It's beginning to sound like Canada-- where nearly all the provinces want to become independent for one reason or another. Unrest is everywhere. -- Melinda C. P. Skinner Richmond, VA -------------- Original message ---------------------- From: [log in to unmask] > > > > > > (http://news.yahoo.com/;_ylt=AhR1uBtL5jdWW.DD4JAVuBxH2ocA) > > _Back to Story_ > (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071003/ap_on_re_us/secessionist_movement;_ylt=AlJe > zDnLkDvzqmCUheRkmUhH2ocA) - _Help_ > (http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=AtsnQnM5rCBGS783eaM2vYFH2ocA/SIG=10rbjkhqd/**http: > //help.yahoo.com/) > > > > Secessionists meeting in Tennessee > > > > By BILL POOVEY, Associated Press WriterWed Oct 3, 3:15 AM ET > > > In an unlikely marriage of desire to secede from the United States, two > advocacy groups from opposite political traditions — New England and the > South — > are sitting down to talk. > Tired of foreign wars and what they consider right-wing courts, the > Middlebury Institute wants liberal states like Vermont to be able to secede > peacefully. > That sounds just fine to the League of the South, a conservative group that > refuses to give up on Southern independence. > "We believe that an independent South, or Hawaii, Alaska, or Vermont would be > better able to serve the interest of everybody, regardless of race or > ethnicity," said Michael Hill of Killen, Ala., president of the League of the > South. > Separated by hundreds of miles and divergent political philosophies, the > Middlebury Institute and the League of the South are hosting a two-day > Secessionist Convention starting Wednesday in Chattanooga. > They expect to attract supporters from California, Alaska and Hawaii, > inviting anyone who wants to dissolve the Union so states can save themselves > from > an overbearing federal government. > If allowed to go their own way, New Englanders "probably would allow abortion > and have gun control," Hill said, while Southerners "would probably crack > down on illegal immigration harder than it is being now." > The U.S. Constitution does not explicitly prohibit secession, but few people > think it is politically viable. > Vermont, one of the nation's most liberal states, has become a hotbed for > liberal secessionists, a fringe movement that gained new traction because of the > Iraq war, rising oil prices and the formation of several pro-secession > groups. > Thomas Naylor, the founder of one of those groups, the Second Vermont > Republic, said the friendly relationship with the League of the South doesn't > mean > everyone shares all the same beliefs. > But Naylor, a retired Duke University professor, said the League of the South > shares his group's opposition to the federal government and the need to > pursue secession. > "It doesn't matter if our next president is Condoleeza (Rice) or Hillary > (Clinton), it is going to be grim," said Naylor, adding that there are > secessionist movements in more than 25 states, including Hawaii, Alaska, New > Hampshire, South Carolina and Texas. > The Middlebury Institute, based in Cold Spring, N.Y., was started in 2005. > Its followers, disillusioned by the Iraq war and federal imperialism, share the > idea of states becoming independent republics. They contend their movement > is growing. > The first North American Separatist Convention was held last fall in Vermont, > which, unlike most Southern states, supports civil unions. Voters there > elected a socialist to the U.S. Senate. > Middlebury director Kirpatrick Sale said Hill offered to sponsor the second > secessionist convention, but the co-sponsor arrangement was intended to show > that "the folks up north regard you as legitimate colleagues." > "It bothers me that people have wrongly declared them to be racists," Sale > said. > The League of the South says it is not racist, but proudly displays a > Confederate Battle Flag on its banner. > Mark Potok, director of the Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence > Project, which monitors hate groups, said the League of the South "has been on > our > list close to a decade." > "What is remarkable and really astounding about this situation is we see > people and institutions who are supposedly on the progressive left rubbing > shoulders with bona fide white supremacists," Potok said. > Sale said the League of the South "has not done or said anything racist in > its 14 years of existence," and that the Southern Poverty Law Center is not > credible. > "They call everybody racists," Sale said. "There are, no doubt, racists in > the League of the South, and there are, no doubt, racists everywhere." > Harry Watson, director of the Center For the Study of the American South and > a history professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said > it was a surprise to see The Middlebury Institute conferring with the League > of the South, "an organization that's associated with a cause that many of us > associate with the preservation of slavery." > He said the unlikely partnering "represents the far left and far right of > American politics coming together." > ___ > On the Net: > Middlebury Institute: http://middleburyinstitute.org/ > League of the South: http://www.leagueofthesouth.net > Second Vermont Republic: http://www.vermontrepublic.org/ > Southern Poverty Law Center: http://www.splcenter.org/index.jsp > > > > > > > > Copyright © 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information > contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or > redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. > Copyright © 2007 Yahoo All rights reserved._Copyright/IP Policy_ > (http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12gq992c8/M=289534.11478080.11986597.1919853/D=news > /S=8903239: > FOOT/_ylt=AsIVqYFQwSuZr0uUeb2HS.FH2ocA/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1191446257/A=4916136/R=0/SI > G=11lp7krrc/*http://docs.yahoo.com/info/copyright/copyright.html) |_Terms of > Service_ > (http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12gq992c8/M=289534.11478080.11986597.1919853/D=news > /S=8903239:FOOT/_ylt=AsIVqYFQwSuZr0uUeb2HS.FH2ocA/Y=YAHOO/EXP=11914 > 46257/A=4916136/R=1/SIG=1136qnvkg/*http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/) > |_Help_ > (http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12gq992c8/M=289534.11478080.11986597.1919853/D=news > /S=8903239:FOOT/_ylt=AsIVqYFQwSuZr0uUeb2HS.FH2ocA/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1191446257/A= > 4916136/R=2/SIG=1184ggc4j/*http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/news/) > |_Feedback_ > (http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12gq992c8/M=289534.11478080.11986597.1919853/D=news > /S=8903239:FOOT/_ylt=AsIVqYFQwSuZr0uUeb2HS.FH2ocA/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1191446257/A > =4916136/R=3/SIG=11io5l8mj/*http://add.yahoo.com/fast/help/us/news/cgi_abuse) > NOTICE: We collect personal information on this site. To learn more about > how we use your information, see our_» Privacy Policy_ > (http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12gq992c8/M=289534.11478080.11986597.1919853/D=news > /S=8903239:FOOT/_ylt=As > IVqYFQwSuZr0uUeb2HS.FH2ocA/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1191446257/A=4916136/R=4/SIG=1163rhhok/ > *http://privacy.yahoo.com/privacy/us/) > > > > > > > ************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com