Tag: Secession

The Vote Slowly Creeps Forward

Today is 25 September 2017 and if all goes well the Kurds will vote on referendum to become an independent region/nation.

Here is a paper by a group that I have worked with in the past…..the International Crisis Group…..it is about the risks involved in the vote by the Kurds….

On 25 September, barring a last-minute postponement, the Iraqi Kurdistan region will hold an independence referendum. Voters will be asked whether they want “the Kurdistan region and the Kurdish areas outside the region’s administration to become an independent state”. The referendum cannot turn Kurdistan into an independent state, regardless of turnout and outcome, because the vote is merely consultative and legally non-binding. Still, the situation presents serious risks, both if the referendum is held and if the price paid to delay it is too high.

Source: How to Mitigate the Risks of Iraqi Kurdistan’s Referendum | Crisis Group

So far the Kurds are the only ones that see this as a good thing…..even the US has tried to convince the Kurds to wait and be logical….so far they are damn straight going to go for it……even if it means more problems to a region that does not need more problems…..

As the Kurdish independence referendum draws near in Iraq, a war of words is threatening to grow into violence. Some Iraqi paramilitary factions under the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) are increasing their warnings against the vote, and some Kurds are responding with talk of resorting to weapons. Iraq’s parliament voted Sept. 14 to dismiss the governor of Kirkuk province, who favors Kurdish independence, and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) responded by announcing it is ending its partnership with Baghdad.

Reuters reported that the decision to remove the governor, Najmaldin Karim, “comes after Kirkuk — an oil-rich province claimed by both the central government in Baghdad and the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq — decided to take part in a referendum set for Sept. 25 on Kurdish independence.”

Meanwhile, Karim is ignoring his ouster. This all could lead to a new spiral of violence even before the country rids itself of the Islamic State (IS).

No one sees this as a successful transition….

The plan to hold an independence referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan next week has run into a new obstacle:

Iraq’s supreme court has approved a request by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to suspend an independence referendum that the country’s Kurdistan region planned to hold later this month.

The court said Monday the vote will be on hold until it reviews cases regarding the constitutionality of the vote.

The referendum will probably still take place, and the Kurdish parliament endorsed proceeding with the vote on Friday, but the ruling confirms that Baghdad won’t view it as legitimate. The court ruling comes on the heels of warnings from the Iraqi prime minister that Baghdad is prepared to use force if the referendum results in violence. Abadi also raised the prospect that the referendum would serve as an invitation to other governments to meddle in Iraqi affairs:

Source: The Dangers of the Kurdish Referendum | The American Conservative

Only more problems for the US military to solve….and they have not been too good at that aspect here lately…..more blood and death.

There is a couple of things to keep in mind when thinking about the vote……

On Sept. 25, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) is expected to hold its long-awaited referendum on independence. While it has generated much nationalist excitement among Kurds in the KRI capital of Irbil and abroad, the central government in Baghdad and the international community have objected to the vote. The United States has mobilized diplomatic capital to persuade Irbil to postpone the vote. Last week, Western diplomats offered an alternative proposal: Postpone the vote and enter into new mediated negotiations with Baghdad. But without ironclad guarantees or a specified timetable, Irbil has rejected those initiatives, continuing to prepare for the referendum.

The referendum was never meant to be a silver bullet, ending negotiations on Kurds’ path to statehood. But recent escalations by all sides have produced a self-fulfilling crisis with the prospect of military conflict, fueled by both Arab and Kurdish nationalism.

Source: 5 things to know about the referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan – The Washington Post

As a premonition of things to come I offer up the latest clash….

Iraqi Kurds and Turkmens clashed in Kirkuk on Monday night, a week before the disputed territory votes in a referendum on independence for Iraqi Kurdistan. The clashes prompted local police to deploy around the city to prevent ethnic tensions from escalating. Kirkuk’s extensive Turkmen and Arab populations largely oppose the inclusion of their city in the controversial vote scheduled for Sept. 25.

Like I keep saying….this vote could create more problems than it solves.

 

“Brexit” The Sequel

Last week the world went batcrap crazy…..you see Britain voted to leave the EU and that set off days of speculation by the media….especially who would be the next nation to choose the path of exit……will it be Greece (my choice) or maybe Holland or Italy or Denmark…even France because they were never completely on board with the whole EU thingy……

I could write about these wannabes but instead I would like to write about the “exit” thing here in the US.

I know what could I possibly be talking about, right?

Texas fools!

How many times has the subject come up in the news with Texas attached to it?

After the “Brexit” vote and all the news coverage and all the worthless speculation….the whole secession thing has once again come up and Texas  center…….

