[All things become their opposites. Secessionism used to represent the feudal regime of slaveholders in the South. They wanted their energy to come from kidnapped Africans, instead of coal. Today secessionism represents one of a very few alternatives to incipient feudalism, and today’s secessionists want their energy to come from renewables and decreased consumption – instead of from militarized petroleum, vanishing natural gas, and a huge reserve of American prison labor.
Having lived in Vermont for three years, I can report that the state is blessed with a large number of historically aware, kind, decent men and women who care about each other and the planet. There are also quite a few Petro-troglodytes in the Green Mountain State whose giant red pickup trucks sport the Confederate flag. Yes, this means racism, and yes, it means desecrating the memory of the Vermonters who gave their lives for the Union in the Civil War. But the tiny kernel of good in that bizarre decal choice is coming out now. If secession from corporate domination is what the Redneck North meant all along by that sticker, then let them live up to it now. -- JAH]
Jumping From the Sinking Ship of Empire: Vermonters Move to Secede From USA
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
James Howard Kunstler, author of the book about Peak Oil The Long Emergency, will be the keynote speaker at The Vermont Convention on Independence to be held in the House Chamber of the State House in Montpelier, VT on Friday, October 28th, 2005. Sponsored by the Second Vermont Republic, the convention, which will begin at 9 am and conclude at 5 pm, is open to the public and free of charge. This historic event will be the first statewide convention on secession in the United States since North Carolina voted to secede from the Union on May 20, 1861.
Organizers of the convention say it has two objectives: First, to raise the level of awareness of Vermonters of the feasibility of independence as a viable alternative to a nation which has lost its moral authority and is unsustainable. And second, to provide an example and a process for other states and nations which may be seriously considering separatism, secession, independence, and similar devolutionary strategies. The Second Vermont Republic describes itself as "a peaceful, democratic, grassroots, libertarian populist movement committed to the return of Vermont to its status as an independent republic as it once was between 1777 and 1791."
Earlier this year, Vermont secession activists published their opening salvo, the Middlebury Institute Letter. It declared: "We believe that, of the options open to those who would dissent from the actions and institutions of a government grown too big and unwieldy and its handmaiden corporate sponsors grown too powerful and corrupt, the only comprehensive and practical one is some form of separatism. Exploring this option is not a step to be taken lightly, because there are established forces that will hamper and resist, and yet it is a legal and viable enterprise, squarely in the American tradition...
"Moreover, the accumulating signs point to a series of major crises that will seriously disrupt and may even destroy the American system in the near future. These include economic disruptions in the wake of global “peak oil” production before 2010, deterioration of the power of the dollar through mounting and uncontrollable national debt and trade imbalances, continued degradation of vital ecosystems on which the nation depends, climate change and severe weather causing widespread devastation of coastal areas, extended use of military force worldwide leading to increased terrorism and the reinstitution of the draft, [and] judicial takeovers at the Federal level by rightwing ideologues capable of altering fundamental legal rights... Those who want to absent and cushion themselves from suchlike devastations would reasonably want to explore ways of removing their communities and regions from dangerous national political and economic mechanisms that are incapable of reform." Read the complete Middlebury Institute Letter
The Middlebury Institute
for the study of separatism, secession, and self-determination
127 East Mountain Road
Cold Spring, N.Y. 10516
Jkelas@aol.com
http://www.vermontrepublic.org/writings/middinstltr.html
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
In answer to a growing swell of interest in realistic responses to the excesses of the present American empire, The Middlebury Institute has been launched by a group of activists and professionals to promote the serious study of separatism, secession, self-determination and similar devolutionary trends and developments, on both national and international scales.
We believe that, of the options open to those who would dissent from the actions and institutions of a government grown too big and unwieldy and its handmaiden corporate sponsors grown too powerful and corrupt, the only comprehensive and practical one is some form of separatism. Exploring this option is not a step to be taken lightly, because there are established forces that will hamper and resist, and yet it is a legal and viable enterprise, squarely in the American tradition, and of a piece with the worldwide devolutionary current that has seen the breakup of European empires (including the Soviet) and the expansion of the United Nations from 51 to 193 nations in sixty years.
Moreover, the accumulating signs point to a series of major crises that will seriously disrupt and may even destroy the American system in the near future. These include economic disruptions in the wake of global “peak oil” production before 2010, deterioration of the power of the dollar through mounting and uncontrollable national debt and trade imbalances, continued degradation of vital ecosystems on which the nation depends, climate change and severe weather causing widespread devastation of coastal areas, extended use of military force worldwide leading to increased terrorism and the reinstitution of the draft, judicial takeovers at the Federal level by rightwing ideologues capable of altering fundamental legal rights, and terrorist attacks at facilities (nuclear plants, harbors, chemical factories) the government has been unable or unwilling to protect. Those who want to absent and cushion themselves from suchlike devastations would reasonably want to explore ways of removing their communities and regions from dangerous national political and economic mechanisms that are incapable of reform.
It is for these reasons that The Middlebury Institute hopes to foster a national movement in the United States that will:
- place secession on the national political agenda,
- encourage secessionist and separatist movements here and abroad,
- develop communication among such existing and future groups,
- create a body of scholarship to examine and promote the ideas of separatism,
- and work carefully and thoughtfully for the ultimate task, the peaceful dissolution of the American empire.
To these ends we intend to issue regular papers treating with a broad range of secessionist issues, including the question of the constitutionality of secession in the U.S.; reports on the status of various secessionist movements in the U.S.; scenarios of federal responses to states opting to secede; the ethics of secession; the history of secession in America; the economic consequences of secession—a cost-benefit analysis; a history of worldwide secession and devolution developments of the past 20 years; case studies of individual foreign separatist movements of modern times; and excerpts from the considerable body of literature on separatism and secession.
We will also sponsor various gatherings, including academic seminars, in which leading scholars and activists will be invited to deliver and discuss papers on separatism and its corollaries; weekend conferences of speeches and workshops; national congresses with representatives of active separatist movements in the U.S.; and debates on various issues involving secession and separatism, with activists, elected politicians, scholars, and think-tank representatives, among others.
And we will be sending out regular news releases that draw attention to the breaking action or new activities of separatist groups, here and abroad, with special attention to the victories and achievements in the movement.
Eventually we will have a website that will be an archive of book chapters and articles on separatism and secession, particularly over the last dozen years, with regular news coverage of separatist events and links to the more prominent and active secessionist groups. At some point we will make room for postings from readers to discuss related matters as they wish.
This is a long-haul project: the task is as immense as it is urgent, and we must go carefully, even as we go steadily. We will need your help: contact us, send us your email address, contribute what you can. Ultimately the Middlebury Institute will be what its constituents need and want, and we will serve the movement in any way we can.
Spread the word. Join the action. Take the battlements. And keep in touch.
Kirkpatrick Sale
Thomas Naylor
September 1, 2005
“Whenever any form of government is destructive of these ends [life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness] it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government in such form as to them shall seem most likely to affect their safety and happiness.”
-- Declaration of Independence
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Jumping From the Sinking Ship of Empire: Vermonters Move to Secede From USA