If California leaves the US, and other states also leave the US, will the US fall apart?

This is a slightly edited repost of my comments on Quora, the questions and answers website. Question found: If California leaves the US, will the US fall apart?

The real question should be: If California leaves the US, and other states also leave the US, will the US fall apart?

I have addressed this issue in some of my other answers on Quora.

To make a long story short, I believe the ship has sadly sailed on the US falling apart. The bitter fight over the Kavanaugh SCOTUS nomination is only the latest evidence of these irreconcilable differences.

Anyone who does not believe the USA is embroiled in a “cold civil war” is simply not paying attention.

It’s not just California. There has been a small independence movement in New England for some time now, and also one (the Cascadia movement) in the Pacific Northwest. Some in the Upper Midwest (places like Minnesota) have also generated independence rumors in the recent past.

California could very easily take Oregon, Washington State and Nevada with it, and possibly even the “Four Corners” states of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado. They might even be able to convince El Paso (home of Beto O’Rourke, who may unseat Ted Cruz in November) and Hudspeth Counties in Texas to join.

Arizona is fast becoming a “swing state” and could send a Democrat to the Senate in November. New Mexico and Colorado, and the El Paso area, have long been at least “moderate” in political persuasion. And I have seen it argued that even Utah leans “moderate” as a result of the influence of the LDS church (their commitment to aiding the less fortunate arguably rivals that of the Catholic faith).

California and the Southwest are also literally joined at the hip by the Colorado River, and by water usage agreements related to said river going back generations.

That is a sizeable chunk of the nation.

“But all these states, even California, have counties that Trump carried in 2016.” Yes, I know, but liberals and moderates have a significant voter registration advantage in California.

Conservatives need to be very careful over the next 10 years or so. Their desperate attempts to “conserve” their racism, bigotry, hate, elitism, hoarding of wealth, misogyny, religious fanaticism and xenophobia will only further provoke this separatist sentiment.

The republic is done. The Kavanaugh fight has proved it.

If you still don't think America is mired in #ColdCivilWar, you haven't been paying attention. Brett Kavanaugh is being rammed through and installed on the Supreme Court despite the protests of millions and widespread belief that he is unfit to serve.

I don't trust the most recent FBI investigation demanded by so many, which the GOP did not want. They deliberately rushed it through. Several people wanted to speak to the FBI with information that could have at least partially legitimized some of the complaints of sexual harassment and other misconduct committed by Kavanaugh in his younger years, but the FBI refused to even hear them, and they had to go to the news media instead. The White House deliberately tried to limit the scope of the investigation.

I don't feel Kavanaugh is fit for SCOTUS. Mitch McConnell robbed Obama of a vote on Merrick Garland, which is why we’re here in the first place - and all that was triggered because 1) America failed to vote for Hillary Clinton and 2) decided to vote for an accused sexual assaulter in Donald Trump and allow him to be installed as president, because of hate for minorities, women, immigrants, LGBTQ, etc., which also was the reason for eight years of obstruction against the first Black president.

Conservatives, Trump supporters and the GOP expect 1) that liberals simply "shut up" and accept/embrace their hijacking of American democracy, or 2) all sides be provoked into a destructive "hot" Civil War 2. There are some who compare this time in our history to 1860 and the lead-up to the first Civil War. Some fear that we may within a few short years have a second Civil War. One where American cities end up looking like parts of Syria today. I sincerely hope that is hyperbole, but, tragically, that’s not outside of the realm of possibility. The level of political anger is dangerously high in this nation.

My view: at least one-third of the nation will simply choose to declare independence and form alliances among themselves in a mass #Calexit. The United Nations and most of the world will immediately recognize and ally with these breakaway states.

Our nation has become so divided, we cannot agree on anything any longer. Conservatives and liberals almost literally at each other's throats. Otherwise reasonable people sharply and bitterly disagree on which party is “innocent” or “guilty” in this and so many other cases and issues. This republic is done. And that's very sad but I see no way out.

