A More Perfect Union

by Alexander Moss

Alexander Moss is not a journalist or politico. A More Perfect Union (Briefs) is not a book of war cries and saber rattling. Instead, this thoughtful book written by a concerned and well-informed citizen opens a level of discourse that has all but disappeared amid the current crises. Moss introduces himself as a lifelong student of American politics, an educated person seeking sanity when the federal government is in decline.

In his preface, Moss shows reservations about the state of our nation, beginning with the daily recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in elementary school—is our union as homogenous as the idealistic (and paradoxically religious) Pledge? Are we ‘indivisible?’ He describes writing the essays which led to A More Perfect Union to discuss his own growing fears of the disastrous potential outcomes of political factionalism and irreconcilable differences. “Just a way to get over the stress,” he writes. It is because a second civil war is such a terrifying prospect that he devises an alternative approach.

Recent YouGov/Bright

Line Watch surveys show

“that 47% of Democrats

on the West Coast and 66%

of Republicans in Texas

and the South support

breaking up the United States

into new, regional unions.”

The most compelling statistics presented in A More Perfect Union are front and center, referenced in the summary and repeated regularly to support Moss’s meticulous dissection of where we are now and where we might go depending on the trajectory we choose. Recent YouGov/Bright Line Watch surveys show “that 47% of Democrats on the West Coast and 66% of Republicans in Texas and the South support breaking up the United States into new, regional unions.”

With this as his starting point, Moss outlines an actionable plan for devolving the United States into six new nations. Moss’s annotated briefs often refer to the longer version of his book, A More Perfect Union (Essays). That book presents Moss’s full analysis of the primary sources he uses to build a case for peaceful secession. He includes these sources in (Briefs) as links to online resources and publicly available materials which underpin his arguments.

The book ends with an action plan, concrete suggestions for concerned citizens who want to support initiatives and referendums resulting in a peaceful division of the United States. With outcomes for economics, trade, international standing and the military (including bases and nuclear weaponry) accounted for, Moss urges his fellow citizens to consider this alternative to violent conflict. He has a simple message for partisans struggling to preserve our basic American freedoms. A thoughtful, organized separation may be the best way to keep us from splintering apart.

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Thanks to Reedsy Discovery for an Advance Readers Copy of this title. A More Perfect Union launches on 9 March 2022.

This review appeared first on Reedsy.com https://reedsy.com/discovery/book/a-more-perfect-union-briefs-alex-moss#review