Thousands call for Georgia to secede (Un-vetted Signatures from 10 Angry White Guys from out of state)
/Following President Barack Obama’s re-election, residents of more than 30 states have signed petitions asking to secede from the union.
Georgia, with one notable secession under its belt, is among them.
By Tuesday evening, the Georgia petition online at whitehouse.gov was approaching the 25,000 signatures needed to prompt an official White House response. The petition asks that the onetime 13th colony be allowed to create its “own new government.”
As the online movement grows, so do theories about the motives of its backers. Is the political disaffection that prompted thousands to take to their keyboards tinged with racial animosity?
Tyrone Brooks, president of the Georgia Association of Black Elected Officials, sees it otherwise. “It’s nothing but race,” he said. “Some people are upset at the fact that we have an African American president. People forget about the fact that half of him is white.”
Because the signatures are not vetted and are generally just a person’s first name and last initial, tracking down supporters can be as difficult as the act of secession itself. It’s not even clear how many of the people who signed the document actually live in Georgia.
Further confusing things, the website shows at least two separate petitions requesting that Georgia be allowed to hand over its Union membership.
A tweeted request from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for Georgians willing to discuss the phenomenon — with full names attached — drew no one who had signed the petitions. But many responded with emails expressing skepticism, if not disgust.
