The Will to Secede, with Dr. Michael Hill of the League of the South
The Will to Secede, with Dr. Michael Hill of the League of the South
It has been not quite two months since we had our good friend, League of the South President Dr. Michael Hill here with us to discuss The Current Crisis. Of course, that crisis is upon us, and now that we have had our first look at what is coming with the Biden administration and the accompanying Democratic majority in Congress, we are happy to have him back with us once again, this time to talk about the will to secede. The will to secede is the only way that we can express our natural right and our will to self-determination. But more importantly, abandoning the empire is the only way we can focus our attention on what is truly important, which is our own kith and kin, the survival of our own people.
What follows are my notes and discussions, not all of which I had an opportunity to present in the presentation, but that was also planned:
There have been twenty-four Executive Orders issued by Biden and published at the website for the Federal Register as of January 28th, 2021. Ten of these are directly related to the false Covid-19 pandemic, and a few are indirectly related. Information from the Federal Register or other sources is quoted in italics. Otherwise the comments are the opinion of William Finck
General orders [1]:
EO 13992: Revocation of Certain Executive Orders Concerning Federal Regulation
Revoked a lot of Trump executive orders, including a couple titled “Promoting the Rule of Law...” and one titled “Increasing Government Accountability for Administrative Actions…”
“It is the policy of my Administration to use available tools to confront the urgent challenges facing the Nation, including the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID–19) pandemic, economic recovery, racial justice, and climate change. To tackle these challenges effectively, executive departments and agencies (agencies) must be equipped with the flexibility to use robust regulatory action to address national priorities. This order revokes harmful policies and directives that threaten to frustrate the Federal Government’s ability to confront these problems, and empowers agencies to use appropriate regulatory tools to achieve these goals.”
Immigration, Race & Gender [5]:
EO 13986: Ensuring a Lawful and Accurate Enumeration and Apportionment Pursuant to the Decennial Census
Ensures that illegal immigrants who are counted in the census and included in the apportionment of legislators. So States with high numbers of illegals will gain an undue advantage in Congress over States that have policies favoring natural citizens. Since a Congressman represents about 700,000 people and there are at least 12 million illegal immigrants, by conservative standards, that difference could add up to 17 seats in Congress. If the 17 seats are not added, counting the illegal immigrants for apportionment can still cause a transfer of as many as 17 seats to States that favor illegals. But more importantly, this also shifts an equal number of future electoral college votes to those same States. So the effect is that illegal aliens will have a significant impact on the politics and policies of the nation, and the tail certainly is going to wag the dog.
“At no point since our Nation’s Founding has a person’s immigration status alone served as a basis for excluding that person from the total population count used in apportionment. Before the Civil War and the abolition of slavery, the Constitution did not give equal weight to every person counted under the census…. In accord with constitutional and statutory requirements, however, every apportionment since ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment has calculated each State’s share of Representatives based on “the whole number of persons in each State,” excluding only “Indians not taxed” — an express constitutional exception that no longer has legal or practical effect…. The term “persons in each State” has always been understood to include every person whose usual place of residence was in that State as of the designated census date…. This unbroken practice has ensured that “the basis of representation in the House” is “every individual of the community at large.” … During the 2020 Census, the President announced a policy that broke from this long tradition. It aimed to produce a different apportionment base – one that would, to the maximum extent feasible, exclude persons who are not in a lawful immigration status. See Presidential Memorandum of July 21, 2020 (Excluding Illegal Aliens From the Apportionment Base Following the 2020 Census). This policy conflicted with the principle of equal representation enshrined in our Constitution, census statutes, and historical tradition….”
EO 13985: Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities through the Federal Government
This one reflects the progressive thinking of the Democratic Party. Here Biden attacks so-called “systemic racism” and proposes a “whole government equity agenda” to remedy it. Equality is defined as “the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities.” But equity is “the quality of being fair and impartial” and the assessment and execution of this by a government is very subjective, since equal outcomes cannot be guaranteed even if there is equal opportunity. One North Carolina university says “Equality is typically defined as treating everyone the same and giving everyone access to the same opportunities. Meanwhile, equity refers to proportional representation (by race, class, gender, etc.) in those same opportunities.”
