Is the North doomed? A chance mention of Virginia Tech's status as one of only six "Senior Military Colleges" in the United States led me to the discovery the only one of them is North of the Mason-Dixon line.
The four service academies are all North of the line, however, the U. S. Coast Guard doesn't have an ROTC program (only JROTC), so perhaps the balance is better than it looks at first glance.
...Of course, if there's ever an East/West split, the West's only going to have Texas A&M and the USAF Academy....
Food for thought or the random musings of a late night?
(PS: Remember, Bill Gates might not have The Bomb, but he can afford to rent one any time he likes).
Maryland is south of the Mason Dixon line (the line is the PA-MD border). So the Naval Academy is somewhat to the south.
ReplyDeleteThe Mason Dixon line -- as a north-south divider -- is essentially the border between Maryland and Pennsylvania -- with an approximate mean latitude of 39° 43' 20" N (Wikipedia). As Anony said, Anapolis is south of that.
ReplyDeleteSo, as a matter of fact, is the USAFA in Colorado Springs, at just under 39 deg N.
Not that Colorado was ever a part of the South, so that doesn't invalidate your argument.
M
Taking the "food for though" tack, I'd be more interested in where the military bases wind up. And I wouldn't assume that balkanization would result in split along the same old line either. Do Marylanders self-identify more with the old South, or with the Beltway?
ReplyDeleteAside from the military considerations, there's the power grid.
Wellllll, the deterination of The Confederate States is actually pretty easy: is there a star on the (so-called) battle flag for it? Maryland, not so much. Shame on me for using "the Mason-dixon line" as shorthand for a border that only partially followed it.
ReplyDeleteThe power grid would be fuXored by balkanization, deeelighgtful! (A typo there but I like it. I'm leavin' it).
Interestingly, if you look at the distribution of military bases in the Lower 48, it kind of appears the Confederacy is still under occupation! And thus does our history scar deep. Remember that the next time you wonder why the effects of the Late Unpleasentness linger on.
The Coast Guard doesn't have a ROTC because we don't want second rate college students fouling up our service with sub-par officers.
ReplyDeleteAt least that's what they told me at the Coast Guard Academy.
Ahh, the Coasties! "Saltier than the Navy" is one line I hear. They make the point that out in the deep water, the sailing's not so tough: there's just miles and miles of ...miles. Matters become rather different over the continental shelf, with the mariner meeting all manner of obstacle and challenge and, if he or she is USCG, overcomin' 'em.
ReplyDeleteAnd which service was it that got stuck with (of all things) PCB and other chemical spill response? Yep. Even deep inland, it's the Coast Guard.
...It would only muddy the waters to point out they do have JROTC programs... :)
Yeah, but the West would have Texas herself, leaving the East facing a hugely unfair advantage.
ReplyDelete;)
tweaker