Not content with celebrating liberty on July 4, a group of Texans has gleaned inspiration from Brexit—the UK’s decision to leave the EU—with its own push for independence. The similar-sounding “Texit” movement, which gained significant support online Friday, is mainly being pushed by the Texas Nationalist Movement, which is basically the US soulmate of the UK secession initiative, according to its leader, David Miller, right down to the “Leave” campaign slogan that TNM says it’s been using for years. With a motto of “Texas First, Texas Forever,” the group, like those behind Brexit, advocates for “self-government,” Miller tells News.com.au. “At this moment, we don’t enjoy that right,” he says. “The vast majority of the laws, rules, and regulations that affect the people of Texas are created by the political class or unelected bureaucrats in Washington.”

Vocativ decided to see how often the phrase “Texit” has been used in 2016 and found that online references spiked after the Brexit tally came in. Nearly 1,800 people tweeted something Texit-related in the hour of the announcement, with thousands more tweets following. Some of the posts are frighteningly serious, others are somewhat clever (cue the “most likely to secede” memes), and still others can’t do anything but virtually shake their heads. It’s not the first time some of the state’s residents have vied for a breakaway: Right after President Obama’s reelection, the White House turned down a petition signed by 125,000 people calling for Texas’ freedom, Fox News reported. One Texit supporter tells the Guardian that a secession would bring back “Texas solutions” on issues such as gay marriage, gun rights, and immigration. (Here, a fewlegaltakes on secession rules.)

I am sick of hearing this crap from Texas…I say if they like then by God let’s let them go……but first build that Trump wall around the state and only put in a couple of in and out gates….and then we will see just how serious these fools are about leaving the union……

If they do not want to be part of the US then let the f*ckers go!  I am sick of listening to these whiney twats……let them GO!

Kurd Of A Different Color

This post has many links but if my reader would like to understand what is happening then it is well worth the time it takes to become informed……

In the past I have written much on the situation around the Kurds…..mostly those residing inside Iraq….but the Kurds in northeastern Syria are making news….

My past posts on the Kurds……

Inkwell Institute Middle East Desk   The battle for the hearts and minds of the people of Iraq and Syria has begun……the US has taken upon itself to step back into the Middle East w…

Source: Kurds: A Janus? – In Saner Thought

We are ass deep in the Middle East and it looks like it will be for a very long time……..maybe it is time for Americans, especially my readers,  to get acquainted with the people that we…

Source: People without a state: Who are the Kurds? – In Saner Thought

College of Political Knowledge Professor’s Classroom One last update for you hard core news junkies (my kind of people)….. The Kurds?  I read an article about the Kurds in Syria are try…

Source: Let’s Hear For The Kurds – In Saner Thought

Just a few of my posts on the subject of the Kurds.  I remind my readers because the Kurds in Syria are making the news these days…..the people of northeast Syria are looking for a homeland…..

Shut out of UN-brokered talks, Kurdish Democratic Union Party and its allies choose to go it alone.

Source: Syria’s Kurds claim autonomy in the north – Al Jazeera English

Recently I read a piece by Juan Cole who is just about the most knowledgeable writer in the West…..he has observations on this occurrence of Kurds claiming a separate state in Syria……

Syria’s Kurds have decided to declare a federal province in the northeast of the country and along the northern border with Turkey.

Many Arab states are unitary rather than federal and for the most part provincial governors are appointed by the central government and the central state controls local education and other policy. The Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov recently suggested that one resolution of the Syrian civil war might be to move the country to a US- or Canada-style federal state where the provinces retain substantial powers and prerogatives.

Some pundits are interpreting the Kurdish move as a form of separatism, but so far it seems more like a demand for states’ rights, Alabama-style. The Kurds are frustrated that they have been excluded from the Geneva peace talks, and are in part making the point that with 10% of the Syrian territory in their control, they are too important to snub.

Source: Syria’s Kurds to declare Federal Province

Cole’s observations are excellent insight into this situation……now I will be watching the Kurds in Iraq and in southeastern Turkey for their next move…you see there is a definite desire for a Kurdistan, a free and independent state and a homeland for all Kurds.

Distribution of Kurdish population map

 

This could be a two edged sword…..and a massive headache for the West.

What are the intentions with this move?

From the outset of the Syrian conflict, the PYD has pursued its own self-declared interests.

Source: The intentions of Syrian Kurds with self-administration – Al Jazeera English

There seems to be those that are opposed to this move……why would anyone be opposed to these people having their own region under their authority?

I am so glad you asked…….

Analysis: The latest Syrian Kurdish move toward cementing autonomy comes as no surprise – but how far will it go?