Here Biden complains that there has not been equal opportunity for non-Whites who have actually had many advantages in opportunity for many decades. What he is really seeking is equal outcomes, but it is not the government’s role to assure equal outcomes in a free society. This is only a quiet advancement of the Marxist agenda, and this Executive Order will reflect U.S. government policy for the next four or eight years, and probably longer than that.
Equality means that anyone at all can go up to the stadium and try out for the football team, and see if he or she is qualified to play. But Biden’s alternative concept of equity means based on race and sex, proportional members of the population will play whether or not others are more qualified. Imagine a football team with 6 females on the field, one of them black and one hispanic, and 6 males on the field, one of them black and one hispanic. But because 1.3% of the population is Asian, at least one chinaman must be kept in reserve and given at least one quarter each season to play. Of course, Biden’s policy probably won’t ever affect corporate-owned professional sports, but it will affect every aspect of government, and many unqualified people will be elevated to positions they do not merit or deserve.
“Equal opportunity is the bedrock of American democracy, and our diversity is one of our country’s greatest strengths. But for too many, the American Dream remains out of reach. Entrenched disparities in our laws and public policies, and in our public and private institutions, have often denied that equal opportunity to individuals and communities. Our country faces converging economic, health, and climate crises that have exposed and exacerbated inequities, while a historic movement for justice has highlighted the unbearable human costs of systemic racism. Our Nation deserves an ambitious whole-of-government equity agenda that matches the scale of the opportunities and challenges that we face. It is therefore the policy of my Administration that the Federal Government should pursue a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all, including people of color and others who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality. Affirmatively advancing equity, civil rights, racial justice, and equal opportunity is the responsibility of the whole of our Government. Because advancing equity requires a systematic approach to embedding fairness in decision- making processes, executive departments and agencies (agencies) must recognize and work to redress inequities in their policies and programs that serve as barriers to equal opportunity. By advancing equity across the Federal Government, we can create opportunities for the improvement of communities that have been historically under-served, which benefits everyone. For example, an analysis shows that closing racial gaps in wages, housing credit, lending opportunities, and access to higher education would amount to an additional $5 trillion in gross domestic product in the American economy over the next 5 years. The Federal Government’s goal in advancing equity is to provide everyone with the opportunity to reach their full potential. Consistent with these aims, each agency must assess whether, and to what extent, its programs and policies perpetuate systemic barriers to opportunities and benefits for people of color and other under-served groups. Such assessments will better equip agencies to develop policies and programs that deliver resources and benefits equitably to all.”
Even if the policy increased GDP by $5 trillion, it will probably increase federal debt by $25 trillion.
EO 13993: Revision of Civil Immigration Enforcement Policies and Priorities
Revokes several Trump orders on immigration. Reuniting illegal immigrant “families” only rewards lawbreakers and encourages more illegal immigration.
“Immigrants have helped strengthen America’s families, communities, businesses and workforce, and economy, infusing the United States with creativity, energy, and ingenuity. The task of enforcing the immigration laws is complex and requires setting priorities to best serve the national interest. The policy of my Administration is to protect national and border security, address the humanitarian challenges at the southern border, and ensure public health and safety. We must also adhere to due process of law as we safeguard the dignity and well-being of all families and communities. My Administration will reset the policies and practices for enforcing civil immigration laws to align enforcement with these values and priorities.”
EO 13988: Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation
This is evil. In the 1970’s a congress making laws in favor of equal opportunity based on sex never could have foreseen this, but the courts are pretending that asserted gender is the same as natural sex. Anyone can be any gender they want, and can expect to be treated as that gender with no discrimination whatsoever. Ultimately this leads to men in every women’s bathroom, boys in every girl’s bathroom, and on every female sports team, which Biden will enforce through Title VII.
