"Secession or War - American West Against the East"

[M]

Reprinted with permission of author;

"Secession or War - American West Against the East"

from "In Defense of Rural America"

By Ron Ewart, President

National Association of Rural Landowners (www.narlo.org)

and nationally recognized author and speaker on freedom and property rights issues for over 10 years

© Copyright Sunday, December 6, 2015 - All Rights Reserved

 

 

 

When is the Western half of the United States going to get tired of being aggressively bullied by Washington DC and the corrupt, one-world government United Nations, openly supported by DC politicians and reluctantly financed by the oppressed taxpayer?

 

Most, if not all, of the Thirteen Colonies have turned socialist. Most of the big cities in the Eastern half of the U. S. are socialist cities. Most of the legislation coming out of Washington DC is driven by socialist policies, or by radical environmentalism. Federal socialist and radical environmental legislation drive local and state laws. Those local, state and federal laws have so badly eroded freedom in America, that America is unrecognizable from the vision of the Founding Fathers. But a good deal of that loss of freedom has affected landowners and lawful citizens in the Western United States.

 

Once again America is divided, not between North and South, but between West and East. Much of that division comes from the dictatorial control by the Federal Government over the millions of acres the government owns in the 18 Western states, that includes Alaska.

 

Out of the 2.27 billion acres of landmass in the U. S., the government owns 28%. Look at the map. Over 90% of that 28% is in the 18 Western States. The ownership of Western State lands by the government severely restricts tax revenues for those Western States. Intrusion by the Bureau of Land Management, the Department of Fish and Wild Life, the National Park Service and the Forest Service into private lands adjoining federal lands has precipitated dangerous confrontations between private landowners and the federal government.

 

Some of those confrontations have come close to all-out warfare, as in the Bundy Ranch standoff in Nevada last year. A similar event could erupt in Eastern Oregon over the Hammond Ranch where the Hammonds were railroaded into a five-year prison sentence by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) under terrorist minimum sentencing guidelines, for wholly fabricated arson charges. (See http://www.narlo.org/hammond.html) Another potential standoff came close when the BLM went after the mining claims in Southwestern Oregon this year.

 

Some people are muttering "civil war" under their breath. It is only a matter of time in the West before the guns start blazing and people start dying.

 

Here is the reality for the Western States. The Eastern banks control all money in the Western half. The Eastern liberal news media controls the news we see and hear in the Western States. Socialist and radical environmental legislation, concocted by Eastern U. S. liberal federal politicians, have had a draconian impact on the private lands in Western America.

 

Washington DC controls international trade which directly affects the Western States. The hopelessly flawed Transpacific Partnership Trade Agreement is a prime example of this international corporate control of so-called free trade that is riddled with environmental regulations, crony capitalism and protectionist regulations.

 

(See:http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2015/11/whats_actually_in_t...)

 

Ivy League liberal colleges are mostly in the Eastern States that produce liberal lawyers, doctors, educators and politicians. Washington DC now controls all of public education, or should we say, indoctrination. That liberal-socialist mindset infiltrates the Western States through the courts, education and socialist and environmental legislation.

 

The federal government controls all of the resources that are produced on federal lands in the U. S. Most of those mineral-rich federal lands are in the Western States. Billions of dollars in surface and subsurface minerals, or crude oil, go un-used, regulated out of reach by radical environmental legislation, or sucked into the federal treasury. Those mineral revenues should be pouring into Western States, not Washington DC.

 

But it doesn’t end there. The federal government is taking control of more land by extending buffers or buying conservation easements around government holdings, thereby severely impacting private land. Or the FEDS are buying up more land for animal habitat and wildlife corridors and declaring new heritage sites and scenic areas. Most of what they are trying to regulate, control, or buy up using millions of taxpayer dollars, exists in the Western States. The fact is, the Western States are under a vicious assault by the federal government.

 

To further illustrate how the Eastern states and Washington DC stick it to the Western states, you only have to look at the number of environmental regulations that Obama has "driven" into law with the help of his cabinet and the Democrats in Congress. Since Obama took office in January of 2009 it has been reported that he has pushed through by executive order, cabinet directive, or Democrat sponsored legislation, over 3,500 separate regulations. It has been estimated that these new regulations are costing the American economy around $80,000,000,000 per year. These are direct costs. The indirect costs of compliance with the new regulations are incalculable.

