OK, if you've been paying attention you might get that there are some people who are a tad unhappy about the results of the recent election.
It doesn't help that a few of the group that won the election have indulged in a bit of gloating. I saw a Facebook post that implied that red state people were less educated than blue state people. Others, in the spirit of being "helpful," are telling conservatives how they need to change in order to be more electable.
I'm very suspicious of the last group. Last I looked, the Democrats still want to win elections. Are they really going to tell Republicans how to beat them? Isn't that like the Steelers telling the Bucs how to defeat them and get to the Super Bowl? (Insert your favorite football team here if the Steelers are having a bad year. If the Bucs are having a good year, someone please let me know so I can start paying attention).
But, back to people being upset. There are a few that are so ticked off that they have uttered the "S" word - secession. And they have gone so far as to petition the United States government for the right to do so.
According to an article on The Daily Caller's website, 675,000 electronic signatures have been collected on petitions to secede from the Union. All 50 states are represented, though some have more signatures than others. Texas leads the pack with more than 92,000 signatures.
Some on the other side of the issue have not taken this lying down. There are two petitions that call for those signing secession petitions to be deported. Some cities in Texas have asked to secede from the state if it leaves the Union.
If you go to https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petitions you can see all kinds of petitions that have been submitted to the White House. According to whitehouse.gov, the Obama administration has promised to review any petition that goes above 25,000 signatures. In case you were wondering, yes, Florida has more than 25,000 signatures.
Other petitions on the site include a call to recount the election (it had more than 50,000 signatures when I saw it), a couple dealing with Obamacare, and even one suggesting the President be impeached (good luck with the administration going with the last one).
I understand that people have issues with the current government. I have issues with the current government, ranging from the frivolous to the deadly serious. This was not the outcome I'd looked for.
But I think those who want to pack up their stuff and leave need to consider their position. Or, to put it bluntly, they need to get a grip.
Let's take Texas for example. Let's say they succeed in leaving the Union. How is this good for either side? On the United States side, they will have a heavily armed and ticked off nation on their borders. On Texas' side, they will suddenly find themselves without the benefits the United States provide, which I'm sure there are some.
Plus, I keep thinking this is like a particularly messy divorce. Who gets custody of the military bases, for example? Somehow I can't see the federal government turning over military hardware. Even without it Texans will be well armed, which they may need to be if Mexico decides to invade.
But seriously, we need to remember we're a great country despite our problems. Instead of divorce, we should think about working together to get through the next four years.
Meanwhile, I'm thinking of creating a petition making chocolate its own food group. Who's with me?
Laura Ware is a Sebring resident. She can be contacted by e-mail at bookwormlady@
embarqmail.com Visit her website at www.laurahware.com. Guest columns are the opinion of the writer, not necessarily those of the staff of the News-Sun.
Sunday, November 18, 2012 - www.newssun.com/col-111812-ware