To: Maurice Winn who wrote (196723 ) 2/25/2023 3:31:59 PM From: sense Respond to of 217561 Or did ChatGPT write it ? A few centuries off . .. I'd have no problem, either, with the people, themselves, in any geographically coherent region determining for themselves how they will be governed. As I adhere to the school that believes "that government is best that governs least"... the most obvious path to enabling that... is to craft divisions along the lines of natural cohesion. The opposites of that... currently in vogue in the "diversity is our strength" bullshit... is mostly a scheme to ensure factionalism drives division... that enables it in being politically exploited to justify and simplify efforts in imposing control. Historically, of course, that's the same scheme as applied by the Brits, for that exact purpose... as in deliberately crafting borders in the Middle East that ensured conflict by drawing boundaries enclosing competing factions within them... ensuring a constant battle for power and control... rather than building a community focused on improving itself. However, given Russia's unwarranted aggression in seeking to conquer neighbors... the flagrant bogosity of their recent efforts in crafting fake new countries they intend to operate... or, "add to their collection" ? A first issue in the fundamental lack of legitimacy in that effort... as also true in Crimea... the core issues of which are already resolved and contained as founding principles in the U.N. Charter. If there is to be a republican form of government devised, that allows for local autonomy... or separation... it must emerge voluntarily from within the existing (legal) boundaries of the existing parent country... and not be the result of external force applied... as agreed by all the signatories. Same issues exist in lots of places, in lots of different forms... in the U.S., from "gerrymandering" electoral districts to the problems in many states with deeply divided populations... split between diametrically opposed urban and rural interests... which often enough spawns separatist movements... varying in nature depending on the nature of the abuses being imposed by majorities erring in understanding. Canada, obviously, a recent point of debate here on those same issues... is a vastly less well knit association than "some" Canadians presume. In the opposite sense of change emerging from within voluntary association... the dissolution of the Soviet Empire spawning the natural disassociation of states becoming independent of colonial rule. A cohesive society... one that is not constantly at war with itself over various fractious exploits of factions in identity... seems a rational first goal in enabling peace and stability ? That also might apply to political parties... who can't possibly survive while practicing the same "divide and conquer" tactics on themselves. Free association... whether between people's governing themselves... or between different states with differing people's and local concerns, but with fundamentally shared interests... ? Sure. Fine with that. Elections as means of determining ? Yeah. They've been deliberately under assault long enough... without any rational effort applied in addressing their purposeful subversion... as it appears every "government' currently is fine with themselves being able to dictate outcomes they prefer. That also being a core element in the "resistance is futile" joke China has floated as a "peace proposal"... as it intends on imposing the opposite as a rule... denying states should seek to bind together in free association in common interest... in order to defend themselves from larger aggressor states... like Russia... and China... ?