Andrew Napolitano Discusses Secession as Possible Outcome of America's Political Divisions

Andrew Napolitano

Robert Ringer has long been a personal hero of mine.  He has written several best selling books, the best of which is probably "Looking Out For No. 1."  Now he has a website and interviews prominent conservatives, most recently, Andrew Napolitano.  Napolitano was a Superior Court Judge of New Jersey, is a graduate of Princeton, and has a long a distinguished career as a law professor at Seton Hall.  Now he is a legal analyst for Fox News.

In his interview with Ringer, Napolitano says that secession of states is legal and may be a possible outcome of the increasingly bitter argument between small government conservatives and big government liberals.  He also says that revolution is also possible, though he does not endorse it.  Ringer discusses Napolitano's comments in an article called "Secession is not an Anti-American Option."

Ringer agrees with Napolitano and asks:

Does this mean that Abraham Lincoln was wrong to force the Southern states to stay in the Union? Yes, absolutely. No one has the legal authority to force a group of people whose ancestors helped form an organization to remain in that organization. Forced membership is not freedom; it’s slavery.

Speaking of slavery, we all agree that American slavery was morally wrong in every respect, but slavery was not the issue with Abraham Lincoln. He repeatedly made it clear that he would be willing to continue to allow slavery if that’s what it took to keep the Union together. The Civil War was not about slavery; it was about revenues that would be lost to the federal government if the Southern states were allowed to secede.