from The New American Magazine

On Saturday, January 29, the Nullify Now! 2011 tour began with a bang in Phoenix, Arizona. Hundreds of people gathered at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Phoenix as the Tenth Amendment Center promoted nullification of unconstitutional acts by the federal government. With an array of reputable speakers like Arizona’s State Senator Sylvia Tenney Allen and The John Birch Society’s CEO, Art Thompson, the event proved to be an educational success.

A national tour sponsored by WeRefuse.com and the Tenth Amendment Center, Nullify Now! focuses on the Founding principles of the United States Constitution and educates attendees about the Tenth Amendment, as well as the powers of the state including that of nullification, and a variety of issues that can be resolved by state nullification.On Saturday, a number of speakers bemoaned the dwindling authority of the states as the federal government continues to grow, and promoted the philosophies of America’s Founding Fathers like Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, who heavily supported powerful states over a powerful central government.

Tenth Amendment Center’s Derek Sheriff quoted James Madison, who said, “There can be no tribunal above the states.” According to Sheriff, proof that the states should be the highest authority is in the fact that the Constitution is a compact between the states. Likewise, the powers delegated to the federal government by the Constitution are limited. Furthermore, the states’ right to nullify unconstitutional laws indicates that the states are the final judge of constitutionality.

Speaker Bryce Shonka celebrated examples of the states reclaiming their authority, specifically as they are challenging Obamacare.

Most speakers emphasized the importance of reclaiming states’ rights. Stewart Rodes of The Oathkeepers declared the importance of recreating county militias, and Sheriff Richard Mack observed that state nullification was the peaceful solution to the federal government’s overreach. Jason Rink, Executive Director of the Foundation for a Free Society, proposed reclaiming the right to place the government under surveillance rather than continuing to allow the government to do so to the American people.

Art Thompson of the John Birch Society outlined the path that led the American people to this place in history, where the powers of the individual, the states, and the federal government have been inverted. It begins with rewriting history and distorting the truth, educating Americans to believe that the United States is a democracy rather than a republic, and a power struggle between elitist progressives and the American spirit.

Read The Complete Article in The New American at: http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/usnews/constitution/6120-nullify-now-tour-wows-phoenix

andrew nappi