I just wanted to comment on the tossing around of Confederate soldiers being "traitors"
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.—That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,—That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."
One may argue, rightfully, that slavery was an injustice to equality, however, one must also recognize that the abolishment of slavery was a direct threat to the safety and happiness of the Southern slave states. Their economy was dependent upon slavery and they feared that Lincoln's anti-slavery ties were going to destroy that, their liberty and their pursuit of happiness. To argue that succession states were traitors is incorrect, they were not traitors, they were merely loyal to their states' health and rejected federal overreach into that matter. They argued that secession was constitutionally supported; which clearly implies that they supported the constitution does it not. Either way, they /were/ still American's - merely American's who felt that Lincoln [though pro-active anti-slavery actions] was going to endanger their states.
If we are going to equate all secession acts as treason, then we have a lot of places to "purge" of "traitors". You probably know about Texas' secession movements, but there's a lot more:
1893 - Hawaii is seeking to succeed, at a minimum in part, from the US "invasion." In 1893 their queen (basically surrendered and) was overthrown by the US military and Hawaii was "illegally" annexed. There have been numerous court cases since (in both the US justice department and international courts) regarding their status; while in the mainstream they are thought of as a state, in international opinion they are oft recognized as an independent nation under [forced] US occupation. Hawaii Sovereignty groups are, and have been, actively working with the UN to find a peaceful solution to the "illegal" invasion and occupation of Hawaii. In 1893 President Grover Cleveland investigated and found that the US was directly responsible for the Queen's overthrowing and took steps to reinstate her to power. In 1897 President William McKinley negotiated a treaty with them which would have given Hawaiian's a chance to vote on annexation into the US; he was unable to get it through congress acquiring only 46 of the necessary 60 votes. There's a long list of court cases and attempts to "secede" (both partially and in full) throughout the decades since.
1982 - Florida, the Conch Republic of the Florida Key's (illegally) seceded and, in fact, declared war on the US (they surrendered to a Navy officer and applied for 1 billion in foreign aid after 1 minute heh) over the US Border Patrol removed road blocks [on the only road into their area] and devastating their tourism (aka their economic safety.) It could be argued that the US military invaded in September 1995, in fact, the US Army Reserve actually apologized for the accidental "invasion." Despite forgoing their "succession," to this day they still fly the official national flag of The Conch Republic and they celebrate their own Independence Day on April 23.
2001 - New Hampshire Liberty Party seeks secession, or they'll settle for a forced compromise with the US government.
2003 - The Second Vermont Republic seeks dissolution of the Union because of Corporate America and the US Government.
2006 - Alaska asked the Supreme Court the constitutionality, and legality, of putting Alaska's secession from the US on a ballot. The Court opinioned that such a vote could not be put on a ballot according to Alaska's constitution; "When the forty-nine-star flag was first raised at Juneau, we Alaskans committed ourselves to that indestructible Union, for good or ill, in perpetuity. To suggest otherwise would disparage the republican character of the National Government." (They mostly declined to comment on conflicting constitutional issues also brought up in the case, though that could come back up soon - specifically the Alaska State Constitution bans same sex marriage, which is now in conflict with the opinion of the US Supreme Court.)
2007 - The Republic of Lakotah has asserted their independence from the US, their territory lies within the states of North & South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Montana. (They do not argue they are seceding, but that they are reasserting their sovereignty.) They've sent representatives all over the world seeking the global recognition of their nation.
2009 - Georgia state senate passed a resolution 43-1 that asserts the states right to nullify federal laws, if any of the provisions are broken they declare that the constitution of the United States is null and void and the union would be dissolved.
2010 - South Carolina's Palmetto republic claims that SC seceded from the US in 1776 and 1860 and seeks a return to their independent status.
Those are the higher profile groups, there's a shit ton of smaller grass-roots types out there. They don't hate the union, (well except maybe Hawaii and Lakotah,) they are merely dissatisfied with the way things are headed. Attempting secession is /not/ traitorous, it is a statement that a state or group feels oppressed. Feeling oppressed and overthrowing the government is as American as you can get frankly. It is why this country seceded in the first place. It is part of the very foundation of our country, we are /all/ traitors so stop using that term as a derogatory.
I used to be PROUD to be a "traitor", because of where it took our great country. I'm afraid my faith in the country has faltered a lot in the past decade or so, I am no longer as "proud" to be American as I used to be, though I do not hate her, I simply do not like where she is headed. I suppose that is why I can find understanding for the Confederate movement, because I understand how hard it is to maintain your faith in a national ideal while everyone around you tries to dismantle it. You want to quit, leave, escape and remake it as you remember it, as you think it should be. I love the idea of America, I do not love the "direction" she has turned. And I too have thought about leaving the country, moving somewhere else, "quitting" as the south did.
So if you /must/ pick a derogatory term, because simply saying "the south" or "confederates" isn't hostile enough for your PC brand of passive-aggressive hate, how about since they wanted to "quit" America as the north envisioned its future, you call them "quitters" or "abandoners." But they are no more traitors than EVERY other American.
