
News Nation/World

Pennsylvania joins secession pleas

There are at least 20,000 Pennsylvanians who want out of America, but don't necessarily want to leave their homes.

It started as a small movement by citizens in a handful states upset over President Obama's re-election, so they petitioned the White House that their state should be allowed to secede. The idea spread quickly and soon disgruntled voters in every state, including Pennsylvania, created petitions and garnered the minimum 150 signatures needed to appear on the White House "We The People" website.

Pennsylvania, in fact, has two such petitions, declaring its right to form a new government. One was started by a woman named Karen G. from Hazleton with 7,899 signors and another by Kathleen B, who did not list her town, and has 12,700 people eager to divorce from the union as of Thursday morning.

A petition receives an official response from the White House if it reaches over 25,000 supporters. Several states crossed that threshold. Texas, which is perhaps the only legitimate effort, has 107,736 signed up. 

There are those petitioning the petitions as well. About 13,000 Americans have signed one to "strip the citizenship from everyone who signed a petition to secede and exile them." And several thousand from Austin have requested they be allowed to withdraw from Texas and remain part of the United States.

Copyright © 2014, The Morning Call