Lakota Nation

On 20 December 2007 the Lakota Nation took the first steps toward reclaiming their independence - we should all be inspired and provide support and prayers.

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CHATTANOOGA DECLARATION

Read The Chattanooga Declaration here and be sure to sign the Declaration of States' Rights.

The War of 1776 was a War of Secession

Argument: The American Revolution was not a War of Secession

Counter-Argument:

America’s most prominent secessionist, Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration, was very clear about what he was saying: Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, and whenever that consent is withdrawn, it is the right of the people to "alter or abolish" that government and "to institute a new government." The word "secession" was not a part of the American language at that time, so Jefferson used the word "separation" instead to describe the intentions of the American colonial secessionists. (Secessionist No. 18)

Clearly the joint declaration of 13 colonies from Britain was nothing more than the exact sort of separation that political theorist eventually came to call secession. Virginia's declaration of Independence (secession) occurred before the July 1776 joint declaration. The colonies had existed in some cases for 150 years with certain rights and privileges and maintained de facto status as the representative government of the sovereignty of the people. These were acts of separation carried out by political bodies relying on the sovereignty of the people. It was secession.

There were acts of civil disobedience before the political declaration, there were incidents of mob violence and there was the distinct possibility that the war might have developed into an insurgency of the sort we are familiar with in the 20th and 21st centuries, but this did not happen.

Likewise this war cannot be properly termed a revolution, for revolutions seek to replace one government with another. The thirteen colonies acted independently in a joint manner to declare their separation from Britain, and then acted jointly in their newly independent status to create, give birth, to a new entity. There was not revolution, no intention to replace the current government - there was only the intention to separate, to seceded from Britain.

Kurdistan president replaces Iraqi flag

"SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq - Kurdistan president Massoud Barzani has ordered the Iraqi national flag to be replaced with the Kurdish one in his northern autonomous region in what appeared to be another move toward more self-rule in the north, local officials said Friday." Read More...

ARBIL, Iraq, Sept 3 (Reuters) - "The leader of Iraq's ethnic Kurds brandished the threat of secession on Sunday as a row with the Baghdad government over the flying of the Iraqi national flag exposed an increasingly bitter rift." Read More...

It is my hope and prayer that the Kurds achieve their goal of self-rule. I made very good friends with many Kurds while serving in Iraq. I lost two very fine men from my team, both Kurds, to horrific deaths.

During quiet times I enjoyed deep and meaningful conversations with several of my Kurdish friends. They want nothing more than what any man wants; peace, good government that represents and respects them, their values and traditions.

My desire to see the Kurds achieve that which they deserve has nothing at all to do with my desire to see the pernicious objectives of the neoconservatives flounder. This is personal; this is the hopes and dreams of one man transposed upon the aspirations of another.

Free Kurdistan from the shackles of the false nation of Iraq (not a nation at all but rather a remnant of British imperialism), let liberty live. If our fight in Iraq, the sacrifice of brothers, the blood, the horror, the nightmares are to mean anything let it be the freedom of the Kurds. Let the Sunnis and Shittes in the south find their own way.

Here are some facts (just the struggles of the Kurds in Iraq): There are 30 million Kurds but no Kurdish homeland with Kurdish self-rule. The Kurds fought a 15 year struggle against Iraq for their independence from 1960-1975. From 1960-1990 the Kurds suffered numerous episodes of ethnic cleansing. The Kurds rose up on 1991 (with encouragement from Bush I) and were gassed, machine-gunned and forced to relocate while the US stood by and watched. In 2003 the Kurds again rose up (with encouragement from Bush II) and ensured that Northern Iraq was tranquil and peacable. In fact the only major airborne operation conducted by US forces since WWII was conducted in Kurdish territory, primarily because US war planners knew the Kurds had the area secured. The Kurds have been a friend to the US, the US has done little or nothing for the Kurds.

To my fine brothers in arms from the 1st IIF and the 3rd Brigade and all the other fine Kurdish warriors I have been privileged to know my prayers are with you, my hope for the independence and liberty of my people is no more intense than my hope for you and your cause.

Deo Vindice (God is Our Defender or God will vindicate) and Imshallah (God willing)

Iraq; Kurds; secession

Sun Tzu for Secessionist

Here is something inflammatory and dangerous, the most dangerous thing I have ever written. Now do not take me wrong, I am not advocating violence as the solution to achieve political freedom. My point here is to dispel a constant argument I hear articulated in opposition to secession or for that matter any real discussion of taking back liberties and freedoms that are rightfully ours.

The counter-argument goes something like this. 'Ok so let's say you secede, then what? The Federal government would never allow it and it would only result in another Civil War that you would lose'.

The counter-counter argument that the secessionist provides to this generally ignores the point and states something to the effect of: 'Wow, do you really think the Federal government would actually use force again against a group of Americans exercising their democratic will?'

Good counter argument but it ignores the detractors point, they leave the discussion with a sense of victory and the pro-secessionist is left with a sense of inferiority. After all what if they are right and it is impossible to secede without the permission and consent of the federal government? What if freedom depends entirely upon the Federal government using restraint and refraining from violence? History as well as current trends makes this a pretty dubious hope to hang one's dreams upon.

