GOP House Speaker Brian Bosma didn't mince words this week when he jumped on a question to his new Ways and Means Chairman about the Indiana secession efforts.

While Rep. Tim Brown, R-Crawfordsville, went the politically-correct route of saying everyone is entitled to their opinion, Bosma declared he disagreed with the so-called movement.

So far more than 19,000 people have signed onto a White House petition asking for Indiana to withdraw from the United States and create its own government. Dozens of other states have similar petitions.

Some of the signatures on the Indiana petition aren't even those of Hoosiers.

"Last time there was a secession movement in our country it didn't end well," Bosma said. "We'll work through this. The Republic will survive. That's what I've told people who have asked me, wringing their hands about the future of the nation. The Republic will survive."

The White House has promised to "review" the petitions if they reach 25,000 signatures.

To contact Niki Kelly email her at nkelly@jg.net or follow her on Twitter @nkellyatJG.

'We the People'

• The petition can be found by scrolling down this page.