There has been a lot of gnashing of teeth amongst the progressive alternative media over the issue of Gov. Palin and her association with the Alaska Independence Party. I’d be very curious to know why. Would anyone out there help enlighten me? Is it because secession has a bad name because of the War Between the States/Civil War? Is it because the League of the South has links with the Aryan Nation movement and the KKK?

My take on this is that, since the Federal Government, for the last 30 years, has been in the increasingly powerful grip of religious fundamentalists and war-mongers, that it might not be a bad idea to consider secession. Why not split up the United States so that all of these bitter enemies can have their own paradise where they each share their own opinions? Then, perhaps, instead of spending all their energy on spewing hatred for the Other, the various factions could instead engage in activities that ensure that their progeny would have a world to live in. The fundamentalists can have their own country where they enforce their Bible-based law system, the middle-of-the road live-and-let-live could have their own country where everyone could just get along, and the progressive/sustainable folk could have their own country where everyone could go to Organic Heaven. A side benefit might be that the Federal Government would not have the financial resources to continue killing many hundreds of thousands of people all over the world.

What is so bad about that idea? I haven’t read this blog to determine where he is coming from, but it seems as though there is plenty of material about secession to consider here. One thing for sure: he is not a supporter of John McCain.

For starters, read this article over at Lew Rockwell. Yes, the Lew Rockwell site is Libertarian and no, I don’t agree with everything there. But a whole lot of it makes a whole lot of sense to me! And here is an article on AlterNet that is not in favor of the secessionists at all. There is a very sensible discussion of the idea of secession on the Green Mountain Daily site. And here is a columnist for The Financial Times weighing in on the idea.

I see no reason at all why hate-mongers and racists should be able to own the idea of secession.