Free Republic

Looks like the steadily growing list of constitutional, ethical and political outrages that constitute the Harry Reid version of Obamacare is sparking a rebellion in the states, as AP reports South Carolina's attorney general plans to investigate the vote-buying that surrounded the proposal in the Senate majority leader's office. According to AP, South Carolina's Henry McMaster is being joined by the attorneys general of Michigan and Washington state in a suit to determine the constitutionality of the Obamacare proposal. Their initiative was prompted by a request from South Carolina's two senators, Lindsay Graham and Jim DeMint, both Republicans. Attorneys-general in...

Tennessee State Representatives Susan Lynn (R-Lebanon) and Debra Young Maggart (R-Hendersonville) asked Tennessee State Attorney General Robert Cooper to prepare to take the appropriate legal action against the federal government in the event HR 3200, the controversial federal healthcare reform legislation, passes into law. The legislators requested this action in order to grant Tennessee relief from the unfunded mandate contained in the bill that Tennessee complies with the expansion of the federal Medicaid program.

Bills blocking Obamacare should be introduced by Republicans in the state legislatures of every U.S. State. The bills should declare economic sovereignty from Obama's socialist health care program under the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. AMENDMENT X 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. Every state that passes such a bill should refuse to send health care money to Washington. It's time to fight Obamacare in all 50 States.

...Anger and opposition to Washington's policies and edicts--no matter now egregious--hardly ever translate into anything beyond words of frustration. And Washington politicians don't pay much attention to rhetoric--not even their own. You see, the wizards in Washington and on Wall Street have us figured out. Along with their compatriots in the propaganda press corps, they know that no matter how loudly we scream, how much we protest, or how angry we become, the system is rigged to protect them. The best we the people can seem to come up with is "throwing the bums out" every two or four years....

Well, as it turns out, Washington DC residents know exactly how much of a joke 911 is in their own town, after a cop. Pulled a gun. On kids. Throwing snowballs. Yeah, and they're reading this cop the riot act.

I recently wrote (Raise the Army of Texas) that the congressional oligarchy could be broken if the states exercised their Constitutional right to send as many representatives to Congress as they are permitted by Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution. Article I, Section 2 imposes a limit on representation and not a requirement. A state may send fewer representatives to Congress than it is allowed but would be foolish to do so. Congress arbitrarily imposed a stricter limit on the states in direct violation of the Constitutional limit. The result has been the concentration of great power in few...

Bill of Rights Amendment I Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Amendment II A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. Amendment III No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor...

(snip) Nationwide, education reform advocates are recognizing the importance of strong leadership in schools and looking for ways to promote it to ensure that all students receive a high-quality education. One organization that has helped teachers become more effective through a rigorous national certification program now plans to offer similar training to principals and "teacher leaders," which could create a pool of administrators who are role models for others. The certification program, offered by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, is an offshoot of the board's 20-year-old certification for teachers and counselors. (snip) The board has identified nine core...

Reporting from Phoenix - The day after the federal government told Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio that he could no longer use his deputies to round up suspected illegal immigrants on the street, the combative Arizona sheriff did just that. He launched one of his notorious "sweeps," in which his officers descend on heavily Latino neighborhoods, arrest hundreds of people for violations as minor as a busted headlight and ask them whether they are in the country legally. "I wanted to show everybody it didn't make a difference," Arpaio said of the Obama administration's order. Arpaio calls himself "America's toughest...

Asheville City Councilman Cecil Bothwell believes in ending the death penalty, conserving water and reforming government — but he doesn't believe in God. His political opponents say that's a sin that makes him unworthy of serving in office, and they've got the North Carolina Constitution on their side. Bothwell's detractors are threatening to take the city to court for swearing him in, even though the state's antiquated requirement that officeholders believe in God is unenforceable because it violates the U.S. Consititution. "The question of whether or not God exists is not particularly interesting to me and it's certainly not relevant...

The rising call to “Clean House” in the 2010 federal elections has been heard before and gave rise to a Congress no less arrogant or restrained than the one that preceded it. Democrats traditionally create agencies or programs with unconstitutional powers and Republicans reform them. A reformed illegal agency or program is still illegal. Replacing 435 Representatives and one-third of the Senate oligarchs with new oligarchs won’t change a corrupted federal government or its corrupting influence on the politicians that seek to run it. Concentrating power in the hands of a small group of aristocrats who then seize more power...

The February 2010 issue of GUNS Magazine is online, and a letter by NRA Life Member David Lundeen regarding my Firearms Freedom Act "Rights Watch" column caught my eye. He cited the September 2009 issue of their American Hunter magazine, and observed: [I]t is clearly stated “Firearms Freedom Act “ supporters have never planned to test these laws in criminal cases, and no one who puts himself in that situation should expect support from the NRA.” It's true. I'm a Life Member and get American Rifleman, and it's on page 18. Their rationale? [T]his kind of litigation faces major obstacles–mainly...

Missouri State Representative Cynthia Davis has introduced the “Firearms Freedom Act” (HB1230) – prefiled for the 2010 legislative session. The bill “Asserts the right of the State of Missouri to regulate the intrastate use and acquisition of certain firearms pursuant to the reserved powers of the state over intrastate commerce and the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.” While the bill’s title focuses solely federal gun regulations, it has far more to do with the 10th Amendment’s mandate that powers not delegated to the federal government are “reserved to the states, respectively, or to the people.” It states:...

