The “How” of Independence

We Ohioans are a practical people. We have little patience for abstract theories and pie-in-the-sky speculation. With this in mind, readers of The Ohio Republic have patiently waited through 445 postings discussing why we should become independent, with a few postings going over some of the risks – but with nary a mention of how.

The purpose of this post is to provide a starting point for discussion of how Ohio might achieve independence within the next few years. It lacks sufficient detail to be a plan. It assumes that that the economy will continue to go downhill for at least another year, that attempts to consolidate power in the Federal government and to establish a single world currency will continue, and that people will become more discontented with the situation as time goes on. It also assumes that a peaceful resolution is possible. As I wrote yesterday, peaceful resolution may prove to be impossible. An angry mob may attack the Goldman Sachs offices, or the Federal Government might try to manufacture a Kristallnacht in an attempt to silence freedom-loving Americans. However, we have to make our assumptions on the basis of what we know; and right now, I shall assume that the right of peaceful dissent will continue, at least for the next year. I present this as an approach that can work for the people of Ohio. I leave to the peoples of Vermont, Texas, etc., to determine their own approaches.

The first step to independence is absolutely fundamental. A few later steps can be taken; but no effort will succeed without it. From the beginning, we must start thinking like an independent nation. We must think about how Federal policy impacts us, and how we would solve the same problems on our own, given the freedom to do so. We must remember that “Federal Funds” are taxes taken from our own pockets; and that, as I also wrote yesterday, Wall Street has profited at the expense of our retirement plans, college funds, and in too many cases, homes. We can publicly display our willingness to think this way by flying the Ohio flag alone. We can insist on defending our liberties on the basis of the Ohio Constitution, instead of the U.S. Constitution (a right that has been supported by U.S. Supreme Court decisions).

Secondly, we must raise the awareness of our neighbors that Ohio can protect itself from Federal encroachment on our liberties. This can be done by publishing articles that document how the Federal government has expanded its powers far beyond those specified for it in Article I, Section 8 of the United States Constitution, to which the Federal Government was limited by the Tenth Amendment. We must ensure that a State Sovereignty Resolution passes the Ohio General Assembly. We also need to publish articles to document how individual rights have been encroached upon by the Federal government in violation of the U.S. Constitution (Every post in The Ohio Republic with the label “Attacks on Constitutional rights” except those relating to Manna Storehouse, cites unconsitutional Federal actions).

Thirdly, we need to clearly define what it is we do believe. How would we strengthen our Constitutional guarantees of liberty, given the experience of the last 222 years? We need to define a philosophy that can easily explain how personal freedom can be maintained in our time.

All of these steps will have to be completed before we can even think about a mass movement or political party! If we do not have public awareness of what we need to do, they will remain content to live with their misconceptions about freedom in the United States.

Once political action becomes a reasonable option, we can talk about petitions, mass demonstrations, amendments to the Ohio Constitution to enable us to assume the powers reserved for independent nations, and the modalities of negotiating (or forcing) independence from the United States. But that is a subject for another day.

In the meantime, we have work to do.