The following are my thoughts alone. I’d like to use the thoughts of others but all of the rental places are closed at this hour.

It appears Britons have voted to exit the European Union. British Prime Minister, David Cameron (who fought hard against such a move), has just resigned (effective in October). I expect he will pick up his ball and go home…where he’ll hold his breath until he turns blue.

Barack Obama was just handed some bad news, as well, by the Supreme Court, on his unconstitutional immigration overreach. But, alas, he has no balls and would have a hard time turning blue. Note: Let us not confuse the above with “blue balls”, which is an entirely different subject and probably not to the casual reader’s taste…uh…I mean preference.

UPDATE: Now, the British are in an uproar. They are blaming everything and everyone for the Brexit vote outcome, (Including pollsters). A petition is being circulated pushing London to secede from the rest of England so that city can remain in the EU. Much nervousness. Much hand wringing. While maintaining stiff upper lips, much lower lip quivering, much underpants laundering. Too much tea. It is unfortunate the royal family stays apolitical. (Smart for them, unfortunate for the unwashed masses). If Prince William would have made his preference known (and why), I’m sure all of Great Britain would be at ease. They like him and with good reason. He has youngsters who will have to live with this outcome, after all. Also, we might all get to see what Kate is wearing today.

Now to the meat of the matter:  Human Nature.

People like to have control over their own situations. They enjoy the comfort of living among others who share their values and cultures. Apparently, most Brits believe that leaving the European Union will give them more autonomy. The current heart of the matter revolves around immigration. Unlike the United States, immigrants in EU countries don’t tend to assimilate into the cultures of their newly adoptive countries very well. They have a habit of creating enclaves for themselves resembling the places from which they came and often bring that country’s problems with them. The lackadaisical concerns the EU places on freedom of movement within the EU and its self-destructive immigration policies are problematic. I would note, as an example, the home area in Brussels from which the Paris and Brussels terrorists arose, as well as similar ghettos in other EU nations. But let’s look at a little history.

Some Europeans, who wanted to freely practice their religions, left their homes to come to America. England’s King George III didn’t like that very much and punished them  by levying exorbitant taxes on their bare essentials, (particularly on their tea. Good Heavens!). That didn’t work out too well for old Georgie. Frustrated and angry, the new Americans  violently separated themselves from England to be with others of their ilk and, in the process, turned Boston Harbor into a source of of highly caffeinated seafood. It did work out for everyone in the long run.

The United States had its own issue. The South wanted to split from the North. The two cultures were different (agrarian vs. industrial). The issue of slavery was not the primary cause of the American Civil War. It was almost an afterthought. It was the economic needs of the North for the products of the South. Had the South won the war, slavery would have been abolished anyway, albeit not as quickly. Things finally worked out because folks in the United States assimilate more easily. There is, however a caveat. A newer secession is in the works.The proposed 51st State of Jefferson, the idea of which was shelved after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, is once again up and running. This would be the secession of parts of northern California from the south and parts of southern Oregon from the north of that state. Sound familiar? I think the main reason for this attempt (at least now in California) is due to the dissatisfaction of the more conservative north with the likes of a very smart Governor, Jerry Brown, and his gang ceaselessly trying to prove that intelligence and stupidity are not mutually exclusive. And then there is Texas, once again wanting to secede from the Union. Washington D.C. thinks Texas allows way too much personal freedom and should jump on board the “governmental control train”. Texas and Vermont don’t like that. Way too many adults for politicians’ taste. Vermont solves the “concealed carry permit” issues about guns by simply not requiring permits. “Buy a little gun and put it in your pocket. Never let’m take it away. Buy a big AR and put it in your closet. Save it for a reigny day.” Catchy, huh?

Let’s look at the former Soviet Union. When the Berlin wall came down and the union crumbled, what happened? The formerly unionized states separated and reestablished their identities. Each state regained its ethnocentric views. (For those educated in California: “Ethnocentrism” regards the…oh, what’s the use?) Suffice it to say, there are up sides and down sides to all of this.

China has annexed Tibet. Do the Tibetans like it? No. The whole kerfuffle is almost enough to piss off the Dalai Lama ( born Lhamo Thondup on July 6, 1935). His zodiacal sign is  Cancer ‘sentimental and sympathetic’). He fled to Dharamshala, India in 1959, where he established the “Government of Tibet in Exile” and has been unsuccessfully promoting sexual chastity ever since… and is said to dabble in IP tech support on a part time basis. How long will it last? Probably not long in the scheme of things. And now China wants so much of the South China Sea that it is creating artificial islands for military bases. War? Who knows?

Lands annexed historically return to their rightful owners. The Ottoman Empire collapsed. The Holy Roman Empire fell to ruin. Not to mention Bill Cosby and Rosie O’Donnell. And on and on. When will people learn?

The newer version of annexation comes in the form of “globalization” or as Walter Cronkite espoused, a “One World” society. It sounds all nice and fuzzy, but it can’t work. People must cling to their cultures.

That is human nature.