Posted on 07/21/2020 6:29:31 AM PDT by Kaslin
The Supreme Court’s decision to effectively make eastern Oklahoma into Indian territory may force the state to sever into two. Why does that have to be a bad thing? Within the continental U.S., when it comes to states, the more the merrier.
If not for all the other crises and daily outrages boosted by mass media, the news of Oklahoma potentially losing half its state land to the sovereign nation of the Muscogee (Creek) tribe might have garnered more Americans’ attention for a bit longer.
The decision was led by Justice Neil Gorsuch, who despite being Trump’s first pick for the high court sided with the four liberal justices. They ruled narrowly that eastern Oklahoma was in fact Indian territory with regard to state criminal law, but the legal consequences will be innumerable.
All Americans should welcome this opportunity to reconsider their state borders as well as all regulatory boundaries.
Unfortunately, most conservatives haven’t latched on to that take. Sure, it’s not an ideal situation when a conservative state like Oklahoma gets politically upended by a few federal judges, but this can lead to a better outcome if a new state is a result.
Before getting into the benefits that Oklahoma residents may enjoy, let’s consider the wider ramifications for conservative victory nationwide.
After a favorable vote in the House of Representatives, Democrats are closer than ever to achieving statehood for Washington, DC. Yet Republicans have no national counter-strategy? Making DC a state has been a nationally unifying issue for Democrats, because they are well aware of the political stakes, including two new Democrats in the Senate.
Republicans should be as unified across the country to support their own local efforts. There are many to choose from already. There are competing efforts to break away rural Californians from their state, and there are pushes to divide New York up into two or three chunks. This year, some Illinois counties will vote on removing Chicago from their state.
Kentucky, Maine, and West Virginia all became states after breaking off from another, so it’s not the crazy notion some opponents will make it out to be.
Similar campaigns are ongoing in Oregon (to join a new Greater Idaho) and Virginia (to become part of West Virginia). In relatively recent history, the proposed states of Northern Colorado and Superior (Michigan) have also been proposed.
Conservatives are well aware of the ungovernableness of many blue states. Take California for instance. Its state assembly is made up of 80 legislators, with each one “representing” roughly a half-million people.
Whether it’s taxation, gun control, or political underrepresentation, many Americans are realizing they need to vote with their feet and move or otherwise try a political solution that doesn’t wait on a federal election.
The Republican Party must pay closer attention, then get involved where it’s prudent. And it will be prudent somewhere soon because Democrats are the ones with the momentum to ensure permanent federal dominance for themselves in the near future. That is apparent in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Virginia, and elsewhere.
As the French philosopher, Montesquieu said, “Power ought to serve as a check to power.”
That doesn’t strictly mean Republicans vs. Democrats, but rather, more importantly, it should mean the States vs. the Federal government. Conservatives will not fare well under a strong, centralized Democratic government, but if there are enough conservative states, a fully Democratic federal government will be nonetheless weakened by their uncooperation.
If the Democrats gain statehood for the District of Columbia or Puerto Rico, Republicans should work to add four states of their own to maintain competitiveness in the Senate and electoral college. The pursuit is worthwhile, however, even if Democrats claim a perpetual majority, simply because more states are harder for the feds to push around.
That’s what the Founders intended for this system of government, “laboratories of democracy” as Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis called the states.
Decentralization would benefit the Native Americans in eastern Oklahoma all the same. They pursued as much in the early part of the last century by proposing the State of Sequoyah. Now that area holds 60 percent of the refinery capacity of the fourth-largest oil-producing state.
As long as the federal government manages the land as its territory, the Native Americans can’t expect to reach the land’s potential for economic development or profit.
So, let Oklahoma come to discover there’s a silver lining in this seemingly dark cloud. Let the nation watch as more competition between states percolates, and let those who wish to go their own way do so as well.
Bringing state capitols closer to the governed will ease some of the political tensions dividing our country, and it will reduce Washington, DC’s grip on power to a more reasonable level as well. Conservatives must recognize this for their own political survival as well as for the sake of preserving America as a constitutional republic.
No worries.
Colorado is ready....
Other candidates: Florida, Texas (5), Louisiana Virginia and New York.
