Scotland. But Kurdistan reminds me - the states that seceded from the Soviet Union did so peacefully, correct? Although I forget the details, maybe the Soviet Union ceased to exist first?
The Soviet Union pretty much ceased to exist and its constituent states just went their separate ways. I thought Scotland had already been given independence?
The Scottish vote for independence seems to be a bloodless affair, and shall remain as much, whatever the people decide at the ballot box. Given this conversation, I did note a rather important comment from British PM, after having given a recent speech in Scotland (obviously asking them to oppose voting for independence): If there is a closer parallel to the US than the UK, I'm not sure what it is. Does the Scottish vote, and Britain's reaction to allow the people to decide it, have any signifigance in our discussion on US-based secession? I don't know how it couldn't, but I could be wrong.
I'm no lawyer (I lack the intellectual chops), and defer to you KB, but there have been a great many and important things that the CS did not provide for, but which decisions have later read, inserted or allowed into it. I don't think it is an entirely complete argument to say that such an argument would have no merit, or be so easily decided, simply because there is no provision for it, because by that standard, women would have never have been allowed to win their right to vote, blacks could not have achieved (legal) equality, women would not have the right to an abortion, etc. etc. Clearly, the SCOTUS neither refuses to hear, nor rule - and even positively - because of a lack of any distinct CS allowance for it. Just my $.02, and its likely wrong.
I totally forgot Scotland. Tenny, I feel Scotland is a different deal. They didn't enter into the arrangement willingly (or, really, popularly) as did the Southern states and have retained some very distinct separations from England, like their legal system, for centuries. Plus, on an emotional idnentification level, any Scot I've talked to has a distinct identity as a Scot and antipathy to anything English whereas Southerners are clearly, on the large, patriotic people for the USA. I think I might equate Scotland more with Puerto Rico than the South or secession by an American state.
What is interesting is that the Treaty of Union had very specific language in Article 1: :emphasis mine But in the little research I did of this this morning, the Union of Treaty was basically forced on the populace of Scotland by its lords who were bribed. A large portion of the populace had no desire to come under British rule, and have maintained their own identity and sense of country throughout. Hell, Scotland has its own World Cup team, which means squat, but goes to show that they still view themselves as a separate entity. It was always a "country". But I honestly do not see what any other country has to do with the secession of states from the United States of America, unless it is a Natural Rights issue (which this might very well be).