 

Just recently Obama has said he wants to push through another 2,200 new regulations in his last year in office. Most of those regulations have an environmental component and most of these regulations will fall disproportionately on Western states.

 

It is high time that the Western States, under the power of the 9th and 10th Amendments start fighting back.  The very survival and sovereignty of the Western States is at stake.  

 

We strongly suggest that the 18 Western States form a strong alliance and warn the federal government in Washington DC that they are on thin ground and that the only solutions to this unwarranted and unconstitutional federal power grab are capitulation by the FEDS to Western State demands which include release of all federal lands to private ownership except National Parks and national forests, and if capitulation is not forthcoming, constitutional secession from the United States could result, or an all-out war between the West and the East. Anything less than this declaration and mandamus will not stop the FEDS from literally, by regulation, conquering a once-free and sovereign nation of 18 free states that still maintain, preserve and promote the principles of freedom and liberty under a Constitutional Republic. These 18 Western states are the last bastion of freedom in America.

 

This isn’t the United States any more. It has become a dictatorial power emanating from a wholly corrupt city, in hopelessly corrupt states and big cities in the Eastern half. The Eastern States are too far-gone to save. (How can an avowed socialist, Bernie Sanders, be a viable candidate for president in a free America? It is unfathomable)

 

In contrast, the Western States have the landmass, seaports, vast mineral resources and a strong tax base to create a new nation under the terms of the Original Declaration of Independence where, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends,(and the U. S. Federal Government has become destructive of these ends) it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

 

This new nation of Western States could be called "The United 18 Free States of America." A new capitol could be established, but not in an existing city. It must be a new city, centrally located and staffed with people who hold the principles of freedom in their hearts and in their minds. A three-branch national government would be preserved.

The U. S. Constitution would return to being the Supreme Law of the Land. Courts would return to be common law courts, not the admiralty courts they have become. Precedent law would be abolished and replaced with constitutional and statute law. Lawyers would not register with the State BAR. They would be licensed by the individual states and swear allegiance to the National and State Constitutions. Their loyalty would be to their client, not the court, or some foreign association based in England.

 

Only constitutional laws would be codified into new national legislation. State laws would be revised to include only constitutional law. The 17^{th Amendment would be repealed and Senators would be elected in accordance with Article I, Section 3, Clause 1 of the U. S. Constitution.}

 

The anchor baby provision of the 14th Amendment would be repealed. Illegal aliens would be forced to come out of the shadows and register with the national government as foreign agents, or be deported, adults and children. There would be no social benefits, education, or medical services for anyone who could not prove citizenship. This would encourage self-deportation. Employment of non-registered illegal aliens would be a felony, punishable by fines and imprisonment. Work and education visas would be strictly enforced. Amnesty or U. S. Citizenship for illegal entry into the new United 18 Free States of America would never be granted. Rewarding illegal behavior with the benefit of citizenship is contrary to common sense, equal justice and fairness.

 

The original definition of property rights under allodial title, as envisioned by the Founding Fathers, would be restored into law. Any TAKING by government would be strictly controlled by the full intent of the Fifth Amendment and just compensation would be paid by the government for such TAKINGS at fair market value. Any land use or environmental regulation that created a TAKING of the use, or violate the four pillars of land ownership, would be compensated. A "public purpose" will not include a governmental entity condemning land under eminent domain to increase their tax base.

 

Current government benefits would be continued with at least a 10-year phase out period. The national and state governments would be required under law to balance their budgets.

 

State banks would be established in each state to conduct banking business under fairly strict minimum reserve regulations, in keeping with the level of loan risk. The loan risk would be evaluated every calendar year and reserves adjusted accordingly. An insurance program would be established in each state to protect depositors from bank failures. There would be no federal regulation of state banks. Any central bank would be fully regulated and audited annually by Congress. And monetary policy would return to the gold standard.

 

Health insurance would be returned to private insurance carriers with full competition across state lines. Medical malpractice lawsuits would have maximum caps on settlements for pain and suffering and punitive damages. Legal fees would also be capped.

 

The socialist "hot bed" cities on the West Coast or in major cities in the 18 Western States (Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, etc.) would be forced to adhere to the constitutional principles of the United 18 Free States of America and reverse their socialist ways.

 

Public education would be returned to local control. No unions would be allowed in local, state, or national government employees, including education.

