For more than a century, We the People have been marching on D.C. in the hopes that federal politicians would see the light and limit federal power. We have been suing in federal courts in the hopes that federal judges would limit federal power. We keep “voting the bums out.” But every federal election cycle we end up with new bums that expand federal power!

Asking, demanding, hoping – that the federal government will limit its own power – just doesn’t work. So why not try something new?

Thomas Jefferson wrote that when the federal government “assumes undelegated powers…” a nullification of the act is the rightful remedy.

NULLIFICATION – has a long history in the American tradition. It is happening across the country RIGHT NOW. And YOU can help this growing movement go mainstream.

How? Attend Nullify Now! – our multi-city tour to educate and activate in support of massive state resistance to unconstitutional federal laws, regulations and mandates.

GET TICKETS NOW! – starting at just $10.00!
http://www.nullifynow.com/tickets/

$10. This week only, General Admission ticket prices are about the price of a movie!

Ten bucks – if you act right now. We’re launching the tour in less than two weeks in Ft Worth, Texas, and while hundreds of people have already confirmed attendance in our various locations, we want to send a message – and full houses in support of the 10^th amendment, the constitution and your liberty – will tell not only the media, but your state legislators too – that you want action now.

The time to get your Nullify Now! tickets is not next month. It’s not next week. Today. Not Tomorrow. Now.

Your Help – joining us now – will make the tour a huge success – and will allow us to expand and bring these events to more cities soon! (see below for our announcement on a new location already!)

http://www.nullifynow.com/tickets/

Here’s what you will learn at our events:

1. What IS Nullification?
2. What is the historical and constitutional basis?
3. Where is nullification happening RIGHT NOW? (hint – dozens of states around the country)
4. What can YOU do today to help make it happen – to enforce the Constitution in your lifetime

Speakers, Speakers….and more SPEAKERS!:

Here’s just a few of our headline speakers at our various locations (see http://www.nullifynow.com for specifics on each event)

• Thomas E Woods – Best-Selling Author of Meltdown, The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History and Nullification: How to Resist Federal Tyranny in the 21^st Century.
• Jack Hunter – “The Southern Avenger” – American Conservative Magazine
• Gary Johnson – Former Governor of New Mexico
• Jim Babka – President of DownsizeDC.org
• Debra Medina – Founder of WeTexans, and former Texas Gubernatorial Candidate
• Randy Brogdon – Oklahoma State Senator, author of the OK 10^th Amendment Resolution and Health Care Freedom Act
• Leo Berman – TX State Representative
• Kim Russell – Founder of People United for Medical Marijuana
• Wayne Christian – TX State Representative, Founder of the Texas Conservative Coalition
• Phil Russo – Host of Tea Party Patriots Live Radio Show
• Trevor Lyman – Co-Creator of the Money Bomb concept
• Tom Mullen – Author of A Return to Common Sense
• Charles Goyette – Best-Selling author of The Dollar Meltdown
• Michael Boldin – Founder of the Tenth Amendment Center
• William Greene – creator of the Constitutional Tender Act
• Joe Wolverton II – Professor of American Government, Journalist for The New American Magazine
• Darla Dawald – National Director, ResistNet.com
• Sheriff Richard Mack – Author of The County Sheriff: America’s Last Hope

While most events of this quality level would be at least $50 or more, we’re not doing this to make huge profits – we’re doing it to educate and activate.

Locations?

This is a big project for us at the Tenth Amendment Center and WeRefuse.com – but we wanted to start out modest in scope. Four cities are already booked and scheduled – and as long as you help us make these a big success, we’ll be able to bring the tour to more cities, more states, and more people…

• September 4^th – Fort Worth, Texas – http://www.nullifynow.com/ft-worth/
• 10-10-10 (at 10am) – Orlando, Florida – http://www.nullifynow.com/orlando/
• October 23^rd – Chattanooga, Tennessee – http://www.nullifynow.com/chattanooga/
• January 29^th – Phoenix, Arizona – http://www.nullifynow.com/phoenix/
• JUST ADDED – April 20^th – Los Angeles, California – http://www.nullifynow.com/losangeles/

We’re working on more dates in Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Missouri, Kentucky and elsewhere. So help us spread the word of the events – let all your friends and family know about it – and at each milestone, we can add new cities like we just announced today (08-21) about the new tour date in Los Angeles.

We need your help. Help is what we need, and help is what you can give. Get your tickets today!

http://www.nullifynow.com/tickets/

So while it might be important to call, petition, demand, march, sue and vote bums out, because they’re all bums, there’s much more we’re supposed to do. When the federal government violates your rights, you’re not supposed to wait four years for new politicians in the hope that they’ll fix it. You’re not supposed to wait two, or four, or more years for some black-robed judge to pronounce that they’ve violated your rights. You are supposed to resist those violations of your liberty as they happen – and it is your state’s solemn duty to do the same.

