The Dreaded “S” Question

Years ago, when I brought up the question of secession, the conservatives I knew used to laugh at me. To them the idea of secession was ludicrous. Whether they realized it or not, they had bought into Lincoln’s view of history, which was that, once you have been beguiled into ratifying the Constitution you are stuck in this glorious “Union” forever and you can’t get out no matter what. In fact, wanting to get out constitutes treason so you should just learn to be happy with your chains. Thus, to Lincoln, Southerners wanting out of the Union were traitors and revolutionaries. To which I say balderdash!

But no matter how many unwitting people have succumbed to Lincoln’s blandishments, the question of secession has not gone away–in fact it is much more apparent now than it was thirty years ago, to the chagrin of those who seek to make it disappear. Sorry folks, but it ain’t going away.

So it was with interest that I read an article by Adam Dick from the Ron Paul Institute that appeared on https://www.lewrockwell.com. for July 6th, yesterday. Mr. Dick wrote, in part, “On Independence Day, many Americans think about, at least briefly, the American Revolution. One important thing they should consider in this reflection is that the American Revolution is misnamed. A more appropriate name would be the American Secession. And an appropriate question for now, when the power of the United States government and Americans’ dissatisfaction have become immense, is whether the time is right for another American Secession.” Good question. A question that needs to be deliberated in our day.

Mr. Dick continued: “The misnamed American revolutionaries were not seeking to replace the king or parliament in Great Britain. That is what revolutionaries would seek. Instead, they wanted their respective colonies to become independent of the control of Great Britain–to secede.” You could say the exact same thing for the states in the South in 1861. They were not trying to overthrow the government in Washington–they were just trying to get out from under its grasping clutches.

Noted by Dick was an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll which found that 85% of Americans say, “the country is heading in the wrong direction.” And this immense dissatisfaction cuts across party lines. It’s not just Trump supporters. As for the direction the country is headed in–the wrong direction is on purpose. Obama tried to take the country into rampant socialism during his two terms in office but didn’t quite get it done. Now he’s using the Biden regime to finish the job, so they have no intention of doing what’s best for the country. That fact, alone, makes the secession question one worth consideration.

Dick, near the end of his article, asks the question: “Is the time for ‘patient sufferance’ passed and the time for secession come again for America?” He admits people will disagree on the answer to that question, but he feels the question is “an important and relevant one considering the great powers that have been assumed by the national government at the expense of the states and liberty, as well as many Americans’ dissatisfaction with the current situation.” I think it should be debated again, despite those on the right that laugh at the idea. The continuing discussion of this question shows that I am far from alone in my view of this question. And, if not secession, at least major nullification of existing federal laws.