U.S. Secession Talks Amid Scotland’s Vote For Independence


U.S. Secession has been an on again, off again thought fueled by the first secession in the U.S., the Revolutionary War. Since President Obama’s reelection, and several expansive government programs, the U.S. has been more and more divided and disgusted.

Secession has been the loudest display of disdain for the current state of affairs in the U.S. The most recent stir of secession was due, in part, to the second attempt to vote for independence for Scotland. Just short of a year of deliberation and campaigns, as well as opinion after opinion from all over the globe, the Scottish vote for independence failed.

The Inquisitr reported on the results of the referendum.

“Scotland will remain part of the 307-year-old United Kingdom by margin of fifty-five percent to forty-five percent of the vote. Turnout for the historic Scottish referendum was extremely high, with eighty-six percent of the electorate casting a ballot. With more than 2.5 million votes counted.”

According to Reuters, recent polls suggest a continued intrigue in the idea of U.S. secession. However, the numbers do not seem much than stronger the Scots, based on the poll provided.

“Some 23.9 percent of Americans polled from Aug. 23 through Sept. 16 said they strongly supported or tended to support the idea of their state breaking away, while 53.3 percent of the 8,952 respondents strongly opposed or tended to oppose the notion.”

Even though the numbers from this specific poll do not show promise, it does not seem to matter because the U.S. government might not allow something like the Scottish referendum for secession in the U.S. USA Today reported on a man, his complaint, his faux call for secession, and the very real reaction.

“Dennis Wardlow was the mayor of Key West when he went to the federal courthouse in Miami in 1982 to object to a security roadblock federal agents established on the only road heading into the Florida Keys. When a judge rejected his plea, Wardlow announced on the courthouse steps that if Key West was going to be treated like a foreign country, its residents would go ahead and act like one.”

Apparently, Mr. Wardlow declared war on the U.S., surrendered, and asked for one billion in foreign aid relief. Suffice it to say, his mostly satirical secession was met with a harsh response. An accusation of treason, FBI and CIA monitoring, and a few death threats was the result. That was merely a pretend secession in the U.S. However, there are two movements today that are far more serious.

One such movement was dealt a blow when they tried to petition President Obama, The Inquisitr reported. This was Texas’s request to secede last year that was met with a statement that the constitution does allow people to “walk away.” This being ironic, for many reasons, since it was Texas who chose to be a part of the U.S following their own bloody war against Mexico for independence.

The Texas National Movement is continuing the state’s interest in secession from the U.S. The group was feeling some momentum as the Scots went to vote in their historic secession referendum. However, with the “No” vote handed down in Scotland, it is unclear where their thoughts of secession currently stand.

Besides California and their county secessions, and the various citizens discontent with U.S. leaders, Seattle steps into the unlikely secession shoes. The group Cascadia Now seems to be Seattle’s Texas National Movement, but with a less aggressive, more environmental flair.

USA Today reported on the group that has united Seattle citizens to have their own Scotland referendum for secession.

“Letsinger, director of Cascadia Now, said the group has become a social movement, as people educate their neighbors about the virtues of Cascadia, study the environmental benefits that could come with secession and stage community events and poetry readings to bring the community closer together.”

Cascadia map

Mr. Letsinger told the paper that the group is composed of “Democrats and Republicans, hippies and libertarians,” and some who “just hate the NSA.” There are others in the group who say “their economies would be better off without federal regulations, others resent that decisions are made on their behalf in far-off Washington.”

Is secession a realistic pursuit in modern America? Many say “Yes.” Despite what others say, the constitution does not seem to be a legally binding contract to hold Americans within the pre-written borders that exist today.

What are your thoughts on secession in the U.S.?

[ Images Via Flickr, Commons License, And Cascadia Now ]

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