“Every person should be treated with respect and dignity and should be able to live without fear, no matter who they are or whom they love. Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports. Adults should be able to earn a living and pursue a vocation knowing that they will not be fired, demoted, or mistreated because of whom they go home to or because how they dress does not conform to sex-based stereotypes. People should be able to access healthcare and secure a roof over their heads without being subjected to sex discrimination. All persons should receive equal treatment under the law, no matter their gender identity or sexual orientation. These principles are reflected in the Constitution, which promises equal protection of the laws…. the Supreme Court held that Title VII’s prohibition on discrimination ‘‘because of . . . sex’’ covers discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation. Under Bostock’s reasoning, laws that prohibit sex discrimination… prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation, so long as the laws do not contain sufficient indications to the contrary. Discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation manifests differently for different individuals, and it often overlaps with other forms of prohibited discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of race or disability. For example, transgender Black Americans face unconscionably high levels of workplace discrimination, homelessness, and violence, including fatal violence. It is the policy of my Administration to prevent and combat discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation, and to fully enforce Title VII and other laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. It is also the policy of my Administration to address overlapping forms of discrimination.”
EO 14004: Enabling All Qualified Americans To Serve Their Country in Uniform
Trump clamped down on trannies joining the military and demanding to be treated as whatever gender they choose, so Biden revoked that policy and supports trannies in the military.
“It is my conviction as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces that gender identity should not be a bar to military service. Moreover, there is substantial evidence that allowing transgender individuals to serve in the military does not have any meaningful negative impact on the Armed Forces. To that end, in 2016, a meticulous, comprehensive study requested by the Department of Defense found that enabling transgender individuals to serve openly in the United States military would have only a minimal impact on military readiness and healthcare costs. The study also concluded that open transgender service has had no significant impact on operational effectiveness or unit cohesion in foreign militaries.”
Criminal Justice [1]:
EO 14006: Reforming Our Incarceration System To Eliminate the Use of Privately Operated Criminal Detention Facilities
Typical liberal propaganda about reforming criminals.
“There is broad consensus that our current system of mass incarceration imposes significant costs and hardships on our society and communities and does not make us safer… We must ensure that our Nation’s incarceration and correctional systems are prioritizing rehabilitation and redemption. Incarcerated individuals should be given a fair chance to fully reintegrate into their communities, including by participating in programming tailored to earning a good living, securing affordable housing, and participating in our democracy as our fellow citizens…. We should ensure that time in prison prepares individuals for the next chapter of their lives.”
Climate & Science [3]:
EO 14008: Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad
EO 14007: President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology
EO 13990: Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science To Tackle the Climate Crisis
If anything, the COVID crisis has ripped the mask off the face of Liberalism to reveal the tyranny it truly represents. You cannot be free under a government that forces you to obstruct your own vital biological processes because someone else is afraid of an invisible bug. To force businesses to close, to force people out of public recreational areas and into their homes, to force them to wear masks, to destroy their livelihoods and then to bribe them with paltry sums of cash, all while Walmart stays open, is a blatant imposition of tyranny. In my opinion, the alleged COVID crisis is the most visible modern example of the government’s desire to play God. Once the government gets away with this, there is no limit on the amount of intrusion in our lives that they may justify in the future.
COVID-19 [10]:
EO 13987: Organizing and Mobilizing the United States Government To Provide a Unified and Effective Response To Combat COVID-19 and To Provide United States Leadership on Global Health and Security
EO 13991: Protecting the Federal Workforce and Requiring Mask-Wearing
EO 13994: Ensuring a Data-Driven Response to COVID-19 and Future High-Consequence Public Health Threats
EO 13995: Ensuring an Equitable Pandemic Response and Recovery
EO 13996: Establishing the COVID-19 Pandemic Testing Board and Ensuring a Sustainable Public Health Workforce for COVID-19 and Other Biological Threats
EO 13997: Improving and Expanding Access to Care and Treatments for COVID-19
EO 13998: Promoting COVID-19 Safety in Domestic and International Travel
EO 13999: Protecting Worker Health and Safety
EO 14000: Supporting the Reopening and Continuing Operation of Schools and Early Childhood Education Providers
EO 14002: Economic Relief Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Other Health Care [2]:
EO 14009: Strengthening Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act
EO 14001: A Sustainable Public Health Supply Chain
Economy & Labor Relations [2]:
EO 14005: Ensuring the Future Is Made in All of America by All of America's Workers
EO 14003: Protecting the Federal Workforce
Administration ethics [1]:
EO 13989: Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Personnel
Newly Elected 117th Congress select bills and resolutions
So far as I can tell, there are at least 854 bills proposed before the 117th Congress, which is the current legislative session. The text of many of those bills is not yet available.
