Tag Archives | liberals

Should Liberals Champion States’ Rights?

By on March 4, 2010 in Federalism, State Sovereignty

Regular readers of this blog will know that the answer to that question is a resounding YES! But for many people in America, particularly those on the left side of the political spectrum, the notion of states’ rights is as repulsive as it is misunderstood.

Of course, if they grasped the concept of federalism and divided sovereignty as it was framed by our Constitution, they would realize that, although appeals to states’ rights have been used in the past to deny individual rights, today it is the federal government’s political monopoly that is by far the biggest threat to freedom.

The good news is lately there have been signs of liberals recognizing exactly that. As Jason O’Mahony writes on his blog

The fact is, the US is more culturally divided than ever, and maybe it is time to recognise that. Maybe its time that certain rights, and control over rights (abortion, gun control, same-sex marriage, death penalty, campaign finance) be devolved, by a new constitutional amendment, to the states. Yes, it will mean that in some red states women will lose the right to have abortions. But it’ll also mean that in some states far more strict gun control, or gay marriage will be permitted, and all without liberals and conservatives fearing that the other side will stack  the supreme court with their people, and override those rights. People can just move to the states that reflect their values…

Other than his call for what would be a redundant constitutional amendment, Jason is exactly right. These issues and many others are extremely divisive, and will continue to be so until Americans can find a way to release the pressure.

Fortunately, in their brilliance, our founders planned ahead for this situation and included just such a mechanism within the Bill of Rights. It’s called the Tenth Amendment, it reserves all powers not delegated to the federal government to the states and the people, and by doing so makes it much more difficult to control the behavior of those with whom we disagree.

The fact is, the US is more culturally divided than ever, and maybe it is time to recognise that. Maybe its time that certain rights, and control over rights (abortion, gun control, same-sex marriage, death penalty, campaign finance) be devolved, by a new constitutional amendment, to the states. Yes, it will mean that in some red states women will lose the right to have abortions. But it’ll also mean that in some states far more strict gun control, or gay marriage will be permitted, and all without liberals and conservatives fearing that the other side will stack  the supreme court with their people, and override those rights. People can just move to the states that reflect their values (something which will, I suspect, hurt the red states far more than they realise, but that their business)

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Disillusioned Liberals, Progressives…Welcome!

By on December 11, 2009 in Activism, Big Government, Republocrats

A 10th Amendment Primer for Those Who Lean Left

Once upon a time I eagerly tuned in to MSNBC on a nightly basis. I knew that there was something hideously wrong with the direction our country was in and at that time I believed that “if only Bush had not been elected president, none of this would be happening and the country would be much better off”. I instinctively recoiled at the ways in which the central government’s power ballooned under ‘W’ and I recognized that injustices and a loss of liberty were the effects of this change. At the time, Olbermann and Maddow went after Bush in a big way, which brought me comfort.

Enter Obama.

Millions celebrated, as I did, the election of a president who crossed a massive racial divide, who was the exact opposite of George W Bush. I couldn’t imagine two more different presidents than Barack and ‘W’.

So then why, after we elected such a ‘different’ president, have so many ‘Bush-esque’ things continued?

Recent announcements of an escalation to the war in Afghanistan and reports that Blackwater mercenaries are still killing under Obama as they were under Bush are likely troubling for Obama’s anti-war supporters. Others may have even been disheartened back in January, as I was, by Barack’s choices to fill his cabinet, a list that included corporate lobbyists, banksters implicit in our economic collapse and champions of genetically modified food and environmental destruction. Even ‘W’s Secretary of Defense got to stay. Nearly one year in, liberties continue to erode, injustices begun under Bush have still not been denounced and our phones and emails continue to be monitored. Why? because aside from Obama himself, the cast of characters has not changed and neither has their agenda.

The Federal government is so dysfunctional, so corrupted by it’s own power that many see it as beyond reform. Did the current Democratic congress seek justice after Bush’s alleged war crimes? Not even a hearing. Has anyone been brought to justice? No.

Democrats and Republicans alike put on a good show for the CSPAN cameras, but really are taking orders from the samebush-obama-skull monster, one that provides cash and even more power. Nancy Pelosi knows that if she were to allow hearings on Bush’s regime, congressional Democrats would share the blame, destroying the romantic illusion of “Left vs Right” struggle.

Fortunately, there is a champion waiting to side with the American people and help us to sort all of this out- the document that started it all, the Constitution of the United States of America. There is no radical new approach that is needed to correct our current national woes, only a return to the original methods devised by Thomas Jefferson and other cherished American revolutionaries. Particularly through the 10th Amendment to the Constitution, we were given a course to limit Federal power and likewise the corruption that currently has our people in a stranglehold.

The 10th Amendment movement has been characterized as taking a side in the Republican v Democrat scheme, it has not and needs not. State sovereignty has been equated with secession, it is not. The real reason that the ‘Tenthers’ threaten the likes Olbermann, Maddow, Pelosi and Obama is that we in the sovereignty movement threaten to bring down the entire scheme of corruption and deceit on which they feed and without ever firing a shot. Regular mainstream Americans from many different backgrounds and politcal parties are finding common ground in the 10th movement, which seeks only to peacefully restore the balance of power, striking down the unconstitutional bureaucracy of the Federal government and putting that power back in the hands of the people, via their 50 state governments.

While optimism is an admirable trait, blind faith in a president or a political party is the greatest cause of things being the way they are today. We, the people live under a corrupt central government we have allowed to take root while ignoring the carefully laid plans of our republic’s founders. Optimism will not fix things. Relying on someone else to ‘change’ them won’t work either. It’s time for all Americans to tune out the greedy proclamations of the establishment and instead pay attention to those who worked so hard 200 years ago to provide us with a better life today.

It is time for all Americans to rally behind the 10th Amendment. You, your neighbors and everyone you know are invited…welcome to the fold!

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States’ Rights and the Left

By on October 26, 2009 in Sovereignty Movement, The Opposition

From March, 2009 – but worth another look:

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Constitutionalists vs Conservatives

By on September 16, 2009 in Media, Republocrats, Tenthers

Critics who mock us as “tenthers” because we share views identical with Thomas Jefferson repeatedly make a fatal error. They believe that we are the same as the beltway, neoconservative, GOP-loyal rightwing.

For instance, check out Alan Colmes attempt at “tenther-bashing.” His big finisher? Under our analysis, George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind is unconstitutional. Well, duh. Of course it is!

America’s most prominent constitutionalist, Ron Paul, has been critical of the federal government’s involvement in education for decades. There are serious differences between mainstream conservatives and constitutionalists on some of the most important issues of the day – namely war and the powers of the President.

Many mainstream conservatives believe in an imperial presidency embued with king-like powers which would make even the Hamiltonian monarchists of the Founding blush. They also consistently advocate for an agressive foreign policy of Empire-building completely contradictory to the vision of our Founders.

Perhaps if liberals like Alan Colmes understood this, they might take a second look at what it is “tenthers,” or more accurately “constitutionalists,” are actually saying.

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