Is a "national divorce" a pragmatic solution at this point?

[Adamede]

Rio Grande had a better flag, hence your argument is invalid.

Antonio Canales should have retreated and recruited more Tejanos and Texans. But the Rio Grande flag does live on a the municipal flag of Laredo, the former republic's capital.

Mexico falling apart actually produced quite a few good flags. Texas of course, but Arizona and New Mexico have great flags, Rio Grande of course, and also the Republic of the Yucatan flag.

[Fahran]

I didn't accuse you of violating an oath.

I'm aware. I was making the accusation in point of fact, though not against you or anyone else in particular. Specifically, I was levelling it against adults who had recited either of the above pledges, both of which assert that the respective entities are indivisible. There's no legal force to it, but violating oaths is generally not honest, honorable, or virtuous behavior.

As for practicality, yes -- for now. Congress isn't legally bound to demand complete, irrevocably static territory. Hell, it at present doesn't -- it is open to letting Puerto Rico secede as part of the Compact of Free Association. In the past, it's let the Philippines go, as well. Nothing states that the South, for example (as the one closest to my heart -- and, often, scorn -- as a Tennesseean) couldn't do much the same. There are even arguments to be made for it.

There's not too many good arguments to be made for it, and I say that as someone who lives in and quite likes a state that could actually secede without immediately becoming a complete basket case economically. As for Puerto Rico, they're not going to secede. To be honest, I think their long-term fate will be to become the fifty first state unless something big happens to disrupt the current trends.

[Fahran]

Antonio Canales should have retreated and recruited more Tejanos and Texans. But the Rio Grande flag does live on a the municipal flag of Laredo, the former republic's capital.

Mexico falling apart actually produced quite a few good flags. Texas of course, but Arizona and New Mexico have great flags, Rio Grande of course, and also the Republic of the Yucatan flag.

The Age of Santa Ana was a rough time for Mexico.

[Adamede]

Mexico falling apart actually produced quite a few good flags. Texas of course, but Arizona and New Mexico have great flags, Rio Grande of course, and also the Republic of the Yucatan flag.

The Age of Santa Ana was a rough time for Mexico.

I mean was there ever a time that wasn't rough for indepedent Mexico? Maybe the rule of the PRI as a one party state before the drug trade went into full swing.

[Fahran]

The Age of Santa Ana was a rough time for Mexico.

I mean was there ever a time that wasn't rough for indepedent Mexico? Maybe the rule of the PRI as a one party state before the drug trade went into full swing.

The PRI had some laughably bad moments.

[Broader Confederate States]

As for practicality, yes -- for now. Congress isn't legally bound to demand complete, irrevocably static territory. Hell, it at present doesn't -- it is open to letting Puerto Rico secede as part of the Compact of Free Association. In the past, it's let the Philippines go, as well. Nothing states that the South, for example (as the one closest to my heart -- and, often, scorn -- as a Tennesseean) couldn't do much the same. There are even arguments to be made for it.

There's not too many good arguments to be made for it, and I say that as someone who lives in and quite likes a state that could actually secede without immediately becoming a complete basket case economically. As for Puerto Rico, they're not going to secede. To be honest, I think their long-term fate will be to become the fifty first state unless something big happens to disrupt the current trends.

There aren't none, either -- whether government institutions that are a clear and active harm (e.g. the NSA), ones that aren't clear (e.g. the USNRC's refusal to license non-P/BWR nuclear power plants), or other such things, there are areas where leaving could do good. A few I particularly love bringing up are as follows:

• Lanthanide mining;

Because of thorium being classifed as a source material for fissile nuclear fuel (irradiation of ²³²Th creates ²³³U), lanthanide mining (in which thorium is found as a waste byproduct in double concentration of all lanthanides) is completely infeasible in the US, with fines higher than many mines would have revenues. This enforces that we get all of our electronics from China, with maybe a token few manufactured from metals to product in Japan. Even stuff manufactured in the US still funds China by the metals being bought from them. The NRC is known to be stubborn, so secession would quickly and easily provide the opportunity for an American source of lanthanides for western countries to buy from, instead, lessening our dependence on a country that actively hates us.

• Energy industry;

By having a separate NRC, the Southern union could license out construction sites for the molten-salt reactor design that it designed here in Tennessee without any hemming and hawing, allowing us to replace aging reactors and coal plants, and export our excesses northward; ideally becoming an energy exporting powerhouse. If we even still have a car culture by the 2030s, we would then be able to kickstart a synthetic-fuels industry once the NRL patent expires in 2036, massively undercutting plankton juice and further establishing ourselves as an energy producer for the whole continent, with zero further emissions and a nearly perpetual sustainability. These new industries would create a lot of jobs and bring in a lot of revenue.

