This was a rallying cry of the 1960’s from angry white blue-collar conservatives angry at the liberals who were angry with the nation for being involved in the Vietnam War and supportive of the corporate agenda. The liberals wanted change, the conservatives didn’t want anything to change so they told the liberals “American, Love it or leave it.” Today, it would appear the phrase has new life, only the roles have reversed.
As you all may know from recent reports, there is a movement going across the nation following President Obama’s win of people petitioning the White House to secede from the Union. The White House has a website called “We the People” that invites people using their zip codes to start a petition drive about any policy change. If they collect more than 25,000 signatures, they are to get a response from the White House within 30 days. Texas has already collected over 80,000 signatures to secede from the Union and form its own government. Other states across the nation have started similar petitions on the web site.
People from over 40 states have now signed versions of that petition. However, the states that have the most signatures are not only those from the former Confederacy, but they all tend to be Red states, that take in far more in federal give-aways than they send back to Washington in taxes. These states are far more dependent on Washington to survive that the Country is dependent on them.
We all know how well the last secessionist movement went. However, things do tend to be a bit different these days than in the mid 19th Century. Now I don’t believe a minority of angry, America loving, but American hating, folks have a right to drag their States into treason. Even the Red states have some decent Democrats, Independents and moderate Republicans, of sound rational minds, residing there and want to remain part of the greatest nation on earth. In fact as Jeb Bush noted recently, even Texas is destined to turn Blue in as soon as four more years based on her demographics. Many of the Red states are at least getting more purple. But what to do with these angry secessionists?
Now as you can expect, since it happens all the time, many on the right have promised, or inferred that if Obama won, they would leave the country. They never say that they would leave because a Black man was reelected; they’re not bigots mind you. No, they would leave the country because they don’t want a Marxist, Socialist, European Style, Muslim national government to contend with. A lot of countries were floated out there just prior to and since the election.
They spoke of moving to Canada, a nation with national healthcare and a socialistic government that has a higher tax rate on her citizens than in the United States.
They have mentioned Australia, a nation with national healthcare and a socialistic government that has a higher tax rate on her citizens than in the United States.
They have mentioned European nations, nations with… Oh you get it.
Even Rush Limbaugh said if ObamaCare passed (which it did, and was held up as Constitutional by the Supreme Court) he would move to Costa Rica, a nation with single payer national healthcare and a socialistic government that has a higher tax rate on her citizens than in the United States.
Now there are nations that would better fit what these people want. Somalia comes to mind. It really has no government, no healthcare, and no taxes. A Libertarian, Tea Party, Republican dream. There’s any number of middle-eastern nations (Not Israel that has national healthcare, a socialistic government and higher tax rate on her citizens than the United States), but there is Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, etc. Not only do some of these nations have smaller governments, many have small government just large enough to allow religion to take control of that government. Oh, wait; maybe it’s the wrong religion? Misogynistic, anti-gay, pro-life, male dominated beholding to a single God. Maybe it is the right religion? Who knows?
It’s very simple. Obama and the Democrats won. Yes, many on the left whined and cried about when Bush won his two terms and talked about leaving the nation. Only difference was that those who actually did leave, left for nations closer to what they aspired to; Canada, Australia, Costa Rica, any European nation. None of them talked about secession. Those on the right want to go to nations that embody what they say Obama is bringing to this nation, or they want to secede.
Well, they can’t secede. That is an illegal act; it’s treason against the government of the United States. They all should really read history. Now if they want to leave. Then they should go. However, considering that those who want to leave, have been dependant on government assistance to balance their State budgets, build their roads and infrastructure, pay for education, healthcare, and keep the air and water clean, food and drug safe, all from money provided by the rest of us. Well, if you want to leave, pay your tab first. After all, you all aren’t freeloaders who just want stuff are you?
AZModerate Rants 
Well said. It’s a fine line between standing up for justice, despite the law, and flat out breaking the law simply because you’re angry. Sadly, I doubt most of them have any idea how to define the difference.
Until the extreme right can calmly and intelligently explain their position, I will continue to believe that they are just angry over what they perceive to be the “Muslim, socialist/Marxist/communist, foreign-born” man (i.e. black man) who has been elected to lead our nation.
Agree. Just another case of sour grapes. Most of the states in question are in such an extreme hole economically that day one of secession would end in bankruptcy. They should do their homework first.