 

Voting would return to computer-readable paper ballots at voting precincts and legal photographic identification would be required to vote in all cases. Electronic voting machines would not be allowed. Registration to vote would cease 30 days prior to ANY election. Early voting would not be allowed. Absentee ballots would only be allowed for special cases. Proof of national citizenship would be an absolute requirement. Violation of voting regulations would be a felony, punishable by severe fines and imprisonment.

 

We could go on with our list of revisions to the current corrupt system of the American government as a platform for a new Western government, but the point has been made.

 

Nevertheless, we are not so naïve as to believe that any of what we describe here could actually happen. The Western states are so addicted to Washington DC money, any separation or secession, much less war, is improbable. Our intent was to illuminate the vast differences between the West and the East and the many reasons why this nation is so divided in not only principle, but in ideology and geography.

 

We are well aware that there are millions of Americans in the Eastern states that are vehemently opposed to what government is doing and has done and the corruption that exists in local, state and national government. Consequently, America cannot be divided by states. It must be restored as a Constitutional Republic in 50 united states. We should not have to divide the nation into a new country of 18 free states to restore the Republic in only one part. All states and the nation should be free under the Supreme Law of the land as intended by those who founded America.

 

We have volumes of information along these lines on our websiteHERE. It would be worth your while to read the over 300 articles and peruse the many pages describing different elements of freedom and how to fight back against an ever-encroaching government and radical environmentalism.

 

Let us know what you think:

"I agree with the ideas for a new nation consisting of Western States."

"I disagree with the ideas for a new nation consisting of Western States."

Hit SEND after clicking one of the links. You are free to leave any constructive comments you wish to make.

 

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NOTE:  The foregoing article represents the opinion of the author and is not necessarily shared by the owners, representatives, employees, or agents of the publisher.

 

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Ron Ewart, a nationally known author and speaker on freedom and property rights issues and author of this weekly column, "In Defense of Rural America", is the president of the National Association of Rural Landowners (NARLO) (http://www.narlo.org) an advocate and consultant for urban and rural landowners and a non-profit corporation headquartered in Washington State.  He can be reached for comment at: [e-mail].

[Virginia Foulk]

We The People have a friend (former member of Stop This Insanity and Tea Party Organizers)  in Texas - she is somewhat hesitant about the secession that the GOP committee just Oked. She seems to believe it is a token effort, not really for real.  However, I told her I'd sure like to move to Texas if they did pass it and the Gov. signed it. Of course the Feds would make a big to do about it. Probably try to arrest everyone.  

[M]

The Civil War settled the question about secession. Nope can't legally do it. It would take a majority of states to create and ratify an amendment that would make it legal and detail the process for any Secession of any State or States to secede from the Union. Only the original Articles of the Confederation of the Perpetual Union of the United States prior to the Constitution had a provision for that to happen. Basically the other States had to agree to allow a member State to leave the Union. 

[DE]

Mac..Another interesting discussion going on here..I will stay tuned to see what goes on here...Taking care  to keep out of it as ALL KNOW WHAT MY OPINION IS ANYWAYS...to give a clue to some who may not..I always agree with Mac...LOL

[Rhodes]

All the War of Northern Aggression settled is that might makes right.

Spooner destroyed the Northern position on legality shortly after the war. 

You cling to rootless straws if you cling to that old fable.

[jack ludwig]

government starts with the people....we have what we have because this is what the people want...it may not be what each of us want...but it is certainly what the majority of voters want...even though those numbers are becoming less and less each and every election.

[M]

Jack,

Don't be so naive. We get the Government we deserve because of the low numbers of people voting, and they do not consist of a majority of what the average American wants in government. Laziness and waiting for someone else to do the work it would take to fix the Government is what is destroying us. All the majority seems to want to do is to complain about their lot in life but not get up and do something positive to change it.

[jack ludwig]

I am not being naive M, I recognized in my statement that the number of people that vote is getting fewer and fewer each election cycle. We are at the point where more people don't vote than vote. But in a democratic system it is the majority of votes that get the say. It doesn't matter what the population of no voters have to say, they didn't bother to voice their opinion at the polls so they don't get to voice their opinion when the election is over. We get the government the voters asked for, would be a better way to phrase that statement.

[M]

Jack,

Last election there was a big uptick in voters going to the polls I believe it was about 22% of those eligible up from 18% in the prior election. that's why we get the Government we deserve and not the one we want.

[jack ludwig]

what election are you referring to M, 2014 or 2012?