Posted under Sovereignty and Secession
The New Yorker’s Henrik Hertzberg, for whatever reason, moved himself from writing about 5th Avenue to blog about the Georgia State Senate’s recent 43-1 vote in favor of a state sovereignty resolution. He had this to say in particular:
“that the Georgia state senate, by a 43-1 vote, has passed a resolution that mixes three parts inanity and one part prospective treason into a Kompletely Krazy Kocktail of militia-minded moonshine and wacko white lightning—a resolution that not only endorses defiance of federal law but also threatens anarchy and revolution. “
One does not write for the New Yorkerand uses the phrase “militia-minded moonshine” and “wacko white lightning” as throwaway lines. Mr. Hertzberg chose these phrases carefully and deliberately, to once again give the impression from Cosmoland that the state sovereignty movement was dreamt up by backwoods rednecks. Apparently the boys from Deliverance are lawyers too. Ergo the whole thing is just nuts from nutty people.
Mr. Hertzberg, may I introduce you to left-secessionist Kirkpatrick Sale and the Second Vermont Republic. Maybe you’ll insult them with a joke about maple syrup.
You may think, Mr. Hertzberg, that such sovereignty movements just suddenly popped up after Obama’s election and perhaps for some that’s true, I grant you. But where were you when states like Missouri, Montana, Maine and New Hampshire were rejecting or attempting to reject DHS’ Real ID proposals? Hmmm? Doesn’t this sound like state sovereignty and or nullification, or didn’t this make you pay any attention because if happened in the Bush II Administration?
Would you have accused the state of Vermont of “anarchy and revolution” and “treason” when it nullified the Fugitive Slave Act of 1858 or would you have preferred to force the Green Mountain State to allow all those Simon Legreees to run around looking for their freed slaves? Hmmm?
Nullification is hardly “anarchy and revolution”. No one from Georgia is going to march on Washington D.C. and take it over. Rather, nullification is founded in the tradition of the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions to the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 to protest officially any law passed by Congress (or in more modern times executive orders by the President) deemed by that state as unconstitutional. It is a part of the series of checks and balances the Framers believed would keep the federal government from grabbing too much power if the states banded together to prevent it from happening. That’s why the Georgia resolution was modeled after the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions.
As I’ve said before, secession is often times in the eye of the beholder. But one thing that can’t be denied that images of “militia-minded moonshine” and “wacko white lighting” are so stereotypical and so out of date one would think it beneath a write presumably of Hertzberg’s talent to even think them up (that’s what blog writing will do to ya). If you look around you Mr. Hertzberg, you’ll see secession, nullification, the Free State Project, state sovereignty movements in all parts of the country and argued in favor by peoples in all walks of life, not just your backwoods fantasies.
Weaver on 20 May 2009 at 3:23 am #
What’s wrong with backwoods rednecks anyway?
Somehow I doubt Hertzberg would tolerate an ethnic slur as well as backwoods Okies do. Hertzberg is a bigot.
Chris Hewlett on 20 May 2009 at 9:22 am #
Maybe you missed the Kompletely Krazy Kocktail allusion.
RedPhillips on 20 May 2009 at 12:56 pm #
Patroon, I don’t have a problem with your essay, but my initial gut reaction was the same as Weaver’s. I don’t feel the need to justify my yahooness by pointing to liberals in Vermont who believe the same thing. There is at least some truth to the stereotype that it is yahoos who are talking up state’s rights, sovereignty, nullification and secession. It is certainly the yahoo crowd here in Georgia who are supporting Ray McBerry. What we need is more yahoos. Snotty rants like this help our case more than they hurt it. If Mr. Hertzberg wants to make this about New York Times readers vs. yahoo in fly-over country then I say “bring it on.”
What has always confused me is why if we are such backwards yahoos would people like Mr. Hertzberg not be glad to be rid of us and our taint. Why aren’t they cheering on the talk of secession? But we can’t have that now can we. Mr. Hertzberg and his ilk are carrying on the grand tradition of the Yankees before him. What they desperately desire is to remake everyone else in their supposedly morally superior image.
Litl Bits on 20 May 2009 at 4:09 pm #
I notice that he doesn’t mention the same movements going on in Texas….perhaps he’s afraid to take on the gun-toting Patriots in Texas?
I think it’s time for Mr. Hertzberg to READ THE CONSTITUTION! Perhaps that’s too difficult for him to read – in which case he can read THE 5,000 YEAR LEAP…he MIGHT just learn something! (heaven forbid!)
Andrew T. on 20 May 2009 at 7:19 pm #
“What’s wrong with backwoods rednecks anyway?”
You just answered your own question. Well, sort of.
Patroon on 20 May 2009 at 9:45 pm #
I’m afraid Red in this day and age they aren’t making yahoos as in ages past, although I would be curious to hear your definition of the term “yahoo.”
The point of my post was to take Mr. Hertzberg to task for stereotyping secession and nullifcation as something of a particular mindset, persuasion or, in this case, one’s choice of drink. One cannot label or ghettoize the support of secession or nullification given its sipport in groups all across the country and in all ages, economic backgrounds and levels of education.
We can either be dismissed or taken seriously and post was an argument for the latter.
Captainchaos on 21 May 2009 at 12:10 am #
The left-right political spectrum is exhausted, therefore to continue on in that vein is fraudulent. The necessity to be for European Man is absolute, it is all; therefore any relativising of that along an artificially constructed range of enforced political discourse is anathema. Only, ultimately, anti-White genocidalists do it.
roho on 21 May 2009 at 12:38 am #
Perhaps “Clyde Wilson” said it best?
http://www.lewrockwell.com/wilson/wilson12.html
Yankees cant’ help being yankees, “As a dog barks, because he is a dog!”…………But they all deserve nuetering!
D B Allyn on 23 May 2009 at 7:23 pm #
I am sure that AndrewT would be at home with Hertzberg and other limousine leftists opposed to anything about the greatness of white Euro-Americans.
D B Allyn on 23 May 2009 at 7:25 pm #
Chris Hewlett on 20 May 2009 at 9:22 am #
Maybe you missed the Kompletely Krazy Kocktail allusion.
- amazing how these morons continue to use Marxist invectives to promote their agenda.
Attack the System » Blog Archive » Updated News Digest May 24, 2009 on 24 May 2009 at 11:19 pm #
[...] Secession and Nullification Are All Around You by Patroon [...]
Andrew T. on 25 May 2009 at 8:59 pm #
“I am sure that AndrewT would be at home with Hertzberg and other limousine leftists opposed to anything about the greatness of white Euro-Americans.”
Um, no.
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