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Before the ink used to draft the new Constitution was even dry, the plot subvert it had already been hatched…Dr. Thomas DiLorenzo introduces you to the the primary conspirators.
Archive | Founding Principles
New England Nullification Tradition Marches On
Though many living in New England today might be loathe to admit it, there is a long history of nullification being used in the region to defy unconstitutional federal edicts. This week, the town of Sedgwick, Maine voted to carry on that proud tradition by nullifying certain federal agricultural regulations.
They did so through what might be the most legitimate form of democratic expression left in America: the New England town meeting. (Which have been held in the Sedgwick town hall since 1794.)
According to one report, the residents of Sedgwick voted to enact a law that not only permits
“Sedgwick citizens…to produce, process, sell, purchase, and consume local foods of their choosing,”
but declares that Continue Reading →
South Carolina reps see the light on Commerce Clause
Two state representatives in South Carolina are pushing back against a federal ban of incandescent light bulbs set to begin in January of 2012. There is no constitutional authority for Congress to impose such a ban on the citizens of the several states, and it’s nice that South Carolina noticed.
From NetRightDaily:
“State Representatives Sandifer and Loftis are taking the lead in protecting the rights of South Carolina consumers, who don’t want the federal government telling them which light bulbs they must use,” Bill Wilson the President of Americans for Limited Government said.
“The basic concept of the bill is to allow the citizens of South Carolina to be able to continue to buy incandescent light bulbs,” said State Representative Bill Sandifer, Chairman of the House Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee.
“It is my strong belief that the feds have overstepped the Tenth Amendment, and now are venturing into telling us what kinds of lighting we can have in our homes,” Sandifer added.
Their bill (H. 3735) is essentially a version of the Firearms Freedom Acts and Intrastate Commerce Acts that have been popping up all over the country. Essentially, any light bulb manufactured and sold exclusively in South Carolina would not be subject to federal regulation.
Which is already the case, but it never hurts to repeat the obvious for emphasis when dealing with a government as corrupt and insular as the one in Washington, D.C.
Dan Casey Betrays His Ignorance While Ranting About Tenthers’ “Flawed” Arguments
Casey’s central argument against what he views as our misreading of the Constitution, betrays both his ignorance of the history surronding the Constitution and the rules of legal interpretation that were understood very well by the those who framed and ratified it.
Both James Madison (the author of the amendment Casey uses to make his case), and Alexander Hamilton, had serious reservations about a Bill of Rights. Why? Because they argued what Tenthers today understand — that the Constitution created a federal government of strictly limited powers. That’s the reason pro-ratification founders, like Hamilton, expressed concern that the Bill of Rights: Continue Reading →
Supreme Court gets the Constitution right, for once
In an overwhelming 8-1 decision, the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the odious Westboro Baptist Church and the First Amendment. That is, the amendment which protects ALL speech, not just politically-correct, state-approved speech.
Bravo. The nine highest-paid federal judges in the land have proved themselves capable of comprehending the plain language of the Constitution.
Why then, we tenthers wonder, is the Supreme Court so unable to comprehend the language of other amendments like, say, the 10th?
Could it be because “granting” political protesters the right to say offensive and unpopular things in public actually increases the perceieved power and stature of the Court?
Yes, peasants, you may rabble-rouse and shout yourselves hoarse, stirring up distraction and division, but attempt to assert that there are absolute limits to the power and authority of the central government, and you will find the Constitution, to us, is really nothing more than a piece of paper.
Need we remind you of Gonzales v. Raich?
Virginia Blogger Calls Tenthers “Intellectual Boobs”
Dan Casey of the Roanoke Times recently embarrassed himself with a juvenile, ad hominem attack on the Tenth Amendment movement titled “The Whole Tenth Amendment Business is Dumb and Crazy.”
While it’s unclear whether Casey actually expected his “arguments” to be taken seriously, it is clear that he cannot make his point through the use of logic or fact. Therefore, Casey’s piece is chock full of historical inaccuracies, mis-characterizations and outright falsehoods regarding the original intent and meaning of the Constitution.
So many, actually, that I cannot list them all here. However, I did respond point by point in a piece of my own to be published soon.
Here is a sample: Continue Reading →
VA Intrastate Commerce Act up for key vote tomorrow
Last year in Virginia, activists scored a big victory for the Tenth Amendment with the passage of HB10, the Health Care Freedom Act, but they also suffered a significant defeat. The Firearms Freedom Act (FFA), which forbid the federal government from enforcing its gun regulations on weapons and ammunition made and sold exclusively in Virginia, passed the House of Delegates in 2010 only to be killed in the Senate’s notorious ”Death Star” sub-committee.
The siginifcance of the FFA was of course not just about firearms freedom. It was also about the precedent such a law would have set for returning the federal government to its constitutional role, and restoring some measure of state sovereignty. Unfortunately, by killing the bill, a tiny minority of Virginia Senators left the entire commonwealth open to federal attack on issues that go well beyond gun control, up to and <a href="http://www.tent Continue Reading →
Supreme Muddled Thinking: Justice Breyer gets the 2nd Amendment Wrong
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer demonstrated some typically muddled progressive reasoning on Fox News Sunday, contending the founders would have supported modern gun control laws and sided with the dissenters in the 2008 case D.C. v. Heller.
In a nutshell, Breyer says the framers (James Madison in particular) put the Second Amendment in the Constitution, but they didn’t really mean it.
He argues that the Second Amendment was included simply to ensure ratification of the Constitution, but that the framers didn’t really philosophically believe in protecting the individual right to bear arms.
He buoys his argument by claiming “most historians” agree.
“If you’re interested in history, and in this one history was important, then I think you do have to pay attention to the story,” Breyer said. “If that was his motive historically, the dissenters were right. And I think more of the historians were with us.”
As if Breyer really has any idea what “most” historians think.
But I digress.
In fact, Madison wrote in Federalist 46 that an armed citizenry provides a check against overreaching government. And any fair reading of the founders reveals a fear of centralized power and that they advocated for an armed citizenry to provide balance and protect liberty. Continue Reading →
How should we interpret the Constitution?
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How should we interpret the Constitution? written by Michael Maharrey of the Kentucky Tenth Amendment Center was featured recently on the Tenth Amendment Center’s main site. The audio version is also available through the Arizona Tenth Amendment Center Podcast.
Give it a listen and also consider subscribing using iTunes to the podcast as well! It’s FREE! Ratings and reviews on the iTunes website are encouraged and appreciated also!
cross-posted from the Arizona Tenth Amendment Center
What’s to Celebrate?
I did not celebrate Constitution Day September 17, primarily because I did not know how to do so. The Federal Government requires the college where I work to do something on that day to qualify for it’s Title IV grant for which, if people really read the document, they would find no authority.
I was asked to give suggestions. The assigned administrator and I pondered several options, none of which seemed fitting or particularly meaningful. Still, we should do something; ignorance on this document is appalling and patriotism from those under 25 seems virtually dead. Even the president was filmed recently with his hands to his side during the playing of the national anthem, expressing total ignorance, total disrespect, or both (see the video on LibertyUnderFire.org).
Nearly no one reads this document anymore. Republicans only give lip service to it, and Democrats don’t even pretend to do that much. So how shall we celebrate Constitution Day? Should we celebrate the total disregard of the list in Article I, Section 8 from which the government is limited in making laws? Continue Reading →
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