William Irwin, King's College Bernie Sanders will not become president of the United States. But he could still become president of Vermont if the Green Mountain State secedes. It’s not such a far-fetched notion. Vermont was an independent republic from 1777 to 1791, and despite signing the Constitution, Vermont reserved its right to leave the union. New York, Rhode Island and Virginia explicitly did so. In researching “Free Dakota,” my novel about secession, I discovered that in the early 1800s, talk of secession was more common among the New England states than among the southern states. Few people questioned a state’s right to secede. It is the Pledge of Allegiance that claims the United States is an indivisible nation. And, of course, the Pledge of Allegiance is not a founding document. It was written in 1892 and popularized by the American Legion and other groups in the 20th century. For its part, the Declaration of Independence clearly recognizes the right to form a new government when “it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another.” The Constitution, on the other hand, may say otherwise. Most constitutional scholars interpret the 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868 in the wake of the Civil War, as prohibiting secession. The language of the amendment is not explicit in terms of secession, though. The relevant text of the amendment simply says: No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. Most constitutional scholars interpret this citizenship clause as asserting that each citizen’s allegiance is first and foremost to the federal government, and a state may not interfere with that allegiance by seceding. This interpretation may be ripe for a challenge, though. The emotional desire for stability in union is understandable, but it comes at a high price. What if there are irreconcilable differences? Everyone wants a marriage to last until “death do us part” but wedding vows are no longer sacred in that way. Why should things be different with states? As with amicable divorce, peaceful secession is possible and would not be unprecedented. In the Velvet Divorce of 1993, for example, Czechoslovakia peacefully divided into the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic. If only there were empty land claimed by no nation. Who would object to a bunch of malcontents from Vermont moving there and starting their own republic? But the world is no longer such a place. There are no new lands to be discovered, no places to plant new flags and try new ideas. That is why Vermont should look to its neighbor, New Hampshire.
Austin Sullivan
In the spirit of their motto “live free or die,” some residents of New Hampshire have begun the Free State Project. The goal of the movement is to entice people to move to New Hampshire and to form a critical mass that would change local laws to allow for greater personal liberty. Nearly 2,000 people have moved to New Hampshire already, and more than 20,000 have pledged to move within the next five years. It may be difficult for the Free State Project to grow beyond those numbers, however. The best-case scenario would position them to change local laws such as those concerning the legality of marijuana. New Hampshire would still be subject to all federal laws and the limits they place on individual freedom – unless they secede, that is. Secession is exactly what an offshoot of the Free State Project, called the Foundation for New Hampshire Independence, has in mind. Perhaps because secession is a dirty word with ugly associations, the foundation prefers to speak in terms of independence. But make no mistake about it: they are planning for New Hampshire to leave the United States. Secession could be the answer for progressives too. Plenty of people are saying they will move to Canada if Trump is elected, but maybe they should just move to Vermont. As Thomas H. Naylor, the originator of the Second Vermont Republic, says, “Vermont provides a kinder, gentler, more communitarian alternative to a nation obsessed with money, power, size, speed, greed and fear of terrorism.” At the high point of its polling, only 13 percent of residents supported the Second Vermont Republic’s aim of secession, but a strong majority support the democratic socialist ideals of the movement as embodied in Senator Sanders. To make the secession a reality, the Second Vermont Republic should take a page from the Free State Project’s playbook by inviting people to move to Vermont. Once a majority of the state population favors secession, then serious action could be taken. It is highly unlikely that Vermont or New Hampshire will secede any time soon. But if they did, we would have two new nations existing side by side in North America, one a democratic socialist republic and the other a libertarian republic. People would have a genuine choice. The only problem is Bernie Sanders may not live long enough to see it happen and become the first president of Vermont. And for that matter, Ron Paul may not live long enough to become president of New Hampshire.
William Edwards
Years of calling secessionist minded southerners racists, xenophobes and bigots, the left political expediency has caught up to itself.
You could say there were always elements of the left that wanted to secede, but you wouldn't really know that judging by their incessant rhetoric against Texas and the Carolinas.
Connor Gray
Yeah, their attitude towards rightwing secessionists why I didn't consider that leftists would want to secede. But, it shouldn't be too surprising that the left is hypocritical.
I don't really think it's a viable option for a state to seceed, but we'll see what happens if a state does do so.
Benjamin Fisher
For those who don't pay attention to elections, this happens every four years. Some group always threatens secession. I sat through it twice for Bush and twice for Obama.
