Vermont to Secede from Bush's America?

Discussion in 'Vermont' started by chaos, Dec 19, 2004.

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  1. chaos

    chaos Member

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    Vermont to Secede from Bush's America?


    posted by Reverend Chuck0 on Sunday December 12 2004 @ 10:47AM PST


    FREE VERMONT!?

    "Middlebury Declaration" Calls for Secession from Bush's America

    by Peter Lamborn Wilson

    Should Vermont secede from the USA and declare itself independent
    agains (as it was from 1777 to 1791) under the Second Vermont
    Republic? This question was posed to attendees at a conference and
    town meeting, both held in Middlebury, VT, on the weekend after the
    national election, Nov. 5-7; and in both cases the answer was a
    nearly-unanimous YES.

    The conference--Rad.Con 2--was organized jointly by the Second Vermont
    Republic (SVR) and the UK-based Fourth World Organization (publishers
    of Fourth World Review), which sponsored the first "Radical
    Consultation" in Britain in September 2001. Ameican historian
    Kirkpatrick Sale contributes regularly to Fourth World, and made the
    keynote speech at Rad.Con 2 in Middlebury.

    Fourth World proclaims itself (on the cover of each issue): "For Small
    Nations--Small Communities--Small Farms--Small Industries--Small
    Banks--Small Fisheries--& the Inalienable Sovereugnty of the Human
    Spirit."

    This "platform" is largely based on the writings of two 20th century
    philosophers, Leopold Kohr and EF Schumacher, summed up in the phrase
    "Small is Beuatiful" (the title of Schumacher's 1973 book). Radical
    decentralists, Greens, bioregionalists, "buddhist economists",
    socialists, libertarian marxists, anti-Globalists, tribal rights
    militants, neo-luddities, true federalists, true conservatives (i.e.
    conservationists and isolationists), anarchists--and even a few
    disgusted Democrats--can all find something to admire in this philosophy.

    The name Proudhon came up several times at Rad.Con 2, and I made sure
    to mention Lysander Spooner and the American Philosophical Anarchist
    view of secession: namely, that small states are less bad than big
    ones; that every state has a perfect right to secede, as does every
    town, neighborhood, family, group or individual; that every
    independent and autonomous individual and group has the right to
    federate freely with others. Administration and economic organization
    should be undertaken by revokable delegates to regional congresses;
    public defense by a people's militia, etc. This encapsulates the
    politics of what Benjamin Tucker called "the unterrified
    Jeffersonians": anti-authoritarian, agrarian and devoted to "direct
    democracy."

    The question posed to Rad.Con 2 delegates--"After the Fall of the
    American Empire, Then What?"--takes on extra urgency after the Nov. 2
    elections. And it was meant to. SVR founder Prof. Thomas Naylor felt
    certain the Republican would "win" and that the conference would
    therefore be riding a wave of anger and confusion. The next four years
    should see the US Empire mired in Mid-Eastern war, vast debt,
    inflation, depression (both economic and psychic). More and more
    socialist-leaning governments will win elections in Europe and South
    America. Even now many Americans feel disgusted with Democratic Part
    waffling and hypocrisy and ready for something much more radical. If
    you don;t like the word "secession", call it "independence." Either
    way, it's American as apple pie.

    The most forceful and interesting talk I heard (because I missed the
    first day) was made by Don Livingston, a professor from Emorty
    University, whom Naylor called one of the philosophical gurus of the
    Second Vermont Republic. I heard that Kirkpatrick Sale's keynote
    address was also rousing. I was also very impressed by Prof. Naylor
    and his reborn Green Mountain Boys (and Girld), the core SVR
    membership. Particularly memorable were Jim Hogue and Gus Jaccaci, who
    acted the roles of Ethan Allen and Tom Jefferson at the Town Meeting
    on Saturday evening--as nice a bit of political theater as I've ever
    seen. The Town Meeting voted to make Jan. 15 a State holiday
    commemorating Vermont's independence and first Republic, launched on
    that day in 1777 when the region first seceded from New York anf the
    British Empire in one rash and dashing gesture of defiance. Oddly
    enough, it succeeded.

    Delegates to Rad.Con 2 came from England and other faraway places. The
    neighboring state of New Hampshire sent a delegate from their own Free
    State Project, a Libertarian-inspired political scheme aimed at
    greater local autonomy and perhaps secession. We heard about similar
    movements in other states, including Maine, Alaska, Hawaii, Texas,
    South Carolina and the commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Some of these
    separatist movements seem rather right-wing, others are more
    left-wing; all appear small, but all rather lively. We New Yorkers at
    the conference wished we could've said as much for our own home state.
    But at least we had the satisfaction of learning (from Prof.
    Livingston) that New York, along with Virginia and Rhode Island,
    actually reserved the right to secede when signing the US
    Constitution. Our revolutioanry Governor George Clinton was hilsef a
    radical democrat and Anti-Federalist who (under the pen-name Cato)
    attacked the Constitution as sheer counter-revolutionary
    reaction--which it was. (Sadly, Clinton opposed Vermont's right to
    secede from New York, and he hated Ethan Allen. During the Town
    Meetings, Kirk Sale acted the role of a disgrunteld Yorker and got bug
    laughs from the audience--who all seemed to remember the ancinet
    rivalry with great vividness.")

