not. Millions of people are now seeing Obama for what he is. It just takes one person to stand up and say, “NO! We will not allow a socialist dictatorship in our country!” Others will stand with you. They are scared, perhaps legitimately so, but once the ice is broken they will stand up too, they will get your back when Obama’s red-hat, union thugs try to intimidate you. There are a lot of us. It’s time to let our voices be heard.

Aaron Klein (2008) of WorldNetDaily wrote that evidence has emerged that as a State Senator Barack Obama belonged to a socialist political party that sought to elect members to public office with the aim of moving the Democratic Party far leftward to form ultimately a new political party with a socialist agenda. Several blogs, including Powerline, previously documented that while running for the Illinois state Senate in 1996 as a Democrat, Obama actively sought and received the endorsement of the socialist-oriented New Party, with some blogs claiming Obama was a member of the controversial party. The New Party, formed by members of the Democratic Socialists for America and leaders of an offshoot of the Communist Party USA, was an electoral alliance that worked alongside the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN. The New Party’s aim was to help elect politicians to office who espoused its policies. Among New Party members was linguist and radical activist Noam Chomsky.

Klein (2008) further wrote that Obama’s campaign has responded to the allegations, denying the presidential candidate was ever a member of the New Party. However, the New Zeal blog dug up print copies of the New Party News, the party’s official newspaper, which shows Obama posing with New Party leaders, list him as a New Party member, and include quotes from him. The party’s spring 1996 newspaper boasted: “New Party members won three other primaries this spring in Chicago: Barack Obama (State Senate), Michael Chandler (Democratic Party Committee), and Patricia Martin (Cook County Judiciary). The paper quoted Obama saying “these victories prove that small ‘d’ democracy can work.” The newspaper lists other politicians it endorsed who were not members but specifies Obama as a New Party member.

Klein (2008) wrote further that New Ground, the newsletter of Chicago’s Democratic Socialists for America, reported in its July/August 1996 edition that Obama attended a New Party membership meeting April 11, 1996, in which he expressed his gratitude for the group’s support and “encouraged NPers (New Party members) to join in his task forces on Voter Education and Voter Registration.” Becoming a New Party member requires some effort on behalf of the politician. Candidates must be approved by the party’s political committee and, once approved, must sign a contract mandating they will have a “visible and active relationship” with the party.

References

AP(2008, November 4). Texas education official calls Obama a terrorist sympathizer. Austin American Statesman. Retrieved from www.statesman.com/news/content/region/legislature/stories/11/04/1104dunbar.html.

Balko, R. (2008, June). Republic of Montana: Second Amendment secession. Reason Magazine, Republic of Montana. Retrieved from reason.com/archives/2008/05/13/republic-of-montana.

Cramer, C. (2009, August 10). Obama’s foreign policy favors dictators. Des Moines Republican Examiner. Retrieved from www.examiner.com/x-4822-Des-Moines-Republican-Examiner~y2009m8d10-Obamas-foreign-policy-favors-dictators.

FOX News(2009, April 15). Governor says Texans may want to secede from Union but probably won’t. Political News – FOXNews.com. Retrieved from www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/15/governor-says-texans-want-secede-union-probably-wont/.

Free Republic(2008, February 19). DC v. Heller – Montana prepares to secede. Free Republic. Retrieved from www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1973142/posts.

HuffPost(2009, April 15). Gov. Rick Perry: Texas could secede, leave Union. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/15/gov-rick-perry-texas-coul_n_187490.html.

Klein, A. (2008, October 24). Newspaper shows Obama belonged to socialist party: Democrat’s campaign denied allegations, but new evidence indicates membership. WorldNetDaily. Retrieved from www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=78945.

Kornreich, L. (2009, March 12). Chuck Norris for president … of Texas. CNN.com. Retrieved from politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/03/12/chuck-norris-for-president-%E2%80%A6-of-texas/.

Neuman, J. (2009, April 16). Gov. Perry: Texas may secede from union over Obama spending. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/04/gov-perry-texas-may-secede-from-union-over-obama-spending.html.

Person, D. (2009, April 22). Sovereignty resolution draws fears of secession. Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Retrieved from bozemandailychronicle.com/articles/2009/04/23/news/10resolution.txt.

Schlafly, P. (2005, September 28). Does Hawaii want to secede from the Union? Eagle Forum. Retrieved from www.eagleforum.org/column/2005/sept05/05-09-28.html.

Bob Uda, PhD (ABD) — a writer, cyber-commentator, engineer, educator, entrepreneur, counterterrorist, and researcher. Authored 50 publications, including 17 books. Five college/advanced degrees. Worked in aerospace/defense industries for 25 years. Served in USAF for 8 years. His latest book is Obama’s Agenda: Fundamentally Transforming the United States of America.