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Friday, Nov. 30, 2012 | 2:02 a.m.
From the Civil War in the 1860s until after World War II, the Democratic Party included secessionists who wanted to continue slavery. Abraham Lincoln was a Republican president who thought slavery was wrong and took the nation into the Civil War to prevent the Southern states from seceding from the Union and continuing slavery. Since the Democratic Party’s civil rights efforts were successful in the 1950s and ’60s, the “Solid South” Democrats have become conservative Republicans. With a black president having been elected to a second term, 17 states — mostly in the South — have commenced measures to secede ...
Stan wrote "With a black president having been elected to a second term, 17 states -- mostly in the South -- have commenced measures to secede from the Union."
Stan is a race baiter. What Stan is essentially implying is that the democrats are the party for minorities. Yet states like Texas, which has 33% fewer whites than the average US population, a black population of 12% compared to 13% US average and twice as many with Hispanic origin than the average US population voted Romney 57% to 41% for Obama. What is Stan saying? That a state like Texas, which has twice as many Hispanics and the average percentage of blacks compared to US demographics didn't vote for Obama because of race? That is pure bull.
The SUN should not print blatant race baiter letters.
The SUN SHOULD BE better than that
We understand the need for Democrats to pander to ethic groups but this is not pandering this is race baiting.
Sadly, letter writer, race has nothing to do with it, despite your beliefs otherwise. It's about the American dream and life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Obama's America vision for these is not that of half of the country who voted against him.
CarmineD
As you can see there is little change as to how the country votes and attitudes of today.
In 1850 (15) FREE STATES-
Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin.
In 1850 (15) SLAVE STATES-
Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, and Alabama.
Sadly, a small percentage from the losing party remains in the Bubble with the intent of acting extreme to get attention. Many in the Republican Party chose to remain in a state of ignorance.
It's safe to say many of the Secessionists, or those who signed the petition, are receiving or relying on some kind of Federal or State government assistance. Be it, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, Unemployment assistance, or Food Stamps.
Many of the petition signers don't mind being used to express their bias and prejudices against President Obama. Either way, if that's how they feel, please return the free stuff your currently getting from the government you so dislike.
RefNV sez:
"That a state like Texas, which has twice as many Hispanics and the average percentage of blacks compared to US demographics didn't vote for Obama because of race? That is pure bull"
It's more germane to look at the voting age population of Texas rather than the entire population. The 2010 census was about 9 million white and 8 million combined hispanic and black eighteen and older. An even better demographic would be the racial/ethnic distribution of registered voters. Any thing else is real bull.
I'm not sure why we have so much time on our hands that we even comment on such silliness. I have heard one state or another babble about secession on many occasions over the last half century. It is always because they hate the politics of the party in power. Like others have said, this is not about race, if so it would have been tried 4 yrs ago. Is it true that Gov. Perry once backed secession, even tho he wanted to become the leader of all 50 States.
a)these talks are only coming from frustrated Republicans who can see the demographic trends guaranty they will never carry a national election again until they majorly rethink their attitudes.
b) the more rational forces within their own states will torpedo any such move
c) there IS no constitutional way to seceed
d)the USA might let a few Alabama's go, but only if their pay their trillion dollar share of the national debt...good luck with that!
e) if they really came to the brink, any President, GOP or Dem would have a 2 minute decision to make as to whether he/she put some boots on the ground to emulate Lincoln's response, or to meekly give up the Union, condeming us all to 2nd world status.
Whew...what a waste of time, for me and for the wing nuts.
Interesting that so many who wish to secede proclaim theselves to be reacting to their own perceived loss of freedom. Yet many are ardent backers of restrictions on the freedom and rights of others. The freedom to make reproductive or partnership choices are just two examples.
Jim,
The Texas senate has 19 republicans and 12 democrats. The Texas House has 102 republicans and 48 democrats. Texas is 38% Hispanic, 12% black and 4% Asian making Texas' population over 54% minority. Texas hasn't voted for a democratic president since 1976. All of a sudden, Stan writes a letter implying that southern states are racist and vote according to race. Has Stan even checked the demographics in Alabama Louisiana and Mississippi? Stan is nothing but a race baiter.
Ref forgot to mention the gerrymandering in Texas that allows a minority political party to hold a majority. Reality isn't Ref's strong suit.
Mark - I've noticed that too.
Jim & Mark,
When in doubt you both dodge the facts. Texas is a solid red state and Stan in this letter is race baiting. In 2008 Obama held out the hope of a postracial America. Obama's re-election efforts to divide America by race, gender and income class raises the possibility of a most-divided America and that concerns many Americans.
Rather than getting drunk and complaining at family holidays or sitting on a bench outside the bus station muttering, the cassandras of doom and gloom now start petitions and broadcast commentary on the Net. A once limited audience grows exponentially. What we have considered with many grains of salt now becomes fair game for discussion. Consider the implications of secession. On a personal level any elected official and many public employees who sign a petition have already violated their oath of office....the part to support and defend the Constitution. Have they committed treason? Should they be summarily removed from office? Are they, in fact, supporting efforts to weaken the United States? Define terrorist for me please! The same might well apply to any signer working in industries providing goods and services to the United States. If we are concerned that Muslims working on the New Jersey docks might try to slip in weapons, should we be concerned about Texas secessionists working on the docks in Galveston?
