Free Republic

In questions of powers, then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution. — Thomas JeffersonDon’t be embarrassed if you don’t instantly recognize those words from Thomas Jefferson. They’re not etched in marble on his memorial in Washington. While they express a common sentiment of the founding generation — that since men are no “angels,” the Constitution is necessary to control their baser acts — the occasion for Jefferson’s “chains” was anything but common. The words come from Jefferson’s draft of the Kentucky Resolutions, in which he...

Since the early days of the Republic, the question of how gambling is regulated has largely been a right reserved for the states. However, this week members of Congress will discuss legislation that would overturn state laws pertaining to gambling within their borders and create a federal ban, preventing states from legalizing online gambling in the future. They claim it is to protect minors, those with addictions, and states that do not want online gambling available to their citizens. This measure will achieve none of those goals. Rather, it will undermine federalism and drive problem gambling underground. Proponents of the...

A bipartisan effort to legalize medical marijuana at the federal level is now underway in both Houses of Congress, and its sponsors acknowledge they face an uphill climb to passage - but they believe the public is on their side. "Polls show that at least 86 percent of Americans say medical marijuana should be available," said Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, in an interview with CBS News. "Legislators rarely lead, they generally follow. I guess it's called cultural lag...Eventually, people in Congress start catching up." Cohen and Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, unveiled a bill on Tuesday that would reclassify marijuana as...

States across the land have legalized marijuana for medical – and, in some cases, recreational – use, but conflicts with strict federal anti-drug laws have left patients, other users, doctors, marijuana businesses and the banks and landlords with commercial relationships to those businesses vulnerable to federal raids and prosecution. A new bill introduced by Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J., Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., would solve this problem by simply respecting states’ rights. Medical marijuana has been legalized in 23 states and the District of Columbia, but that has not stopped federal agencies from aggressively – and inconsistently –...

Does the U.S. Constitution require same-sex marriage? No, the U.S. Constitution requires the Court to leave this issue to the states. If you believe otherwise, then amend the Constitution.The Supreme Court is about to decide if the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution requires the states to redefine marriage to include same-sex relationships. There are several reasons why the answer is no.The most decisive of these reasons is the fact that when the 14th Amendment was passed in 1868, homosexual behavior was a felony in every state in the union. So if the 14th Amendment was intended to require...

"Coordinated management among the states is the only solution to an unaccountable federal system of fisheries management. Faced with an untenable situation, the states have risen to the challenge and collectively identified a clear path to a more balanced fishery."

An annual poll sponsored by National Journal and Allstate Insurance finds Americans losing faith in Washington to solve problems, while believing that state and local governments are better equipped to address important issues. This attitude cuts across gender, education, socioeconomics, and even different regions of the country. Even a plurality of Democrats favor state and local solutions to problems. [SNIP] Some smart Republican presidential candidate is going to tap into this motherlode and ride it to the White House. If they don't, they will have missed a golden opportunity. This is conservative philosophy writ large across barriers of age, gender,...

Ladies and Gentlemen, I accept the flowers as a memento of reconciliation between the white and colored races of the Southern states. I accept it more particularly as it comes from a colored lady, for if there is any one on God's earth who loves the ladies I believe it is myself. (Immense applause and laughter.) I came here with the jeers of some white people, who think that I am doing wrong. I believe I can exert some influence, and do much to assist the people in strengthening fraternal relations, and shall do all in my power to elevate...

In the previous installment of this series, I discussed the constitutional principle of the separation of powers as a check on the accumulation of government force into the hands of any one man or group of men. Now, I would like to discuss the other intended division of power – the principle of federalism that was engineered into our constitutional system. This principle should be – and would be, if we would use it effectively – an even more powerful deterrent to federal government overreach than even the separation of powers between the three branches of government at the federal...

A would-be Republican presidential nominee has changed his mind on marijuana. Sen. Ted Cruz said he supports Colorado’s state rights to keep marijuana legalized without federal interference during an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity at Thursday’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). “I actually think this is a great embodiment of what Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis called ‘the laboratories of democracy,’” Cruz said. “If the citizens of Colorado decide they want to go down that road, that’s their prerogative. I personally don’t agree with it, but that’s their right.” Cruz’s comments at CPAC bring him in line with...

CARSON CITY — A controversial Second Amendment bill that would expand the justifiable homicide defense to incidents in which individuals are attacked in their vehicles generated a contentious debate during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday. Senate Majority Leader Michael Roberson, R-Henderson, said the provision in his Senate Bill 175 is intended only to clarify the already existing “Castle Doctrine” in Nevada law that permits individuals to use force to defend themselves in their homes also covers people in vehicles. It would also extend civil immunity provisions to such incidents. Roberson said the proposed expansion has nothing to do with...

