The Federal Government's actions, policies, and attitude has created a laundry list of complaints from our fair state of California. Our outlook at education, the environment, and the military is a strong opposite to the Bush/Cheney machine back East in DC. From the looks of my research below, there might be a way to shake the oil-sodden Texas beast. Not only am I a student of history, I am also from South Carolina. Secession has always been a word that I knew, some would say, intimately. But secession based on racist, or xenophobic, values is not what I'm suggesting. California, a liberal state with strong standards for the people and the planet, needs to start throwing its weight around regarding states rights. It's already begun (Santa Cruz's middle finger to the DEA), and if we use our first-world tech and economy for progressive things, and not send all our tax dollars to fund Bush's oil wars, then the secession of California would be a prelude to a much better world.