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A Daunting Task

By on January 10, 2011 in Uncategorized

Why The Tenth Amendment Center is so Important

Since the beginning of time political movements have come and gone. Some have had bigger impacts than others. Some have been movements that supported violence, some advocated a particular issue, but few have been focused on education and empowering the electorate. That is what gives the Tenth Amendment Center (TAC) such staying power. The Tenth Amendment Center is not focused on a single issue insofar as the 10th Amendment covers a range of issues. The TAC does not tell people what to think or for whom to vote. They are focused on education so that we, the people, realize that the best government is the one closest to home.

We all know, well most of us, that the 10th Amendment says that the powers not granted to the Federal Government by the Constitution are reserved to the states and the people. What the TAC does is offers perspective and empirical data that shows how to apply the 10th Amendment. Why is this so important for our country and, more specifically, the Tea Party movement? The answer is: ideological consistency. Nobody likes a hypocrite and, moreover, nobody is going to listen to someone who contradicts themselves. You lose the moral upper hand in political debate when you apply your principles inconsistently. Some in the Tea Party and 9-12 movement talk about limited government and strict interpretation of the Constitution until the argument gets to an issue in which they want the government involved. Continue Reading →

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The 17th Amendment, Again?

By on September 7, 2010 in Constitution, State Sovereignty

In a letter to Thomas Jefferson, in 1787, James Madison wrote, “The Senate will represent the Staes in their political capacity, the other House will represent the people of the States in their individual capacity”. This is why the Congress in 1913 should have kept their hands off the Constitution. Not only did they give us the Federal Reserve, and the 16th Amendment, but they gave us the 17th Amendmemt too. That is what makes the Madison quote above so important.

We, the people, already have representation in Congress. That is why we have the House of Representatives, to represent the people. That’s why bigger states have more congressman. Representation is based on population because the House is where the people are represented. The Senate has equal representation because that is where the States are represented and States deserve an equal voice (though I guess some would disagree!).

The U.S. Senate was never intended to he a “mini-House of Representatives”. There is a reason the State legislatures were to appoint Senators. The Founders even had the idea that Senators would be well respected citizens with different business backrounds and areas of expertise. Why was the progressive Congress of 1913 so hell bent on undoing everything that had worked so well for so long? Continue Reading →

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At Odds with Both Sides of the Political Spectrum

By on August 18, 2010 in Foreign Policy, Liberty, Republocrats

My conservative friends think I’m too liberal; my liberal friends think I’m too conservative…clearly I’m on the right track! It seems so simple to me, we are a constitutional republic, not a democracy. Therefore, our government should be limited to the powers granted to it by the Constitution. This doesn’t mean that we are always going to be comfortable with the results but it does mean we will always be free.

Sometimes freedom will make liberals angry (re: 2nd amendment) and sometimes freedom will make conservatives angry (re: gambling et al.). Why even have a Constitution if we aren’t going to follow it? The Constitution says that gold and silver shall be used as legal tender. Why do we use Federal Reserve notes as legal tender? The Constitution says that we only go to war with a decleration of war by Congress. Why did we go to war in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and Iraq again without Congress delcaring war? Continue Reading →

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What category do you fall into?

By on August 1, 2010 in Liberty

I think the problem is that most of the people in the tea party movement are not true believers in liberty. They are neo-con statist Republicans.

They are also ignorant of the meanings of the words and quotes they use.Remember, I say all this as a founding member of the Orlando Tea Party and someone who has spent the past year and a half of his life fighting in this movement.

This is how I see it: there are two different kinds of tea partiers. There are the younger, more libertarian, Ron Paul tea partiers. We were having tea parties in December 2007.

This is something that Tom Tillison argued with me about. He didn’t believe that Ron Paul supporters were having tea party rallies more than one year before the rest of the country. We were doing it before Obama was elected-during the Bush years. If you don’t believe me, use Google and find the articles for yourself. Continue Reading →

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Constitution Where Art Thou?

By on May 5, 2010 in Constitution, Law

I can already hear everyone I know bitching at me about this blog post. This will, to me, prove who really stands for liberty and who is ready to sell out the Constitution when it suits their needs. The phrases like “don’t tread on me” and “give me liberty or give me death” can only mean so much if, when called to defend the Constitution, we let fear come between us and liberty.

The guy they arrested for the attempted car-bombing in Times Square has a foreign sounding name but he is an American citizen. John Mccain is out there saying he shouldn’t have been given his Miranda rights and I’m sure many people reading this agree. He is, after all, a terrorist, right? Weren’t Tim Mcveigh and the Unibomber? I am sure they were read their Miranda rights. They were taken to civilian courts with a jury for sure. And why wouldn’t they be? They are American citizens.

If they want to try this bastard for treason and have him drawn and quartered that is fine by me. But please don’t tell me that an American citizen, arrested on the streets of one of our cities, shouldn’t be given Miranda rights. I’ll bet if he were an illegal immigrant Mccain would have no problem with him.

If they can do it to this guy, they can do it to any of us. If Obama decides that some tea party organizer is a “threat” to national security can he arrest them and not give the Miranda warnings and take them to a military court? We are not talking about someone found fighting our soldiers in Iraq or some foreign national; this is an American citizen just like all of us.

I hope people understand that this is where the tea party folks need to stand up for the Constitution even though it is uncomfortable.

If they can take one of his rights away, they can take all of his rights away. If they can take away his rights, they can take away YOUR rights. End of story.

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Is Liberty Doomed?

By on January 22, 2010 in Activism, State Sovereignty

LibertyTorchSmokeRecently, Republican Congressman Tom Rooney from Florida’s 16th congressional district filed HR 1006, which is a statement of support for the 10th amendment to the Constitution.

While I agree with Congressman Rooney that Congress should respect the 10th amendment and states’ rights, I find it disquieting that Congress needs to pass a bill that is a show of support for part of the Constitution. Shouldn’t Congress respect all parts of the Constitution? I think it is time that “We the People” start asserting our 9th and 10th amendment rights.

Here in Florida we’re very lucky to be ahead of the curve on these issues – especially because of the courage and vision of people in our State House like Carey Baker and Scott Plakon.

State Senator Carey Baker is the Senate sponsor of the three bills known as the freedom papers (see http://www.flfreedom.org) and Scott Plakon is the sponsor in the House. Along with Rooney, these men have put Florida on the frontline in this battle.

When more states and more legislatures get the courage to stand up to Uncle Sam, our liberty may survive. If, however, the federal government continues, under Republican and Democratic administrations, to grow at an exponetial rate and violate the Constitution we are doomed.

It is up to us, the citizens and the grassroots activists, to get involved and stay involved while recruiting and educating new activists. We MUST be more informed political consumers. We must learn the Constitution and hold our elected officials accountable to it. We must question our elected officials and candidates about the constitutionality of the legislation they propose and on which they vote.

Most importantly, we need to elect people to our States Houses that know the Constitution and appreciate the 9th and 10th amendments to the Constitution. The State House is often overlooked as a check to the federal governments ability to overstep it’s Constitutional bounds.

Now that a 10th Amendment resolution has been introduced into the Congress it gives us a chance to fight for the 10th amendment on two fronts. We can pressure our federal elected officials in Congress and our states elected officials in our state capitols. It’s going to be a hard fight and our liberty and the future of this great country are on the line but I believe we can win.

I hope that everyone that reads this blog becomes an evangelical advocate for the 10th amendment and legislation like HR 1006 and the bills in the Florida State House and Senate HM 19/SM 96, HB 21/SB 98, and HJR 37/SJR 72.

For more information:
http://www.flfreedom.org
http://www.teapartypatriotslive.com

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