    On the last day (Sunday morning) the meeting room at the old
    Middlebury Inn was packed and humming. Most of the core delegates
    signed a resolution supporting world-wide separatist/secessionist
    movements (see below), drafted by Sale and others at dinner the
    previous night. All the delegates, attendees and guests in the room
    gave unanimous support to two resolutions--one supporting the
    formulation of a think-tank-type network to study independence
    movements everywhere; the second supporting the aims and goals of the
    Second Vermont Republic, approved to applause. The atmosphere in the
    room was excited and positive.

    RESOURCES:

    The Middlebury Declaration:
    http://www.vermontrepublic.org/writings/middleburydeclaration.html

    The Second Republic
    Journal of Vermont Independence
    http://www.vermontrepublic.org/
    POB 1516
    Montpelier, VT 05601 (sub. $20)

    Thomas Naylor, the Vermont Manifesto
    published by Xlibris, 1-800-795-4274

    Naylor on Vermont, George Bush and Secession, from the Vermont Cynic:
    http://www.vermontcynic.com/news/2003/10/14/News/Thomas.Naylor.On.Vermont.George
    .Bush.And.Secession-526880.shtml

    Vermont Independence Day Petition:
    http://www.vermontindependenceday.org/pages/1/index.htm

    New Hampshire Free State Project
    http://www.freestateproject.org/
    74 Shirley Hill Rd.
    Goffstown, NH 03045
    1-888-532-4604

    Fourth World Journal
    ed. John Papworth
    POB 2410
    Swindon, England SN5 4XN

    -------------------

    Special to WORLD WAR 4 REPORT, Dec. 10, 2004 Reprinting permissible
    with attribution

    WW3Report.com

    *************************************************
    http://www.worldwar3report.com/
    Vigilant, Independent Sentry of Truth in the War on Terrorism


    http://www.infoshop.org/inews/stories.php?story=04/12/12/7231195





    --
     
  2. seamonster66

    seamonster66 discount dracula

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    while it sounds nice, I believe it would cause a second civil war...after all, much to the disappointment of everyone intelligent, the south did rise again, and now it controls the country.


    NASCAR and Vince Gill will fill the air, whether we like it or not.
     
  3. EllisDTripp

    EllisDTripp Green Secessionist

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    Sounds great to me, but then you might expect that from someone using the label "Green Secessionist". :)

    More power to them!
     
  4. dhs

    dhs Senior Member

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    While Vermont is my home and I find the general socio-political climate to be the best out of any state in the nation. This would never happen. The governor of the state is a republican, he supports Bush and he supports the war. Now obviously he doesn't have the full say in this matter, but in general, if you were to take a survey about whether or not Vermont should succeed, the answer would be a resounding no. Vermont has far too resources to make it as an independent nation. The only reason why this was discussed this time and has been before as that per the state's constitution, vermont has a right to succeed from the US as an independent republic. It was a condition of joing the US back in the 1700's.

    Another discussion going on is that the town of Killington is actually trying to succeed from Vermont and be considered part of New Hampshire.
     
  5. chaos

    chaos Member

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    isn't vermont the only state that elected an independant?
     
  6. andcrs2

    andcrs2 Senior Member

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    Texas goes first...


    ...then I couldn't care who goes when.
     
  7. EllisDTripp

    EllisDTripp Green Secessionist

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    At a congressional level, yes. That would be Rep. Bernie Sanders.
     
  8. dhs

    dhs Senior Member

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    Bernie! Bernie! Bernie!


    also Jim Jeffords defected from the Republican party to become an independent a few years back after he realized how far to the right the party had moved. It was the first time in many years that a Senator did this.
     
  9. fitzy21

    fitzy21 Worst RT Mod EVAH!!!!

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    hypothetically, if this would happen...what would that mean for me, as a college student in vermont? would anything change? though this won't happen, what are some of the thigns that i would face as a student in vermont?
     
  10. dhs

    dhs Senior Member

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    Norwich would become guantanimo north under full control of the US military :p In addition to your studies - you would be required to guard jails housing snow bird insurgents, i.e. vermonters trying to retire to Florida.
     
  11. fitzy21

    fitzy21 Worst RT Mod EVAH!!!!

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    ahahahahahaha, awesome response...i would think it would be somewhat of a base up there if nothing at all...

    i would leave if they tried to make me do that type of guard duty...what if i wanted to retire?
     
  12. greenthumb

    greenthumb Member

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    Seamonster 66,
    I have the identical pic La Espana Barcelona in the Gaudi garden. Great taste and great photo!!
     
  13. thespeez

    thespeez Member

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    I find it interesting that the Free State Project (which-as mentioned in the first post here-chose New Hampshire as its chice state), seems to have spawned movements around the country for individuals trying to resist government tyranny. In addition to the above link, I'll also advise checking out the url mentioned below faturing many diverse topics:

    http://freestateproject.org/getinvolved/liaisons/
     
  14. Megara

    Megara Banned

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    this would never happen :p

    half of vermont is hippie love like, half is redneck nascar, take back vermont land...you can guess which side is full of hunters and gun owners.
     
  15. Okiefreak

    Okiefreak Senior Member

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    Bush's America? Does that still exist since the 2008 elections? We're still repairing the damage of the Bush years.
     
  16. drumminmama

    drumminmama Super Moderator Lifetime Supporter

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    Thread resurrected by spam.
    Sending it back to 2005.
     
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