Do Americans think that the U.S could ever break apart?

reply to post by Theonlywoody


Texas is one of the states (from a outside point of view) that springs to mind, you seem to have a distinct culture that is easily identifiable.

I am in American - I hate the politics but then I think I would dislike politics anywhere. There are plenty of crumbs falling off the cookie here - those in other countries might think the same. We need better cookie dough to hold it together. A little more sugar wouldn't hurt anything either.

reply to post by crazydaisy


think the uk could use some sugar too with all the medicine the chancellor has been dishing out.

God, I hope so! Texas SECEDE! (or form a union with the Southwest or Gulf States) Give the socialists their own country & let them hash out how they're going to pay for amongst themselves.

reply to post by DogsDogsDogs

I should have made this post should texas secede from the U.S ,strong voices comeing from Texans on this subject.

Ok looks like im not the only one on ATS asking this question

www.abovetopsecret.com...

I think it could happen.

Back in the early Internet days of the 1990s, this was a common line of speculation among the conspiracy/finge circles found on archaic interfaces such as Usenet, BBS boards, and mailing lists. A lot of people saw decentralization in the future, and given events like Waco, Ruby Ridge, and Oklahoma City there was a great deal of antagonism to the Federal government. Even the cheezy pop culture of the time (think the movie The Postman) painted a picture of a decayed, anarchic America ruled over by a fragmented patchwork of neo-militia-style groups. Books like The Disuniting of America took such ideas into the realm of academic respectibility. The intellectual millieu of the 1990s was steeped in ideas of cultural relativity, identity politcs (ethnic-racial-gender, etc.) and so forth, which made the vision all the more compelling to many eyes.

These ideas seemingly evaporated with 9/11. Many of the elements that had been heading down the decentralization road snapped to and fell in line with the new patriotism. Suddenly it was "with us or against us" and the nation experienced a unity of purpose unknown for decades. Rebellion against the government was no longer hip, and aggression was channeled outwards against a hostile (or seemingly hostile) world.

It's an old historian's chestnut that the organizing principle for any society is war. Without war, the bonds holding society together are loosened. This is what happened in the wake of the Cold War, giving rise to the ninties-era speculations of post-Fedral America. War (in the form of 9/11) put an end to this. Of course the US is still at war, but it touches fewer people not directly involved than it once did, and the patriotism of the early-2000s is growing frayed in the face of new isses -- economic decline, the internationalization of busines and communications, the porosity of boarders, the further decay of traditional culture and communities. I believe we are on the road back toward a "decentralizing theme" in the national dialogue. It will be interesting to see how far this advances before the pendulum swings the other way...or whether this time there will be no swing-back. I expect to see states and communities goring conspicuiously bankrupt in the days ahead -- inturruptions of basic services and the total breakdown of infrastructure in the face of severe budget constraints. When this happens, it will add another impetus to the decentralization impulse.