• Long-term stability;

The US is an emipre. Not just the territories, but everything west of the Appalachian mountains. Nowadays, it has more land than the Roman Empire ever had in 117; and almost four times as much as the WRE had in 476, and the WRE fell in part because of how overextended it was. Even this independent South would surpass it, but at least it would be way better, and take the pressure off the North, too. Do I love the South's policies? Not exactly, but empires are doomed to fail, so I'd rather take the immediate human rights hit (and gradual buildback on the backs of the aforementioned two) than the potential of a civil war, which would absolutely be avoided by splitting off the South and psossibly West and admitting them instead to the Compact of Free Association.

• Political and economic freedom;

This South wouldn't be beholden to US norms and customs, and if more of a loose confederation than a federation like the misnamed Confederacy.was, would allow for states to decide their own socioeconomic systems. Louisiana could go ancom, and Texas or New York wouldn't have to care. West Virginia could go full Henry George and everyone would be happy for them. In addition, stuff like proportional representation could be implented without stepping on either of our big tent parties' toes.

There are a handful of others such as government misconduct, use of violent force against its innocents, surveillance that hasn't been proven to be effective (especially when the Boston Marathon bomber was reported dozens of times and was never looked into), and US taxes being spent subsidizing Activision-Blizzard, who in FY 2018 raked in 51% of its revenue in tax credits, rather than improving rails or roads. States definitely also abuse their citizens, no doubt about it, even down to the individual person -- see those states that ban trans people from participating in sports when there's only a single trans person engaging in sports in the whole of the state. But I'm willing to take the gamble that things improve with greater, more sustainable wealth reducing tensions than keeping the status quo and just hoping it works out.
As for Puerto Rico, whether it will or not, the point was that Congress, even this one, isn't inherently against losing landmass. Taxes would be something, but the Southerners would still be US dual-citizens as well and still pay federal income tax, just no property taxes. The biggest Southern companies would already have US locations/business operations and pay US taxes on that, on top of some of them probably leaving, replaced by those energy and rare earths industries mentioned before.
I honestly do believe that something is happening and closer than you think -- in specific, oil is forecast to become a net zero RoEI by 2060; before then, prices for carbon fuels, shale gas, and the like will go through the roof. Puerto Rico will end up in a very bad position thanks to this, since the only ways on or off are by boat or plane, two things that need fossil fuels (well, planes do, but nuclear passenger ships are rare to say the least, and sail is... well, an option I guess). In fact, that same oil issue will probably create the conditions that lead to situations that make the inter-regional tensions right now look like playground bullying.
There's more I can say and I probably will if you want to keep talking, but I'm at 5% charge, so enjoy this half-baked and rushed rundown before my phone dies.
Edit (Jun. 12, 1:54PM)
Yay, SCOTUS gives me a whole new reason!

[San Lumen]

That’s the price of democracy. They are entitled to representing just like you are. Your not a government of one.


Define these acceptable levels.

Well Democracy costs too damn much, I want a refund.

That doesn’t answer what I asked you.

[New Zoigai]

No, it'd cause mass violence and some mad lad would probably try and go nuclear at some point.

You have Ron DeSantis saying there will be a Cold War between Georgia and Florida if Stacy Abrams gets elected. Now if we divide the states between Republicans and Democrats and have said Republican in charge of nuclear arsenal and the Democrat as well with a nuclear arsenal.

The Atlanta falcons game vs the Miami dolphins would turn into something like the football war

[San Lumen]

You have Ron DeSantis saying there will be a Cold War between Georgia and Florida if Stacy Abrams gets elected. Now if we divide the states between Republicans and Democrats and have said Republican in charge of nuclear arsenal and the Democrat as well with a nuclear arsenal.

The Atlanta falcons game vs the Miami dolphins would turn into something like the football war

How is this relevant to the topic?

[New Zoigai]

The Atlanta falcons game vs the Miami dolphins would turn into something like the football war

How is this relevant to the topic?

Other than them literally mentioning a cold war between Georgia and Florida? Not much the idea itself is stupid and a football war would probably be the best thing to come out of it,

[New Visayan Islands]

Please do not gravedig. Thread locked.

New Visayan Islands
Game Moderator