Critics of a National Divorce between the American states have no arguments in favor of the Union itself. I have yet to hear a critic of National Divorce lay out a case of how great our federalist system works, how great the federal government functions, how our system of checks and balances keeps one branch of government from usurping power from the other, or in general how great our representative democracy works either in terms of providing adequate representation or ensuring that the will of the people be done.
https://louismarinelli.com/2021/10/critics-wrong-national-divorce-russia...
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Morning, Rep. Berezhny.
Pete Eyre here. I don't believe we've met but I've heard of you and
appreciate you taking the time to share such a thoughtful response.
Your advocacy of a plan of how NH Independence may unfold makes sense.
While nothing can be perfect from the outset -- all variables are not
known, the unintended consequences are unforeseen, etc. -- it would
provide a good starting point. Further, an idea of what might happen
after a successful vote for NH Independence would likely lessen the
unease or uncertainty felt by those now on the fence and bring-about
further support.
In addition to a study commission as you suggested, I suspect that
having a number of working groups digging-in to this may be beneficial.
Commonalities will be identified and a more robust view obtained. And
it'd likely provide more buy-in for those involved. For example, per the
timeliness and relevancy, maybe some political science peeps at each of
the NH-based universities would be keen to partake. As well as the peeps
at the Josiah Bartlett Center and/or NHLA, etc. Hell, maybe even the
Union Leader would task some of their team to tease this out. Even
non-NH-based organizations, such as the Reason Foundation could be
solicited. Perhaps there could be a big "present-your-findings/plan-day"
held some months out.
As you may have heard, on Oct. 16th there's a NH Independence Social
being held in Merrimack. More events like this -- to hear and address
questions, engage in conversation on the topic, brainstorm what-ifs,
etc. -- would be helpful. Certainly -- as others have advocated -- any
remotely liberty-oriented gathering with speakers would ideally include
someone discussing NH Independence.
You referenced both in your reasons for not now co-sponsoring and in
your suggestions about the "delegation" sent from New Hampshire that
"loves Washington". To be clear, do you mean the four peeps who are said
to represent New Hampshire in the DC-based senate and house? Is it
imperative, in your opinion, that pro-Independence people be in each of
these four roles before any real pro-Independence action is taken? If
so, why?
Ultimately -- at least to me -- your statement, "As long as we are
cooked slowly there will not be the obvious impetus to secede." stands
out. Because, if you recognize this as the situation, then I would hope
you too would at least discuss NH Independence proactively with those in
your sphere. Yes, if a "large majority" of your constituents are
currently receiving coin from the DC-based coffers it may be a tough
conversation, as change in this regard is rightly scary. Perhaps this
speaks to the need to develop more robust internal (to NH) civil
society efforts, which largely have been crowded out over the past
decades as DC-based programs have expanded their reach. One
talking-point may be to point-out the insolvency of social security --
promised future benefits cannot be met as now structured. Further, the
military veterans of whom you referenced may, more than most, see the
need to take action now, not just for themselves (to remove DC-based
dictates they view as odious) but to help others -- subsequent
generations.
Regarding your last point (#4) I will add that yes, it'd be ideal were
those folks on-board with NH Independence. But even if they are not, and
the bill passes the thresholds for each the NH house and senate and
voters, they would be severely restricted in their abilities. In that,
the grants from DC would cease. They would either have to modify their
stances and actions to accord with voters or they would not remain in
those positions.
Thanks for your time. All the best going forward.
In liberty,
Pete
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Here is my (Dave Ridley - RidleyReport.com) response to Lex’s writing, which is in < < > > marks.
Lex thanks for your thoughtful response; I feel bad taking up so much of your time. You wrote:
< < Thanks for reaching out again about me co-sponsoring this bill. I still do not feel comfortable co-sponsoring for the following reasons:
A very large majority of my constituents are Veterans and on Social Security. All of the benefits they get to keep them housed and fed comes from the Federal Government. Will they still get those benefits if NH secedes? How should I explain to them the need for secession given their circumstances? > >
Lex you survived the Soviet Union so presumably you have a better sense than we do of the likelihood that the central government is not actually going to continue paying these folks in a meaningful way for much longer. You also presumably have a sense of how little of the money Washington seizes from taxpayers actually winds up in the hands of the vets. You are surely aware … that DC purloins a great deal of money from the vets themselves. But if removing those burdens from vets is not enough, and it may not be, then New Hampshire will need to do what it already does better than any other state: Private charity. Government-endorsed voluntary fundraising is another option, along the lines of the British Spitfire Fund of 1941. Additionally, I am currently available to help aging veterans in a limited way… many old folks are desperate for someone they can just talk to. I am ready to “adopt” about 3 starting this month by phone if you or anyone else want to connect me with them. It’s not the same as providing food, but it’s what I as one person without a car or extra money…can do more or less immediately. I’m sure by putting the four of these options together we can at least do better than the VA…speaking of which we are not exactly competing with perfect considering its corruption and abusive behavior toward vets. also imagine how much cheaper we could make health care with fed regs and barriers to entry removed.
But revisiting your own experiences… you probably learned some things from 1991 Ukraine that the rest of us don’t know. What did you see, that we are missing? What crucial factor was present there that is missing here? What is the likelihood that this factor will still be missing here in 2023?
< < We are not all on the same page and to secede there has to be a large majority of voters in favor of this.>>
71% support for us in the UnionLeader.com poll. Despite its lack of scientific rigor, is that not enough for you as a starting indicator? Especially considering support on UnionLeader.com’s poll was only at 40 percent during the week after the Brexit?
