Kerfuffle in Vermont

There has been a long-standing argument in Vermont about the relationship between Kirkpatrick Sale, certain Vermont secessionists and the League of the South, which has led a certain observer to conclude that the Vermont secessionist movement is "white supremacist."

I have been aware of this for nearly three years, and have chosen to ignore it for the most obvious of reasons -- it's not my battle. The only reason I bring it up now is that Prof. Sale has made a reference to The Ohio Republic that calls for a brief disclaimer.

Two years ago, I made the acquaintance of Sebastian Ronin, a secessionist in Nova Scotia, who wanted to develop a North American secessionist organization that would consist of elected representatives from legitimate, active organizations. At that time, I agreed to assist him in the effort to organize a "North American Secessionist Congress" that was to have been held in October 2009. The initial organizational efforts indicated to us that too few organizations would support such an effort, and it was abandoned.

This prompted Prof. Sale to make the following comment:

I would suggest that we have nothing to do with his call for a congress--and indeed I see no sign of any real group supporting him. He has one ally in Ohio, but that's another website individual, not a real secessionist organization.

Since then, Mr. Ronin has moved on to organize a group known as the Renaissance Party of North America, whose website I have reviewed; and in my opinion, it espouses certain values that I would associate with white supremacism. Soon after he began the movement more than a year ago, I defriended him in Facebook and have had only one further contact with him by e-mail. Thus, Prof. Sale's assertion that Mr. Ronin has "one ally in Ohio" is based on very outdated information.

The experience has led me to the conclusion that there is little value to forming any secessionist group on a continental scale. The desire for independence and the resources to achieve it must come from within each state on its own, in its own way.

I am not affiliated with any political or secessionist organization outside the State of Ohio, and have no desire to join any such organization. Within Ohio, I am a member of the Ohio Freedom Alliance and the Ohio Libertarian Party -- and I have made no secret about either one.

As to Prof. Sale's reference to me as "another website individual, not a real secessionist organization," I never claimed to be anything else.