Michael Boldin [send him email] is the founder of the Tenth Amendment Center

Copyright © 2010 by TenthAmendmentCenter.com. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit is given.

by Michael Maharrey, Kentucky Tenth Amendment Center

Welcome to the Kentucky chapter of the 10th Amendment Center.

Our goal is straight forward – to educate and advocate for the restoration of the proper balance of power between state and federal government.

The principle is simple. It is not radical or extremist, nor should it be controversial. The founders of the United States clearly intended a federal government with defined and limited power. The bulk of governance was meant to happen at the state and local level.  The 10th Amendment in the Bill of Rights reaffirms this principle in the simplest of language.

“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

Simple. Straight forward. No need for complicated exegesis or convoluted interpretation.

James Madison expanded the idea, writing in Federalist No. 45.

“The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiation and foreign commerce; with which the last the power of taxation will for the most part be connected. The powers reserved to the several States will extend to all objects which, in the ordinary course of affairs, concern the lives, liberties and properties of the people, and the internal order, improvement and prosperity of the State.”

The foundation of our country was not laid on empty political theory. It was born from a deep understanding of the danger of concentrated power. As George Washington said, “Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.”

Or as Gerald Ford put it some 200 years later, “A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.”

Most people intuitively understand that the danger of power increases at higher levels of government. Most citizens understand that state and local leaders are more accountable to those they represent at state and local levels. What does Nancy Pelosi care about the coal miner in eastern Kentucky? Kentuckians understand the potential tyranny of unbridled federal power. Our founders certainly understood and created a brilliant system to keep government power in check.

It takes only a quick scan of the news headlines to see that the current system of government in the United States bears little resemblance to what the framers of the Constitution intended.

In the 1990s, the American people cleaned house in Washington D.C. Republicans swept into power promising to limit government, slash spending, cut earmarks and reform government. Instead, “We the People” got more of the same. More big spending. More federal programs. More favors for special interests. More expanding bureaucracy.

In 2008, Pres. Obama took office promising “hope and change.” Instead, he and the Democrats in power doubled down.

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Clearly, to solution doesn’t lie in sending different breeds of politician to Washington. Yes, we want to elect candidates to federal office who respect the Constitutional limits of their power. But we the people of Kentucky must insist, through our state government, that we will not accept any more unconstitutional governance from the feds. We must use our power to nullify unconstitutional law and render impotent federal power grabs. We must wean ourselves from the federal trough and stop allowing Washington to control Frankfort via a carrot and stick approach.

The process won’t be easy. The federal government has grown far beyond its intended role and years will likely pass before we can reestablish a proper balance. But we must start now. We must stand together as Kentuckians and fight for what’s best for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. We must demand our liberties and stand up for the Constitution that unites us as a nation.

It is up to us. We the People. Government serves us, not the other way around.

Big Government.  Collectivism.  Central authority.  Corporatism, fascism, socialism, etc.  Call it what you want, but it’s an overbearing master, operating in the name of we-know-best-and-we’ll-take-care-of-you type of government.

Somewhere around the dawn of civilization, a few people  thought human activity can and should be centrally planned and organized.  They have figured out how to advance the collectivist way of life.

They simply needed to get enough folks to agree to small doses of their plan, now and then, here and there, by teaching them it would be a good idea.

In our country, the plan has been marching forward quite steadily for about 100 years, or so.

The Three Legged stool.

The central authority was built on three legs, some weaker than others.  What are they?  Which is  the weakest?  How do we tip it over?

Media.

Constant bombardment with the message is the name of the game.  When I watch broadcast TV news, I feel I’m part of a very small minority with common sense, that these people live in a very different world than I do.  I tell myself there’s no way these talking heads believe what they’re saying (and don’t believe what they don’t say), but they keep saying it, over and over, night after night.  It’s all an illusion, and purposeful.

Education.

We’ll tell you what the facts are.  Don’t think outside the box.  Don’t ask questions outside a narrow range.  I think back to my school days, and how history and civics were taught to me.  I remember lessons that bear no resemblance to the real, grownup world I inhabit.

Bureaucracy.

We’ll take charge, and never let go.  We’re the government, and we’re here to help.

I have always wanted to start my own business in the aviation world.  Every time I get really motivated, I find myself knocked down by wall of Washington bureaucracy, with no way to get to the other side where I could actually make some money.  Or at least not have my business shut down for violating some super important, but overlooked regulation.

How the collectivists built it.

1. If the key positions in mass media, both news and entertainment, were filled with people that agreed with you that a powerful central government was the way to go, you could convincingly get the word out with a consistent, ever-present message about how good and nice the government is.  Bombard everyone with a coordinated message.

The media dramatize a nasty part of the human condition, tout all the good that the government could do to solve it, with emphasis on how much the officials cares about you.  They tell the audience what they want them to hear, and don’t tell them what you don’t want them to hear.  After a few years (or generations) people would agree because they had heard it, and it alone, so many times that they just accepted it.  Some went along because they thought they were part of a very small minority of the population that though differently, so just went along to get along.

This crazy-train started with the advent of movies.  Talkies, they called them.  TV put it into overdrive.