Source: Why Syria’s Kurds want federalism, and who opposes it – AJE News

Let me ask one question in closing…..all those that applaud the Kurds move for secession….would you also feel the same for Afro-Americans??

Biafra: The Future Of Days Past

Back in the late 1960’s when I served in the US Army with the 9th Infantry Division I use to further my studies by pouring through papers when there was a break in the action looking for stories that were not what many would call “major” stories….back in those days was the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was the headlines…..but buried deep in an English newspaper that I had got from some Aussie friends I found the story of a tiny break away republic of Biafra….

In case you are not old enough to recall this conflict….I will let Britannica explain it……..

Biafra, secessionist western African state that unilaterally declared its independence from Nigeria in May 1967. It constituted the former Eastern Region of Nigeria and was inhabited principally by Igbo (Ibo) people. Biafra ceased to exist as an independent state in January 1970.
In the mid-1960s economic and political instability and ethnic friction characterized Nigerian public life. In the mostly Hausa north, resentment against the more prosperous, educated Igbo minority erupted into violence. In September 1966, some 10,000 to 30,000 Igbo people were massacred in the Northern Region, and perhaps 1,000,000 fled as refugees to the Igbo-dominated east. Non-Igbos were then expelled from the Eastern Region.

Attempts by representatives of all regions to come to an agreement were unsuccessful. On May 30, 1967, the head of the Eastern Region, Lieutenant Colonel (later General) Odumegwu Ojukwu, with the authorization of a consultative assembly, declared the region a sovereign and independent republic under the name of Biafra. General Yakubu Gowon, the leader of the federal government, refused to recognize Biafra’s secession. In the hostilities that broke out the following July, Biafran troops were at first successful, but soon the numerically superior federal forces began to press Biafra’s boundaries inward from the south, west, and north. Biafra shrank to one-tenth its original area in the course of the war. By 1968 it had lost its seaports and become landlocked; supplies could be brought in only by air. Starvation and disease followed; estimates of mortality during the war generally range from 500,000 to 3,000,000.

The Organization of African Unity, the papacy, and others tried to reconcile the combatants. Most countries continued to recognize Gowon’s regime as the government of all Nigeria, and the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union supplied it with arms. On the other hand, international sympathy for the plight of starving Biafran children brought airlifts of food and medicine from many countries. Côte d’Ivoire,Gabon, Tanzania, and Zambia recognized Biafra as an independent state, and France sent Biafra weapons.

Biafran forces were finally routed in a series of engagements in late December 1969 and early January 1970. Ojukwu fled to Côte d’Ivoire, and the remaining Biafran officers surrendered to the federal government on January 15, 1970. Biafra, on the point of total collapse, thereupon ceased to exist.

(encyclopedia Britannica)
Why would this be interesting today?  It appears that the secessionist thought did not end in 1970…..the idea of a separate republic of Biafra is as alive today as it was then……Why would there be any interests in this situation?

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has warned his country will “not tolerate” another independent Biafra. The leader, who took office in May 2015, told Al Jazeera while on an official visit to Qatar his administration will not engage in a dialogue with pro-Biafran activists.

Pro-Biafrans call for the independence of the Biafran territories forcibly annexed to Nigeria during the British colonisation, which ended in 1960. They hold regular marches across the country’s south-east calling for a breakaway and the release of their leader Nnamdi Kanu, head of the Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob).

Pro-Biafran activists in southeastern Nigeria have been urged to create a Biafra United Front to continue their struggle for independence and defend themselves against Nigeria’s alleged violence. The Washington-based Organisation of Emerging African States (Oeas), which fights to achieve “true freedom” in Africa, is now calling on all pro-Biafran groups to put aside their internal differences and come together to achieve independence.

This to me is the beginning of a possible US involvement in an internal Nigerian problem…..why?

US troops have been deployed to Nigeria’s neighbor Niger in an attempt to counter the rise and the raids by Boko Haram……

…….around 100 US troops have been deployed in the West African nation of Niger in what officials said was the establishment of a new drone base there to spy on Islamist fighters in the Sahara and support French forces in the region.

“This deployment will provide support for intelligence collection and will also facilitate intelligence sharing with French forces conducting operations in Mali, and with other partners in the region,” Obama said in a letter to Congress published on the White House website.

US troops have been used in the past to help a “friendly” government….and with the US expanded presence in the world and especially in West Africa….it is a situation that needs to be watched and analyzed…..it is only a matter of time before this explodes yet again and the US may well be drawn into yet another insurrection that could mean more violence directed at Americans…..

