Hope I don't get flamed here, but...

[ninainsf]

Does anyone else fantasize about the idea of this country getting literally divided into two, one country favoring neo-con ideology, and the other liberal? Think of all the possibilities! Both sides would be happy, plenty of opportunity to push agendas forward, we don't have to see or hear people like Bush anymore. Is that wrong to want that?

[Vickers]

1. No, I think that is a horrible idea

Sorry.

[knowbody0]

2. utopia

i do it often. good guys and bad guys

[Mojambo]

3. One Neo-Con country

is a danger to the world. Including the little country we've carved out for ourself.

[jdj]

32. they would nuke liberaltopia before daylight.

or colonize them.

We would be overthere singing Kumbaya when the tanks rolled in...it won't work.

[UL_Approved]

4. It almost happened

It was called the Civil War.

[sister moon]

That's just toopid!!!

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

5. No it was a bad idea in the 1800's and it's a bad idea now

[Randi_Listener]

Bad idea

We are ONE country. That's a dumb fucking idea.

[Speck Tater]

6. We can given them Texas...

... and then build a wall around it 300 feet high.

[Texasgal]

35. hey now....

Texas is full of active liberals ( me included ) I love my state and sont wanna be stuck with a bunch of wingnuts!

[Name removed]

43. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[against all enemies]

45. Well you are the only Red state with an idiot from crawford. Thanks.

[2bfree]

46. So you think the country should just write all of us off?

I think that is really rude.

[Nay]

7. Have you read "Ecotopia"? It is about CA and the NW splitting off

from the rest of the US. It would work for me -- I am truly tired of idiots and freepers, but I know it's not really practical. But if you have not read the above book, do so. It is wonderful, for a few hours, to enjoy the idea of a split US.

[charlie]

The neocon side couldn't exist

without a monstrous enemy. It'd only be a month before they'd decide it's their duty to export freedom and godliness to the other side. Back to square one.

[teevee99]

8. my wife and I talked about this last week

and we figured it's an impossibility because there's no real geographic divide.

but it is interesting, and I think both sides would be happier.
they're right, though, the neocon america would be declaring war left and right.

[sangh0]

9. I prefer to see the whole idea be beaten down and slink back

into the cesspool it crawled out of.

[H2O Man]

11. yep

absolutely. One nation.

[Inland]

10. Actually, geographically, the red and the blue are mixed.

Its tough to find any county, much less state, where you can't find a thirty percent of one or another.

For example, here in Illinois, Alan Keyes has nothing but christian fundamentalist revivalism for a platform. No background, no experience, he doesn't even live here. He'll still get thirty per cent.

[camero]

12. Whike an enticing thought, not a good idea

The neo-cons would constantly be at war with us because they can't curb their appetite for invasion and war.

[Tamyrlin79]

13. Would SUCK for those of us stuck in the neo-con states...

Such an event would force me to move to the liberal sections... And, really, what would we do? have the liberal one of the two countries proposed divided in half by the "red middle" of the neo-con country from the Gulf to Canada? Not very good, IMHO.

[colonel odis]

14. republicans need the poor and the middle class to make money off of. n/t

[ninainsf]

17. A neo-con state would have PLENTY of their own poor n/t

[checks-n-balances]

15. Wrong idea! The neocons would declare war on the liberals

And use real weapons. How would this be determined, which were what kinds of states, be determined?

[shraby]

28. We get to keep the weapons and army.

That'll fix em.

Actually...

United we stand
Divided we fall
And if our backs are up against the wall

You know the rest.

[ninainsf]

16. OK OK, just a fantasy !

I will read that book tho :)

[Cat Atomic]

18. I don't see why fascists should get to break off a piece of the US, no..

[carnie_sf]

19. Actually

I've been thinking Lincoln should have just let the South go (Flame suit on)

[Sarrek420]

20. "this country getting literally divided into two"

If so, I live on the "Left Coast" :)

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

21. Give 'em Texas. Plenty of room to park their SUVs and Hummers.

Then let them play with their beloved guns.

[greyfox]

22. Wasn't that the recipe...

for the civil war, so to speak?

[Media_Lies_Daily]

23. Didn't we already have a discussion about that back in 1861?

[PATRICK]

24. A gerrymandered yin/yang nation

That doesn't even exist. These stupid colors are giving in to tyrannical views of segmented majority rule.

