Opinion: The U.S. appears not to value California, so why not secede?

To the editor: Michael Hiltzik writes, “To dispense with the prospect of California’s seceding from the union: On the gonna-happen scale, it’s a Not.” He mentions civil war or a constitutional amendment as two ways to secede. (“Should California secede? How the state is politically out of step with the rest of the country,” Nov. 29)

As a member of the California National Party, I agree that neither of those are likely or desirable options. However, they are not our only options.

The party’s position is this: The United Nations Charter lists political self-determination as a human right, something no government can deny. The U.S. Constitution says treaties are the supreme law of the land. The U.S. government signed the U.N. Charter; therefore movements for political self-determination are explicitly legalized.

The California National Party is dedicated to liberating California from a union that is no longer reflective of our values, and from two political parties that either treat us with scorn and ridicule, or use us as a cash cow to finance elections.Our contribution to the military is more than Russia’s entire military budget, more than any other state, yet our voice goes unheard when it comes to how that military is deployed.

We’re already a country. It’s time to make it official.

Kerry Cox, Westlake Village

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To the editor: Those considering whether California should secede from the rest of the country point out that if it were an independent nation it would have the sixth-largest economy in the world, between Britain and France.

Unfortunately, the unfunded liabilities that the state faces might put it between Greece and Portugal.

David Goodwin, Los Angeles

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To the editor: Here’s an encyclopedic definition of federalism: “Sovereignty in federal political orders is non-centralized, often constitutionally, between at least two levels so that units at each level have final authority and can be self-governing in some issue area.”

Perhaps the Golden State can be a bright reflection of a renewed commitment to the national golden rule; that is, to live and let live.

Ben Miles , Huntington Beach

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