All the talk of secession has spread through the United States like wildfire. It’s really something that shouldn’t be taken lightly - after all, conservatives mocked Alec Baldwin for claiming he’d leave the states if Bush won. Why are they now lining up to secede? The bigger question Glenn has: why in the world would you sign that petition? On the White House website?
"I'm having an argument with a dear friend of mine who wants to sign this petition at WhiteHouse.gov to secede and I'm like, 'Stop.' She said, 'I'm not going to do nothing. I've got to do something. I'm not going to just sit around and do nothing. This is for my grandchildren and my children.' And I'm like, 'No. No.'" Glenn said. "You're giving your name to data collectors."
"There's nothing on the positive side," Stu added. He pointed out that even if the petition gets a lot of signatures, President Obama isn't going to suddenly tell states to leave.
"What about Iowa? Can Iowa sustain themselves?" Pat asked. "California would not be able to do it now with all the help they are getting. Texas is probably the only state that could sustain itself."
Texas does have a significant number of resources, including natural gas and oil. They also have their own state-controlled power grid. All of that plus a booming economy that has added over a million jobs while the rest of the country has been embroiled in a recession.
"I think there's a general frustration with the government that gets, you know, illustrated by things like this. But the vast majority of people want to make America better. We love America," Stu said.
"Here's what's really interesting. This is the difference between progressives and conservatives or libertarians. We say we want to secede. The progressives say I'm moving to France. We don't want to move to France. We want to live here. We love it here. We love the Constitution. We want to live here, under our Constitution. You want to live in France. So when you want to make us France or China, we say there's already that country. You should go try that country because you'll love it," Glenn said.
Glenn then got serious, saying the calls for secession show a growing frustration among conservatives who are for freedom, and part of that freedom involves not being trapped when blue states vote to put the country on a path of progressivism.
"We want to live our life a certain way. That's why we came here. If you don't like it, that's fine. And that's why when people said peaceful secession, I believe they really mean it. I don't really care what happens to Massachusetts. I don't. I don't. I want the people to be happy and everything else. But I never fought them on universal healthcare in Massachusetts. If that's what you want, that's fine. California, I love California. Massachusetts, not so much. California I love. I've always wanted to live in California. I love to visit California. Not so much lately, but I like to visit. I have always wanted to live there. I would build my company there if it wasn't so crazy. But it is. Okay, so it's crazy. You want to vote crazy? Vote crazy all you want. I'm not paying for it," Glenn said.
"We're not talking about getting rid of the United States of America. We're saying we want to be separate and independent states. We want to work together. We'll still be a union. I don't have a problem with California. Don't tell me what to do with my land and my town. We're making that decision. That's what's made us unique," Glenn said.
"Yeah, it's the constitutional argument. We'd love to have a place where everybody, all the states work together and that the federal government does the things that, you know, we give it power to do, such as national defense. The major big things that we do together." Stu clarified.
"Right," Glenn said.
"And we disagree. I disagree with the people in California, Massachusetts with the choices that they are making tore their own state. I go there and I think you're nuts. But that's okay. That's your right to be nuts," Glenn said. "I don't want to be a separate country. I really don't. I'm proud to be an American. I don't want to be a separate country. I just want to honor the Constitution. And many states are no longer honoring the Constitution. The federal government is no longer honoring the Constitution. That's what we mean. Honor the Constitution. The Constitution now and forever."
