One week after the United States re-elected President Barack Obama, thousands of residents from more than a dozen states have petitioned with the White House’s “We the People” program seeking to secede from the Union.
The White House may only have to respond to a petition if it reaches the 25,000 threshold, but it may choose to opt out of providing a response under its own rules, citing “to avoid the appearance of improper influence.”
Despite this, the state of Texas has generated more than 64,000 signatures (at the time of this writing). States such as New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, California, Ohio and others have only garnered between a few hundred and several thousand. Texas is the only state to reach the White House requirement so far.
Citizens from these states have established and signed the petition thus far:
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.
In total, the petitions have received 339,571 signatures (at the time of this writing).
“The U.S. continues to suffer economic difficulties stemming from the federal government’s neglect to reform domestic and foreign spending. The citizens of the US suffer from blatant abuses of their rights such as the NDAA, the TSA, etc.,” wrote Mica H., the creator of the petition.
“Given that the state of Texas maintains a balanced budget and is the 15th largest economy in the world, it is practically feasible for Texas to withdraw from the union, and to do so would protect [its] citizens’ standard of living and re-secure their rights and liberties in accordance with the original ideas and beliefs of our founding fathers which are no longer being reflected by the federal government.”
In order to sign the petition, users are ordered to register with the White House website with a valid email address and their zip code, but it does not say anything about officials actually verifying their zip codes and/or state residency.
Another petition was submitted calling for the federal government to “strip the citizenship from everyone who signed a petition to secede and exile them.” It has received 907 signatures at the time of this writing.
Catherine Frazier, press secretary for Texas Governor and former presidential candidate Rick Perry, issued a statement to the Dallas Morning News, in which it notes that Perry does not believe in changing the Union because of its “greatness.”
“But he also shares the frustrations many Americans have with our federal government. Now more than ever our country needs strong leadership from states like Texas, that are making tough decisions to live within their means, keep taxes low and provide opportunities to job creators so their citizens can provide for their families and prosper,” said Frazier.
“We cannot allow Washington’s tax and spend, one-size-fits-all mindset to jeopardize our children’s future, undermine our personal liberties and drive our nation down a dangerous path to greater dependence of government.”
In 2009, Perry made headlines after he made comments that Texas has the right to secede, but he has since distanced himself from those remarks. Meanwhile, Tennessee Republican Congressman Zach Wamp noted in 2010 that some states may have to separate if the leadership in Washington didn’t change in the 2010 and 2012 elections.
“I hope that the American people will go to the ballot box in 2010 and 2012 so that states are not forced to consider separation from this government,” said Wamp, who has since left the congress in order to run for governor.
Retiring Texas Republican Congressman and three-time presidential candidate Ron Paul defended the Texas governor and former rival in an interview with CNN and questioned why people were outraged by secession.
“We used secession, we seceded from England. So it’s a very good principle. It’s a principle of a free society,” stated Dr. Paul. “It’s a shame we don’t have it anymore. I argue that if you had the principle of secession, our federal government wouldn’t be as intrusive into state affairs and to me that would be very good.”
The founding fathers made it very clear in the 1776 Declaration of Independence that states have the right to secede:
“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
“Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and institute new Government.”
The racism of yesteryear has come full circle in our county. The entire world embraced our choice of a black President four years ago and most nations of the world still support him. The fringe elements of Republican sect have crept through into the mainstream once again with conservative mouthpieces planting the seeds of hate. The only doubt lies here at home rooting from bigotry. Watch the white hands paint Obama in Blackface at http://dregstudiosart.blogspot.com/2012/10/bamboozling-obama.html
You are a dum ass!!! Race has nothing to do with it. He is not equipt to deal with this countries economic problems. The man had the house majority for the 1st 2 years and the only thing he got done was ob care… This is going to destroy small bussiness. Which supplies 80 percent of the countries jobs…
As for the typical Dem response, Yes he did walk into a mess when he took office… His policys have made things much worse.. He is a good man, however his outside of the box thinking is leading this country down a dismal road of no return. Lower taxes on big bussiness creates jobs. More jobs more money being spent. More sales tax revenue. This is how the country prospered in the roaring 20s, and the 80s. History would repeat itself if the poweres that be would learn from it. As for race being an issue… You my friend are the one with the race issues or you wouldn’t be thinking like that. He would not be in office if racism was still rampent. Republican would not have players such as C. Rice, Herman Cain, Marc Orubio…
The list is endless. I suggest you do your research and educate yourself before making such a pea brained comment!
It’s people like you this causes the divides this country has!
The banter of secession from the union is ridiculous. If you recall, we fought a war over this issue from 1861 to 1865. However, consider the following as an alternative to unravelling the status quo: At present, the U.S. has several territories to include Guam, Puerto Rico, CNMI, USVI and American Samoa. The residents are U.S. citizens and do not pay federal income taxes. However, they receive hundreds of millions of dollars in goodies to include food stamps, HUD housing etc., from Uncle Sam. In exchange, they are not allowed to vote in the Presidential election nor do the have U.S. Senators. However, each territory is allowed one non voting U.S. Congressperson that is selected by the territorial governor. What if the red states decided that they no longer want to be states and opted to reverting back to being a U.S. Territory. The blue states in essence would get the luxury of supporting these territories with goodies and not be subjected to paying federal taxes. Thus, these states are technically not seceding from the Union.
Secession petitions are good PR but bad politics. There is a way for states to legally and politically secede from the American union but it must be a state-by-state process established by constitutional secession conventions in each state. Read: http://thedailybell.com/28286/Ron-Holland-Secession-Petitions-Good-PR-But-Bad-Politics