What happens if 50 states secede?

On Monday Walt asked, "Will petitions for secession succeed?" That post has drawn a higher-than-usual number of hits, and it appears some of you have followed through by signing one (or more) of the petitions open at the White House website We The People.

Not that we're taking all the credit [certainly not! Ed.] but the number of states for which petitions have been lodged has increased from 21, as of Monday, to... Wait for it... 50. Yep, the big 5-0.

The secession petition push began on November 7th, when a disgruntled voter from Slidell LA [That would be Louisiana, not Los Angeles. Ed.] filed a petition requesting that his state be allowed to secede from the Disunited States. Peacefully, of course, as provided for in the Constitution.

Residents of other states were quick to jump onto the bandwagon, or the last train out of Union Station, if you like. So what happens next? Well, to require a response from the White House (or its current occupant), the signatures of 25,000 people are required.

As of 24 hours ago, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas had reached the threshold. (Texas leads the pack with over 110,000 signatures as I write.) Since all those states voted for the Not-so-inevitable Mitt, that's about what you'd expect. But the petition for Florida has also accumulated the necessary number.

A petition for a recount of the entire election has over has nearly 60,000 signatures, and a petition to impeach the Prez is closing on 30,000. Just noticed, too, petitions that El Paso and Austin be allowed to secede from Texas! Presumably if TX withdraws from the USA, and El Paso and Austin withdraw from TX, those cities would remain part of the USA? This could get confusing!

Before you break out your state flags [or Confederate flags! Ed.] And get your Confederate money or gold coins out from under the mattress, let's bear in mind that these petitions are nothing new. Similar petitions were started in 2004 and 2008, and what came of it. All that's required of Hussesin Obama is a response, and that response could well be "Nyah nyah na nyah nah!"