Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Kuros]

[Steelrails]

Can I be president of ruthless Republicandom? I'd love to be Richard III (Richard Cheney?) and play the villain.

My first act would be to immediately seal the St. Lawrence sea way- Heavy movement of troops into Maine to prevent any kind of uprising. Your Great Lakes Confederation would be brought to it knees.

That's assuming I didn't decide to murder the leader before any of this happened or send troops in while their army is still being organized. Which of course I would do. Nip everything in the bud.

Say goodbye to any national power grids. Your highways would be cut off to access to the rest of the United States. I would send a bunch of frigates to steam down the Great Lakes and blow up the Ambassador Bridge and the tunnel at Detroit and then head up to Port Huron and Saul St. Marie and knock those out as well. Also, you would be closed to our airspace.

Have fun dealing with your oil prices exalted leader. Also enjoy dealing with all of the Republicans in your rural areas who wouldn't be sympathetic to your cause. The GLU would rapidly devolve into factional warfare, teetering state and federal government, and partially pacified cities surrounded by guerrilla country. Something kinda like Afghanistan or Iraq.

Your major exports? Manufacturing- cut off and less profitable thanks to the blockade. Agriculture- Likely diminished because your state will be largely dependent on ethanol grown in the guerrilla rural areas, kinda like Afghan poppies- all the money goes to fund the rebels (unless you wish to get nuclear power up and running, to the delight of the left-wing base no doubt).

Heck, I may not even have to send in the army. Odds are things would get so bad that they'd wave the white flag in 6-12 months.

Canada wouldn't do anything. They'd be warned that any interference in an internal American Civil War would be regarded as an act of war, requiring a full response. A couple of Carrier Groups off the coast should drive home the point nicely, and if they push it, have an SSBN or three take up residence outside Vancouver and Nova Scotia.

With all of this bellicosity and threat of invasion, the GLU would be required to draft citizens and arm them. It would also have to undertake a MASSIVE defense spending operation, backed by its paper money.

Also, I don't think the GLU would have any nuclear capability and would have to start that from scratch. And there's no way you'd use them anyway. That would be quite the historical legacy of the 1st and only President of the GLU.

[Kuros]

What state are you from Steelrails?

If not a new border state (see above), we do need a Mitt Romney.

[Steelrails]

[geldedgoat]

Awww shucks. I was enjoying poking fun at Ya-Ta Boy's asinine and hypocritical proposition and was kinda looking forward to doing the same to Fox's half-assed defense of it. And neither Tennessee nor Mississippi are up for grabs? I don't even get to hit back at Fox's "ra-ra, go Midwest!" attacks on em. Booo.

[Kuros]

[geldedgoat]

[Fox]

[geldedgoat]

[Unposter]

Oh I get it - we can each pitch parts for Kuros' play:

Can I play the part of the well-educated General of the D.C. Nationalist/Union forces that refuses Mitt Romney's "unlawful" orders to stealthfully create an incident by which the Nationalist/Union forces could "legally" and with national concensus attack and brutally murder our bretheren in the GLC. Then, when I bring the plot to light to the rest of the world, I'm put on trial, but before I can be put on trial, I steal significant state secrets, take them safely across the border and give them to the President of the GLC?

Then, when Romney's treacherous plan comes to light, the West Coast states and the New England states decide they cannot trust the Nationalist/Union and succeed from the Union. President Romney, faced with a 3-front war and the economic realities and the casualties it would entail, gives up his interest in trying to perfect a more perfect union.

Sadly, this leaves the South, the prarie and the mountain states as left in the "United" States, forced to pay off China and other holders of U.S. Debt, as what few financial elites still left in the "United" States say skrew it and leave for the other region of their choice.

The U.S. sinks into 3rd World status while the New England, Midwest and West Coast states thrive under much more enlightened leadership and without the weight of carrying the under-performing, "Real America," as Sarah Palin would say.

Can I play that character in your play, Kuros? Please, please, please.

Or, can we just discuss ways to bring the U.S. together? Or,is the fear of apocalypse the only thing we have keeping the "union" together?

[Ya-ta Boy]

Interesting responses.

So far, what I see is: "Let's stay together for federalism."

Sorry, guys. Federalism is a mechanism, not a reason.

As I read American history, we started out as a collection of former colonies with somewhat different cultures but with a common goal. We have evolved into two cultures with divergent goals--radically different goals. Why should we stay together? Inertia is not a reason. It will only lead to grief.

I do like the idea of a Great Lakes Union. Iowa is not even close to the Lakes, but culturally we have a lot in common. (We missed our chance to be our own empire when we failed to produce our own Genghis Corn back in the 1830's. Sigh.)

[I do appreciate Kuros going back through some of my old posts when I was outraged, appalled, disgusted, dismayed etc when the conservatives were re-introducing secession to the modern political discourse. It is true. I was unspeakably outraged. Having watched the events of the last several years, I have been pushed to re-evaluate my position. I'm allowed.]

[slothrop]

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[Kuros]

[Unposter]

It is not seceding from the Union but already 50% of the population has dropped out of the political process and countless numbers of people have dropped out of the mainstream economic system as well. These are the modern day secessionists and I personally think they are symbolic of the problems facing the U.S. Of course, most political leaders don't want to talk about this and the Republicans actually prefer it this way.

[Ya-ta Boy]