MOST LIKELY TO SECEDE?

"Whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive," wrote Thomas Jefferson, "it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government."

The idea that the United States of America as a governmental entity is a failed experiement--that it is a bloated, clumsy, corrupt, bureaucratic, brutal, plutocratic monolith that no longer serves its people, and should be dissolved and reformed into a loose federation of independent entities--seems to be growing beyond its original crankish enclaves. Indeed, it seems to be gaining attention in the media, and I'll admit that it holds a stong appeal for me, personally. After all: what could possibly be more American?

So: Must we forsake America in order to save it? Has the time come for a more nimble, fluid, syncretic, and humane form of statehood? An ecosystem of various governing models? A viral commonwealth? Or are such notions silly? Irresponsible? Downright dangerous?

Now obviously, countless pragmatic concerns immediately arise--but at the moment let's just play "what if": if you were to secede and claim yourself North American rather than American, what form of society would you try to establish? Can dissolving the union be done peacefully? Should there be a complete break, or a loosening of ties--an alliance rather than a federation?

Here's a recent article on the subject which might interest.