Crimea: Alaska Style

You know there are a wealth of stories that come out whenever there is some sort of upheaval that the world fixates on…….we have heard all the “experts” that are saying “I told you so” because they mentioned Russia sometime in their political lives….only because they could not remember the name of any place else…..but they are now officially an expert.

Sorry, had to rant a bit…….

Remember back in 2012 or maybe a little back when there was this amazing petition for Texas to secede from the good old US?  Or how abut the boy toy of a VP candidate that was the member of a party that wanted Alaska to secede?

Speaking of Alaska….there is so much more happening……..

Managing to get kicked out of the G8 apparently isn’t all that worrisome for at least 21,408 Americans. An anonymous Anchorage resident launched a petition on the White House’s “We the People” site Friday titled “Alaska back to Russia,” and that’s how many people have signed it as of this writing. As UPI notes, the petition needs 100,000 signatures by April 20 in order to get an official White House response. (Remember, though, when Texas petitioned to secede, signers did not get their way.)

Why should the US allow Alaska to secede and join Russia? As the petition explains, in what bears little resemblance to English: “Groups Siberian russians crossed the Isthmus (now the Bering Strait) 16-10 thousand years ago. Russian began to settle on the Arctic coast, Aleuts inhabited the Aleutian Archipelago. First visited Alaska August 21, 1732, members of the team boat ‘St. Gabriel »under the surveyor Gvozdev and assistant navigator I. Fedorov during the expedition Shestakov and DI Pavlutski 1729-1735 years.” Or, as KTUU puts it, the petition “cites historical evidence of previous visitors and claimants for ownership of the territory.” The US bought Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million in 1867.

Now I have to ask….are they serious?  There is a wealth of mental midgets but this goes beyond the pale………

Oh so much more that I could say but most of it would be derogatory….so I will let the article stand for itself and just Ask……are they serious?

The 51st State?

Today is the big day!  So many elections for governors, AGs, etc………but the part that interest me most is what is happening in Colorado…….

For years we have heard that Puerto Rico could possible, one day become the US 51st state…..but that is not what is happening today……it seems that the people of Colorado can vote today on whether the northern section of the state can secede and become the 51st state, Northern Colorado…the voters will choose!

From a report in the International Business Times……….

Like many states before them, Colorado is seeking to become two separate entities. Representatives from the Midwest state gathered Monday to discuss their desire to split the northern, rural region into what would become America’s 51st state, North Colorado.

According to a report from CBS Denver via Yahoo News, representatives from eight northern counties cited a “growing urban-rural divide” as their main reason for the split at the meeting, claiming economic-related decision by lawmakers as the cause of the rift. “Northern and northeastern Colorado and our voices are being ignored in the legislative process this year,” said Weld County Commissioner Sean Conway, one of many who claimed to be affected by gun control legislation and the state’s efforts to encourage less oil use and gas production. “Our very way of life is under attack,” he said.

If successful, Colorado will join the short list of four U.S. states that have successfully seperated from already existing locations. (Maine separated from Massachusetts, Kentucky from Virginia, Vermont from N.Y. and N.H., and West Virginia from Virginia in 1863). Texas was the last U.S. state to request succession in 2012;  the White House receieved 72,000 petition signatures from residents in favor of the change on their website. While the attempt to create North Colorado is only in the beginning stages, counties seeking to secede has already received support from one U.S. representative. “The people of rural Colorado are mad, and they have every right to be,” said U.S. Rep. for Colorado’s fourth congressional district Cory Gardner. “I don’t blame people one bit for feeling attacked and unrepresented by the leaders in our state.”

What do my readers think about this?

Personally, my state of Mississippi is facing the same problems as cited by the Coloradans about the divide…….I have for a long time that the bottom 3 countries, maybe the bottom 6 counties should secede from the state and go it on their own ………we have NOTHING in common with the northern part of the state….

I will be watching this and if successful will see what we can do for the state of Mississippi…after all the part of the state that I live was once a free and independent Republic of west Florida in 1800″s….why not go it alone the rest of the state has NOTHING to offer the bottom 3 counties…….

If successful could be a perfect game plan for others………

Please give me some thoughts on this!

Secession Fever

By now I feel that everyone who is interested has heard that there are petitions for secession for all 50 states and I believe Texas (go figure) has the most signers at 100,000…….and there are those in other countries that want to break away from the motherland to form their own ……..the Kurds in Iraq, the Eastern half of Libya, lots of unhappy residents that do not like their governing body and think they can do it better themselves……

But at least one country has had success at the ballot box for secessionists…………

(Newser) – In a vote widely seen as a test of support for independence from Spain, a majority of voters in Catalonia have picked separatist candidates in regional elections. The result makes a genuine referendum on independence within the next few years more likely, but with the separatist vote split among four parties, it’s not clear who will spearhead the effort, the New York Times reports. The party of Catalan President Artur Mas, who wants the region to secede, has lost seats in the regional parliament and he will now have to strike alliances with smaller parties who agree on Catalan independence but little else.

