These Disunited States: A Serious Question About Secession

 

 

THESE DISUNITED STATES:
A QUESTION ABOUT SECESSION

How many of you would vote for a national divorce? Another word for this is — a secession, which then becomes a partition. That would mean a state or group of states leaving the USA and forming a new sovereign nation. Of course, several states did try this once back during the 1860s and things didn’t turn out so well. But, let’s assume a modern hypothetical secession could be peaceful—-would you support it?

Answering this question requires creative imagination. Given the sprawling U.S. map and how states could presumably divide, many isthmuses would be necessary to connect states scattered everywhere. Moreover, big cities in some states would protest. And, rural people in other states would protest, too. No one wants to be a minority inside their own “country.” So, even if it could happen, there are problems with dividing along red-blue boundaries.

When you think more about it, secession sounds next to impossible in practical terms. But for the sake of discussion, let’s shelve those concerns for now and just talk hypothetically —

WOULD YOU AGREE TO A PEACEFUL SECESSION IF GIVEN A CHANCE TO VOTE ON IT?

Obviously, the boundaries of division are mostly along partisan political leanings. However, they are economic and social, too. Roughly half of politically-engaged people in this country think one way. And the other half believes the polar opposite. Unfortunately, this divide isn’t narrowing. It’s widening, a.k.a. worsening. Where this all ends or how we resolve this is a mystery. Yet all that aside, if we could live somehow as TWO SEPARATE NATIONS (peacefully), would you agree to such a proposal? [I know, this is the third time I’ve asked the same question]

I’ll ask a small favor here, before you post a reply. Think about your answer. It’s easy to make knee-jerk decisions and commit recklessly to something you may ultimately regret. So, think carefully and decide wisely.
BTW, both sides of the American red-blue divide have flirted with the secession question. Some states have also done so. Texas and Alaska have seen active secession movements in the last 20 years. California has also kicked the tires on the secession idea. I’m not sure there’s any monopoly on the idea of a secession since it’s come up in different political circles many times over the years, and is especially relevant today. I also wish to point out this isn’t a typical national divide. The partition of North vs. South Korea, North vs. South Vietnam, and East vs. West Germany weren’t voluntarily domestic agreements. Those divides were imposed by international powers, in connection to wars and post-war re-configurations.

I’m interested in reading responses, which should come from many perspectives. More important, I’m eager to ponder any reasons why you wish to share, as well as thoughts on who gets to keep what and what each nation is called after this divorce.

Note: This is an imperfect map. I’m just using here for illustration purposes.