Texas Governor Perry has been pilloried by most sane folk for his posturing about Texas secession. I say, let them go. Better yet, let them stay and those of us in in the Pacific Northwest (and New England, the Mid-Atlantic states and California)will go.
My dad taught me to visualize the worst case - what do you do when the shit hits the fan. Well, here's the nightmare scenario. It's the day after the 2012 elections. The economy collapsed utterly in the year-long run-up to the elections. Obama carries Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Michigan, Illinois, New Mexico, California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii. Democrats lose 15 more seats in the House (the remaining Blue Dogs). And, alas, the Senate gavel is handed over to Senator McConnell. And here's the really scarey part - Ruth Bader Ginsberg (bless her bespeckled heart) passes away in 2013. Patty Murray, Diane Feinstein, et al., fail in a very theatrical effort to block the nomination of [pick your favorite winger]. By the new session of the Supreme Court in October of 2013, there are three cases challenging Roe v Wade. The new Republican President has re-instated DADT through Executive Order. Legislation is pending in the House to eviscerate union activity (the Senate will pass it and President (Perry, Romney, Bachman, Christy, Palin, Jeb) is antsy to sign it. EPA? Medicare? Social Security? Medicaid? UI? Etc.? You tell me.
It will start in the Pacific Northwest. Western Washington and the Portland, Oregon corridor, specifically. Abolish environmental oversight in Seattle? Ain't gonna happen. Criminalize abortion in Portland? Never. Strip away rights earned in blood (HIV poz blood) to the LGBTQ community in the Bay Area? No frakking way. Fundamentalist faith based organizations exclusively receiving whatever funding crumbs of the safety net survives? Not in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, Boston, Detroit, et al. Not Ever. Never.
I am so weary of listening to the anti-rational rants of the Fundies. I am so dispirited by the utter ignorance of Teabaggers. I'm dispondent about the craven hypocrisy of the Right. I despair over a Federal system that gives equal representation in the national legislature to California, New York, North Dakota, Idaho and Alaska.
I am over it.
If the fine folks of Kansas want to outlaw abortion - let them. If the fine folks in Arizona want to criminalize brown skin, let them. If the Tennessee legislature wants to flay the humanity of gay folk - go right the frak ahead. If Texas wants to crown the CEO of El Paso Natural Gas as Administrator of Texas - do it.
But if the new government wants to bring that shit to Seattle, it ain't gonna happen. And, don't worry about a new Civil War. The Right, as we witnessed during the Bush years are just a bunch of chicken hawks. Really, what would President Romney do if, for instance in 2015, the governors of Washington and California seized (or more likely - closed) the naval bases in Everett, Bremerton and Long Beach? Nada.