Is secession ever justified?



Mainstream conservatives and progressives often encourage it in other countries - remember Kosovo - even as they deify Abraham Lincoln for preventing it in the U.S. But consider what the federal government has done to us over the past century: Fractional-reserve banking backed up by the Federal Reserve Board - creating a culture based on credit rather than saving Relentless meddling in other countries - through war or coercion (forced "cooperation") - in order to expand markets for American corporations. Prohibition or regulation of inexpensive or superior alternatives to corporate products - resulting in everything from the War on Drugs to the War on Hemp to the decline of small farms and small business. More could be added to this list. My point is that, for anyone not blinded by nationalism, any of the three provide solid grounds for peaceful secession of the states from the Union. Together, they make a compelling case. It could be asked if things would not be even worse after a formal break-up. The answer is that no one knows for sure. But some things are likely: The Federal Reserve would be put to an end. States that want to attract business and create jobs would have to figure out a better financial system for themselves.

The wars in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq would end, as well as all of the overseas occupations, and no state would have the ability to wage non-defensive war. There'd be as much reason for terrorists to target American states as they do Norway or Luxembourg.

There would be no more federal medical marijuana raids or BATFE sieges.

Special interests and corporations would find it more difficult to bribe 50 state legislatures than just one Congress. But nationalism makes neither peaceful nor violent secession likely. Over the past century the nationalists have effectively instilled their propaganda through public schools and in more subtle ways, such as placing the Flag of the United States in church sanctuaries. They have also effectively persuaded the people that a pro-secession argument is a pro-slavery argument. This is completely illogical, but it sticks. In any case, anyone who loses their faith in Washington DC is certainly not going to place it in Sacramento or Springfield or Albany.



But it is quite possible they'll lose their faith in DC. The American Empire is falling apart. Recall that in the last year of his Administration, Bush was unable to make war on Iran or stand up to Russia, as he desperately wanted to do. The country was simply too weak. And it is weaker now, diverting resources from the failed Iraq experiment into Afghanistan. Just as the USSR's empire imploded shortly after it ended its failed incursion in Afghanistan, the same might happen to the USA.



The USA is also weak financially. It doesn't have the money to pay for Medicare and Social Security. If Obama's domestic plans like Cap & Trade and Health Care "Reform" pass Congress, we will likely see a deepening recession alongside rampant inflation.



If the increasing numbers of jobless see the price of food and fuel soar, we could see civil unrest. If and when U.S. military troops are called in to suppress rioters - whether by this President or the next, whether in the inner city or at Tea Party-like protests - the end of the USA will be all but official.



There probably won't be any secession even at that time. Hard-line progressives and conservatives will still hold out hope that if the "right people" are in charge, things can get fixed.



But the foundation of the political system will be shaken forever. This foundation is the faith which the majority of the people have in the system. Their faith was actually sold by Congress to J.P. Morgan and John D. Rockefeller in 1913 when the Federal Reserve was created. More and more of the people are realizing it now, but they're still in the minority.



If the unemployment rate and/or the inflation rate soars, and if the government becomes heavy-handed in controlling unrest, more and more Americans will lose their faith at an increasingly rapid rate.



When people lose their faith in a system they can not control, their only viable option is to drop out of it when possible and game it when necessary. They will seek allies with which to barter goods or services. They will reject Federal Reserve dollars when they can, or accept payments only in cash without reporting the income. A system of bribery based on special favors of "friends of friends" who work for the government will flourish. It might not be as brazen as in third-world countries, but could become equally rampant.



The "cheaters" and tax evaders would be so numerous that the government couldn't possibly catch them all.



Soon, people will form their own schools, as funding from DC will dry up. No longer will the USA threaten and coerce other countries. As soon as state and local police lose federal funding, they will stop providing SWAT back-ups of federal raids.



This future will be anarchy, not because there won't be a nominal government, but because the people will have lost faith in politics and thereby lose whatever trust they had in government. The people will treat it as an obstacle in their lives, to be worked around when possible and dealt with when necessary. But they'll stop voting and stop volunteering to put their lives at risk for the Flag.



This coming anarchy actually exists today. The world is the product of our beliefs, upon which we act. We let ourselves be governed only because we believe the government is more right than wrong, more good than bad. There is no "authority," there is only people with uniforms and guns, and you obey them either because you believe in what they do, or because you fear them. Either way, it's just your beliefs. But the less we admire or sacrifice for the government, and the more we comply out of fear and self-interest, the less the effective the State will be. Sooner or later, alternative institutions will spring up to provide security, legal adjudication, even money.



Even if the U.S. never faces a Berlin Wall moment, the people, by their beliefs and actions, can make the government increasingly irrelevant to their lives. And that doesn't have to begin at some future turning point, it can begin today. Comments (5)

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