Attorney General Eric Holder called Tuesday for a national moratorium on the death penalty until the Supreme Court weighs in on the issue later this year. “Our system of justice is the best in the world. It is comprised of men and women who do the best they can, get it right more often than not, substantially more right than wrong. But there's always the possibility that mistakes will be made,” he said. “It is one thing to put somebody in jail for an extended period of time, have some new test that you can do and determine that person...

Sen. Ted Cruz is again putting down a marker in defense of traditional marriage, introducing a bill aimed at protecting states' rights in the same-sex marriage debate.On Tuesday, Cruz re-introduced the State Marriage Defense Act, which would prevent the federal government from asserting its own definition of marriage on the states."Even though the Supreme Court made clear in United States v. Windsor that the federal government should defer to state 'choices about who may be married,' the Obama administration has disregarded state marriage laws enacted by democratically-elected legislatures to uphold traditional marriage," Cruz said in a statement announcing the bill....

Same-sex marriages went forward Monday in Alabama, for the most part, notwithstanding an effort by the Chief Justice of the state’s Supreme Court to prevent probate judges from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples: BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Amid conflicting signals from federal courts and the chief justice of Alabama’s Supreme Court, some Alabama counties began granting marriage licenses to same-sex couples on Monday in a legal showdown with echoes of the battles over desegregation in the 1960s. In major county seats like Birmingham, Montgomery and Huntsville, gay couples lined up outside courthouses as they opened, and emerged smiling, licenses in...

State legislators around the country have introduced more than 200 bills aiming to nullify regulations and laws coming out of Washington, D.C., as they look to rein in the federal government. The legislative onslaught, which includes bills targeting federal restrictions on firearms, experimental treatments and hemp, reflects growing discord between the states and Washington, state officials say. “You have a choice,” said Kentucky state Rep. Diane St. Onge (R). “To sit back and not do anything or say anything and let overregulation continue — or you have the alternative choice to speak up about it and say, ‘We know what...

"......Asked about Democrat Hillary Clinton's possible presidential run, Walker said she represents the past: "I think people want to look to the future. They don't want to go back in time, they don't want to repeat what we've had in the past. We need a candidate not of the 20th century, but of the 21st century." Walker said Clinton is a Washington insider: "She lives here, she's worked here, she's been part of the Washington structure for years. Not just as a Democrat, but across the spectrum. I think Washington represents the top-down, government knows best, go along to get...

Well, not really. But maybe! Can you marry your cousin? It's an interesting question. In some states, YES, you CAN marry your first cousin! In other states - it's a no-no, forbidden. Now HOW and WHY was this state of affairs (or marriages, be it whatever) allowed to exist? How and why did states HAVE THE RIGHT to determine under what conditions marriage was allowable? Because it was RECOGNIZED by the federal government that equal protection WAS NOT VIOLATED by such marriages! Thoughts? Ideas? (btw, my cousin is kind of cute, but she's just not my type...) ;-)

Washington Man Who Faces Years In Prison For Growing Medical Marijuana Has Cancer A Washington state man who is facing at least 10 years in prison if convicted in a high-profile federal case over growing medical marijuana for personal use has been diagnosed with cancer. --snip-- Harvey, along with his wife, Rhonda; their son, Rolland Gregg; Rolland's wife, Michelle Gregg; as well as close family friend Jason Zucker are all facing federal marijuana charges for growing about 70 cannabis plants for their own medical use at the Harveys' rural home. The family's defense attorneys have maintained the pot patch complied...

The major two-party system in American politics has existed since our nation’s infancy. While President John Adams warned against the dueling party system as “the greatest political evil under our Constitution”, it is a pillar of our republic. Today, Democrats and Republicans account for the majority of modern-day political party affiliations. The two parties don’t need to be enemies, rather complementary civic partners. Though the opposing camps differ on policy decisions, both support the individual citizens of our country with their unique visions. However, Republicans and Democrats have dealt with a hidden opponent – an unofficial group that parasitically attached...

When Jeb Bush announced he was running for President conservatives accused him of being RINO. (Republican in name only) Conservatives have said the same thing about Mitt Romney, Chris Christie and a laundry list of moderate to liberal Republicans. The fact though is that the progressives in the GOP aren’t the RINO’s. The Republican Party was founded as the party of big government in 1854. They were the remains of the Whig Party, which at the time was the party of Hamiltonian big government. It was the Democrats who favored Jeffersonian small government. The RINO’s aren’t big government progressives, the...