2. For those who noted that the story didn’t match the facts, the second leg, education, would prop up the stool.  If the facts don’t match the message, change the facts.

After WWI, progressives found some sympathetic PhD candidates in the ivy league education programs.  These folks spread out these new government-friendly PhDs as they matriculated.  Eventually every kindergarten teacher in America would believe and teach the new facts, and disregard the old facts.

3. Since the ratification of the Constitution, the federal government has grown incrementally.  A few small bureaucracies that promote causes most people support get started.  They inevitably grow in size, scope, and power.  They spin off more bureaucracies.  As the media and education influence take hold of the population, more ‘great’ causes get taken up by government, and along with them come more bureaucracies.

Have you ever seen a bureaucracy eliminated?  This last leg is the sturdiest.  It can’t be taken out, because it would take politics to eliminate it, and it’s politically untouchable.  That’s why it’s there in the first place.

Slow Squeeze.

Here we are in the early 21st century, with a government that is demonstrably limiting personal and economic liberties that were protected by the Constitution.  It’s just a piece of paper, though, and knowledge of its contents, and its authors’ intent, are required for it to have enforcers.  Our media and educational institutions have been telling us for almost 100 years that it’s a living, breathing document.  The federal government tells us this in our schools.  The media touts it in the context of current events.

The kicker is that the bureaucracy, education system, and media tell us the federal government is the final arbiter on the Constitution’s ‘current’ meaning.  The outfit that doesn’t want its power limited, interprets for us the one thing that limits its power.  Convenient.

How to knock it over.

This whole thing rests on three legs, so if we take out just one, it topples.

The bureaucracies won’t go away.  In fact, you could probably find a majority of US citizens support a majority of the bureaucracies, if you mention any one by name.  Everyone has their pet project, or special interest, if you will.  If you just ask about nameless ‘bureaucracy,’ however, you’d get almost unanimous disdain.  The political fight to end each one would take years at least, and probably would never be won.  The whole system would collapse under it’s own weight beforehand, and the upheaval from such an event usually has ended up with an authoritarian government firmly in place.

If we could educate everyone the clearly stated ideas the framers of the Constitution put in it, we might eventually have enough people asking the right questions that we elect people to Washington that go to actually roll back the government.  After all, this was the collectivist plan.

That took about 100 years.  We don’t have that long.  Start teaching the meaning of the Constitution–limited government.  Teach states rights, and the 10th amendment, in particular.  Nothing else exists to counter the consolidation of power in one place.

Media is the wobbly leg.

While I think the traditional print and broadcast media spent their last round of credibility promoting, electing, and supporting Obama, I don’t think they’re dead.  The decision makers in the industry are still committed to the Big Government cause, and will continue to transmit the party line even after the last TV gets turned off and the last newspaper rests in the bottom of the birdcage.

People are hungry for some common sense in an easily accessible, mass media type format, though.  It’s out there on the blogs, websites, and once in a while on cable TV.  It’s inexpensive to access, and easy to find.  Print. Audio. Video.  It’s easy to produce, too.

The problem is simply that humans are creatures of habit.  Yes, it’s difficult to un-teach people things they’ve been told their whole life, and to be open-minded to a different point of view, but that’s not what I meant.  Folks that have been watching the CBS evening news since Johnson was president will continue to watch CBS evening news, no matter how bad it gets, until someone they know shows them the alternatives, and asks them to try it.

Action Plan.

Find your family and friends who are still watching dinosaurs.  Show them the alternatives.  Show them how unbelievably similar the mainstream media stories are from outlet to outlet–too similar to be coincidence.

Write on a blog.  Even if it is only once a month. Ask readers how any honest person could read a 16 page document that defines and stipulates a very limited government, but find in it three sentences that allow unlimited authority OVER the creators of said government.  Answer:  No honest person could.  Ask why free men would enslave themselves by voluntarily creating their own master.  Answer:  under no circumstances.

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The Tea Party groups have potential to make a difference in politics, and slowly dismantle bureaucracies.  Most of them don’t like what they see in general, but most of their individual members have  particular interests, like Social Security and Medicare. 

Mention the unmentionable–talk about entitlements.  The true cost of which is freedom.  Attend their events, and talk about the 10th amendment.  Make sure everyone knows that the states made the federal government, not the other way around.

Find the people that AREN’T going to the TAC Nullify Now tour.

It’s a long road back from the brink.  Find your individual way, and take the first step.

Scott Martin [send him email] is the state chapter coordinator for the South Carolina Tenth Amendment Center

Copyright © 2010 by TenthAmendmentCenter.com. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit is given

Thomas Jefferson:

“whensoever the General Government assumes undelegated powers, its acts are unauthoritative, void, and of no force.”

and

“a nullification of the act is the rightful remedy…”

No matter what side of the political aisle you sit on, the federal government is not your friend. It’s not a friend to the Constitution, and its certainly no friend to your liberty. For years and yearsand years, people have yelled vote the bums out! Call Congress now! March on DC! But, in the long run, little to none of this actually works.