H.R. 350: To authorize dedicated domestic terrorism offices within the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to analyze and monitor domestic terrorist … (Illinois Democrat Bradley Schneider): Text not yet available.
Co-sponsored by Michigan Republican Fred Upton. The following is from a press release:
“The attack on the U.S. Capitol earlier this month was the latest example of domestic terrorism, but the threat of domestic terrorism remains very real. We cannot turn a blind eye to it,” Upton said. “The Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act will equip our law enforcement leaders with the tools needed to help keep our homes, families, and communities across the country safe.
Last Congress, DTPA overwhelmingly passed the House in a two-thirds voice vote after passing out of the House Judiciary Committee 24-2.
The Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2021 would strengthen the federal government’s efforts to prevent, report on, respond to, and investigate acts of domestic terrorism by authorizing offices dedicated to combating this threat; requiring these offices to regularly assess this threat; and providing training and resources to assist state, local, and tribal law enforcement in addressing it.
DTPA would authorize three offices, one each within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), to monitor, investigate, and prosecute cases of domestic terrorism. The bill also requires these offices to provide Congress with joint biannual reports assessing the state of domestic terrorism threats, with a specific focus on white supremacists. Based on the data collected, DTPA requires these offices to focus their resources on the most significant threats.
DTPA also codifies the Domestic Terrorism Executive Committee, which would coordinate with United States Attorneys and other public safety officials to promote information sharing and ensure an effective, responsive, and organized joint effort to combat domestic terrorism. The legislation requires DOJ, FBI, and DHS to provide training and resources to assist state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies in understanding, detecting, deterring, and investigating acts of domestic terrorism and white supremacy. Finally, DTPA directs DHS, DOJ, FBI, and the Department of Defense to establish an interagency task force to combat white supremacist infiltration of the uniformed services and federal law enforcement.
H.R. 127: Sabika Sheikh Firearm Licensing and Registration Act (Sheila Jackson Lee): To provide for the licensing of firearm and ammunition possession and the registration of firearms, and to prohibit the possession of certain ammunition.
H.R. 125: Gun Safety: Not Sorry Act of 2021 (Sheila Jackson Lee): To amend title 18, United States Code, to provide for a 7-day waiting period before a semiautomatic firearm, a silencer, armor piercing ammunition, or a large capacity ammunition magazine may be transferred.
H.R. 130: Kimberly Vaughan Firearm Safe Storage Act (Sheila Jackson Lee): To require the safe storage of firearms and ammunition, and to require the investigation of reports of improper storage of firearms or ammunition.
H.R. 121: Gun Violence Reduction Resources Act of 2021 (Sheila Jackson Lee): To provide for the hiring of 200 additional Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents and investigators to enforce gun laws.
H.R. 135: Accidental Firearms Transfers Reporting Act of 2021 (Sheila Jackson Lee): To require the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to report to the Congress semiannually on the number of firearms transfers resulting from the failure to complete a background check within 3 business days, and the procedures followed after it is discovered that a firearm transfer has been made to a transferee who is ineligible to receive a firearm.
H.R. 137: Mental Health Access and Gun Violence Prevention Act of 2021 (Sheila Jackson Lee): To authorize funding to increase access to mental health care treatment to reduce gun violence.
(1) to increase access to mental health care treatment and services; and
(2) to encourage and assist the reporting of relevant disqualifying mental health information to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
H.R. 30: Gun Trafficking Prohibition Act: To increase public safety by punishing and deterring firearms trafficking.
H.R. 225: To amend chapter 44 of title 18, United States Code, to more comprehensively address the interstate transportation of firearms or ammunition. Filed by a Republican, the text is not yet available.
