White House: North Carolina can't secede

RALEIGH

The White House officially has responded to a petition drive on its web site calling on the Obama administration to let the state peacefully withdraw from the United States.

Click here to read the petition

The drive was launched by conservatives after President Obama was re-elected. To be acknowledged by the government, the new secession movement needed 25,000 signatures in a month, and it got more than 31,000.

But acknowledgement didn't turn into action. In a statement, the White House said while "democracy can be noisy and controversial," America does not let debate tear it apart.

Click here to read the response

"...more than 600,000 Americans died in a long and bloody civil war that vindicated the principle that the Constitution establishes a permanent union between the States," said White House Director of Public Engagement Jon Carson.

"Whether it's figuring out how to strengthen our economy, reduce our deficit in a responsible way, or protect our country, we will need to work together - and hear from one another - in order to find the best way to move forward," he continued.

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