Two "DSAs"

The Doctor wrote: I find it interesting that there are 8 no votes.  Are those American votes or international.  Because here in America, I can only imagine that the conservatives would love to get rid of us liberals, and we liberals would love to get rid of the conservatives.  The only way to do that peaceably, which I would hope would be the preferred method for all, would be to divide the US into two.

I don't know about that, I don't want to get rid of conservatives--  oh maybe some conservatives, but not as a whole.   They tend to be smart people with strong views, and that's usually a good thing.  Also do we really want everyone to always agree?   I do not.

^ Well when you put it that way; No.   I've seen the wonder on an immigrant's face - particularly someone from, say, Israel, but really almost any continent - when they realize they won't be stopped at a state border, won't need papers or be searched.   They know it but until they actual travel state-to-state, it isn't real to them, they can't comprehend how a nation could be made up of smaller states in such a fluid, relaxed, pan-cultural way.   Plus I'd hate to waste the sacrifice of all those Union soldiers.

Before splitting the USA into 2, 3, 15, 50, 100... states, don't forget to give back New Orleans to France.
I mean, come on, guys, this city was fine when we sold it to you. What the hell have you done with it over the last two centuries???

WHAT?!? There are hundreds of bands from USA listed in PA database. We'll have to assign a new country for each of them!

The Dark Elf wrote: 618,000 Americans died in the Civil War. I would like to think their sacrifices, on both sides, puts the current pettiness, bickering  and selfishness into perspective. So, no, splitting the U.S. in two is a fairly asinine proposition. I think, when it comes down to it, more people care about the 'United' in United States than splitting the country up into red and blue states, or making each state independent, or making each individual a state. Split up the country and the hyenas will come from elsewhere to pick at the bones.

You "would like to think."

But does it?  What if the current "bickering" led to a greater war?

But Dark Elf, haven't these type of massacres occured precisely because groups that were very homogeneous wanted to break free from others that were, according to them, different? The problem lies not in a powerful government bonding things together by force but in people being people, being sectarian, thinking as a group and de-individualizing the other, and that is, as we have seen, an unstoppable force that caused world wars (let's remember how the first one, which caused the second one, started) and massacres like those in Serbia or Rwanda. I don't see violence occurring in a hypothetical US partition because of the prevailing culture here, the division and the problems might have an economic basis but not a deep racial/ethnic/cultural one. After all, with clear differences, the people living in the US still somewhat share common cultural factors. When groups have been put together that utterly hated each other from the start, time has led, without exceptions, to an explosion of hate and death. I don't see that happening in the US if sovereign states decide to secede one day. What could be worse is if the people reach a point where they actually WANT to part ways and they are forced to stay together. Then you are just preparing the cauldron...

CPicard wrote: clarke2001 wrote: WHAT?!? There are hundreds of bands from USA listed in PA database. We'll have to assign a new country for each of them! Well, as long as it doesn't lead to new regional subgenres: NY Sympho Prog; LA RIO; Chicago Post-Rock; and so on...

Arizonean Tex-Mex Aztec NarcoProg

If you look back through our country's history, we have always had division. But that's one of the reasons the founding fathers went through all the trouble to do what they did. We have a government where all voices are heard and we talk things out to the extreme to try to ensure that as many are pleased as possible with the end  result.

manofmystery wrote: We don't need to divide into two seperate nations (would be a more fractured break if there is one), we just need to repeal the 17th amendment so that states can regain their seat at the table in DC.

I'm all for states rights and representation, but I think that letting politicians elect other politicians is just a recipe for disaster.

Yeah, good idea. Divide and conquer. Or should I say, divide and wait for the conqueror.