Secede From the Union? Ron Paul Likes It

First, voters in 20 states reacted to President Obama's re-election by signing petitions to secede from the union. Then all 50 states got on board. Now, it's Ron Paul's turn to trumpet the notion of breaking away, Salon reports. "Is all the recent talk of secession mere sour grapes over the election or perhaps something deeper?" asks Ron Paul in his weekly newsletter and audio address. "Secession is a deeply American principle. ... Some thought it was treasonous to secede from England, but those 'traitors' became our country’s greatest patriots."

"If the possibility of secession is completely off the table there is nothing to stop the federal government from continuing to encroach on our liberties, and no recourse for those who are sick and tired of it," he goes on. "And if people or states are not free to leave the United States as a last resort, can they really think of themselves as free?" With Paul planning to quit Congress this year, his address may be something of a libertarian adieu to American politics. (More Ron Paul stories.)