Secessionism and Patriotism

I only intend to get involved in this "secession" discussion for a “moment.”  (That's an "Internet Moment."  The discussion may die before this even gets posted, or it might last for days or weeks.)

(For reference - LA Times story; Fox News story)

I have Conservative friends.  As a rule, they are very patriotic.  They love our country.  I do too.  I believe I am patriotic.  I appreciate the people who serve this country – whether in the military or in government.  I love what this country stands for.  I think one should participate in the political process, engage in debate about the issues, recognize that there are differences of opinions, and work within the system to deal with those opinions.  

So, I consider "secessionists" to be extremely un-patriotic.  I suspect the secessionists would disagree with me -- strongly.  But, aside from treason, secession is pretty much the least patriotic thing I can think of.   But if they really want to leave the union, then they are specifically not supporting the ideals and Constitution of the United States.  They are placing some other value above their stated “patriotism.”

I recognize they have the right to “speech.”  If their true goal is to express their dissatisfaction with something, but they don’t really want to secede, perhaps I am missing their point – perhaps this is just “speech.”  

Please realize – I understand if some of my conservatives can sympathize with the frustrations of those who would secede.  When our “side” loses, we get frustrated.  We can all sympathize with people who have more extreme reactions than we do.  I just want to talk about whether this extreme reaction is somehow "patriotic" or if it's not. 

 

Conservative friends?  Opinions?

Liberal friends, you are certainly welcome to comment as well.  But I want to give my conservative friends a chance to discuss secessionism as it relates to patriotism.  Perhaps most of them agree with me.  Perhaps not.