Salmond to Virginians: Scotland should be free

Addressing a packed room at the University of Virginia, Alex Salmond, first minister of Scotland and the leader of the Scottish National Party, called for a referendum on independence for the people of Scotland. This passage was particularly striking:

Salmond’s visit marked the 10-year anniversary of the U.S. Senate’s passage of its Tartan Day Resolution that acknowledged that Scotland’s Declaration of Arbroath may have helped inspire the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Arbroath, sealed in 1320, stated that Scotland was independent from England and that Robert the Bruce was the true king of Scotland. The document is believed to be Europe’s statement of a contractual relationship between the government and the governed. If the Scottish king failed to protect the rights of his citizens, the document says, the people have the right to remove the monarch.

The Declaration of Arbroath presaged the Declaration of Independence by 450 years. It is fitting, Salmond said, that American ideals were inspired by Scotland, just as Scotland is now inspired by American principles in its drive for independence.

“It is to America that we can look to see the power of independence and the importance of democratic principles,” he said. “It is therefore to Thomas Jefferson that we can legitimately look for guidance on the principles and conduct of our national debate. And it is the words of Thomas Jefferson that will inspire today and in the years ahead: ‘We are capable of self-government, and worthy of it.’”

If you've ever wondered about the level of vehemence the mainstream media has toward Southerners, Salmond's quotation of Jefferson should clear the air. The leftists, the multi-cults, and the worshippers of state power realize their rule is getting shakier every day. They must constantly make us ashamed of who we are so we believe our ancestors deserved to be conquered and that we do not deserve self-determination.

It would have been interesting if Salmond had referred to Virginia's own efforts to achieve independence. Here's a quote from Jefferson that's even more pertinent to what Mr. Salmond was talking about:

"If any State in the Union will declare that it prefers separation with the first alternative to a continuance in union without it, I have no hesitation in saying 'let us separate.' I would rather the States should withdraw which are for unlimited commerce and war, and confederate with those alone which are for peace and agriculture." --Thomas Jefferson to William H. Crawford, 1816