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If we can not Beat them, Infiltrate them!

By on July 23, 2010 in Republocrats 1

In the early days of the USA, One of the worst insults the Founding Fathers could give someone was to refer to them as a PARTY MAN. To be a PARTY MAN meant you put the welfare of your political party above the interests of the country.

Let’s examine the possibility and or fact that the TEA Party movement is causing some disturbances and concern within the ranks of the career politicians/PARTY people.  One of the possible methods to address this issue would be to recognize them, welcome them and infiltrate their ranks.  Something like “If you can’t beat them, join them” Continue Reading →

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Can we make it stop?

By on May 17, 2010 in Activism, Nullification 2

Late last year, Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) was asked about the constitutionality of the pending Obamacare legislation. He answered that “most of the stuff we do is not authorized by the Constitution.” Not a surprise to anyone paying attention, and a bit of a lowball estimate, IMHO. The extraordinary thing about this was that it was the first time I’d heard an elected official admit, in public, that the Congress doesn’t care what the Constitution says. Since then, it’s been openly stated at an ever increasing frequency.

We have crossed a line. They no longer fear the people.

Politicians have always liked spending other people’s money. It’s the easy way to get votes. They are also masters at creating novel, stealthy ways to skirt fiscal, monetary, or Constitutional limits and to keep their actions out of the limelight. In the past, however, they were afraid of popular sentiment, and would back off when the complaints and protests got to a certain point, or as a last resort, when elections got near. Not any more.

Boondoggles like TARP, financial gerrymandering of Wall Street, takeovers of the auto industry, takeover of the medical industry, troops in over 100 countries with open ended missions. The list goes on, but the point is they just do it, without any legitimate authority, because they can. And because they’ve always gotten away with it by playing on our compassion, “We have to help (fill in the blank).”

The constant barrage of guilt trips on the middle class, personal attacks, and derogatory labels have made common sense people retreat in fear rather than speak up.

Our self-appointed rulers will never stop. Getting angry and voting every other November isn’t often enough, and every bad batch is just replaced with another. In fact, our rulers count on our short memories.

The check on their power grab lies with the states, and fortunately, the Constitution was set up for just this eventuality. We must reacquaint ourselves with the pecking order so clearly spelled out in the 10th amendment and work at the local and state level to return power where it belongs.

States can act immediately when DC oversteps and nullify their antics. South Carolina, among others, is directly challenging the health care reform law. It’s an attack on personal liberty, state sovereignty, the entire medical profession, and serves only to continue the power and influence of the elites.

Our freedom depends on it.

cross-posted from the South Carolina Tenth Amendment Center

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Strategy Discussion

By on February 24, 2010 in Activism 4

strategyI wrote the following for THE NEW AMERICAN:

This is the first FFA in the nation where federal officials could be criminally prosecuted for trying to enforce federal firearms laws. While that might sound good to some, the states need to be cautious about appearing as the aggressor. One false move could tarnish the state sovereignty movement and forever damage the cause in the court of public opinion. The key to successfully using nullification is to expose the federal government as the aggressive, unconstitutional usurper, and states would be wise to not directly confront them.

My extremely talented associate at the Tenth Amendment Center, Josh Eboch, wrote the following in the comment section:

However, I for one would like to see federal agents arrested if they are so arrogant as to attempt to disregard state firearms laws. Many of them need a swift kick in the ass, and a bold move like that could help fuel the public debate over the proper balance between federal and state authority.

I still think the key to winning in the court of public opinion is by appearing as the wronged party. If we take the Gandhi route and let the Feds be the aggressors, we illustrate how drunk with power they’ve become. I fear that if we act more aggressively, we run the risk of fitting the “fringe agitator” stereotype that the establishment is trying so desperately to pin on us. Josh feels otherwise.

So, fellow tenthers, what do you think? Should 10th Amendment legislation take a more agressive or passive tone?

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The Overton Window: Two Concepts for Activists

By on February 23, 2010 in Activism, Sovereignty Movement 8

Introduction
In this essay, we will look at two ideas which effect nullification and Tenth Amendment efforts in America today.  One of these ideas, the idea of incentives, is familiar to all of us.  Another idea, the Overton window, may be less familiar.