If you oppose this national health care plan, they’ll give you that one. If you oppose one war, you’ll get another one. If you oppose today’s bailout, they’ll find a different one tomorrow. Decade in and decade out, the government keeps growing, and your liberty keeps shrinking. And it doesn’t matter if the person in charge is named Obama, or Bush, or Reagan, or Clinton.

The bottom line? Looking to the federal government whether it’s though elections, or protests, or lawsuits, or rallies – is a failed strategy.

So how about trying something new?

For event dates, locations, tickets and info – visit http://www.nullifynow.com

If there is anything good to say about Democrat control of the White House, Senate and House of Representatives, it’s that their extraordinarily brazen, heavy-handed acts have aroused a level of constitutional interest among the American people that has been dormant for far too long.

Part of this heightened interest is seen in the strength of the tea party movement around the nation. Another is the angry reception that many congressmen received at their district town hall meetings. Yet another is seen by the exchanges on the nation’s most popular radio talk shows such as Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin and others. Then there’s the rising popularity of conservative/libertarian television shows such as Glenn Beck, John Stossel and Fox News.

While the odds on favorite is that the Republicans will do well in the fall elections, Americans who want constitutional government should not see Republican control as a solution to what our founders would have called “a long train of abuses and usurpations.” Solutions to our nation’s problems require correct diagnostics and answers to questions like: Why did 2008 presidential and congressional candidates spend over $5 billion campaigning for office? Why did special interests pay Washington lobbyists over $3 billion that same year?

What are reasons why corporations, unions and other interest groups fork over these billions of dollars to lobbyists and into the campaign coffers of politicians?

One might say that these groups are simply extraordinarily civic-minded Americans who have a deep and abiding interest in elected officials living up to their oath of office to uphold and defend the U.S. Constitution. Another response is these politicians, and the people who spend billions of dollars on them, just love participating in the political process. If you believe either of these explanations, you’re probably a candidate for some medicine, a straitjacket and a padded cell.

A far better explanation for the billions going to the campaign coffers of Washington politicians and lobbyist lies in the awesome government power and control over business, property, employment and other areas of our lives. Having such power, Washington politicians are in the position to grant favors and commit acts that if committed by a private person would land him in jail.

Here’s one among thousands of examples: Incandescent light bulbs are far more convenient and less expensive than compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL) that General Electric now produces. So how can General Electric sell its costly CFLs?

They know that Congress has the power to outlaw incandescent light bulbs. General Electric was the prominent lobbyist for outlawing incandescent light bulbs and in 2008 had a $20 million lobbying budget. Also, it should come as no surprise that General Electric is a contributor to global warmers who help convince Congress that incandescent bulbs were destroying the planet.

The greater Congress’ ability to grant favors and take one American’s earnings to give to another American, the greater the value of influencing congressional decision-making. There’s no better influence than money. The generic favor sought is to get Congress, under one ruse or another, to grant a privilege or right to one group of Americans that will be denied another group of Americans.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi covering up for a corrupt Ways and Means Committee Chairman, Charles Rangel, said that while his behavior “was a violation of the rules of the House. It was not something that jeopardized our country in any way.” Pelosi is right in minimizing Rangel’s corruption. It pales in comparison, in terms of harm to our nation, to the legalized corruption that’s a part of Washington’s daily dealing.

Hopefully, our nation’s constitutional reawaking will begin to deliver us from the precipice. There is no constitutional authority for two-thirds to three-quarters of what Congress does.

Our constitution’s father, James Madison, explained, “The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government, are few and defined … (to be) exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiation, and foreign commerce.”

Walter E. Williams is the John M. Olin distinguished professor of economics at George Mason University, and a nationally syndicated columnist.

Copyright © 2010 Creators Syndicate, Inc.

If there were any doubt that our constitutional protection has been lost, that doubt should be removed by the congressional vote subjecting the personal health care decisions of every American to central governmental authority.

By an extremely narrow majority, the House of Representatives has crammed a profoundly unpopular and unconstitutional measure down the throats of the American public: And not only unpopular and unconstitutional, but expensive enough to virtually ensure our nation’s eventual bankruptcy.

Unless it is overturned, nationalized health care will complete the process of changing the Founders’ system of a government dependent on the people to one where the people are dependent on the government. Citizens will be thoughly re-molded into subjects.

The unseemly legislative conduct (the Founders would have called it “corruption”) leading up to the vote have communicated even to those previously not paying attention that federal politicians are now absolutely, utterly out of control. The majority in Congress has rendered it perfectly clear that there is no constitutional or legal restriction they will not violate.

As congressional rumblings about the recent Citizens United decision have suggested, protections for free speech may be next.

There is no “good” response to these outrages – that is, “good” in the sense of easy and foolproof: After all, the very people who perpetrated them also control America’s nuclear arsenal. There are only responses that, while difficult, offer real hope of success. Here are a few:

* Widespread court challenges, on every colorable constitutional, legal, and technical ground we can think of. State governments can take a leading role in this, by virtue of the fact that state governments are more likely than individuals to have standing in federal court. State governments and officials also have much to lose if the feds are allowed to complete their health care takeover.

