Modern Day Secessionists Meet in Tennessee

Didn't we fight a war over this already?

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - 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.

Let's see, Vermont has given us ulta-liberal Sen. Pat Leahy and Socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders, and previously gave us GOP turncoat Sen. Jim Jeffords. If they want to leave, let 'em.

The South still has bad feelings about that whole War of Northern Aggression, though I have to applaud their committment to States Rights. There's no question that the Federal Government has gone long beyond the wishes of the founding father's in its aggregation of power, much of which should have been left with the individual states. I wish a presidential candidate (with a reasonable chance of winning) would come along promising to devolve power back to the states. We would all benefit from that.

Secession, however, would be a disaster (with the possible exception of Vermont which none of us would really miss).