can 40 states secede from the union?

by: Anthony Grasso google news

After the highly publicized 2012 elections, residents of 40 states signed petitions requesting permission from the White House to peacefully secede from the Union to form independent governments.  

The first petition signed on “We the People” page of the whitehouse.gov website originated from a resident of Slidell, a town in the state of Louisiana, on November 07, 2012.  Since the initial creation of the posting other states have followed suit, either creating carbon copies of the words stated by Louisiana residents, or, like Texas, have devised their own written petitions: “Peacefully grant the State of Texas to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own NEW government.”

In order for states to be recognized and their petitions taken into consideration under the Obama Administration, the White House requires 25,000+ signatures, in one month’s time, on each states petition before they will respond accordingly. As of Tuesday, November 13, Texas, now in their 57th attempt at secession, has 81,000 signatures, and Louisiana has 26,955. They are the only two states that have succeeded in gaining the required signatures.  

States Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Alabama are gaining ground with signatures ranging from roughly 16,000 to 18,000 signatures, and more signatures are being added every minute.   Every petition that reaches the required amount of signatures within the 30-day time limit receives a review by the appropriate executive department and a response from a White House staffer. 

The other states’ residents creating and signing petitions are as follows: Arkansas with 13,320 signatures; Colorado with 13,185; Florida with 19,241, Indiana with 12,074, Kentucky with 11,605, and New York with 10,634.  Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, South Carolina, and North and South Dakotas, have all had residents sign petitions requesting their secession from the Union.  However, with each state lacking substantial numbers supporting their request for seceding from the union. the amount of support for secession does not appear to be significant enough to bring all of the  states to the table before the December 10, 2012 deadline comes.

The last widespread withdrawal from the Union occurred from 1860-1861, when 11 Southern States seceded, and formed what was to become the Confederacy.

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