Secession? Nullification? State's Rights? Didn't we have this argument once before?
The Confederacy failed to win independence but succeeded in preserving a system of economic peonage for another hundred years. A murdered President, 600,000 dead American soldiers and god-knows-how many civilian casualties couldn't guarantee the freedom of African-Americans against one hundred years of Jim Crow segregation and KKK terror.
Those who marched for civil rights for African Americans, Latinos, women and LGBT's carried on that struggle. The latest round of right-wing voter suppression makes it clear that the gains we have won can only be assured by further struggle.
And now, "progressives" on this website are telling us to just abandon them?
The civil rights struggle has come full circle since 1964. On November 6th huge crowds of peaceful demonstrators marched to the ballot box in the face of quasi-legal obstacles and outright harassment. We won! A few Neo-Confederate lunatics start whining about seceding and some folks in this community are suggesting that we just roll over and let the racist haters steal our victory.
I thought we had gotten past the whole "spineless liberal" thing.
I guess not.
Would a secessionist government in Mississippi or South Carolina have any hesitation to crush the rights of minorities? An independent nation of Texas, "governed" by teabaggers unrestrained by the Federal Government isn't going to "turn blue".
Assuming that Latinos would be freely allowed to vote in the Republic of Texas is a huge leap of faith. Yes, population pressure can change the direction of a nation's policies, but peaceful, democratic regime change is never a sure thing. Civil war and ethnic cleansing are just as likely. Mexico isn't likely to sit idly by when the Republic of Texas goes the way of Yugoslavia. When San Antonio becomes the next Sarajevo and a Latin American coalition moves in to enforce curfews, checkpoints and a "green line", whose side are we on?
No, I don't want to go there. If the loonies in Texas were to attempt to secede, they would likely be followed by several other states. We cannot abandon the loyal citizens who remain in those states just because some Bible-thumping chimps threw a tantrum.
The shit-birds who are presently chirping about secession are a tiny minority, but that is certainly no reason to encourage them. Not even in jest. If you find that entertaining, perhaps you'd enjoy some video of Klansmen shitting on the graves of Lincoln and Dr. King. A real laugh riot, eh? When you're done giggling, send a nice card to the Schwerner, Goodman and Chaney families and tell them that their boys died for nothing.