Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
The Arizona Daily Star today published a front page story above the fold about the "Start Our State" Committee, Could Baja Arizona be 51st state in US?
The sub-headline reads "Idea of Pima secession from state isn't new, but this time it's for real, new panel insists." This isn't just the fault of the dreaded creative headline copy editor at the Star this time.
The body of the story consistently misuses the word "secession" in the reporting by Rhonda Bodfield and Andrea Kelly.
Oh God, they make my head hurt.
With my apologies to "Dr. Word" (David Safier), using the correct terminology matters here. The correct terminology is "separation," not "secession." If you knew your American history or had done more than a cursory Google search you would know this.
First, the great state of Maine. Freeport’s Role In Maine’s Statehood : Freeport Historical Society:
In the spring of 1819, 125 out of 130 towns in the District of Maine petitioned the Massachusetts Legislature (the “General Court”) for another vote on the question of separation to be taken in the District. This was done and then approved by the Governor on June 19, 1819. On July 26, the vote of the citizens of the District took place, with every county voting in favor of separation. A constitutional convention then met in Portland in October 1819. The bill making Maine a separate state was signed by President Monroe on March 3, 1820, and on March 15, 1820, all ties with Massachusetts were severed.
The great state of West Virginia is more complex because of a little historical event known as the America Civil War. Maybe you heard of it. The state of Virginia passed an Ordinance of Secession from the United States and joined the Confederate States of America — the correct usage of the term "secession," by the way. Technically, West Virginia then "seceded" from Virginia as part of the Confederate States of America, in order to remain in the United State of America. West Virginia Statehood:
On April 17, 1861, days after Lincoln's order to seize Fort Sumter in South Carolina, a convention of Virginians voted to submit a secession bill to the people. Led by Clarksburg's John S. Carlile, western delegates marched out of the Secession Convention, vowing to form a state government loyal to the Union. Many of these delegates gathered in Clarksburg on April 22, calling for a pro-Union convention, which met in Wheeling from May 13 to 15. On May 23, a majority of Virginia voters approved the Ordinance of Secession. It is not possible to determine accurately the vote total from present-day West Virginia due to vote tampering and the destruction of records. Some argue that secessionists were in the majority in western Virginia, while others feel Unionists had greater support.
Following a Union victory at the Battle of Philippi and the subsequent occupation of northwestern Virginia by General George B. McClellan, the Second Wheeling Convention met between June 11 and June 25, 1861. Delegates formed the Restored, or Reorganized, Government of Virginia, and chose Francis H. Pierpont as governor. President Lincoln recognized the Restored Government as the legitimate government of Virginia. John Carlile and Waitman T. Willey became United States Senators and Jacob B. Blair, William G. Brown, and Kellian V. Whaley became Congressmen representing pro-Union Virginia.
Here in Arizona, counties have sought "separation" from other counties. Santa Cruz County was established in 1899, separating from what was then Pima County.
La Paz County was established in 1983 after voters approved separating the northern portion of Yuma County, making it the first and only county to be established after Arizona became a state in 1912.
Fun fact: there is also one defunct Arizona county, Pah-Ute County, which was formed in 1865 from Mohave County but later returned in 1871.
Now that we are all clear about the proper usage of the correct terminology, let's turn to the substance of the story:
A political committee made up of attorneys, including the former chairman of the Pima County Democratic Party, has been formed to try to get Southern Arizona to [separate] from the rest of the state.
Start Our State, which is asking other like-minded counties to join the effort, hopes to put the question before Pima County voters in 2012.
The historical comparison parallels the history of the state of West Virginia:
Paul Eckerstrom, co-chair of Save Our State, said it's not a ploy and not merely a political statement. He said the state Legislature has gone too far to the right.
In particular, a round of legislative measures challenging federal supremacy "really does border on them saying they don't want to be part of the Union any longer," he said.
"Well, I want to be part of the United States," Eckerstrom said.
As we have been reporting here, the Neoconfederate insurrectionist Tea-Publicans in the Arizona legislature have been passing one bill after another based upon the long-discredited "nullification" theory, asserting that Arizona can simply nullify any federal law with which it does not want to comply.
Sen. Al Melvin (R-LD 26) has gone so far as to assert that Arizona can seize federal property under eminent domain (like South Carolina seized Fort Sumter, starting the American Civil War).
Funny how the Arizona Daily Star never describes these legislative actions as "nullification" or "secession" in its reporting. Nullification is secession by another name, it is used synonymously. Check your American history — or read the posts we do here to educate you on American history.
The idea of Baja Arizona has been around for as long as I have lived in Southern Arizona. In previous "separation" movements Baja Arizona refered to the Gadsden Purchase under the Guadalupe-Hidalgo Treaty of 1853. This area encompasses everything South of the Gila River, not just Pima County. The Official Web Site of the Gadsden Purchase:
When the inhabitants of Arizona asked Congress for a Territorial government in 1854, one of the names suggested for the new Territory was Gadsonia, a Latin adaptation of the surname of James Gadsden.
Not a good idea today. You see, James Gadsden championed the theory of nullification developed by his fellow South Carolinian, then Vice President John C. Calhoun, in the South Carolina Exposition and Protest of 1828, and he lost the patronage of President Jackson over the "Nullification Crisis", or "secession crisis," of 1828 – 1832. (See how these terms are used synonymously?)
James Gadsden would fit right in with the Neoconfederate insurrectionist Tea-Publicans in the Arizona legislature today.
¡Viva Baja Arizona! Long live the United States of America!
UPDATE: The Arizona Daily Star continues to misuse the legally incorrect term "secession" today in this front page side-bar. Poll finds secession sentiment strong here. As Forrest Gump said, "stupid is as stupid does."