An excerpt from Yellow Diamond Eyes (coming soon to the Kindle store)

They walked over to this bench. The mahogany tree provided a little bit more shade, which was nice, especially since the breeze from the ocean was feeling quite nice. Tammi deliberately skipped shaving her legs the previous night, so her legs were now covered with a glistening smattering of blonde stubble. Tammi swung herself onto the length of the bench, so Tony had full access to her legs. Tony took some of the lotion that Tammi squeezed into his massive hands, and he began to rub it into her calves, shins and thighs, working it in smoothly, slowly yet firmly, his hands working in circular motions and massaging the calves. It was all he could muster to contain his raw delight and excitement at this. But he had to play it cool.

Tammi closed her eyes and gave a slight, smiling moan. Tony looked up at her closed eyes. Her hair was blowing a little in the breeze and her skin was glowing with drops of sweat. Specks of sunlight showered her through the leaves of the tree overhead.

Tony took the towel from his pocket and began wiping the sweat off Tammi’s face. She gave a gasping sigh and her breathing became just a little bit harder. She sniffed deeply, to better inhale the chemicals of Tony’s sweat. Tony made sure to wipe Tammi’s eyebrows and the baby hair that defined her hairline and jawline until it was all smooth and well brushed. He then took another little bit of sunscreen and carefully rubbed it all over her face, her cheeks and nose.

“You look very good, Tammi,” Tony said.

“So do you,” Tammi replied. She was feeling calm, aroused and ecstatically elevated.

Tony handed Tammi the tube of sunscreen and she placed it into the fanny pack she wore around her waist.

“The main square is back behind there,” she said quietly, turning and pointing to her left. “Behind that is the boardwalk and the cruise ship dock along the waterfront. We can find something to eat there, there’s all sorts of little seafood places on the boardwalk. Can you believe I’m starting to get hungry already?”

“Yeah, me too, I can’t believe it myself,” Tony said. “My metabolism is really cranked up right now.”

“First, let’s find a restroom, I gotta go pee.”

--------

Yellow Diamond Eyes is an erotic romance novella, available on Kobo, Barnes and Noble and coming soon to #amazon Kindle. Travel to the Caribbean island of Covertia, where love is always in the air.

A young professional Black woman meets a friendly, yet mysterious, stranger in town on a business trip. He cannot discuss the nature of his assignment with her. It's love at first sight and the feelings are mutually intense. They bond over a special weekend where she shows him some of the sights of her magical and romantic island, but an unpleasant surprise threatens their new-found love. (Erotic content, reader discretion advised.)

Yellow Diamond Eyes is up and ready for purchase!

Big announcement.

My novella, Yellow Diamond Eyes, is now in the process of automatic submission to several online bookstores and is now available for download for $1.29 at www.kobo.com:

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/yellow-diamond-eyes

This is the story, and it may be the first of a few, set on the fictional Caribbean island of Covertia. A young local lady meets a dark and handsome stranger, and they hit it off. She shows him around the small town where her mother was born, and they have a magical and romantic afternoon. However, there is a snag in their budding romance, and it has to do with the very reason why he flew into town in the first place!

This is an ebook. Reader discretion advised due to adult language and sexual situations. I don't hold back in regards to the steaminess.

Thanks to Draft2Digital for making the uploading process as easy as possible!

Yellow Diamond Eyes: a romance novel (update)

In my last post, I mentioned that I have embarked on the challenge of writing a romance novel for fun and profit.

Well, I am happy to announce that as of midnight October 1, the story is about 75-80% complete in its initial draft form.

I have decided to use Reedsy as my e-book formatting platform, and they have partnered with Draft2Digital as a distribution and sales platform. It looks like both services are very user-friendly!

About the story:
Working title: Yellow Diamond Eyes. Set on a fictional Caribbean island (the 51st state). A young professional Black woman meets a mysterious stranger in town on a business trip. He cannot discuss the details with her. It's love at first sight and the feelings are intense. They bond over a magical weekend where she shows him some of the sights of her magical and romantic island, but an unpleasant surprise threatens their new-found love.

What I need:
I need to find a professional editor at this point to give me some advice. My story needs a LOT of work. There are some gaps in the narrative and I'm not happy with a lot of my descriptions or dialogue. I am creating a fictional Caribbean world, with elements of the U.S. Virgin Islands, South Florida and Jamaica all cobbled together.

I have submitted requests to some of the editors on Reedsy for quotes on their professional editing services. I probably won't be able to afford their rates, but it will give me an idea on what to expect on pricing for such services. I'm thinking I'll need some manner of professional advice to get this story to an acceptable level.