Fourth Generation warfare(4GW) has changed all of that. The age of the state having the exclusive right to the use of violence has passed. Asynchronous warfare enables a numerically inferior, technologically disadvantaged antagonist to best a well-equipped, well-trained superior force. There is nothing really new about this type of warfare, it has always existed. The Huns used it to successfully, a portion of the American Revolution included this type of warefare. It has had many names but the current incarnation is a direct adaptation to the prevalence of 3GW (i.e. maneuver warfare).

Total war reentered the Western mind in the 1860's with Lincoln, Sherman and Grant. As much as Southerners loathe those despicable creatures the fact is total war, the idea of fighting not just the armies of your enemy but his capacity to wage war also, was something bound to find its way into the thought processes of western leaders. I suppose the fact that the US government is the only modern government to ever successfully wage total war (against the South, Germany and Japan) is something that future historians will certainly comment upon.

In the early 20th Century German military thinkers developed real maneuver warfare (3GW). The French in 1939 were a technologically superior Army but they were based on 2GW tactics and strategies. The Germans sliced through the numerically and technologically superior French forces in mere weeks. Of course today all nation-states maintain 3GW armies to one degree or another. Some maintain 4GW capability but most lack the ability to successfully engage in sustained 4GW and win.

4GW is total war, fought on the ground and in the hearts and minds of the people. The very notion of Jus ad bellum (Just War) in terms of rules and laws simply does not apply in 4GW. The rules that nation states apply are relics that maintain their legitimacy and claim to exclusive use of violence in the furtherance of their aims. The only rules that apply in 4GW are the rules that bind the participates to their own sense of morality and decency, everything beyond that is fair game and must be included if a disadvantaged foe hopes to prevail.

By any assessment Israel took a good hiding in Lebanon. The US experience in Iraq has proven that 4GW is more than a match for the best equipped Army in the world. Sure the US pacified Afghanistan for the most part, but this was largely due to the fact that the population (or at least a large enough portion of the population) was willing to cooperate. Do not forget the Soviet experience in that country when the population was not so supportive. Also recall the Russian experience in Chechnya. (and yes the Soviets/Russians were at best second string in the big picture but their doctrine was 3GW vs 4GW and they were hammered).

The point being that if a people are truly dedicated to their cause they ought not fear large, technologically superior militaries of nation-states. Neither should secessionist fear answering the straw-man counter argument presented above. If freedom is worth having and a people seek it then the decision to seek it ought not depend on the charity and restraint of the government that holds them hostage. Neither should it depend upon the potential costs and sacrifice. A people dedicated to their freedom can win it if they persevere and stand fast on their convictions.

I hate to use a line that has become cliche but one particular scene in Braveheart pretty much sums it it (I paraphase as I have not exactly memorized the line):

"Fight and you may die, run and you will live. But someday as you lay frail and weak in your bed, dying, you will willingly trade each day from today to then for the chance of freedom."

There is truth in that line. Nobody, especially those that have seen first hand the horrors of war, seeks violence. There are however greater tragedies than death. Sitting idly by while our republican form of government is taken away, day by day, and liberty vanishes from the earth; that is a tragedy worth fighting to stop.

Sun Tzu; secession; 4GW

Twenty-Four Justifications for Our Cause

A Partial List of Grievances

First: In violation of the War Powers Clause of the Constitution(Article 1, Section 8), the President has colluded with the Congress to pass legislation that transfers to the President the power to apply the armed forces of the United States of America in hostilities in Iraq without a Congressional Declaration of War.

Second: In a hasty response to widespread fear and panic following 911, our elected representatives enacted the U.S.A. Patriot Act (with many having not read it), which by the plain language of the Act, violates and seizes a number of the unalienable rights of the People.

Third: Our government has relinquished direct control of the monetary system of this nation to a privately owned central bank and has transformed our money into nothing but limitless debt. And, a significant portion of the Federal Reserve stock is held by foreign entities.

Fourth: the U.S. Department of Justice and the Internal Revenue Service reneged on their July 2001 agreement to appear at a recorded, public forum to answer the Petition of The People, with its well documented legal charges, relating to the fraudulent origin and illegal operation of the federal income tax system. The United States government as the central government representing the American nation has failed us, The American People. The government itself has thus far been unwilling to seriously address our pleas for redress. It is unlikely that any serious effort will be forthcoming to address the justifications of our cause listed herein or the dozens of other righteous complaints we hold as the tenets of our cause.

Fifth: IRS tax codes relating to churches prevent pastors from speaking out from the pulpit on political matters. Our history is replete with the free exercise of speech from the pulpit. The current laws and regulations amount to nothing more than the denial of a basic human right to a segment of the population.

Sixth: The United States government has ignored the wise words of George Washington and has progressively engaged in foreign entanglements and wars.

Seventh: The United States government has failed to ensure the most basic of human liberty, that of life, to millions of unborn Americans. Furthermore the central government has denied the power of the various states to act on this basic matter of human liberty.