Incentives
People are influenced by incentives.  As Dr. Perry often writes at the Carpe Diem blog, “if you tax something, you get less of it”.  This is the driving theory behind today’s Nanny State.  Want less obesity?  Tax fast food and sugary drinks.  Want to eliminate smoking?  Tax cigarettes.  Want more marriage?  Give a tax break to married couples.  This is the gentle way that government “nudges” us, trying to get the behavior it wants; ostensibly without forcing anyone to do anything… except, of course, for forcing whoever pays for it to part with their money.

Similarly, with the large numbers of people in our federal, state and local governments, we need to think about the tendencies which are created by the incentives acting on these groups of people.  Some of these individuals might act in opposition to their incentives, but as a whole, these groups of people, like any other, are largely going to follow their incentives.

How many times has a politician told us he’s going to “clean up Washington”, yet it never happens.  Under republican and democrat control, corruption and spending grow incessantly.  Although some of these officials are doubtless sincere when they make their promises, the incentives in Washington are upside down, so cleaning Washington from inside Washington is an impossible goal.

Politicians want to win elections.  In order to do that in Washington, they need to cultivate their networks.  The corruption and spending are self-reinforcing.  It is time for us, as voters, to stop searching for the mythical politician who will ignore their own self-interest in order to clean things up.  Mr. Smith is not going to Washington.  And even if he were, he would be overwhelmed by the system that’s already in place.  The problem isn’t that we’re electing the wrong people.  The problem is that the system is broken.  Specifically, the states have forgotten their proper role in defense of the Constitution.

When they drafted the Constitution, our founders knew that this tendency of people to respond to incentives applies to our government officials too.  They designed the Constitution so that the states could “nudge” the Federal officials.  To counter central power grabs, they designed a system where the incentives working upon the groups tended to pull power away from the center.  Local officials wanted to pull power from the state and state officials wanted to pull power from the federal government.

Click here to read the rest of the article

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Do You Think They Care?

By on December 2, 2009 in Activism, Big Government, Republocrats, Sovereignty Movement 11

Do you think our Federal representatives (or their staffers) care one iota about representing us?

  • How many dozens of letters and emails have you sent your federal representatives in the past year? How many ridiculous form letters (that didn’t even address your concerns) have you received in return and how long did it take? The federal reps don’t care.
  • How many calls have you placed to them just to have a patronizing staffer thank you for your call and say they’ll pass on your opinion to Sen. INSERT THEIR NAME? The federal reps don’t care.
  • How many polls are available where the people are against any recent INSERT EXTRA-CONSTITUTIONAL LEGISLATION? The federal reps don’t care.
  • How many of us told them “no”, “slow down”, “stop”, and “you are out of line” at town hall events this summer to be told that they know better than us little citizens? The federal reps don’t care.
  • How many of us citizens participated in multiple tea parties around the country to try and make our voices heard only to be ridiculed as extremists by those elected to represent us at the federal level? The federal reps don’t care.
  • How many of us citizens sent a message on September 12, 2009 only to be marginalized by our federal representatives and most media outlets?  Pssst…The federal reps don’t care.

How many times have you said to yourself, “it’s like they don’t care!” Continue Reading →

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Tenth Movements: We Can Stop the Pendulum

By on August 10, 2009 in Activism, Commentary 2

by Thomas Grady

We all know how life’s (and music’s) pendulum swings.  Methodically, left then to right, back to left – and back and forth and back and forth.  Tick tock.  Politics is no different.  Since America is recognized generally as a center-right country the fulcrum of our pendulum doesn’t hang over the center but over a notch or two to the right of the center.

Today the pendulum has swung so far to left that the folks occupying center-right have become abruptly terrified and have hit the streets in tea parties, organized into Glenn Beck 9-12 groups and 10th amendment movements.  They’re frantically grasping at the pendulum and will surely take possession and haul it back toward them.  With effect. Continue Reading →

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Crossing the Chasm to Freedom

By on July 28, 2009 in Activism, Commentary 23

By Brian Roberts

Article 1 in Series, Restoring Freedom: An Entrepreneur’s Perspective

Imagine this… You and I are the founders of a start-up company. Our product is compelling. Our market is broad. We are underfunded, unorganized and unfocused. The press clearly doesn’t care about our efforts. Yet, we think we are going to take on the world. We are going to take on the largest, most powerful and monopolistic competitor possible. But we are not intimidated because the personal rewards of success are unimaginable and unlike our competitor’s offering our product will change the world for the better.

