I normally don’t like writing about politics, and I have good reasons. For the most part, as divided as our country is right now, debating anything is a waste of good energy. It’s about as divisive as discussing religion, if not worse, and I for one respect everyone’s right to believe what they want in any arena. What I don’t like are the rolling eyes, the snippy, hateful comments… the “I’m so smart and you’re so dumb” arrogance. And as bad, the angry, misguided, propaganda based ignorance. Anymore I feel like a parent who needs to gather all of their children in the same room and knock their heads together. Yes, literally.
So bear with me now as I tread dangerous ground, and before you respond, I would prefer you take at least one breath, maybe take a walk down the road or around the block, or possibly even sleep on it a night or two. And after those calming steps, wouldn’t hurt to check your blood pressure first, your oxygen levels, and make sure your underwear isn’t too tight.
Okay, here goes…
Though I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, I’ve been somewhat taken aback by the White House petitions to secede. I haven’t taken the time to make a list, but I am hearing reports that there is one for each state. In some cases there is more than one for each state, because, I presume, someone was too lazy to read down the list of petitions to see if their state already had one. Or, maybe the petition itself didn’t state what they wanted. All I do know is that it’s a disturbing proposition no matter how you look at it.
At first I wonder if it’s not the same temperament as a man or woman going up to their spouse and saying, “I want a divorce.” Maybe they’re serious, maybe they’re not. Maybe they’re just trying to get the other’s attention. Then I see a few of the news interviews and realize, yes, these people are serious. What I also notice is that they are ignoring one very important fact, and that’s the election itself. I’m not talking about who voted for who, I’m talking about who didn’t vote.
According to the Associated Press election figures, there were over 9 million (9,177,555 to be exact) less people that turned out to vote in this year’s election than 2008. 1.4 million less Republicans, and 7.7 million less Democrats. Since it’s fairly safe to say that the petitions are likely from angry Republicans, or Libertarians, then the petition went to the wrong place. They need to be petitioning their fellow party members for not getting out and voting.
The people who voted spoke and Obama was re-elected. Now, if you want to cite some World View conspiracy, left wing voter fraud, or whatever idea you want to share with the radical shockwaves and propaganda email chains, then I suggest you go out there and gather the intelligence data for such accusations and PROVE IT. Because, my fellow Americans, the petitions you are making should be to the ones who DIDN’T VOTE, and not to the White House. As far as I can tell, they won fair and square.
I know what you’re thinking. Yeah, you’re thinking that since Steven Anderson, AKA Steven Law, is siding with the election results, that he drank the Liberal Kool-Aid. He’s a writer, a man of the arts, and we all know what those people think! Yeah, they are Communist, feminist, Marxist, tree hugging, baby killers who want nothing more than to take our guns away!
Well, my fellow Americans, let me enlighten you. I have rarely, ever in my life told anyone who I voted for, because it truly is my personal business, but I will make an exception this time because I do believe it’s important to back up what I’m saying. In 2008 I voted for John McCain. In this recent election I voted for Mitt Romney. That’s the extent of my exposure, because the reason I picked those candidates was because of my own careful analysis of what I thought this country needed. They certainly were not decisions based on the embarrassing influx of right or left wing propaganda that jams my email inbox, or from Rush Limbaugh, Rachel Maddow, Sean Hannity, Chris Matthews, Mark Levin, Bill Maher, or, God help us, the pulpit. No, I base my decisions on nothing I hear from a biased media commentary. I read, I research, and I study the qualifications of the candidates as to their ability to deliver the goods. And you know what, that doesn’t make me right, it just allows me to exercise my right.
So when I see the election results, and the amount of angry people out there who want to blame everyone but the people who didn’t exercise their constitutional right to vote, I want to round them up and give them a history lesson. I am quite confident that someone in their family, during the course of American history, either died or risked their life for the right for them to walk into that poll on Election Day and cast their vote. The blood in our domestic and foreign soil, not just from the Red States, but from sea to shining sea, was the price paid for that right. So if they don’t exercise it, then what right do they have to complain?