* Health care provider non-compliance: To the extent they can, physicians and other providers should opt out of the system. Their choices include partial or complete refusal to participate in Medicare, Medicaid, and other government programs; refusal to take any but direct-payment patients; reduced work hours; and even career change and early retirement. Students considering a medical career should now reconsider. Given the ominous nature of the federal health care coup d’etat, my guess is that a lot of this will happen anyway.

* State constitutional amendments. One excellent idea is the amendment proposed in many states guaranteeing that the state will never participate in any system that denies patients and physicians the right to their own health-care decisions.

* Civil disobedience. This should include state non-compliance with federal health-care mandates and peaceful resistance by providers and citizens at every level. The model here should be the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s.

* Redoubling efforts for the 2010 elections. The people responsible for this bill should be cleaned out of Congress – all of them. In addition, we need to gear up for 2012 and ensure that state lawmakers elected in 2010 fully understand their constitutional obligations.

* Amend-to-Save. A clean sweep of Congress is not enough. There is now no escaping it – we need amend our Constitution to save it, or we will not have any Constitution left.

There is nothing new in this last proposal. Our fathers, grandfathers, and their predecessors all adopted constitutional amendments designed less to change the system than to preserve it. Again and again, the American people adopted formal amendments to rein in the politicians and restore or reinforce Founding principles.

Thus, the Ninth Amendment made clear that federal powers were not to be interpreted too expansively. The Tenth Amendment clarified that the central government had no authority other than that granted by the Constitution. The Eleventh reversed a Supreme Court opinion that conflicted with the dominant understanding of the ratifiers. The Twenty-First Amendment restored control over alcoholic beverages to the states, where the Founders had left it. The Twenty-Second Amendment restored the two-term presidential tradition set by Washington, Jefferson, and Madison. The Twenty-Seventh, although not finally adopted until 1992, had been proposed by James Madison and sent to the states by the First Congress. The Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth (the post-Civil War amendments) were more radical, but also principally fulfilled the ideals of the Founding.

Now we need a Twenty-Eight, Twenty-Ninth, and Thirtieth Amendment – not so much to change the Founders’ Constitution as to restore it. How? Congress will not reform itself. Fortunately, the Founders recognized that when Congress veered completely out of control, there had to be a way to amend without its consent. Hence, they wrote into the Constitution a procedure whereby two-thirds of the states could propose amendments, which would then be drafted by a convention, and approved only if three-quarters of the states ratified them.

We now have no choice: We are going to have to use that method. That’s why state legislative races are so important this year.

Rob Natelson is Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Montana and a nationally-known expert on the American Founding. After a quarter of a century in academia, he is leaving this year to fight full-time for freedom at the Independence Institute in Golden, Colorado. His constitutional publications can be found at www.umt.edu/law/faculty/natelson.htm. The views expressed here are his own, not to be attributed to any organization or institution.

The recent election results in Virginia and New Jersey – representing in part a strong repudiation of the threats to freedom over the past year – have energized many pro-liberty activists. It is imperative that we keep the pressure on.

But we can be sure the other side will try to trick us into damaging statements in order to discredit us, or lure us into time-wasting strategies.

So here are a few things to remember:

* Let’s keep our eye on the ball. The ultimate goal of most in the Tenth Amendment movement is to restore constitutional limits to the federal government. Our Constitution – not any peripheral or personal causes – is what we are working for.

* Swarm, swarm, swarm. The focus for the short-term has to be continue to “swarm” our elected representatives, get in their faces, and tell them over and over that more deficit spending or tax increases are simply unacceptable. So also is any major expansion of government control, particularly a takeover of heath care.

* Restoring limits on the feds. The focus long-term has to be one or more constitutional amendments to put the federal government’s house back in order and protect future generations from the kinds of assaults on our freedom we have faced over the last year. When a system breaks down, sometimes you have to patch up to set it right — just as our fathers and grandfathers adopted the 22nd Amendment to re-establish the two-term presidential tradition that Franklin Roosevelt had disregarded. That’s our situation now.

* 2010 elections. The focus medium-term is now the 2010 elections – not just for Congress, but particularly on the state level. This is because constitutional amendments to curb Congress’s powers are probably not going to come from Congress. The states will have to use the Constitution’s state-proposal procedure.

* Don’t let the bad guys marginalize you. Talk of actions such as secession suggest that we are the ones willing to destroy our constitutional system – when in fact the opposition has that dubious distinction.

* Work smart. The other side has a lot of people who work full-time in politics or who work for the government, which sometimes amounts to nearly the same thing. That’s in addition to Soros money. So we have to carefully husband our resources – devote your time and energy only to things that make sense in view of our goals.

