Is Nullification A Bad Idea?
It’s not just the left that’s confused about nullification, it’s the right too. Steve Palmer takes on the standard objections.
They Don’t Teach This in School
The various commissars who have taken it upon themselves to ensure that no one strays from officially approved opinion — or to appropriately scold anyone who in fact does so — have become apoplectic at the return of nullification.
Amar, Akhil’s Constitution
In order to repair the damage done to the Union—and restore liberty– we must first correct the breaches in the truth…
The Growing Movement to Nullify National Health Care
In response to what some opponents see as a Congress that doesn’t represent their interests, State Legislators are looking to the nearly forgotten American political tradition of nullification as a way to reject any potential national health care program that may be coming from Washington.
Constitutional Avoidance: Then and Now
In 1783, the Constitution had not yet been written, and Congress was operating under the Articles of Confederation. Congress had no ability to enforce its laws, no power to tax, and could not even meet its obligations to the newly-victorious Continental Army.
Freedom’s Destruction through Constitutional Deconstruction
History proves with absolute certainty that a national government and its assuming principles were rejected by the Founders and Ratifiers
Thomas E. Woods: Our States’ Rights Tradition
In this recent interview, Tom Woods discusses the debt some progressive causes owe to states’ rights, state nullification of unconstitutional federal laws, the undue respect given to the Supremacy Clause, and more.
The Original Meaning of an Omission
According to the theory of popular sovereignty, the people were presumed to retain all powers not expressly delegated away.
Big Government and the Fourth of July
As we prepare to celebrate the 233rd anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence we should recall why the American colonists made their decision to break away from the British Empire. The Declaration, in the enumerated grievances against the British Crown, makes it crystal clear that the cause was Big Government.
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.”
A Secessionist Bookshelf: A Modest Beginning
A number of readers have written and inquired after a basic canon of reading to reinforce the intellectual gunships of our minds for the coming fight. I have made a number of book recommendations throughout my essays and these will be new additions. I am purposefully suggesting the more arcane or unknown tomes because many writers before me have provided ample lists or annotated bibliographies. Consider this an introductory sampling to whet your insurrectionist taste buds.
Nullification: The Jeffersonian Brake on Government
by Thomas E. Woods, The Freeman Thinkers in the classical-liberal tradition, to the extent that they support a coercive state at all, speak routinely of the importance of keeping government strictly limited. To that end, the United States has a written Constitution, which enumerates the relatively brief list of tasks entrusted to the federal government [...]
If At First You Don’t Secede
Guest Commentary from VirginiaConservative If you have spent anytime at all in the western part of Virginia, you’ll find that monuments dedicated to U.S. Civil War are just about everywhere. For example, there are historical markers, statues, even an occasional flag or two. Generally, a lot of people who are native to the Shenandoah Valley [...]
The Real Purpose of the Constitution
by Neal Ross Two hundred and forty five years ago a small percentage of citizens stood up against a superior force and declared their independence from the tyranny under which they lived. This revolution for independence spawned men such as Patrick Henry, who declared, “…give me liberty, or give me death.” These were men who [...]