There are a lot of things that we can work towards, but the idea of secession is just unbelievably juvenile. Pick up your toys and go home….not playing anymore. Is that how it is? So you don’t like the President’s policies. You know what… I don’t like most of them either. But I voted for a different President, and I lost. Now we have the President we have, and we have to hope and pray for the best. We have to work hard, listen, learn, communicate, and for God’s sake be civil!
I truly don’t believe that any one of the people who drafted or signed those petitions have the slightest inkling of what it would cause if it were to come true. First of all, the Supreme Court determined that secession is illegal, and the only way it can truly happen is if the state, or states, secede by force. What are the chances of that happening? Anyway, I could go on and on about the more practical reasons why secession would never work, but all one has to do is go down the list of things that we all have that would vanish if we were no longer united, and they’d soon get the picture. Or at least I hope they would.
What bothers me most, however, is that I live in this Red State of Missouri so I can be close to my family. Just across town, I can go visit my very liberal family members, and their three adorable children. We have a wonderful time if we can avoid talking about politics. But the point is, they have lived here nearly twenty years and have tolerated many issues that go against their personal values, and though we may not agree on everything, the last thing I would ever want is to have to visit them in a foreign country. We live in a country where we have the right to believe what we want to believe and express that freely as well. They have been surrounded by people of very different values for a very long time and I don’t hear them talking about secession.
If there is anyone in this great country of ours that wants to shut out their family, friends, or neighbors, simply because they believe something different, then I am truly ashamed of you, and you should be ashamed of yourselves. And if you think that just because you’re a Red State, that this utopian idea that all of the liberals would be gone, and that you still wouldn’t have major disagreements, then oh boy, you are naïve. For example, I wonder how many Conservative Christians would side with the man who wrote the secession petition for Alabama? He is a Libertarian, and the primary reason he wrote the petition was because he used to own and operate a topless car wash, and the local government shut him down citing indecency laws. How about that, desiring secessionists? Are you still game?
No, what I think the secession mongers need is a massage and a warm bath, a shot of brandy (or warm milk if they don’t drink alcohol—or hot apple cider if they’re lactose intolerant), and maybe a fishing or hunting trip, or some serious time away from the shock media and their email propaganda. When you return, with a fresh, righteous mind, think about where on God’s green earth that you’d rather live than in these United States of America. Because one thing is for certain, there were just over 120 million votes cast in the last election, and considering that there are over 200 million eligible voters, and an estimated 170 million citizens registered to vote, I’d rather spend my time petitioning those some 50-80 million people to get off their posteriors and vote.
I remember very clearly how upset Red State people were with two-term President Bill Clinton. It was mostly because of his similar liberal ideals, scandals, his foray with the White House intern, and the bald face lies to the American people. But, he did balance the budget. Regardless, I don’t remember anyone talking about secession then. Do you think it might be because he is white?
If this is not what the secessionists want to hear, and they want to cite some other insidious reason—like the President is a Muslim, or not a U.S. citizen, or that he is part of a supreme, conspiring One World Order to bring us into a European Socialist type government, then I have to digress and wonder if they might not be doing the right thing. It might be best that they risk all that we’ve fought and died for and go build a big wall, somewhere in the heart of Texas, and hide themselves from the rest of the world, because quite frankly, my friends, having access to truly good, competent information rather than extreme, spinning propaganda obviously does them no good.
Lastly, if you respond to this blog post citing things similar to items in the latter paragraph, then you have to back them up with facts. And no, an email or quote from Donald Trump doesn’t count. And neither does a note from your parents. Otherwise, I truly pray that we all step back, listen, learn, and take a good look at what’s at stake here. A rash, extreme, grasshopper style jump into secession is not the answer. What is the best answer? To be calm, caring, and considerate… and to remain united. I’m willing, are you?
God bless all of you. And God bless these UNITED States of America.
Steven Law is the author of Yuma Gold (Berkley, 2011) and The True Father (Goldminds, 2008). Visit his website at www.stevenlaw.com.
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