* Don’t waste your time on stupid or impossible causes. Here are a few causes that are certain time-wasters: (1) impeaching Obama (impossible while the Dems control Congress, even assuming there are grounds to do so), (2) recalling U.S. Senators or Congressmen before their terms are up (there is no recall procedure authorized by the Constitution or federal law), and (3) secession movements (which, besides conceding the Constitution to the other side, overlooks the fact that they have the nuclear weapons).

* Again, keep your eyes on the ball – restore the Constitution. That means letters to the editor, candidate identification, working in the political party of your choice, fundraising, keeping in touch with others in the Tenth Amendment movement, and educating yourself by visiting great websites like the Tenth Amendment Center.

Rob Natelson is a constitutional law professor at the University of Montana, and runner-up in the 2000 “open primary” for Governor of Montana. His opinions are his own, and should not be attributed to any other person or institution.

Everything has been turned upside down in the past 12 months- Dems and Reps have swapped dugouts along with the establishment media, from overlord to underdog and vice versa.

So much is different that it can be tough for a champion of state sovereignty to know what steps to take, so I have assembled a list as we at Tenth Amendment Center see it.

READ tenthamendmentcenter.com

We provide the best examples we can find of past, present and future thought on the balance of state and Federal power. The best first step for all who want to counter the tactics of misinformation is right on our website. Read up on past articles and jump in with your own personal view on the battle. The more educated our ranks, the better our chances of winning this fight.

CONTACT lawmakers in your state

The Tenth Amendment Center’s 10-4 Pledge is a great way for patriots to weed out those lawmakers who talk a good talk but won’t really take a stand for liberty. By presenting the 10-4 Pledge to your state legislature the cream will rise to the top and leaders worth rallying around will stand up and become visible to all.

DRAFT sovereignty legislation

Many groups around the United States have already begun to craft sovereignty legislation for their state. With the help of our scholars and legal experts, Tenth Amendment Center has a new offering, with example resolutions that serve as an excellent starting point for your state’s sovereignty resolution.

CAMPAIGN to introduce sovereignty bills

As 10-4 Pledges emerge in your state, the entry point for sovereignty legislation is clear and available. 10-4 lawmakers are champions who have already chosen the side of liberty and can be considered the entry point to get your sovereignty resolutions introduced in your state house.

Once 50 states have said NO and chosen to resist DC, we will be close to the goal of liberty in our lifetime.

Now is the time to take action!

IN THE BEGINNING

Several months ago I started my efforts to promote action on the 10th Amendment in Idaho. This effort was based on the encouraging fact that the Idaho Legislature passed House Joint Memorial No.4, a sovereignty declaration not requiring the Governor’s signature. My original motivation in this effort was not to promote partisan politics. It was not an emotional effort to “strike a blow for freedom”, nor was it a revengeful effort to put the Federal Government “in its place”.

It was and still is a matter of SURVIVAL.

I saw then as now, an out of control Democratic President and Congressional majority with a socialist agenda proposing bills and mandates so illogical, that the impact in Idaho would be catastrophic. I believed then and still do, that the only entity strong enough to mount a defense against this usurping Federal Government was the states using their 10th Amendment rights.

I then authored a petition requesting the Legislature and Governor take action to enforce the statements put forth in their declaration, and to refuse to comply with usurping mandates and guidelines required by Federal funding grants to the state. The petition was relative well circulated throughout Idaho by contact with the various teaparty groups, whom I urged to form a strong statewide political coalition. I felt confident at the time that this petition was going to have a significant effect on the Legislature and Governor. I sent a copy of the petition to all one hundred five (105) Legislators and Governor, plus a special “Letter of Concern” to the Governor urging him to publically state his support for states rights.

The results for these efforts are as follows:
1. I have to date received a positive response from two (2) legislators and a negative response from one (1). I am actively working with one of these legislators.

2. Have heard nothing from the Governor’s office except after a follow up email, a staffer called and said his office would contact me. A month has passed and still waiting.

3. The teaparty group leaders have helped out to a degree, but their priority has been, and continues to be, teaparty activities in their own area, and the upcoming 9-12 rallies in DC and around the nation. They also continue to reflect very little inclination to form a structured statewide political coalition and they believe they can win their war at the Federal level. I equate this viewpoint as standing on the deck of the Titanic waiting for the rescue ship and passing up the lifeboat.

THE REALITY SETS IN
Where does the fault lie for the marginal results thus far? Obviously with my own apparent inability to organize supporters, and influence legislators, but the greater responsibility for Idaho sitting dead in the water in it’s 10th Amendment voyage is the Idaho Legislators and Governor themselves.  They are fully aware of the unconstitutional actions of the President, and the impending radical laws and mandates to be imposed on the citizens of Idaho, yet they have not made one significant move past their initial declaration. One would wonder why they are not self motivated by the common circumstances that are impacting us all.

The political reality is, they are in sitting in a political comfort zone completely out of danger. They are not getting blamed for the state of the economy and chaos in DC. They are not getting hammered by the mainstream news media. They are not getting out in the street rallies and townhalls and being pushed around by “union thugs “. They are not facing protest rallies in their home towns or state capitals against them. Sitting in this enviable political position there is simply no motivation for them to take on a fight with the Federal Government and risk losing Federal funding or exposing themselves to criticism.

