# People in 20 states file petitions to secede **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 13, 2012, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-20-states-file-petitions-to-secede/640879 "2012-11-13T13:30:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-20-states-file-petitions-to-secede/640879/1 "2012-11-13T13:30:16Z")
> [@](#): > > In the wake of last week’s presidential election, thousands of Americans have signed petitions seeking permission for their states to peacefully secede from the United States. The petitions were filed on We the People, a government website. > > States with citizens filing include Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. Oddly, folks from Georgia have filed twice. Even stranger, several of the petitions come from states that went for President Barack Obama. Sore losers. [http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/secission-petitions-filed-20-states-190210006.html](http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/secission-petitions-filed-20-states-190210006.html) ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-20-states-file-petitions-to-secede/640879/2 "2012-11-13T13:35:17Z")
A Small Number Of Whiny Little Bitches In 20 States File Petitions That Will Go Nowhere. That’s the real headline. You could probably get roughly the same number of signatures if you said you wanted to send members of (insert political party here) to re-education camps. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-20-states-file-petitions-to-secede/640879/3 "2012-11-13T14:02:55Z")
I say we accept the application of Texas. You know, just to see what happens. Like an experiment. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-20-states-file-petitions-to-secede/640879/4 "2012-11-13T14:03:35Z")
At least they didn’t move to Canada like the sore losers of '04. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-20-states-file-petitions-to-secede/640879/5 "2012-11-13T14:36:54Z")
> [@](#): > > Even stranger, several of the petitions come from states that went for President Barack Obama. Strange how? It takes a majority of the state’s voters to decide for one presidential candidate or another. It only takes a handful to petition for secession or anything else. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-20-states-file-petitions-to-secede/640879/6 "2012-11-13T14:50:03Z")
It only takes 150 signatures to get the petition public and only 25,000 to getr a response from the White House on it. Not like this is hard to do. And even with these low milestines, only Texas got enough to warrent a response. I propose selling them back to Mexico. We get money to put towards the debt and lose Texans. It is a no-lose for everyone, except Mexico. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-20-states-file-petitions-to-secede/640879/7 "2012-11-13T14:50:29Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Strange how? It takes a majority of the state’s voters to decide for one presidential candidate or another. It only takes a handful to petition for secession or anything else. I know, right? So, does the writer think that every single voter in states that Obama won voted for Obama? ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-20-states-file-petitions-to-secede/640879/8 "2012-11-13T14:50:46Z")
Set up a large bureaucracy to mis-process their applications for secession, and then aggressively bill them for it. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-20-states-file-petitions-to-secede/640879/9 "2012-11-13T15:04:01Z")
Kevin Underhill at [Lowering the Bar](http://www.loweringthebar.net/2012/11/texas-votes-to-secede.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LoweringTheBar+%28Lowering+the+Bar%29) points out that quite a few of the signatures for Texas’ secession are coming from out of state, which makes the petition a decidedly mixed message. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-20-states-file-petitions-to-secede/640879/10 "2012-11-13T15:10:24Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > I say we accept the application of Texas. You know, just to see what happens. Like an experiment. Again, I will gently remind folks that there are millions of us here that voted blue. DFW and Houston contributed over half a million votes for Obama each. We’re still outnumbered overall, but at least we’re _trying_ to light up the cave. Do you have spare rooms for all of us if you kick the state out? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-20-states-file-petitions-to-secede/640879/11 "2012-11-13T15:12:32Z")
> [@Balance](#): > > Again, I will gently remind folks that there are millions of us here that voted blue. DFW and Houston contributed over half a million votes for Obama each. We’re still outnumbered overall, but at least we’re _trying_ to light up the cave. Do you have spare rooms for all of us if you kick the state out? We can just evict the rest of the Republicans and send them over to live in their new right wing paradise, and you guys can move into their vacated homes! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-20-states-file-petitions-to-secede/640879/12 "2012-11-13T15:14:26Z")
> [@Balance](#): > > Do you have spare rooms for all of us if you kick the state out? Sure, there will be plenty of immigrant visas for those who offer benefit to the 49 states. I think voting against Rick Perry pretty much guarantees you entry and a resettlement bonus. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-20-states-file-petitions-to-secede/640879/13 "2012-11-13T15:17:13Z")
So, we’re replacing Texas with Puerto Rico? At least we won’t have to change the flag. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-20-states-file-petitions-to-secede/640879/14 "2012-11-13T15:18:11Z")
Texas just surpassed the threshold for an official White House response. I wonder how you say FOAD in officialese? ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-20-states-file-petitions-to-secede/640879/15 "2012-11-13T15:24:14Z")
> **[The White House](https://www.whitehouse.gov)** > > President Biden and Vice President Harris promised to move quickly to deliver results for working families. That’s what they’ve done. I am SO going to sign this thing. That’s a petition to deport everyone who signed the petitions to withdraw from the US. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-20-states-file-petitions-to-secede/640879/16 "2012-11-13T15:26:28Z")
Answering the secession petitions should keep the White House janitor busy for a good five minutes. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-20-states-file-petitions-to-secede/640879/17 "2012-11-13T15:29:13Z")
The government better get to work on Zombie Sherman. We’re going to need his services shortly. ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-20-states-file-petitions-to-secede/640879/18 "2012-11-13T15:37:54Z")
Anyone calling for secession and saying they are a Republican should by all rights be forced to include a disclaimer that they are “_not affiliated with the party of Abraham Lincoln._” ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-20-states-file-petitions-to-secede/640879/19 "2012-11-13T15:42:40Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > I wonder how you say FOAD in officialese? “I’m from the government and I’m here to help you.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-20-states-file-petitions-to-secede/640879/20 "2012-11-13T15:49:53Z")
Petition to deport said people has been signed (by me). I strongly encourage others to do the same. It would be awesome if it got more signatures than the 20 secessionist ones. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-in-20-states-file-petitions-to-secede/640879.md?page=2)