Eighth: The central government through overt and nefarious action has enacted (the 14th) and passed (16th and 17th) amendments to the Constitution that are contrary to the original intent of the compact of union and detrimental to the liberty of the People.

Ninth: The United States government has redefined for itself roles and functions outside the original intent and delegated powers included in the Constitution (ex. Department of Education, Social Security, Federal Police Power).

Tenth: The United States government continues to hold its own judgment of the righteousness, justness and constitutionality supreme above the cries of the States and the people.

Eleventh: The United States government continues to abandon the principles, values and traditions of America, her people and the various States.

Twelfth: The President has, without due process, suspended the constitutional rights of American citizens; detaining them without trail or without bringing charges.

Thirteenth: Taxation of working citizens amounts to nearly 40% of their income. Government takes from those that work without asking; and spends their money without explicit permission or fiscal responsibility.

Fourteenth: The IRS tax code makes guilty men of innocent taxpayers; forcing those accused to prove their innocence. This is contrary to basic American principles of justice that state the accused is innocent until proven guilty.

Fifteenth: Parents of school age children are not afforded real choice in the education of their children. They are instead forced to pay twice for choice; once through taxes and again through tuition to the school of their choice.

Sixteenth: The US government has taken unto itself through the dispensation of funds the management and leadership of our public education system. This is contrary to the powers specifically delegated to the central government and reserved to the States and People.

Seventeenth: Since taking over the primary responsibility for the education of our children the quality of the education provided has steadily deteriorated.

Eighteenth: The United States government has entered into numerous treaties and agreements that undermine the sovereignty and autonomy of the Nation.

Ninetieth: The United States government has abandoned the basic tenets of the American Republic and slowly but steadily replaced it with a social welfare state consisting of two classes; those that work and those that feed at the government trough.

Twentieth: The United States has further abandoned the Republican form of government by dictating the manner in which states elect senators and redefining the role of the individual citizen and their relationship to the central government.

Twenty-First: The United States government has failed in its responsibility to secure the nations borders. As a result many government programs and citizen tax money goes to support illegals.

Twenty-Second: The United States government has failed in the primary task of all good governments; that is to protect the people from evil. Our popular culture has transformed from that of a model for others to aspire to emulate to that of a pariah. Our children are exposed to every form of perversion and right minded Americans have their sensibilities offended at every turn. Instead of protecting the citizenry from this evil, the central government has endorsed an atmosphere that encourages the continued demise of our culture.

Twenty-Third: The sanctity of a man's home and the Fourth Amendment no longer hold any relevance, police may enter homes unreasonably and without even knocking.

Twenty-Fourth: The Executive Branch has assumed powers unto itself that exceed the intent of the Constituion, in effect establishing a Unitary Executive with the power to ignore laws the President deems as contrary to his powers. This novel theory of government makes the Legislative and Judicial branches unnecessary.

The Declaration of Independence listed twenty-eight justifications why the various colonies demanded their independence from Britain. They were demanding outright freedom. I have listed twenty-four valid and pressing justifications here. We are only asking for a restoration of our rights. I think the weight of our grievances is sufficient to justify our cause and this list is by no means exhaustive.

Dum Spiro Spero

El Cid

(originally posted 20 April 2005, list updated 01 July 2006)

[secession]; [leviathan]; [tyranny]

Christian paleoconservative paleoconservatism Southern Nationalist

Moron Historian

I read this article on the Christian Exodus movement thanks to Chad

I am left wondering what two-bit diploma mill the austute investigative reporters at News 13 visited to find historian and political consultant Ned Barnett.

I have a degree in history and it is obvious to me that this fellow spent his time reading very different books than I. More likely he recieved his education via telecourses on PBS. The depth and breadth of his knowledge can be summed up in the few statements he made.

Consider this from the "esteemed" Mr. Historian:

"I'm a fairly strict interpreter of the Constitution and I can tell you there is no legal basis for any state withdrawing from the U.S. That issue was settled, once and for all, by the American Civil War."

When has a war ever settled any legal question? Might does not make right...it just proves that might wins. As for reading the Constitution as a "stirct" interpreter does this Mr. Barnett presume that he has some greater power of intepretation than say, Jefferson of Calhoun?

Barnett attempts later in the piece to define patriotism:

"Politically, it's all a sham ... because these groups are minorities even within the fundamentalist Christian movement. Most fundamentalists are also profoundly patriotic, and would not want to leave the U.S. under any circumstances."

I have served in the military of the US for almost 20 years. Went into foriegn lands with hostile intent three times. I have killed because I was ordered to do a job and that was at times part of the job. I happen also to be a Christian and a patriot. But according to this fellow, patriot Chirstians would not dream of leaving the US.

Define Patriotism for me Mr. expert on things you do not understand. Is it blind obedience and loyalty to a system? Are you equating patriotism with the "my country right or wrong crowd"?

Patriotism is something much more. It is love of home, of values, of principle. The Government in Washington is neither mine nor anyone else's country. It is just a government. My patriotism is much deeper and more meaninful than loyalty to a system.

Recedite, plebes! Gero rem imperialem
El Cid