The NewSA's Purpose
A forum to define what a new American nation would look like and stand for, along with starting a movement to ensure its success.
“THESE are the times that try men's souls.” — Thomas Paine
“There’s an essential question many friends and I ask, when discussing a potential ally: ‘Does he know what time it is?’” — David Reaboi
“We cannot make events. Our business is wisely to improve them.” — Samuel Adams
Many citizens of the current “OldSA” are asking themselves a fundamental question:
“What happened to the country I used to know?”
Instead the question for most Americans should be:
“What happened to the country I thought I knew?”
Buried deep within the psyche of people on the Left, the Right, and everyone in the middle are feelings of unease, of frustration, and a lack of trust in our institutions that until the last few decades haven’t existed in America since the mid-19th century…Many are asking, “how can we continue like this?”
Many thinkers, like David Reaboi and Matt Asher, have written at-length on the idea of a “National Divorce”. Others like F.H. Buckley have written proposals for semi-autonomy and self-government for different regions of the country. All have discussed the practical challenges that would exist should such a separation occur, which would ironically bring us back to the original concepts regarding the role of the States.
The goal of this space will be to present one man’s ideas for what a new American nation would actually stand for, and then open them up for discussion and rigorous debate.
It will fill a vacuum left by others by covering the following topics:
What would make a new nation different than what we currently have? How do we ensure that once established, controls are put into place to slow down its inevitable entropy over time? The Founders of the “OldSA” attempted this and it lasted around 250 years. We should strive to do at least as well.
Just as importantly, what ideals must that nation stand for to make people willing to potentially uproot their lives, their families, and daily comforts in order to bring it about? What non-negotiable principles are needed that these Americans would be willing to “pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor?”
What new Founding Documents are needed for a NewSA, a New United States of America (name TBD), to codify these ideals into law? How do we ensure that modern people, who may not have been taught civics or history (be it by omission, intention, or propaganda) can learn of and support the true principles upon which the OldSA was established in a NewSA in which they will live?
How do we gather the support of the Left, who would remain in the OldSA, so that they would gladly welcome our departure? They might want this intellectually; no longer having to deal with conservatives holding back their progressive vision, but do they understand the reality of such a break-up? Would the left-leaning half of today’s America, who want to impose their will and beliefs on others regarding everything from masks, to vaccines, to your right to free speech truly ever leave the rest of us alone?
What roles should a new Federal government of the NewSA have vs. the powers reserved to the States and to the People? What is its potential structure? Should we have agency “law” or federal agencies at all? If so, how can they be limited? How can we ensure laws are passed by a Legislature and not Diktats in the form of “executive orders” by Governors, busybody Mayors, and Presidents? And let’s get down to brass tacks: What would our tax system look like and how much would the average person pay in NewSA vs. OldSA?
Finally, why do we really have to do this? Are there other ways to protect individual liberty, such as internal reform, an Article V Constitutional Convention of States, or something else? Or is the central government in Washington DC so far removed from not only the original intent of those in 1776 but the lives of everyday Americans in 2021, that there’s no possibility for reconciliation?
What I don’t want is this place to become yet another place of purely academic discussion. While there is definite value in having those debates, such as when defining core principles of a NewSA, the focus of this forum will be to produce actionable plans and outcomes for when, not if, our current nation dissolves.
Either we form a movement to shape and guide this process, to produce a peaceful outcome we all can live with, or history could be written by an authoritarian victor who will barely acknowledge we were ever here.
Let’s get to work.
If our starting point for this forum becomes the Declaration, Constitution, and Bill of Rights; but not case law nor some Manifesto, I'm in...
1. Is there a way to speed the "finding process" "for all who value freedom"? Databases, donor lists, 501(c)(3)'s, NGO's...
2. You mentioned about being able "to pledge our lives, fortunes, and sacred honor"... , that means we need to have moral people. So we have alot of re-teaching to do. Christian Bibles are good, pamphlets were one of the most important conveyors of ideas during our 1750-1760's imperial crisis... which media(s) should we use now?
3. On your last bullet point, IMHO if moral constitutionalists are voted into majority in all 3 branches for 12 or more years we can bring it back. Less time I think will get only part done.
Part reclaimed is better that what we have now.
4. Heritage Foundation has significant progress on many issues similar to your framework goals stated above. We should contact them.
5. Authoritarian victor ?? Don't agree.
Sir, this is excellent. Very similar considerations were made in 1776, and it is exciting to consider them again for how we may reset and build an even stronger, more resilient system than our brilliant forefathers were able to by examining our history and learning from it.
I am reminded of a story I once heard about how the senate came into being. Originally, there was only the House until one day two of our forefathers (I wish I could remember which ones) were sitting together drinking tea.
One of these two wanted a second legislative body, and in order to convince the other to agree, he poured his boiling hot tea into his saucer (which is what saucers were originally intended for), in order to cool it before drinking.
As he did so he impressed upon his companion that a second house was needed for the same reason his saucer was needed: to give tempers a chance to cool before a bill could become law.
His worry was that the house in its passion would recklessly pass legislation in the heat of the moment with little consideration of its consequence, and thus the senate was born - to slow the process down and allow cooler heads to prevail.