Divided We Stand (What would California look like broken in three? Or a Republic of New England?)

WSJ ^ | 6/13/09

[MinorityRepublican]

Remember that classic Beatles riff of the 1960s: “You say you want a revolution?” Imagine this instead: a devolution. Picture an America that is run not, as now, by a top-heavy Washington autocracy but, in freewheeling style, by an assemblage of largely autonomous regional republics reflecting the eclectic economic and cultural character of the society.

There might be an austere Republic of New England, with a natural strength in higher education and technology; a Caribbean-flavored city-state Republic of Greater Miami, with an anchor in the Latin American economy; and maybe even a Republic of Las Vegas with unfettered license to pursue its ambitions as a global gambling, entertainment and conventioneer destination. California? America’s broke, ill-governed and way-too-big nation-like state might be saved, truly saved, not by an emergency federal bailout, but by a merciful carve-up into a trio of republics that would rely on their own ingenuity in making their connections to the wider world. And while we’re at it, let’s make this project bi-national—economic logic suggests a natural multilingual combination between Greater San Diego and Mexico’s Northern Baja, and, to the Pacific north, between Seattle and Vancouver in a megaregion already dubbed “Cascadia” by economic cartographers.

[Nowhere Man]

Potential Civil War II ping?

[mamelukesabre]

everyone here on this thread needs to recite the pledge of allegiance out loud. Maybe they forgot the part that comes directly after the “under god” part.

[pnh102]

Texas is one of the few states that has, and could once again, stand as its own country if it chose to do so. Other than Texas or Alaska I don’t see what other states could operate as their own countries.

[ConservativeMan55]

bttt

[muawiyah]

If Austria is able to function as a country, virtually every state but Massachusetts ought to be able to do so.

[gaijin]

The famous diplomat George Kennan famously predicted that the Soviet Union would run it’s course and breakup.

But he also predicted that of the USA..!!!

[Selmore]

That looks surprising like February 1861. Before the civil war.

Or as we like to call it, the War Against Northern Aggression.

[ApplegateRanch]

Product Details

* Paperback: 156 pages
* Publisher: DAW Books, Inc. (January 5, 1982)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0879976977
* ISBN-13: 978-0879976972

---

_After Things Fell Apart_ may be justly considered one of Goulart's very best novels. It is set in the environs of San Francisco during a time in which, well, everything _has_ fallen apart. There has been a guerrila invasion of the Chinese, the government has collapsed, robots and machines are constantly breaking down, there are regular riots on the Golden Gate Bridge, the traditional Mafia is competing against the Amateur Mafia (no Italians allowed), drugrunning and prostitution is normal, back to nature communes are springing up, and Richard Nixon is still alive.

# Paperback: 192 pages
# Publisher: Berkley (April 1, 1985)
# Language: English
# ISBN-10: 0425076474
# ISBN-13: 978-0425076477

---

A pair of prophetic primers? In any case, I enjoyed laughing my way through both, when they first came out.

It is less funny or fun to be living through the birth pangs of it.

[beckysueb]

Well, some of the states don’t like the “under God” part so let them build their secular country. Here in the south, we will keep the “under God” part.

[montomike]

I’ve wondered what the country of Columbia would be like.

I can see that Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alberta and British Columbia would make a wonderful country.

Look at all the resources, the ocean, the fishing, the farmlands.

[Spktyr]

Except this time around, we (the South) have:

1. Most of the money.
2. Almost all the manufacturing.
3, Most of the guns.
4. Most of the military equipment and know-how (vets love retiring to the South).
5. No slaves.
6. Most of the technical base and R&D.
7. Ungodly numbers of people with guns wanting a rematch.
8. Nuclear weapons.

The North has nothing. I like our odds.

[OneWingedShark]

“...and to the Republic for which it stands...”

[Spktyr]

True; and IIRC at the end of the last Civil War, Texas was the only state in the Confederacy that had no Union troops in residence - Texas went 3-2 against Union troops in set piece battles, with the last three battles going to Texas.

[Spktyr]

You forgot the part after that, the one that runs “with liberty and justice for all.”

Sorry, that’s not available in America any more. Liberty and justice went poof the second Obama was sworn in.

[mamelukesabre]

I see.

They want god out of it, and you want indivisible out of it. I’d prefer we keep it all and start paying attention to just what the heck we pledged to all those mornings for so many years...then get back on track so our pledge can mean something again.

[mamelukesabre]

Yeah, we got some work to do on that big “R” word too.

[beckysueb]

That would be ideal but it ain’t gonna happen. The left wants a secular hellhole and they are going to drag us down with them. Best to get while the gettins’ good.

[mamelukesabre]

He can get sworn out just as easily as he can get sworn in.

[beckysueb]

I got a feeling its going to be harder getting him out than it was getting him in.

[MARTIAL MONK]

Maybe the rest of us could colonize the wild and uncivilized areas (like Texas). Teach the barbarians some manners.