What needs to be done is make districts natural and then competitive if possible to make even the good candidates accountable and responsive. The electoral college has to be junked, ideally with a good alternative that is not again rigged to make some fool filiblusterer happy.

Election reform, Campaign finance reform. You know, the REAL thing, not these Byzantine fakes. Get religion out of politics. Fairer opportunity for third parties.

The media has to stop being the cheerleader for fake divisions. Diversity, equal time.

States will even out IF the competing states next door do things better.
People will demand it IF they can get fair information, fair elections, and fair districting.

A lot- but not all- of these so-called sharp divisions and eternal splits would just go away.

[Puglover]

26. Read Stephen Kings

"The Stand" sorta kinda what you're talking about.

[PATRICK]

33. Well, if you kill everyone off

segregate the idiots then purge the normals you will see just why this fantasy has a low sample of survivors.

The idea is to let the majority rule and receive rights(to information, to fair voting) and it will be humdrum, imperfect and naturally progressive with lots of natural brakes. Divisions breed horror and the opportunity for the morally inferior to bully over the mess.

[Cleita]

25. I thought it might be a good idea to split the country into

east and west, but not by ideology. I just think another sovereign nation alongside Canada would balance things out if one of the countries gets out of hand like ours has these last four years. What if the eastern US had to ask the western half to be allied with us in a war. If one half thought that the inspections should have been completed first, like the UN wanted, I don't think Bush would have been so quick to invade Iraq with only half the resources.

I think as one nation the US has too much power. That doesn't mean that Canada and both eastern and western US couldn't form a coalition when up against a common enemy. It just the way things are right now the United States has too much power and we have seen first hand what has happened when it fell into the wrong hands.

[Zorra]

27. Freepers should just emigrate to Australia. The US Constitution makes

no provisions for totalitarianists, monarchists, dictatorships, or governments run by a church. They will never be happy living in a free country, and will always be trying to overthrow democracy, as they have all throughout our history.

Freepers would be so much happier if they lived in a place that had no liberty and no democracy. Perhap's Australian PM Howard's RWers would accept freeper colonization of the Australian outback.

On second thought, the aboriginal Australians would hate that.

Maybe freepers should all move to China.

[Cleita]

30. They could move to North Korea.

The freedom loving North Koreans can move here to take their places.

[Djinn]

37. Quite a few NON indigenous Australians would hate that too

you know that despite many of my fellow cits voting for Howard the OVERWHELMING majority would vote Kerry if they could - recent surveys have had it lining up at around 85% for Kerry.

I'm not sure if you meant that Australia has "no liberty and no democracy" but it kinda came across that way.

No Australian politician ever had to affirm their "love for Jesus", we've never imprisoned people for years without trial, we have no Patriot Act, our elections aren't stolen, we ALL vote etc etc

[MadProphetMargin]

29. Google Pakistan/India division, fatality count.

[timtom]

31. Something like that happened

in one of those Bruce Campbell movies...one of those Army of the Dead movies. He actually split into two Bruce Campbells -- one good and the other evil. Neither was as strong as the synthesis.

You may treat this as a parable...a teaching story, if you will.

[PATRICK]

34. They beat the crap out of each other

The battle was also a comedy. It's not about winning against self-destruction but getting on with living in a world that is way more challenging. It's a die stupid, impressive, useless, humiliating drama.

[Jacobin]

36. We would be in an armed conflict within a year

Neo-Con America would invade the Real America to convert all the heathens.

[Bridget Burke]

38. Why, of all nights, have you resurrected this moldy, divisive idea?

You've not been here long but surely you've noticed this sort of thread shows up every week or so.

Please, when in history has the addition of a new border solved any kind of problem? We need fewer borders, not more.

[Historic NY]

39. We went through that before, remember the Civil War 1861-65.

In theory we are almost there again. Lots of divided issues.

[chefgirl]

40. Nope

And the very first thing that pops into my mind when I hear that kind of thing is that Abraham Lincoln ultimately lost his life because of his stubborn refusal to allow a fracturing of the union.

If only for THAT reason,(although there are plenty of reasons) I say, bad idea.

-chef-

[Historic NY]

41. Exactly

Never again!!

[porphyrian]

42. Only if there's lots of lipstick lesbian sex...

Mostly no, though.

[against all enemies]

44. Start coloring the states the Blue and the Gray.

We could have our own Armies.