“Mas managed to turn separatism into a burning issue, but then ended up being overtaken by more radical parties in this debate and now finds himself in a much harder position to govern Catalonia in a time of crisis,” a newly elected Socialist lawmaker says. Polls show that support for independence in the relatively wealthy region has more than doubled to 57% since Spain’s economic crisis began, though the government in Madrid has vowed to fight the independence movement every step of the way, the Telegraph reports.

Is this a view into the future?  Gimme your thoughts.

If At First You Don’t Suceed, Secede

Back in 2008 and the ensuing campaign we learned that Palin’s hubby, Todd, was a member of an Alaskan secessionist movement……we all laughed.  Then in 2009, I believe, our boy Rick Perry of Texas stated that Texas could secede from the Union when they became unhappy with the government….we all hook our heads and giggled under our breath….but what about secession?

Personally, I live within the borders of what use to be called the Republic of West Florida and have said that we need to leave the state of Mississippi and become the 51st state……I want to leave the state, NOT the nation……but since the recent re-election of Obama there seems to be more and more talk about secession……..

Newser) – Will we soon be a nation of 49 states? Not a snowball’s chance in hell. But the Houston Chronicle reports that residents of Texas who petitionedfor the right to secede from the Union will indeed have their plea considered by the White House. That’s not because the administration is taking the request seriously; rather, the petition met the threshold of 25,000 signatures needed to trigger a review, as per the White House website where it was filed.

A rep for Gov. Rick Perry released a statement to the Dallas Morning News pooh-poohing the secession drive while taking a dig at Washington: “Gov. Perry believes in the greatness of our Union and nothing should be done to change it. But he also shares the frustrations many Americans have with our federal government.” Unhappy voters in 19 more states have similar petitions in the works.

So, are they kidding….19 other states feel like it would be a good idea to start breaking up the Union?

(Newser) – Forget moving to Canada: Some disappointed American voters would like to stay in the USA … so long as their state secedes from the Union. The blog Red Alert Politics takes a look at petitions posted to the White House’s petitions page by residents demanding just that. Newser’s count puts the number of states with such a petition attached to their name at 20. They range from Colorado to Florida to New York, and a few thousand residents in each would, pretty please, like the Obama administration to “Peacefully grant the State of X to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own NEW government.”

Many of them reference the Declaration of Independence, and the fact that it holds that it is “the Right of the People to … institute new Government … whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends.” While, news flash, these petitions won’t actually result in secession, the “We the People” section of the White House website does promise that staffers will review a petition that gets enough backing (25,000 votes by residents of that state), “ensure it’s sent to the appropriate policy experts, and issue an official response.” So far, Texas looks to be closest to that threshold.

Read the articles carefully…….the states that consider this secessionist movement maybe not be the ones that you would suspect……

This is scary to me………..for a country that prides itself on patriotism….this does not seem that patriotic to me…….I would like to hear what others think of this situation……..

UpDate:  After writing this draft there appear a bit more info……

(Newser) – An online Texas petition to secede from the union is nearing 100,000 votes now, giving the group leading the charge its 15 minutes. Politico interviews Texas Nationalist Movement leader Daniel Miller:

  • On Obama: Election Day “was a catalyzing moment,” but this isn’t just about the president. “This cake has been baking for a long time—it’s the Obama administration that put the candles on the cake and lit it for us.”
  • On Gandhi: Luckily, there won’t be a civil war, or even violent protests. “We walk in the same vein as Gandhi and those guys.”
  • On heading mainstream: “For the longest time, this was what people would classify as a fringe issue. It was relegated to the back rooms in the cafés. But in 2008, 2009—the tail end of the Bush administration and start of Obama’s—what you saw was kind of interesting. This issue went to being part of the political discourse.”

The Daily Caller, meanwhile, reports that similar petitions from 50 states are now up on the White House website, and six others besides Texas have reached the 25,000-signature threshold to warrant an automatic review by the administration. (They are Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Tennessee, for the record.)

Sorry, but this is all so much crap!  People do not want the government wasting money but they do this stunt…..and it is a waste of money…..NONE of these dipsticks are going anywhere…….I know it….they know it…..and now YOU know it!

Advice?  STOP taking these morons seriously!  Period!