Posted on 06/04/2007 1:18:58 PM PDT by Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus
At Riverwalk Records, the all-vinyl record store just down the street from the state Capitol, the black "US Out of Vt.!" T-shirts are among the hottest sellers.
But to some people in Vermont, the idea is bigger than a $20 novelty. They want Vermont to secede from the United States -- peacefully, of course.
Disillusioned by what they call an empire about to fall, a small cadre of writers and academics is plotting political strategy and planting the seeds of separatism.
They've published a "Green Mountain Manifesto" subtitled "Why and How Tiny Vermont Might Help Save America From Itself by Seceding from the Union." They hope to put the question before citizens at Town Meeting Day next March, eventually persuading the state Legislature to declare independence, returning Vermont to the status it held from 1777 to 1791.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
Um....there’s the door.
Throw in the Peoples’ Republic of Massachusetts, Washington,[the state], Oregon and New York City, and I’m for it.
I think most Louisianians are very pro-America, and few know French... and it’s seperated by more than 1,000 miles from French Canada.
>> Not sure about #3 - PR might feel a little differently <<
Well, I’d certainly give them the option of converting to English and joining the union, but I doubt they’d take it.
Knowing the types in Vermont (and Taxachusetts which so many of them spread from like thistle seeds), I'd bet on a Zimbabwe economy over a Hong Kong economy.
I probably should mention, in case I’m ever “outed” as a Freeper, that I, in no way, mean to make a political proposal; I’m only saying what seems to be sensible, given the voters’ tendencies and desires, absent history.
Actually, I believe we can keep most of the land area of California.
I still remember years ago a CBC programme discussed Quebec and its French-Canadian culture. A chorus from those discussed, left and right, is that “We don’t want to become anotehr Louisiana!” - the French assimilates into the Anglo culture.
I’m surprised that Massachusetts hasn’t done this yet!
They need to make sure to take their part of the deficit (their representatives have always been disproportionately for greater spending) with them...
They figure they would still be better off as they get the protection of the US military for free, just like Europe and the European “neutral” countries do.
Why don’t we kick the little b@$t@rds out, declare war on them, and then spill over into Quebec and kick Froggie’s butt too? Oh, yeah, I keep forgetting Sarkozy is now the head Frog.
“US out of Vt!” — What a sad, sad end to Vt’s history. Such could only happen at the hands of the weak and the cowardly. Ethan Allen, roll over.
Like my Grandmother (a life long Democrat) says:
“Democrats are what existed before the 1960`s. What exist now are Treasoncrats.”
Oh, yeah—let it go quick!
As a separate country, any relations would be, by definition, voluntary...on both sides. I assume that since they would be seceding, they would also be renouncing US citizenship. They are landlocked, and nothing would stop the US from putting onerous border policies into place. All highways leading into Vermont could be converted to toll only. There's those Federal programs such as SS, etc...cut them off.
Could we start something like that in the state outside Fed dependent NY City ?
You put it very well. I might actually like to see it happen. Sometimes very foolish people need very hard lessons.
Nevada would have to come with California. There’s a symbiotic relationship between the two.
Ironically, it's the mirror image of how Vermont entered the Union.
Vermont had a very interesting history in colonial times. The colonial government of New York gave grants of Vermont land to wealthy absentee landlords (known as patroons in Dutch), while the colonial government of New Hampshire granted the same land to smallholders who actually farmed the land. Ownership of land in those days was determined by who payed the property tax and who accepted payment. New York forced the issue by sending in sheriffs to collect the property tax, and Vermonters resisted by forming citizens' militias. (Two militia leaders, Ethan Allen and John Stark, played important roles in the Revolution.) New York and New Hampshire were in the act of polishing their swords and oiling their muskets to decide the issue when the events at Lexington and Concord intervened. Following that, both colonies agreed to table the issue until the larger problem with Great Britain was resolved.
Following the war, neither state had the money or political will to force the issue, so Vermont by default became an independent republic with its own constitution. It sent no delegates to the Confederation Congress or the Constitutional Convention.
In 1790, Lord Dorchester, the governor-general of Canada, opened negotiations with Vermont in an attempt to bring it into Canada. Before he was knighted, Dorchester had been General Sir Guy Carleton, the only British commander George Washington had truly feared during the late war. Due to British stupidity, Carleton had spent most of the war in Montreal, cooling his heels. Now he began a campaign to strangle the American republic in its crib, and most of his efforts were spent exciting Indian tribes along the border. Vermont was simply another opportunity for Carleton to make trouble.
President Washington looked at the map and understood instinctively that a Canadian Vermont would be a British Vermont, which would be a spear sticking into America with the head of the spear aimed squarely at New York City. Washington tasked Secretary of State Jefferson to write a letter to the government of Vermont giving it an ultimatum. Either it could apply for admission as the 14th state -- or Washington would send the army into Vermont, conquer it, annex it as a territory, and make it a state when he damn well pleased. Faced with this threat, Vermont broke off negotiations with Dorchester and applied for admission.
Power politics can be brutal.
I assume maple syrup will be the No. 1 export followed by a new state motto: Eat syrup or die!
Don’t know if an economic powerhouse can be built on that, but it’s worth a try.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.