Posted on 12/16/2016 2:00:16 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Good counsel.
From my reading, it appears the Declaration of Independence was a unilateral action by the colonies and was not based on the mutual consent of Britain. Or the votes of Spain, or Portugal, or Canada, or anyone else in the international community.
It appears the D of I was an action, based on findings, of the people who signed the document: Samuel Huntington, Roger Sherman, William Williams and Oliver Wolcott from Connecticut; Thomas McKean, George Read, and Caesar Rodney of Delaware; Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall and George Walton of Georgia; and so forth and so on.
The Document was styled “Declaration” of Independence - not “Petition” of Independence.
My understanding, from reading the D of I, is “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
Further, “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as TO THEM (emphasis added) shall seem most likely . . .”
Of course, not everyone agrees with these words. The King of England, for one.
And then there was Abraham Lincoln. Under the Lincoln “consent of the governed” theory the consent of the federal government was needed before people could exercise the right to alter or abolish.
I'm not arguing people in California should leave the union now. There is a better course of action: people in California should repent, change their ways, and act like they have some sense.
But if the people of California decide to issue a D of I (they will not), it would be their decision and would not require the consent of a King.
Aside from from LA, SAC and SF, I doubt the rest of the state would ever take any interest in leaving.
That’s correct. The Dof I is a unilateral decision, but not without clear justification and notice given to “a candid world”.
The Colonists didn't secede from British rule - they openly rebelled. And as a last resort and only after exhausting every other remedy.
The southern slavers chose violent insurrection as their first recourse.
they chose poorly.
Problem identified: you are weak on American history.
If you knew about the Missouri Compromise of 1820, the omnibus Compromise of 1850, or the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 you would not make the mistake of writing about “violent insurrection as their first recourse.”
The southern sons and grandsons of the founding fathers wanted to preserve their birthright union. They embraced peaceful compromise. Repeatedly.
“Wouldn’t take but a month for the Mexican Army to conquer that teeming pile of draft dodgers and baby killers”
If California were to secede successfully, the PLA Navy would be based in San Diego within six months. Hawaii would be lost within a year.
They embraced peaceful compromise. Repeatedly.
Their idea of compromise was like the ex-wife of a buddy of mine "Do it my way and I'll stop nagging you"
What seems like an unconfirmed anecdote to one person is the basis for anothers compelling world view. Strange that.
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