This is not going to be long because it is not particularly complicated. However, it is critical. As we are seeing ... the "chatter" around secession and advocacy of armed insurrection is growing. Glenn Beck has been one of the more visible talking heads fomenting this. However, he is not merely giving extremists a forum to exercise their constitutional rights. This Friday, FOX is going to aid and abet by enabling him to promote his "We Surround Them" show on Friday the 13th.
It is no longer enough to ask every elected Republican ... on the record... "Do you want the President to fail?", now we need to ask them directly: "Do you support secession?" and "Do you support armed insurrection?"
Beck is not operating in a vacuum. Right now, the Republicans are letting this dog run off the leash. They are benefiting from it by relying on plausible deniability. We need to deny them that option. The consequences for even the appearance of condoning such behavior has to be swift, clear, and severe.
It is truly ironic that this question needs to be asked of Republicans, the party of Lincoln. However, they are the ones who are fomenting this talk.
It is important to note that one of Mike Huckabee's most visible supporters is suggesting that Texas has the right to secede. It is equally important to note that Sarah Palin's husband belonged to a party actively advocating for Alaska's secession.
These are not fringe Republicans. In the last election, even after McCain had locked up the nomination, Huckabee was still getting double digits in the primaries. In the end he won eight, most in the South. He was second in delegates. He is a clear contender for 2012. Norris was an official spokesman for Huckabee on TV and routinely campaigned with the governor. Sarah Palin was more than a surrogate. She was McCain's running mate and is touted as "the new face" of the Republican party.
It is also important to note that some of the most vitriolic groups, like Restore the Republic, are avid supporters of Ron Paul. Even with a concerted effort to neutralize Ron Paul by the Republican establishment, he was remarkably effective in generating a lot of support among rank and file Republicans. That support has continued to grow even with the perennial talk of his joining a third party.
Against that backdrop, it is notable that the "fringe" talk delegitimizing Obama's authority is becoming more commonplace among Limbaugh (aka mainstream) Republican's. Openly suggesting that law enforcement and military personnel have no obligation to obey his orders as Commander-in-Chief is a logical extension of this. It raises really serious potential problems if left unchecked. We cannot tolerate a mutiny of any size in our military.
The issue of secession is similarly not limited to Texans ignorant of American history or a few random web sites. You may recall the Supreme Court case of DC vs. Heller. It was first time the Supreme Court heard a 2nd amendment argument in 70 years. At issue was whether DC could ban the rights of people to own guns. You may be surprised to know that 43 Montana State Legislators and the Secretary of State (all Republicans) signed a resolution stating that if the Supreme Court ruled that the right to keep and bear arms was not an individual right (meaning EVERYONE has that right), that would violate the contract under which Montana originally joined the Union in 1889 and they would be inclined to secede! The issue became moot when the Supreme Court upheld Heller's individual rights.
To recap: Republicans, and supporters of highly visible mainstream Republicans, are actively advocating secession and/or armed insurrection. We are going to see this talk amplified through traditional Republican media outlets. I think it is important to know for certain whether or not Republicans support secession and/or armed insurrection. It's time the majority of law-abiding citizens reminded these fringe elements exactly who is surrounding whom.
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"None of you understand.
I'm not locked up in here with you.
You're locked up in here with me!"
-- Rorschach, (imprisoned with felons he put behind bars) from The Watchmen