The NAACP recently released a resolution encouraging states to come up with their own drug laws to prevent the ‘disproportionate over-confinement of racial and ethnic minorities’ caused by over-bearing unconstitutional federal laws.
According to a Reason.com blog, the NAACP has come out in support of H.R. 1523, the Respect State Marijuana Laws Act of 2013. This bipartisan bill would stop federally-mandated marijuana prohibition in the 21 states that have either legalized or partially legalized the drug. While this move may be seen as out-of-character for the NAACP, it shouldn’t be. They have been long-time critics of the drug war and wisely picked up on the effectiveness of state-level resistance.
This is an example of exemplary leadership within the African-American community. While demagogues like Jesse Jackson spew propaganda falsely equating states rights with slavery, the NAACP realizes that the states can be agents for social justice fighting back against a racist, repressive, draconian federal government. That is exactly what we’ve seen with states fighting back against the war on drugs.
Hopefully, the NAACP realizes that state resistance can be effective on more issues than just the war on drugs. There are issues such as NSA spying, predator drone surveillance, indefinite detention, TSA groping and others that all folks that can be best remedied by action at the state and local levels. As we’ve seen with the drug laws, these abusive federal behaviors are more likely to be used upon minorities than other members of the general public.
That doesn’t mean that the states have not misbehaved the past. Certainly, states can act in ways that are completely abhorrent. But they can also act in ways that promote the public interest. That is what we are working on here at the Tenth Amendment Center.
Hopefully, the NAACP can join us in more ways than just one as we battle for free, harmonious nation.