H.R. 38: Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act: Bill favorable to firearms owners filed by a Republican.
H.R. 1: For the People Act of 2021: Require States to accept internet voter registration & updates, prevent them from requiring social security numbers, etc. Automatic registration by certain agenices, same-day registration, etc… a very long resolution with many aspects that need to be studied.
H.R. 51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act: Having not even 700,000 people in 70 square miles this is a long-time Democratic ploy to secure a majority in the Senate and more votes in the Electoral College.
The District of Columbia is unconstitutional, since the Constitution says that the district chosen for the seat of the government it forms should not exceed 10 square miles. Making the District of Columbia a State without the approval of both the legislatures of Virginia and Maryland is also unconstitutional, as Article 4 Section 3 states in part: “New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new States shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.” So for that matter, the entire State of West Virgina is also unconstitutional.
H.R. 40: Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act (Sheila Jackson Lee): To address the fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality, and inhumanity of slavery in the United States and the 13 American colonies between 1619 and 1865 and to establish a commission to study and consider a national apology and proposal for reparations for the institution of slavery, its subsequent de jure and de facto racial and economic discrimination against African Americans, and the impact of these forces on living African Americans, to make recommendations to the Congress on appropriate remedies, and for other purposes.
This Progressive agenda is never going to stop advancing. The so-called “general welfare” clause was not intended to give the government absolute control over our lives. Noah Webster, in 1828, defined welfare as it applies to States quite differently than as it applies to people.
1. Exemption from misfortune, sickness, calamity or evil; the enjoyment of health and the common blessings of life; prosperity; happiness; applied to persons.
2. Exemption from any unusual evil or calamity; the enjoyment of peace and prosperity, or the ordinary blessings of society and civil government; applied to states.
The State cannot keep an individual from sickness or other natural calamities, and it has no obligation to do so. By encroaching on the concept of welfare as it applies to people, under the pretense of keeping people from sickness, the State abrogates all other natural rights and privileges.
White people are being demonized. First it is White nationalists, next it will be ordinary White Christians. Anyone Christian who opposes Sodomy is already being demonized. The trend is not going to end. It was foreshadowed in the so-called “Hate List” published by the SPLC 20 years ago, and now it is the prevailing attitude in Congress.
The only way that White Christians, in the places where they remain a clear majority, can defend themselves and preserve their heritage is to secede, as the American Empire has for a hundred years had policies which are completely contrary to the preservation of White Christians and now they are finally coming to fruition. While I despise Rush Limbaugh, even he said in December that the United States is “trending towards secession”, so the concept is becoming part of mainstream dialogue, and that presents the League of the South with a wonderful opportunity. The time to take advantage of that opportunity is now.
The arguments that Secession is unlawful, impossible or impractical are all disingenuous. The 1869 Supreme Court decision that Secession is unlawful was written by Salmon Chase after the so-called Civil War and his primary argument based on the Articles of Confederation, not on the Constitution which replaced the Articles. So it is not a legitimate decision, and there is no legitimate law. The Articles of Confederation forbid secession, but the Constitution which formed a “more perfect union” did not, for the express reason that the founders recognized the sovereignty of the States even if they left a document which could never defend it.
Everyone who criticizes Secession does so using the rhetoric of the Yankee Empire which conquered the States in 1864. They label Secession as treason, but it is not treason because it seeks to do no harm to the governments or people of the other States. Rather, Secession is a will to self-determination which the United States government has itself defended overseas, forcing foreign governments to accept the secession of their own states. Most recently this happened in Serbia with Kosovo during the Clinton administration, where unprovoked by Serbia, Clinton bombed Belgrade for well over two months, destroying many civilian and industrial targets to help facilitate the secession of Kosovo. While self-determination is a right which is even espoused by the United Nations, and while American founders such as Thomas Jefferson very clearly and consistently upheld the right to self-determination of the States, to the American government, which has no true principles, it is only a tool in their diplomatic junk drawer.
