plh@ukma.UUCP (Paul L. Hightower) (04/09/85)
The principal of national rights of self-determination bears careful thought. In the War of the Southern Secession (1860-1865), the United States forcibly suppressed the will of the majority in the 11 states of the Confederacy. Slavery was an important, but secondary issue; Abraham Lincoln would certainly not have tolerated the secession even if the Confederacy had abolished slavery. And the farmboys of Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois would certainly not have joined a crusade against slavery; they fought for the "preservation of the Union." Question #1: Should the South have been allowed to secede? Question #2: Are Empires and Unions of non-homogenous groups desirable? Question #3: Should every group that identifies itself as "different" be allowed to go its own way? Question #4: What's the solution for places like Lebanon, Crete, and Northern Ireland in which better than 1/3 the population violently objects to majority rule? Paul Hightower University of Kentucky