North Star Republic

Infobox Organization
name = North Star Republic
image_border = North Star Republic Flag.jpg
caption = Logo of the North Star Republic
headquarters = nowrap|Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
membership = 100+
language = English
general = Robert Alexander
formation = July 4th, 2003
motto = "The struggle of theproletariat with the bourgeoisie is at first a national struggle."
website = [http://northstarrepublicml.googlepages.com/home] The North Star Republic (NSR-ML) (or Peoples Republic of the North Star) is a Marxist-Leninist political organization that advocates the secession of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the upper peninsula of Michigan from the United States of America into a Socialist Republic they call The North Star Republic. This group is notable for their atypical view of Marxist-Leninist theory and their professed militant membership.

The core group formed on July 4th, 2003 by former supporters of several diverse national leftist organizations such as the Revolutionary Communist Party USA and Socialist Workers Party. Although the groups leadership is centered in the city of Minneapolis, where they sponsor weekly group discussions and monthly film screenings, the NSR-ML has members throughout the Midwest who contribute to the group thorough online activities and content submission.

Politics

NSR-ML is not expressly a political party, but does advocate the creation of a Vanguard party to represent the working class and bring about socialist revolution through creation of the Peoples Republic of the North Star.

NSR-ML seems to hold many views that come into conflict with other leftist groups, the most prominent is their support of libertarian secessionist groups, an advocacy of firearms ownership and proficiency for socialists along with an opposition to gun-control legislation, pseudo-nationalist tendencies which calls for the support of small local capitalist businesses and refers to the Upper Midwest as having a "shared culture". The stance of NSR-ML could be characterized as a form of National Communism.

The NSR-ML also extends their political efforts to the realm of electoral politics by supporting candidates fielded by the Party for Socialism and Liberation and the Socialist Workers Party. NSR-ML expressly supports participation in electoral politics but stresses that these activities are recruitment drives and intended to spread awareness not to replace revolutionary action.

Activities

NSR-ML is involved in the politics of secession through the Middlebury Institute and their support of the first and second North American Secessionist Conferences. NSR-ML is also active in protest politics and the anti-war movement through their support of the RNC Welcoming Committee, an anarchist organization formed to oppose the upcoming 2008 Republican National Convention which is set to take place in St. Paul, Minnesota

Membership

Membership in NSR-ML is regulated and their website contains 10 "principles of unity" which all members are encouraged to abide by, these include provisions against stealing, drunkenness, and drug abuse.

ee also

*Secession in the United States
*Socialist State
*National Communism
*Middlebury Institute
*List of active autonomist and secessionist movements

References

* [http://northstarrepublicml.googlepages.com/home North Star Republic Homepage]
* [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NorthStarRepublic/ North Star Republic Discussion Group]
* [http://middleburyinstitute.org/registrynorthamericanseparatists.html Registry of N.A. Secessionist Groups]
* [http://www.hiddenmysteries.org/news/global/090800b.html Secessionist Movements on the Move]
* [http://www.vtcommons.org/blog/2008/02/12/secede-survive-secession-and-sectarianism Secede and Survive: Secession and Sectarianism]
* [http://purpleslog.wordpress.com/2007/10/07/the-peoples-republic-of-the-north-star-future-commie-4gw-for-the-midwest/ The People’s Republic of the North Star: Future Commie 4GW for the Midwest]
* [http://www.protestrnc2008.org/call Call to Demonstrate at the Republican National Convention]