It's literally fucking nothing.
Adam Rodriguez
Desperate
Alexander Barnes
we'll see how long that one lasts
Lucas Williams
Fucking do it you leftist faggots
Ethan Price
They threatened the same thing with Bush and there was a significant war going on. They're going to do exactly jack shit, as always.
Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see the Feds light them up. But let's be real… They're liberal faggots who would rather sit home and smoke DUDE WEED LMAO and bitch on plebbit than actually do something to effect change. This is evidenced by the election results themselves. They can't even be bothered to vote, much less seceed.
Adrian Jones
...
Austin Cruz
Her with the BLM sign. Some proper Royston Vasey genetics there.
"We didn't burn him!"
Adrian Stewart
NO We don't have the privilege of secession anymore, neither should they
Oliver Gray
this
Cooper Taylor
>BUT EVERYTHING THAT CONSERVATIVES WANT IS BAD AND WRONG AND THEY’RE ON THE WRONG SIDE OF HISTORY BECAUSE IT’S OLD AND IN THE PAST AND PEOPLE WERE DUMB AND BIGOTS BACK THEN SO WE CAN’T DO IT NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO MY FEELINGS
Kill every single liberal on the face of the planet.
Isaac Hughes
And how do they plan to do so? With flowers, a pen and a piece of paper? Those fucking faggots are so afraid of a gun that you could stop their secession with only 50 soldiers.
Landon Carter
...
Angel Morales
We should be encouraging as much D/C as possible.
This sucession would be awesome.
Remove leftists, watch them fail, make secession acceptable for others.
Adrian Torres
Can we not seize on this????
We want to be rid of them, they want to be rid of us.
Why not create two separate countries. One for white right wing racists and one for multi culti liberals and their gorillas.
It honestly would be good for us all.
Aiden Ortiz
Good luck with that, faggots.
Liberals, in addition to being unable and unwilling to pick up arms and risk their lives to change the world, have very little food productive capacity where they live. If their LARPistan were to come to pass, they would all starve to death before the first shot is fired.
Brayden Williams
If they don't succeed, Hillary is going to make Vermont and New Hampshire darker than the darkest part of Africa during its darkest days.
Anthony Walker
Yes, please do it.
DO IT YOU FAGGOTS
Nolan Cruz
We should actually be encouraging this, The Balkeniztion of the United States is the only way to preserve America's white population while distributing power back to the states and not have it centralized for ZOG subversion,
t. American
Nicholas King
underrated post.
Caleb Morales
...
Josiah Murphy
We then send Plisken to deal with Bernie.
Connor Carter
Wasn't the word "indivisible" added after the Civil War?
Chase Ward
(((Bernie Bros)))
Ian Parker
They would have a pretty hard time seceding with Southern Vermont being pretty conservative, and some of central being pretty mixed. I see more Trump bumper stickers than Sanders ones in Southern VT, and lots of people fly confederate flags, even in Bennington and as far up as Rutland.
Wyatt Gray
They've changed the pledge more times than I can count.
At a signal from the Principal the pupils, in ordered ranks, hands to the side, face the Flag. Another signal is given; every pupil gives the flag the military salute – right hand lifted, palm downward, to align with the forehead and close to it. Standing thus, all repeat together, slowly, “I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands; one Nation indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.” At the words, “to my Flag,” the right hand is extended gracefully, palm upward, toward the Flag, and remains in this gesture till the end of the affirmation; whereupon all hands immediately drop to the side. — From The Youth’s Companion, 65 (1892): 446–447.
Aaron Lopez
The Second Civil War won't be fought over state's rights but over the Federal government not caving in to the will of a bunch of underage retards.
Liam Young
Twilight zone
Asher Wood
why are berniefags all so goddamn ugly?
Oliver Phillips
I think we should encourage this. It would be funny.
Xavier Roberts
They're the genetic throwbacks that should be dead, but were saved from herd-culling illnesses early on by medical science. These people shouldn't exist, but they do.
Hunter Long
BUT M-M-MUH LINCOLN!
Angel Young
I laughed too when I saw that.
Christopher Harris
...
Andrew Morales
We need to meme this into existence.
Josiah Ward
THE RAIDERS ARE BUMPING OLD THREADS. REPORT THE FIRST TIME DISCONTINUITY
If I was a mod, this invasion would have been destroyed before it began.