<< Instead, our federal delegation to Washington are fed-gov-sycophants. It sends a bizarre message to Washington if we try to secede from Washington while at the same time sending a delegation to represent us that loves Washington. > >
How has focusing on that been working out for liberty folks over the last 30 years? You focus on that if you like , and I don’t want to undermine you. But meanwhile we’ll be over here doing an end run around that strongpoint…an end run that includes a hail mary pass which does not even need to be caught.
< < There are a few important hot button issues getting people riled up but I just don’t think things are bad enough. The fed gov were clever to get businesses and hospitals to enforce the masks and vaccines, instead of mobilizing the police (like Australia has done). As long as we are cooked slowly there will not be the obvious impetus to secede. > >
Do you have a reason to believe the cooking will be slow over the next couple years? Was the vaccine mandate something you would call being cooked slowly? How about the coming hyperinflaction crisis? Have a little faith in the central government’s ability to anger people quickly. Historical precedent repeatedly shows Independence going from 0 to 60 very rapidly at the end, people consider it impossible and looking back they consider it was inevitable. No one expected Slovenijan or Estonian independence in 1987, but they both had it within 4 years and missed a lot of opportunities because they did what we are doing… later than they should have. This according to Slovenijan independence activist Ana Stanic, whose father ran the 1990 referendum. They started their movements too sluggishly. I just hope we were not too sluggish as well, considering how fast things are deteriorating.
< < What’s the plan for secession? Are the people with a mandate to lead this state (elected politicians), willing to execute the plan or will they intentionally blunder it to cause the whole plan to fail? You need a Governor, Executive Council, Senate and Legislators on board, wanting to secede. Otherwise, who is seceding from whom? > >
The plan is to light a spark and add our own paper / cardboard; that’s within our power just barely. This in turn should cause slightly-more-powerful people to pitch in some twigs. After that, the folks with logs may join in etc. We can worry about the high ranking politicians later… politicians always follow the culture, not the other way around. If we build it they will come. I’ve made perhaps 200 calls to area talk radio laying the ground work for 10 years, waiting for this moment… others here have done different things, sometimes much better things.
Sorry to focus so much on myself , but that is the only thing I’m a true expert on. My other path, has been to try and model on the Estonian example but also pretty heavily on Quebec and Scotland. Just do more or less what they did. Use the existing legislative system, be nice, publicize central government misdeeds, warn then ostracize anyone in our movement who so much as hints at violence against our misguided brothers and sisters in American government.
I can only suggest this stuff and try to do it, can’t impose it on the movement. Each of us has our own inspirations/,methods and that’s fine as long as you aren’t hurting or physically threatening anyone.
<< This is my suggestion:
Make this bill a study commission, in addition to or instead of a constitutional amendment, with the output of the commission being a detailed secession plan.
We need to make sure the congressional delegation we are sending to Washington actually represents our desire to secede.
Publish a plan made by this group in addition to anything a commission would come up with. ??
That sounds great and I posted that as one of several options when we began public discussion of this around August. The folks who weighed in before the filing deadline were overwhelmingly more in favor of a Constitutional Amendment, mainly becuase it was the only option that included a vote of the general public. one of them rightly called it “going for the gold.” I favored a House Concurrent Resolution simply asking Washington to leave (this is more in keeping with the Estonian precedent and there were initially concerns about the complexities of proper CACR wording). I was almost alone in supporting the HCR , so I backed the play of the majority. So far it looks like they were right and I was wrong.
<< Is the goal of this to actually secede or just to make a media splash? >>
Can’t speak for everyone but for me it’s both. einstein said a key indicator of intelligence is a willingness to change your behavior and beliefs in light of new data or circumstances. We are no longer allowed to acrue large audiences on YouTube , and we are suffering from a media blackout of sorts. So some of us have changed our tactics.
But when you consider how desperate the general public is likely to be in 2023, there is a non-trivial chance that after paving the way and mainstreaming this idea, via the Independence Amendment, we will be able to bring it , or a powerful study committee, into being, or to a public referendum, or to actual independence. We are so much like Slovenia, Scotland, Quebec and Estonia… in so many ways.
A secondary objective would be to achieve a more benign FedGov. Look how cautiously the Canadian govt treats Quebec after their “failed” independence drive. Maybe the concession we aim for is a sunset clause where all current and future fed laws sunset after 10 years. That way maybe their system stops “auto-expanding” in violation of thier wishes. Many feds do, in theory, want to see the growth stop or slow down.
Love ya man, but I didn’t actually need to write any of this to bring you around. Washington will do that for me, as Belgrade did for Milan Kucan in 1991.
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Calexit interview with Mike Silvia
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https://www.nhrebellion.org/article_10
Before the Declaration of Independence was signed at Philadelphia, New Hampshire Patriots were the first to openly rebel against the British in 1774 and to write their own state constitution in 1775. When the Revolutionary War was won in 1784, the New Hampshire Constitution enshrined the right of citizens to rebel against their government when private interests subvert the public good.
“Government being instituted for the common benefit, protection, and security, of the whole community, and not for the private interest or emolument of any one man, family, or class of men; therefore, whenever the ends of government are perverted, and public liberty manifestly endangered, and all other means of redress are ineffectual, the people may, and of right ought to reform the old, or establish a new government.” - NH Constitution, Article 10
The purpose of Article 10 is to ensure a representative government that serves the whole community, rich and poor alike. Like New Hampshire's founding rebels, citizens of today are called upon to hold their leaders accountable when they fail to meet the proper ends of government.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_6ol_GR9xo
Alu interviewed on 10.6.2021 about NHexit
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A little safer than most … with no seatbelt mandate
http://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/assets/4753098/Screen_Shot_2014-07-14_at_10.04.08_AM.png
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJQYpNXQLJ0
Timcast talks secession
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