I feel certain, that as 10th Amendment advocates in other states begin the implementation process, they will encounter the same reluctance for action by their governors and legislators as I have experienced in Idaho. It is one thing for state legislators and governors to vote on a Sovereignly declaration, but an altogether different matter to bring on a fight with the Feds and risk losing Federal funding. There is also great resistence by various state agencies to the idea of “rocking the federal funding boat”, i.e. taking on the Feds.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Thus, we who are engaged in the 10th Amendment issue do have options to motivate legislators, governors, and agency heads to action, but it is going to take a great deal of work. Listed below are some tasks that I believe must be taken on if we are to realize our goals.

1. Form a nationwide 10th Amendment proactive cooperative coalition.

2. This coalition would need to initiate a statewide information campaign informing state citizens that the very state they live in has the means and muscle to throw back the intrusive Federal usurpations. I have found that the general public is basically uninformed of the 10th Amendment option, and are frustrated, fearful, and angry as they focus at the national level. A petition requesting action on passing a sovereignty declaration, or putting force of action to one already passed can serve as a good information vehicle.

3. Contact the teaparty, 912 type patriot groups within your states, and solicit their help and cooperation. They can be a tremendous asset, but as I have previously stated, they are defiantly focused in on their local sphere of influence as it relates to the federal issues, and so far have provided somewhat tepid cooperation. This is especially evident with the upcoming 912 activity.

4. Organize statewide political rallies demanding 10th Amendment action by the legislators and governors. This action is going to have to be unprecedented, comprehensive, and some what shocking to the incumbent politicians. At first it seemed that we could achieve victory by one nullification bill at a time in order to check the Feds. But it is now apparent that the blitzkrieg of federal laws and mandates are coming so fast that full time state legislative sessions would not be able to keep up. This action must take the form of a complete state plan of action, a plan of action that we as 10th Amendment advocates need to formulate and present to our legislators and governors for action. Each plan of action would have to be tailored to fit the unique characteristics of individual states. Below is plan “B” I have formulated for Idaho. This plan is preliminary, general, incomplete, and somewhat audacious, but it’s primary purpose is to start the process of planning.

IDAHO SOVEREIGNTY
PLAN “B”

ONE
Create a new state agency (as if we needed more agencies) called “Federal Relations” This agency under the direction of the legislature would be tasked with official communications between The state of Idaho and the Federal Government concerning all 10th Amendment / State Sovereignty issues. This agency would also be tasked with accumulating the following information:

A. The accounting of all federal and Idaho state taxes paid by Idaho citizens.

B. The budget requirements of State agencies and entities.

C. The amount of Federal funding that is being received by any entity in the state whether direct or through state channels. This will require all County and city governments to report these funds.

D. Search out and define any and all federal programs, mandates, or laws that are currently in violation of Idaho’s 10th Amendment rights, and in particularly the school system, as in my opinion needs to be brought back out of any Federal control into state/ school district control.

E. Present a report of the above information to the Legislature and Governor.

TWO
Through the “Federal Relations” agency issue a memorandum to the Feds that the State of Idaho will no longer recognize or comply with any federal programs, mandates, or laws that are currently in violation of Idaho’s 10th Amendment rights, and then list them. The memorandum could start out like this:

“Please be advised that the State of Idaho can not and will not comply with funded or unfunded federal programs, mandates, or laws that are currently in violation of Idaho’s 10th Amendment rights. This action has now become necessary due to the recent illogical, and economically disastrous legislation being mandated by the Obama Administration in cooperation with the Democratic controlled Congress. These funded and unfunded federal programs, mandates, and laws are listed below:” etc. etc.

THREE (SCENARIO, the fight is on)
At that point the Feds will probably withhold Federal funding in an attempt to bring Idaho back into compliance.

FOUR
In lieu of the loss of federal funding, Idaho will be forced to impose a property tax on all Federal real estate and improvements lying within Idaho.
(The Feds own approximately 3/4 of all Idaho lands)

FIVE
The Feds won’t pay it.

SIX
Idaho will be forced to confiscate all federal taxes due within the state, in order to meet the state budget. This is not violating the 16th Amendment, as the Feds can continue to tax away, the state is just temporarily confiscating the Fed’s money into a temporary state fund in order to meet state budgets needs until the Feds resume the federal funding the state has become depended on.

If one state could get this fight going it might encourage other states to join in with their own agenda, primarily confiscating federal income taxes, thereby de-funding the Feds.

It is my hope that this article may illustrate the hurdles to be overcome, yet promote real action by the advocates of the 10th Amendment movement.

Pete ketcham

Article 2 in Series, Restoring Freedom: An Entrepreneur’s Perspective – click here for part 1

Washington is selling servitude.