Currently, there is news of a renewed Secession movement in Texas, as Secession is a frequent subject of political discourse in that State. On January 26th it was announced that a Secession bill was filed in the Texas State legislature, House Bill 1359, and while it only calls for a referendum that is a necessary first step in the process. However this time, Texas is not alone, as there is also serious political discourse regarding Secession in Florida.
Back in January of 2020, Francis Buckley, a professor at George Mason University School of Law since 1989, had an op-ed published in the New York Post titled How to avoid America’s coming secession crisis. That was over a year ago, and now the League of the South, which has been working towards secession for 25 years, is on the cutting edge of what is becoming a trend. In a December 9th article, The Republican Party Is Now a Seditious Organization, Esquire Magazine used words and phrases such as “unreconstructed” and “nothing secedes like secession” to describe the officials of 17 States which joined or which filed briefs supporting the lawsuit initiated by Texas over the fraudulent election. They also describe elected officials in 17 states as “authoritarian yahoos”, as if Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer are suddenly the harbingers of liberty.
Examining recently popular Google search terms, many people have been searching for secession information for various States, with phrases such as “secession Alabama 2021”. While perhaps we should not get excited, as most Southern politicians have already taken a knee to the empire, talk of secession has been heard from quite a few of them over these past two months although some, like State Representative Price Wallace of Mississippi, have shamefully recanted. Recently published books, such as Divided We Fall by David French, postulate over the very real possibility of secession in a nation that is “less united than at any time since the Civil War”. In the opening pages of the book he wrote “At this moment in history, there is not a single important cultural, religious, political, or social force that is pulling Americans together more than it is pushing us apart.”
As we ourselves have experienced recently, at least in some places talk of Secession among rather mainstream Republicans is real. Perhaps three weeks ago my wife and I entered a restaurant in Panama City Beach, and we encountered a man who had a table set up inside the door, where he was giving away copies of a book titled Divorce or Civil War. So we took one and left a small donation in a jar. Then I began speaking to the man about Secession and left him some of our cards for the Florida League of the South. His ideology is quite different from our own, as he is in the camp which labels these Marxists totalitarians as “Fascists”, but his values are closer to ours than to theirs. He recognizes Antifa as the cutting edge of Leftist Progressivism in America, and sees both that and Leftists politicians as enemies. He also understands the difference between Libertarians and Christians, very much to his credit. But he is a former Air Force officer who also believes in both the Holocaust and the Pledge of Allegiance to the empire’s flag, so like most Christians today, he is conflicted.
While it turned out the restaurant was closed to the public, speaking with the manager they let us stay at the bar and order a beer. They were only open because they had a private affair that evening, and a podium was set up in the main dining area. A short time later, a meeting of local Bay County Republicans was convened, and it turned out that the speaker, a local party official, was speaking favorably and at length about Secession, actually promoting Secession as the only solution by which Floridians may preserve their way of life, and his words were received favorably by the forty or fifty people in attendance. Southwest Florida Republican legislators are also speaking of Secession, so this sentiment is not limited to the Panhandle. We hope to help it spread all over the South, and all over America.
Comments
The Constitution forbids Washington DC from ever being a State
Unnoticed as I was preparing the notes for this presentation, the following paragraph from Article 1 Section 8 of the US Constitution forbids Washington DC from ever being a State of its own, where the US Congress is granted exclusive authority to exercise legislation over the Federal District:
To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings;--And
To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.
Acccording to this, even the existence of the Washington DC City Council is questionable. But without a Constitutional Amendment, DC cannot be a State or have a legislature of its own.
The Power and Authority to Secede
The very first line of Article 1 Section 1 of the United States' Constitution reads:
Section 1. All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.
Those legislative powers granted to the new federal government were granted by the States. The States never ceded their own sovereignty in any area where powers were not granted to the Federal government, and that was actually understood by Federalists as late as John Quincy Adams, who expressed it in his speech on the Jubilee of the Constitution.
So where the 10th amendment is concerned, it is only a clarification, it is not a granting of a right by the Federal government to the States, but rather it is acknowledging a right that the States already had.
So here is the 10th Amendment:
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
Since no explicit mention of Secession is made in the body of the Constitution, the right to secede is also reserved to the States and the people.
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