Virginians Sign Secession Petition

Maryland hasn't been added to the bandwagon yet, but people have signed petitions for 47 states at the White House's "We the People" website encouraging secession from the Union, including Virginia.

The petitions, on behalf of every state other than Connecticut, Vermont, and Maryland as of Wednesday morning, are meant to draw an official response from the White House on the subject of "peacefully" granting a given state the right "to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own NEW government", using Texas as an example.

Here's a closer look at the Virginia petitions and reactions to the petition drive.

* The site currently has three petitions regarding Virginia secession.

* The most popular petition posted on the website follows the same formula in name structure and text as the majority of other petitions, quoting from the Declaration of Independence.

* That petition had 5,970 signatures signatures by noon on Wednesday.

* The second-most signed petition, "Allow the state of Virginia to vote on peacefully leaving the United States" reads in full, "it is our right as Americans to decide on what government is best. We believe the United States has failed to protect our rights. Allow us to vote on creating our own government. This government would not be hostile to the U.S. or her allies."

* The second petition had gathered 2,952.

* The third petition mentioning the Commonwealth of Virginia had 1,683 signatures by the same time, but its largely typo-ridden text consisted of a paragraph of phrases and broken sentences accusations of "potential voter fraud" against the Obama administration. The petition doesn't cite a source for the allegation.

* In order to receive a response from the site, each petition must receive 25,000 signatures. So far, five southern states have received the required 25,000 signatures, with Texas at 97,208.

* While Governor Rick Perry of Texas went on the record with CNN affirming that he didn't support the signatures, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell hadn't commented on the signatures by Wednesday.

* The petitions may not receive a response. The White House "may decline to address certain procurement, law enforcement, adjudicatory, or similar matters properly within the jurisdiction of federal departments or agencies, federal courts, or state and local government in its response to a petition" if it so chooses, according to the site's Terms of Participation.

Shawn Humphrey is a former contributor to The Flint Journal and lives near Washington D.C. in Germantown, Maryland.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/virginians-sign-secession-petition-195700643.html

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