Should California Secede From The Union

[WVRed]

In light of the Michael Jackson trial.

[westofyou]

The union couldn't handle losing California.

[KittyDuran]

The union couldn't handle losing California.

I seconded that - some might not like the atmosphere, but the GNP of that state is more than some countries - AND money talks...

[15fan]

The Reds always play like crap on the left coast.

Ergo, the sooner the state calves from the mainland and slides into the Pacific, the better.

[RBA]

Poor attempt at humor. :thumbdown

[RBA]

KKK suspect goes on trial for Mississippi murders

Mon Jun 13, 5:38 PM ET



A suspected Ku Klux Klansman accused of the 1964 murders of three civil rights workers sat solemnly in a wheelchair in a Mississippi court on Monday as jury selection began in a trial that promises to stir the ghosts of the state's segregationist past.

Edgar Ray Killen, an 80-year-old ordained Baptist minister, is the first person ever to be tried by the state for the notorious slayings of Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James Chaney, dramatized in the movie "Mississippi Burning."

In anticipation of demonstrations by white supremacists and black civil rights activists, police barricaded streets and escorted Killen and other figures into the two-story courthouse in Philadelphia, Mississippi, where the trial is being held.

J.J. Harper, the Imperial Wizard of the American White Nights of the Ku Klux Klan in Georgia, was among those who appeared outside the court. It was not clear whether Harper or other Klan members were supporting Killen.

Defense lawyers, however, were quick to distance their client from the white supremacist movement. "The Klan is a hate group," said defense attorney James McIntyre, who added that Harper's presence was unwanted.

The start of the trial came five months after Killen was arrested near Philadelphia and charged with the murders of the trio, who were shot on a remote road outside this rural eastern Mississippi town 41 years ago.

'FREEDOM SUMMER'

Killen was arrested and indicted on three counts of murder shortly after the state reopened a long-dormant investigation into the killings, which helped galvanize support for the civil rights movement and were later dramatized in the 1988 film.

Schwerner, Goodman and Chaney, all in their 20s, were helping blacks register to vote during the "Freedom Summer" campaign.

Killen, who was injured in a March logging accident, has pleaded not guilty to the murders and is free on bond. His lawyers had attempted to postpone the start of the trial, arguing that their client was too ill to assist them.

Prosecutors say Killen was the mastermind of a Klan plot to abduct and kill the civil rights workers on June 21, 1964, shortly after they were released from the local jail where they had been held on charges of speeding and arson.

Killen was among more than a dozen men, including several known Klansmen, who were tried for federal civil rights violations in 1967. Seven were convicted and sentenced to prison terms of between three and 10 years.

Killen's trial ended in a hung jury. The all-white jury reached an 11-1 vote, with the one holdout saying she could never convict a preacher.

Despite evidence collected by the FBI, state prosecutors did not charge the suspects with murder. No jury in Mississippi had at that time ever convicted whites for killing blacks or civil rights workers.

Killen's trial is expected to last about three weeks.

[cincinnati chili]

I seconded that - some might not like the atmosphere, but the GNP of that state is more than some countries - AND money talks...

Not SOME countries, but almost ALL countries. If I recall correctly from grad school, if California were its own country it would be something like the 7th largest economy in the world.

[SirFelixCat]

Not SOME countries, but almost ALL countries. If I recall correctly from grad school, if California were its own country it would be something like the 7th largest economy in the world.

No kidding? I'm an educated man and truly had no idea on that....wow

[cincinnati chili]

I just did a quick google search to make sure I didn't remember this wrong, and this link actually says it would be the SIXTH biggest economy.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...UGFM9E8KF1.DTL

Figure that Cali. has something like 1/8 or 1/9 of the U.S. population, not to mention a fair chunk of its resources and tourism trade. It seems surprising at first, but it kinda makes sense too.

[TeamCasey]

Which is the actual question?

[RBA]

Which is the actual question?

The question is another pathetic slam on California. Which if California actually seceded would leave the United States in worse shape than we are in now. All those red states wouldn't be able to get their government handouts.

[RedFanAlways1966]

The question is another pathetic slam on California. Which if California actually seceded would leave the United States in worse shape than we are in now. All those red states wouldn't be able to get their government handouts.

Hmmmm. I took this as a joke based on the latest "infamous trial" in CA. I would also take it as a joke if someone said something to the effect of getting rid of OHIO because they like to invest in coins and give people a license to carry a gun (or whatever). Now some have decided to turn this into a political thing. Man the torpedoes... full speed ahead!

THE REAL QUESTION (and it was obviously a JOKE) was: should CA secede from the U.S. b/c of all the wacky trial results out there with celebrities?

Laughing is good.

[RBA]

Seems to me, California has become a favorite whipping boy of not only this board, but the right wing media also. Sometimes somebody has to say enough is enough, and that what I'm saying.

[RedFanAlways1966]

Seems to me, California has become a favorite whipping boy of not only this board, but the right wing media also. Sometimes somebody has to say enough is enough, and that what I'm saying.

Okay. I think it might be more appropriate to say we should have the Los Angeles County prosecutor's office secede from the Union! They sure have spent a lot of taxpayer money for a lot of non-convictions. IMO someone from the D.A.'s office needs to do some serious explaining about this Michael trial.

[remdog]

The Jackson trial was in Santa Barbara County.

Rem