So we are driven, like an innovative capitalist… to sell individual freedom to a world that thinks it prefers servitude. Continue Reading →

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The Pincer Movement

By on July 24, 2009 in Activism, Commentary 14

by Thomas Grady

The “Mighty” 10th and the Enumerated Powers Acts

When it was written, the U.S. Constitution’s 10th Amendment was the last line drawn in the sand against an oppressive central government. It was the Bill of Rights’ final amendment, as if our Founding Fathers said, “By the grace of God, if the first nine amendments don’t prevent tyranny, the 10th will do so.” Here’s what the Mighty 10th tells us:

“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

Our Founding Fathers – specifically Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and Patrick Henry – demanded the original Constitution provide for a legal means of bringing finality of any government’s legitimacy directly back into the hands of the people at large whenever the people so desired. The framers broke the Mighty 10th into two actionable lines of defense against a King George government:

1) the states (“powers…are reserved to the States respectively…”), and
2) the people (“powers…are reserved…to the people.”)

Number one is systematic and orderly. Number two, unfortunately, could get ugly, especially if the 2nd Amendment is put into play. Let’s stick with number one for now.

Though the 10th Amendment is entrenched in the Constitution, forcing its application has become a burden of the states themselves. Clearly the federal government has not only ignored the Mighty 10th, it will undoubtedly fight vehemently any attempt to enforce it. After all, most politicians have massive egos and aren’t inclined to voluntarily shed themselves of power; this includes most federal judges.

So the battle that is now just commencing will be long and hard. Any legal foundational help will be welcome. That help could come from what is referred to as the Enumerated Powers Acts (HR450 and S1319) currently in congressional committee. The House bill was introduced by Arizona’s John Shadegg and the Senate sister by Tom Coburn of Oklahoma.

Here’s what the Acts require:

“…each Act of Congress to contain a concise and definite statement of the constitutional authority relied upon for the enactment of each portion of that Act.”

This means any Congressman who wants to introduce a bill must first flip through the Constitution and find the provision “enumerated” in its pages that gives the Congressman the right to introduce all elements of the bill. Without the identified “power,” guess what?

The Heritage Foundation points out what happens if the Enumerated Powers Acts were adopted. “Every bill would be an opportunity for Americans to think seriously about our constitutional order, the wisdom of its design, and the consequences of departing from its strictures.”

Granted, S1319 and HR450 are stuck in committee in this liberal current Congress and will never see the light of the floor. However, the mere existence of the Acts awaiting a vote could well provide a huge leverage on whether politicians agree with it in concept and significance.

Thus the underpinning of the Pincer Movement: from the state (the Mighty 10th) and from federal (the Acts).

The Missouri Sovereignty Project, for example, is engaged in this strategy right now. The Project is contacting elected officials, both state and Missouri congressional, and asking them to sign pledges to agree in principle and to uphold and abide by both the 10th Amendment and the Enumerated Powers Acts.

Forcing current and campaigning public officials to take a principled and public stand (yea or nay) on the 10th Amendment and the Enumerated Powers Act will flush officials out into the open about their dedication to the very document they swore to uphold. The Project believes politicians will be sweaty around the collar about the notion of thumbing their noses at to the Constitution, on either front.

As one might expect, the Missouri Sovereignty Project will compile lists, which will become part of the public domain through blogs, prints and broadcast media inside the state.

The Missouri Sovereignty Project is only a month old and already has a growing number of dedicated members. Unlike many movements across the country, the Project is not a social group. It has an explicit charter, has already sent out two press releases, and has a membership group that is organized, by each member’s choice, on three levels:

1) those who spread the word,

2) those who monitor, call and write public officials,

3) those who organize and manage.

The geographic grassroots goal of the Missouri Sovereignty Project is to have a Level 2 or Level 3 member in each of the 163 state House districts, which would overlap the state Senate districts and the Congressional districts.

The group expects to be completely in place, up and running across all state districts by March of 2010, just in time for elections. This network will continually monitor and contact any public official that strays from their pledge.

Thomas Grady is the founder of the Missouri Sovereignty Project.

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