Editor, Commonwealth:
I was happy to learn that voters in Scotland voted no on the referendum to separate from England. Hopefully, the issue will be put to rest given that 55 percent of those casting votes opposed the possible split.
Had the decision been yes, the resulting chaos would have extended far beyond the British Isles. England would have become less powerful among other nations, and the diminished prominence of our closest friend and ally would have resulted in a corresponding loss of diplomatic clout for the United States.
Another reason for rejoicing is that we are hopefully spared the demands that passage of the referendum would have caused in this country for similar resolutions. A recent poll by Reuter’s News indicates that one in four Americans favor secession for their respective states. While the percentages vary across regions, the Southeastern section of the country reflects the national figure, with 25 percent believing their states would be better off if separated from the United States. Mississippi is included in this group. Incidentally, for those who identify themselves as members of the tea party, the percentage favoring secession is over 50 percent.
The day Scotland voted on whether to become independent or remain a part of Great Britain, a pickup truck flying Scottish flags passed me on Interstate 55 near Ridgeland. My thoughts drifted to the question of whether Mississippi would ever again try to secede. The last attempt ended in a disaster from which we still have not completely recovered.
Then I remembered James Louis Petigru, a South Carolinian who upon his own state’s secession vote in 1860 remarked, “South Carolina is too small for a republic and too large for an insane asylum.” I cannot say whether Petigru’s observation applies with any accuracy to Scotland. It is, however, as true for Mississippi as for South Carolina, and, in fact, for several other states.
Vincent J. Venturini
Ridgeland
