Wisconsin AB203: The National Guard and the Constitution
AB203 “requires the governor to examine every federal order that places the Wisconsin national guard on federal active duty to determine if that order is lawful and valid. If the governor determines that the federal order is not lawful or valid, the bill requires the governor to take appropriate action, which may include commencing legal action in state or federal court, to prevent the Wisconsin national guard from being placed on federal active duty.”
Texas House to Feds: Back Off
After being nearly derailed on a technicality this month, Texas House Concurrent Resolution 50 (HCR50) was brought back for a vote today, and passed by a wide margin.
Real ID in Oregon? Lawmakers say No!
Today, the Oregon State House passed Senate Bill 536 (SB0536), which “Prohibits state from expending funds to comply with federal Real ID Act of 2005 unless certain requirements are met.”
The Bill, which passed by a vote of 39-6 also “Directs Department of Transportation to analyze cost of complying with Real ID Act of 2005 and make report available to public.”
Is it Really “Necessary and Proper?”
In the following audio, Dave Kopel of the Independence Institute interviews University of Montana law professor Rob Natelson about the proper interpretation of the Necessary and Proper clause of the U.S. Constitution.
The Founders Knew Latin
Their vision was for the United States to be a union of sovereign states as opposed to a consolidation of the states into “one nation, indivisible” – and this reality is embedded in the very word “federal.”
Delaware Senate bill would legalize medical marijuana
Delawareans afflicted with a variety of chronic and painful conditions would be able to legally use medical marijuana to ease their suffering under a bill now under consideration in the Delaware State Senate.
Sen. Margaret Rose Henry (D-Wilmington East), said her bill isn’t an outright decriminalization of marijuana and is aimed at balancing compassion for the sick with maintaining tight controls on access and the amount of marijuana a person can have.
10th Amendment Resolution Introduced in Mass.
“The purpose of this Resolution is to clearly affirm to Congress and the President our State’s sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution and to demand that the federal government halt the practice of assuming powers and imposing mandates upon the states for purposes which are not enumerated by the Constitution of the United States of America†said Representative Perry from the State House.
Tennessee House Affirms Sovereignty under the 10th Amendment
On 05-26-09 Tennessee’s House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed House Joint Resolution 108 (HJR0108), which was introduced by Susan Lynn in February. After adopting one amendment, the final version passed 85-2.
The resolution urges Congress to recognize Tennessee’s sovereignty under the 10th Amendment, and is ready for transmittal to the State Senate.
Identity crisis in America
Writes State Sen. Mike Folmer: “I believe the most egregious example of government overreaching into personal lives is the federal Real ID Act.”
Thoughts on Sovereignty
During the decades leading up to the American Revolution, the major European powers of that age jousted for the rights to the spoils of the new world. The American Colonials were little more than pawns to be sacrificed back and forth for minor gains for their mother countries. Often, after great hardship and bloodshed, the European powers would sign treaties returning things to pre-conflict states, which meant that what had been won or lost was irrelevant and the death and sacrifice of the colonial militias for king and country was all in vain.
Tenth Amendment Showdown
The very recent revival of the Tenth Amendment on both popular and political landscapes has underscored the ever-present demarcation between liberty and statism. It has also brought to light an interesting demarcation within the group of liberty-minded anti-statists.
Furthering Liberty: A Plan that Will Work
There is so much frustration expressed by people when exploring the difficulties in reigning in Washington, D.C. and restoring a government which respects state sovereignty. This article explores the issues and proposes a plan to force our representatives to do our will.
First, we must recognize and understand the structure of government. The power within the legislative branch is not distributed equally among the legislators.
Audit the Fed, Then End It!
The only legitimate, Constitutional role of government in monetary policy is to protect the integrity of the monetary unit and defend against counterfeiters.
Instead, Congress has abdicated this responsibility to a cabal of elite, quasi-governmental banks who, instead of stabilizing the economy, have destabilized it
It’s the People’s Right!
The Tenth Amendment is not so much about “states’ rights†as it is about an individual right to be governed locally.
Constitutionalism 101
If one wants a nearly thorough education about the U.S. Constitution, it would be wise to examine the following: the notes from the Constitutional Convention, the public editorials written both for and against the proposed Constitution that followed, the state ratification debates, and the actual document itself.
RI House Passes Marijuana Dispensary Plan
The House today voted 63 to 5 to approve legislation to allow the creation of compassion centers to dispense marijuana to patients in the state’s medical marijuana program.
If the legislation (2009-H 5359A), which is sponsored by Rep. Thomas C. Slater (D-Dist. 10, Providence), is enacted, Rhode Island would join California and New Mexico as the only states that allow medical marijuana dispensaries.
Standing up for the Constitution
If Thomas Jefferson could come back and visit the United States for a day, would he recognize the government his wisdom and wordsmithing helped create?
State sovereignty is a long-standing American tradition
For many, the question of American secession was settled once-and-for-all by Abraham Lincoln’s military victory against the South. Not so, writes Kirkpatrick Sale, author and director of the Mulberry Institute, a pro-secession think tank: “Of course, it is true that the particular secession of 1861-65 did not succeed, but that didn’t make it illegal or even unwise. It made it a failure, that’s all. The victory by a superior military might is not the same thing as the creation of a superior constitutional right.”
Ron Paul: States Have Right to Legalize Marijuana
In a recent interview on Air America Radio, Ron Paul took a strong stand in support of the Constitution and State Sovereignty – by stating that laws and regulations of Marijuana should be on a state level.
“If California wants to legalize it, let ‘em legalize it,” Paul told host Richard Greene on Air America’s “Hollywood CLOUT!” program.
Minnesota Officially Rejects Real ID
Minnesota Governor Timothy Pawlenty signed legislation on Saturday that prohibits his administration from turning the state driver’s license into a national identity card and from imposing new burdens on taxpayers, citizens, immigrants and state government.
Government Run Amok
It is taken for granted that government can do whatever it wants so long as those doing it seem to be acting in good faith and aren’t benefitting too overtly.
The Legal Foundation of our Republic
We all are aware of the importance of the U.S. Constitution as the legal foundation of our republic, I do not have to tell you the dire implications of one level of government ignoring some, or all, of this document. Our Constitution has served us well for over two hundred and twenty years, in part, because of the great respect and adherence to it by both the federal government and the respective states. It is true that since it’s ratification in 1789, the U.S. Constitution has been interpreted by some of the most brilliant minds in our nation’s history.
Sam Rohrer: Real ID Opposition Substantiated
Following the recent grand jury’s announcement that more than 45 people have been charged with issuing fraudulent drivers’ licenses, Representative Sam Rohrer, prime sponsor of legislation to outlaw Real ID in Pennsylvania, issued the following statement