About 15 years ago, there was some talk of parts of Maryland breaking off. Ten years ago, I moved to the liberal cesspool (deal with it, I needed a job)
This place really is two states. Baltimore and a handful of insane counties could easily break off and become their own bastion of lunacy and leave the rest of us to thrive.
Which half of Oklahoma gets all the oil?
And we’re supposed to trust this fool-in-a-robe Gorsuck with a 2nd Amendment case?
I wish they would make Chicago/Cook County into a separate state. It would be very enjoyable watching it completely destroy itself.
We just spent a few days there enjoying the natural beauty of God’s creation called the Upper peninsula.
I’m not sure I agree with your analysis. Yes, there are great deep water ports, but the extra weeks of transit plus the time necessary for the Soo Locks offers no benefit to normal shipping to ocean or Bay ports.
You’re right on regarding logging and mining. Huge deposits that could power America if government got out of the way.
I wonder if shipbuilding could be done there as it is in Wisconsin?
good hearty hardworking people there.
Our trip was the first in a decade and we plan to be back soon. It’s a two day drive to get there but worth every minute.
“...but rather, more importantly, it should mean the States vs. the Federal government....”
True of course and this was known 160 years ago...that’s what the Civil War was all about.
Albany and the Hudson Valley down to NYC and all of Long Island should be a separate state.
The Adirondacks and all of central and western NY should be another state with Buffalo or Syracuse as its capital.
“...Trump’s first pick for the high court sided with the four liberal justices. ..”
If you side with the four liberal justices you are a piece of shit.
What this is about is who has jurisdiction over tribal members who get in trouble with the law. This is something that is included in treaties going back to the late 19th century, that never got straightened out as it should have been, by congress, the state of Oklahoma, and the tribes.
So it comes up in a court case and the USSC correctly rules that the "old" treaties still apply. So if someone who is a tribal member goes and commits a crime, he gets tried in tribal court instead of district court - so, the tribes and the fedgov have jurisdiction over these situations and the state has none, for the time being.
People still pay state taxes and drive on the right side of the street, etc.
Now, where it gets interesting, is our Governor has really alienated himself from almost everyone by, among other things, attempting to shake down the tribes for a big chunk of the money from the casinos. This gambit has been in a state of flux, but now it will serve to unify the tribes even more, in a position of strength, and they'll be able to either make a deal with the governor on their terms or tell him to just go... you know. We're talking about very smart, astute people here.
So, place your bets on it all getting straightened out in due time. The only thing unknown is what will the governor have to concede in order to go back to the old status quo.
Now... If you were to ax me to just start making stuff up wildly, which I could do... "Yeah, the only reasonable thing to do is to split the state in half, right down I-35, and we get the east half where the Cherokee and Osage are, the Capital can be Tahlequah and we'll call the new State Sequoyah... all resident honkies with "undocumented" bloodline are hereby conferred with tribal membership in a similar manner to the Freedmen."
Yeah, that would work just fine for me but that's just makin' up crazy stuff like this guy who wrote this article.
It's really just about criminal jurisdiction, and IMO there will be a business deal made to smooth it all over in time.
Lesson for slow-learning governors: The tribes are run by smart, savvy people and they have political power. Mess with them at your own risk, you just might meet the Thunderbird - but only in the political sense, mind you.
Staten Island, too.
I’ve been in the UP a number of times on vacation day trips to Lake Superior/Porcupine Mtns. Gorgeous country but oy vey the towns! Reminds me of Grapes of Wrath or backwoods towns in rural Mississippi.
Put Chicago, Cook County, the lake front up to and including Milwaukee and Gary and Lake county Indiana together. Helps three states get or stay red.
I’d love to see St Louis given to Illinois.
Ditto that....
Litchfield Hills with the Naugatuck Valley area of Connecticut would split from Hartford/New Haven area. The Quiet Corner would merge with Fisher Island and Block Island, too.
All EASTERN STATES, TOO.
“Democrats are closer than ever to achieving statehood for Washington, DC. “
These problems can’t be just wished or voted away by the dems in the House.
Little secrete for you. Ishpeming and Negaunee- the hub of CCIs mines have swung heavy republican after the long legged mack daddy managed to just about get them shut down.
Copper Country is heavy conservative. has been for a long time.
The worst parts of the UP is Marquette Michigan-a typical college town.
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