With some frequency, a faction somewhere on the periphery of the U.S. talks about separating itself from the nation. We've heard such blather from Texas, from California, from Hawaii, from Vermont, perhaps elsewhere as well.
The last time states tried to leave, a notably philosophical president - Abraham Lincoln - went to war to prevent it happening. Does anybody think Donald T. would sit still for such silliness? Brexit is no precedent, our Constitution has no Article 50.
Yes, I know the Singapore argument. Malaysia allowed Singapore to peacefully leave the nation and become independent. And yes, there are parallels.
By permitting Singapore to go, Malaysia reduced the percentage of Chinese among its citizens to the point where ethnic Malays were the largest single population group, and a majority. If President Trump allowed CA to leave, he could reduce the number of Democrats in the country and guarantee Republican domination of the U.S. government, if not in perpetuity, certainly for decades. Tempting, but I remain unpersuaded.
Compared to Lincoln, Trump is anything but philosophical, and not overly concerned with legal niceties. If any U.S. state tries to declare itself independent, I predict they will almost immediately experience martial law and play host to large numbers of U.S. soldiers. Independence leaders will find themselves charged with treason and held without bail.