It's all good entertainment and provides comic relief as well as helping the media attract readers/viewers/listeners, but really folks, we've got more important things to worry about.....the dismal state of CCSD, for example.
Like all "good" leftists, Broselow uses "selective" facts to bolster his agenda. Notice, he does not refer to Dumbocrats who never "got" over nor accepted George W.'s victory over history twisting Al Gore. To this day, the creepy-crawlers in the "Commie Lite" party blame George W. for everything except, perhaps, hurricane Sandy. Keep in mind, "Commie Lite's" are not to be trusted with the truth as they manufacture facts that make their lies seem plausible while omitting facts that do not agree with their tall tales.
Comment removed by moderator. - -
gerry-mandering wasn't invented in Texas, for the truly clueless.
The reality is alot of people nowadays simply want to come to America because they can have things, consumer goods. And a lot of them don't want to assimilate, but would prefer to just import their own culture into this country and make the dominate culture conform to them. Being an "American" is really not a big deal to them and sadly we have a political party-Democrats-that openly panders and promotes this attitude. I believe eventually, probably not in my lifetime, but eventually the divisions in this country are going to become so great that people in certain states will decide they no longer want to be a part of this nothingness (especially if Democrats achieve their ultimate goal of permanent one party majority rule) and will want to separate themselves from it and guess what, they have a right to do it. People have a right to "self-determination", colonialists certainly thought so when they decided they no longer wanted to be shackled to England. Of course the only people who considered them "traitors" were the British.
It's true, the Grand Old Party is old. And white and male. But grand? Not so much. Not since Lincoln.
Looking into the future using current voting patterns, it's virtually assured that the GOP will go the way of the T-Rex and the brontosaurs.
Freeman
I am neither in doubt or dodging. Nowhere did I deny that Texas is a solidly red state, only that your attempted manipulation of data to prove your point was flawed. The writer accurately described the history of voting in the "Solid South". Reliably Democratic from the Civil War and Emancipation until passage by the Democrats of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act in the 1960s; reliably Republican since. I don't suggest that racial bias in the South hasn't greatly diminished, but there is a racial "memory" that radically changed voting patterns there.
America IS divided by many factors and race, gender equality, and income class are but a few. If you could be objective and look at the Romney campaign you might find some racial appeal to white voters using, for example, welfare and food stamps as code.
Are there any statistics that breakdown into race those wanting to secede from the US?
Baseless rant. Everybody, almost, accepts all races and mixtures--unless you're a skinhead incarcerated for assault. However, adult brains cannot accept that you can give everything we have to everyone on the planet without accepting a serious cut in our standard of living. How much more in taxes will you pay to support illegals, foreign aide, RX's for all of Africa.....?
This last election should have had the "right" thinking about the communications bubble and shrunken tent they live in. Obviously not by some of the comments posted here. Stan Broselow has a valid argument in his letter, but instead of thinking about what he wrote, he's called a race baiter. As long as Republican/conservatives/Tea Partiers continue that train of thought they will lose. I'll add another fact about those southern states. As a whole they have the worst economies, the poorest education, the least amount of people carrying health insurance, and a huge problem with teens giving birth to babies.
Although Stan alludes to how the Southern Democrats left that party and became Republicans after the 60s, he fails to mention that Johnson and the Democrats could not have passed the Civil Rights Act without strong support from the Republican Party of the day.
It should also be pointed out that it was the Republican Party who drove the civil rights movement (such as it was) following the Civil War.
Granted, the Republican Party of today is a far cry from even that of the 1960s. In my opinion, the slide started with the so-called Dixiecrats coming into the party, and accelerated when Reagan welcomed the so-called Moral Majority.
Today we have seen how the TEA Party movement was quickly hi-jacked and overrun by the religious right and that has led to many of the idiotic statements we heard this campaign cycle.
Borders and nations are often changed, dissolved, or created and for various reasons. Most likely the united states will divide into three or more separate and unique countries at some point, however what causes it remains to be seen.
Can someone explain how this worthless babble even gets published in a major newspaper?
the states should get out now before the epic crash of this fallen debt ridden nation, it is going to be ugly.
This writer poses an exceedingly silly line of thought. Any question that can be "settled" by a fight can be unsettled by starting a new fight.
Roslenda: "Everybody, almost, accepts all races and mixtures. . ." Um, I don't think so. If you really believe that, and that this whole issue is "baseless," you really don't have a clue. I knocked on thousands of doors during the last two presidential elections, and the 2010 midterms. I talked to Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Libertarians, and people of many other parties--and from these thousands of contacts, I know that Mr. Broselow raises valid points. Those commenters who call everyone who raises these points "race baiters" are ignoring reality.