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From His Home in Russia, #Calexit Leader Plots California Secession
On paper, the leader of the California secession movement lives in an apartment complex near San Diego’s Golden Hill neighborhood. But in reality, the Calexit campaign is being run by a 30-year-old who lives and works in a city on the edge of Siberia.
Louis Marinelli heads the secessionist group Yes California. Following the election of Donald Trump to the presidency, the organization has gone from an unknown fringe group to one discussed seriously in mainstream media.
What has not been discussed as prominently is Marinelli’s deep ties to Russia.
A former right-wing activist from Buffalo, New York, Marinelli first moved to Russia almost a decade ago. He studied at St. Petersburg State University, the alma mater of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He returned to the United States to campaign against LGBTQ rights as part of the National Organization for Marriage.
Marinelli then returned to Russia. He would marry a Russian citizen, and the couple moved to San Diego, where Marinelli launched a political career based on a platform of California secession.
“I immigrated to California, and I consider myself to be a Californian,” Marinelli says from his apartment in Yekaterinburg, a city of about 1.4 million just east of the Ural Mountains and about 1,000 miles from Moscow.
In an interview with The California Report, Marinelli confirms he’s living and working in Russia as a teacher.
More in link plus audio: http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2016/12/13/from-his-home-in-russia-calexit-leader-plots-california-secession/
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Madam45for2923
(7,178 posts)A former right-wing activist from Buffalo, New York, Marinelli first moved to Russia almost a decade ago. He studied at St. Petersburg State University, the alma mater of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Madam45for2923
(7,178 posts)
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)Interesting.
Madam45for2923
(7,178 posts)
Madam45for2923
(7,178 posts)Madam45for2923
(7,178 posts)The grassroots campaign shares Marinelli’s belief that a state has a right to self-determination, he claims.
His plans include a resource center that will educate Russian locals on Californian history and culture, foster trade relations, and encourage tourism. Marinelli clarified that the embassy will not conduct diplomatic affairs, but rather, serve as a promotional front for Yes California.
Marinelli envisions a network of Yes California hubs around the world someday.
"We want to establish connections with the people of these countries so that when the time comes, we have the ability to reach out and say, 'Californians just double-opted into independence. Will you now recognize that and therefore recognize our independence from the United States as a country?'" Marinelli said.
The Yes California campaign aims to put a measure on a 2018 ballot that, if passed, would bring California one step closer to legally seceding from the union.
http://www.businessinsider.com/california-secession-calexit-embassy-russia-2016-11
Tommy_Carcetti
(43,182 posts)Madam45for2923
(7,178 posts)
Hekate
(90,686 posts)That SOB
suffragette
(12,232 posts)And election of Republican one.
That began with deregulation of energy market in CA by the former Republican Governor, but was accelerated by out of state manipulation of energy to bring about phony energy 'crisis.'
Madam45for2923
(7,178 posts)“The more the West is disunited, the more beneficial it is to Russia,” Sergei Markov said, adding that the secession of California and Texas — a prospect that would appear to be something of a long shot — would “undoubtedly benefit” the Kremlin.
http://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-russia-separatists-snap-story.html
Madam45for2923
(7,178 posts) Madam45for2923
(7,178 posts)
ShinPath
(48 posts)This is a reply I originally posted on Daily Kos. DU rules are the same as Daily Kos: I cannot promote a political party other than the Democrats so I offer this as an F.Y.I. I address the farce that is Mr. Marinelli at the end of my reply.
I am a Californian. For fifty years, starting with Edmund Brown Sr in 1966, I have supported Democratic candidates in state and national races. This election, however, with the implosion of the Clinton poll lead and campaign on Nov. 8 and the victory of the most odious man to ever emerge on the American political scene, has been a game changer from me. Two days ago I went online and changed my California voter registration to that of the California National Party, one of two #CalExit organizations, the other being the Yes California ballot initiative.
Supporting California Independence is a long shot and one I don’t believe will happen anytime soon (unless Trump really runs the American Republic into a ditch in his 1st term). However, as California has shown itself to be the true progressive firewall, with it’s 62% vote for Clinton, its 2/3 Democratic Party super majority in the State Assembly and Senate, its fiery Governor Jerry Brown and big-city mayors ready to defend undocumented or legal immigrants from deportation, I am supporting Calexit because I think it will strengthen this statewide anti-Trump front.
An Independence Party doesn’t have to win full independence, it can achieve autonomy, control over resources and revenues, and political devolution — the Scots and Catalans have shown that. It can be another magnet for political action and attract the alienated who have lost faith in the national Democratic leadership (who may cave in to Trump once his administration starts). The CNP is tiny, right now, but it will grow and the leadership appears ready to adopt progressive policies and resist any attempts to steer it to the right. The party needs 50,000 voters to register to get legal status in the state and all it means for me as that I can’t vote in Democratic primaries which are now uncontested and meaningless anyway.
I think Americans and Californians deserve more choices. The CNP can be an ally to the progressive Democratic and Green Party forces in California and by standing up for regional interests it can carve out a new political space and identity. A new country? Not in my lifetime perhaps, but I first discussed this idea with other activists in the Sierra Club’s political action committees over 35 years ago and now that it is happening, I’m in. I’m sure I’ll cast my vote for Democrats in the future when necessary. But for now I am enjoying this velvet divorce.
California National Party website (needs work)
Oh, as for the 2nd CalExit group, the Yes California secession ballot initiative, it has a little problem. It’s leader, Louis Marinelli is a publicity seeking right wing troll from Erie NY who now lives in, you guessed it, Putin-land. He opened a California “Embassy” in Moscow this month and at the news conference, covered by Russia Today and other curious news outlets, he proposed a “Crimean solution” for our state. Really. Hopefully this skunk can be removed from the yard soon and both groups will be able to work for common goals.
Hekate
(90,686 posts)ShinPath
(48 posts)We have made it clear we want nothing to do with this walking embarrassment. 'Bedfellows' is an inaccurate description. Next.
Hekate
(90,686 posts)Dammit this stinks to high heaven. I swear, anybody who comes on this site defending RT, Putin, or Putin apologists should be tombstoned so fast it makes their head spin.
I live in California, for those that don't know.
xor
(1,204 posts)So I did a search on this guy and saw some links to Russia. I was giving the people a hard time about his Russian ties, but in like a tongue-in-cheek trollish playful manner. Maybe I wasn't that far off the mark.
ShinPath
(48 posts)The California National Party is building a progressive agenda. It will not be a right-wing nationalist party. If you want to be involved in policy making I can add you to the slack.com discussion group. As I said in the reply this can be a political space that leads to many other alternate destinations, not just independence. Autonomy, devolution, progressive state legislation, look at the SNP and the Catalans, they are passionate but they are not 'traitors,' we deserve more choices, here is one.