• We watched as they destroyed the financial sector by forcing banks to give loans to people that could not afford them… then they stepped in to “save the day” by gaining direct control of our financial sector.
• We watched as they destroyed a once powerful automotive industry through excessive regulation and labor union control… then they stepped in to “save the day” by gaining direct control of our automotive industry.
• We listened as they verbally assaulted capitalism when government regulations were to blame.
• We watched as they asked the American people to fund a $1 trillion dollar stimulus bill, they yelled emergency as they slipped cash from our children’s pockets to their political allies.
• We watched, as they worked to destroy the rule of law by arbitrarily dictating revised terms to legal contracts and installing a Supreme Court justice that promotes social justice over rule-of-law.
• We know, they intend to control our children, it’s written in the GIVE Act.
• We know, they intend to control our resources, it’s written in the Cap and Trade Bill.
• We know, they intend control of our very lives, it’s written in the Health Care Bill.
• We know, they intend to control our votes, the 2010 census is now controlled by the white house and the ones registering voters are corrupt
• We watch and wait as they install unaccountable czars for dictating  not representing
• We watch and wait as they increase “organizer” funding from millions to billions of our tax dollars. And we wonder how these groups will be used to steal our life, liberty and property from us.

The fifth sentence of the Declaration of Independence states, “But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”

Our product of freedom is competing with an illegal product. The federal government does not have the constitutional authority to sell servitude. It’s that simple. The 10^th amendment positions our competitor as an outlaw and recent actions in Washington reaffirm this claim. This brings us to our first point of strategic significance:

A movement based on the 10^th amendment is undeniably lawful and moral.

Washington is selling servitude. On fundamental issues, we the people are no longer represented by our national politicians. Our political leaders do not respect the people. They do not bother to read bills that steal away our money and freedom, but then they support these bills aggressively. They set up final votes at midnight in hopes that we do not notice the theft. They pit us against one another by highlighting trivial, but polarizing issues. When the people scream for a solution that doesn’t fit their personal quest for power they shelve the debate instead of making changes that would benefit the people. Despite this disrespect, many national leaders stay in office forever and when real opportunities arise to fill seats with true freedom oriented candidates, the establishment candidates step up, promote and install new big government-types that are mirror images of themselves. It is about personal power not representation. Washington is selling servitude.

Now, thinking like an entrepreneur, Washington used to be a strong ally in our quest to sell individual freedom. Together, we sold freedom to the world and earned the honorable title of “The shining city on the hill”. However, they have now decided to sell servitude. Washington has become a lost distribution channel for our product. Yes, they still want to offer our product, but only so they can do a bait and switch routine and create more customers for servitude. If we continue with these dynamics then the market share for servitude will quickly dominate the market share for freedom. And further compounding our problem, the federal government is a strong distribution channel and finding other channels that can compete is a challenge. To solve this problem, we need a game-changer, something that will expand our more loyal distribution channels while limiting theirs.

The 10^th amendment states, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” This one sentence if effectively used to counter federal power can quickly shift power back to a more local level.

A movement based on the 10^th amendment fundamentally changes the political landscape in favor of individual freedom.

Washington is selling servitude. Democrats are selling it outright as if servitude itself was a great product. Most Republicans are packaging it with just a dose of freedom so it goes down a little smoother. But when it comes to the fundamentals like smaller government and individual freedom neither party in Washington is representing us consistently. Both parties are using a horizontal marketing approach and this leaves “we the people” out. Let me explain.

In product marketing, you can position products for sale through a horizontal channel or a vertical channel. The national parties have broad horizontal platforms that work great when selling servitude because it allows them to pick and choose which “selling point” to highlight, which “product deficiencies” to hide and which controversial product features they can use to distract from the outright bugs in their product offering.

If you seek to bring a revolutionary product, such as freedom, to market then vertical marketing is key because it has the ability to capture a significant market share quickly and with minimal budget. The key to success is based on focus.

By focusing on a singular message our demands for more localized control of government will quickly be adopted in positions held by local politicians, followed by state politicians who are emboldened by a loud voice beating the same drum. Whether state politicians are driven to our message by greed or ideals the result is the same, a new ally with a legal precedent to counter federal abuse of power. This can happen in a dramatic way in the next election cycle.

A movement based on the 10^th encourages a state government, accountable to the people locally, to challenge the federal government directly.

So how does this all tie together? Dual-power is the sharing of power between the federal government and the state government. This was a fundamental check on power that was envisioned by our founders and written into the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Over the last 100 years, through judicial decisions, constitutional amendment and by simply ignoring it, the 10th amendment has been watered down significantly. Much of this can be changed if the people demand these changes with clarity. If the message is not clear, the the federal government will appease the population with trinkets of freedom but maintain the power to sell more and more servitude.

The 10^th goes right for the jugular of federal power, it changes the overall dynamics and it does this through a legal means. A movement based on the 10th clearly has large strategic value in and of itself. The 10th also delivers strong tactical value on how to bring freedom to market. Next…

Brian Roberts is the President and a founder of an innovative software company in Texas. He has joined the tenth amendment movement as the meetup organizer of Texas Tenth Amendment Center. Follow Brian on Twitter, bcroberts_99.