Independent California Institute

Casey Coss: As President Donald J. Trump aims to grab Greenland, make Canada the 51st state of the U.S., regain control of the Panama Canal, and allow Puerto Rico its independence (with Bad Bunny’s support), quite a few Californians are ‘dreaming’ of grabbing the state out of the Union.

So much grabbing, so little time. Where is Billy Bush’s ‘Access Hollywood’ clip when Californians need to be reminded of it?

The state’s independence sentiment is evident in a recent poll by the San Diego-based and ironically named Independent California Institute.

Joe Mathews: How do you get yourself thrown out of a ballgame? The late Hall of Fame manager Casey Stengel, who was ejected from 40 major league games, believed in persistence and obnoxiousness: “You just gotta argue with the umpire until he gets tired of listening to you.”

How do you get your state thrown out of the country? If Californians want independence from the United States, they should follow the strategy of Stengel, who made his home in Glendale.

Thomas Elias: For every action, says one principle of both physics and politics, there is a reaction. So when President Donald Trump threatened to put conditions on disaster aid in the wake of California’s unprecedented January firestorms, there was a reaction.

Alan Riquelmy: A poll released this month and commissioned by the Independent California Institute — which stated that its first principle is for California to become a “fully functioning sovereign and autonomous nation” — offers some support for secessionists.

According to the poll, 61% of respondents said the state would be better off if it peacefully seceded, and 63% supported using “hardball” tactics to gain autonomy.