In 1937, U.S. Senator Josiah Bailey of North Carolina was concerned that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his New Deal programs were leading America and North Carolina down the road to collectivism. Although he did not oppose every attempt at government intervention, Senator Bailey believed that limitations should be placed on government growth. In 1937, the nation experienced an economic recession, and partisan lines blurred as Republicans and conservative Democrats formed a coalition to protest Roosevelt’s attempt to “pack the court.” That year, FDR placed the “responsibility for pulling the nation out of economic recession on business interests,” writes historian...

Cap and trade legislation may be one of the biggest issues facing the oil and gas industry according to Dr. Daniel Fine, Associate of Policy, Strategy and Development at New Mexico Tech. He also serves on the New Mexico Center for Energy Policy which is hosting the presentation by former Shell Oil executive, John Hofmeister tonight. “What is the purpose to cap and trade?” asks Fine. “Is the purpose to raise revenue? Is the purpose to lower CO2? Or both?” The bill (Waxman-Markey) coming out of the U.S. House of Representatives claims both purposes without a clear policy declaration.

Let us assume for the moment that it became revealed that Barak Obama was not a natural born citizen of the United States, proving that he was ineligible to be President of the United States. Ok, now what? Would Obama be removed from office? Perhaps. Then what? Joseph Biden would be our next President. Ok, then what? Would the United States be freer? Would the States and the people regain their sovereignty stolen by the federal government? Would America’s form of government revert back to its original nature and character of 1787? Would self-government, the consent of the governed, limited...

Seventy-one percent (71%) of voters nationwide say they’re at least somewhat angry about the current policies of the federal government. That figure includes 46% who are Very Angry. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 27% are not angry about the government's policies, including 10% who are Not at All Angry........ The data suggests that the level of anger is growing. The 71% who are angry at federal government policies today is up five percentage points since September. Even more stunning, the 46% who are Very Angry is up 10 percentage points from September.

This summer, legislators from several states met to discuss the steps needed to restore our Constitutional Republic. The federal government has ignored the many state sovereignty resolutions from 2009 notifying it to cease and desist its current and continued overreach. The group decided it was time to actively counter the tyranny emanating from Washington D.C. From those discussions it became clear three things needed to happen. 1. State Legislatures need to pass 10 key pieces of legislation “with teeth” to put the federal government back in its place. 2. The people must pass the legislation through the Initiative process if...

Today, November 24, it is exactly 150 years since Charles Darwin published his On the Origin of Species. The world has been gearing up for this “second echelon” of celebrations for this international “Year of Darwin”, following on from the 200th anniversary of his birth this last February. Atheists and humanist groups in particular have seemed to be relishing the thought of giving further prominence to the ideas of their patron saint. Their adulation is heightened by their knowledge that...

Missouri State Sen. Jane Cunningham (R-Chesterfield) drew much applause Saturday afternoon when she informed the crowd at the Million Med March about the Health Care Freedom Act she is going to introduce soon in the Missouri Senate.

The federal government has no right to regulate guns made, sold and used within Utah, state lawmakers at a committee hearing decided Wednesday. The Legislature's Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Interim Committee advanced a bill that its sponsor, Sen. Margaret Dayton, R-Orem, calls the "Firearms Freedom Act." If upheld in federal courts -- a big if, considering past rulings on states' rights -- Utahns purchasing Utah-made guns would not face federal requirements such as background checks. "I love the idea of the firearms," said Sen. Allen Christensen, R-North Ogden, "and I love to swipe at the federal government on this...

...The Founders did not give us a government like the one we have today. The government they gave us was strictly limited in its scope, guaranteed individual liberty, preserved the free market, and on matters that pertain to our private behavior was supposed to leave us alone. In the Constitution, the Founders built in checks and balances. If the Congress got out of hand, the states would restrain it. If the states stole liberty or property, the Congress would cure it. If the President tried to become a king, the courts would prevent it. In the next few weeks, I...

During the Constitutional Convention, from May to September 1787, delegates from the colonies were to gather together for the express purpose of amending the Articles of Confederation to form a “more perfect union” (NOT a completely different union!). The men that met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were under direct and limited orders from their states to attend the Federal Convention explicitly to preserve the federation and State rights and to correct the errors of the existing federal government for the limited purposes of handling foreign affairs, commerce among the states and common defense. Yet, during that private and secret convention, there...

A landmark health care reform bill narrowly cleared the House over the weekend with a 220-215 vote and now the measure heads to the Senate where its future seems much more uncertain. The House plan calls for 36,000,000 uninsured Americans would get coverage. The bill would cost $1.2 trillion over 10 years, but it will cut $400 hundred from Medicare expenses. While some are very pleased with the newly passed plan, others are still finding faults, with one Montana legislator saying that the state can't afford the measure.

In states around the country, there’s a growing movement to address and resist two of the most abused parts of the Constitution – the Commerce Clause and the 2nd Amendment. Already being considered in a number of state legislatures, and passed as law in Montana and Tennessee this year, the Firearms Freedom Act (FFA) is a state law that seeks to do just that. The latest to join the FFA movement? Kentucky. Pre-filed for the 2010 legislative session, HB87 seeks to “Create new sections of KRS Chapter 237, relating to firearms, firearm accessories and ammunition that are made in Kentucky,...

Health Care Reform: Failure to buy health insurance in the just-passed health care bill could get you five years in jail with a $250,000 fine. How can violating a law that's unconstitutional be a felony? The passage last Saturday night of the House health care measure by a fragile 220-215 margin may well prove to be a Pyrrhic victory. In polls, townhall meetings and tea parties, Americans have shown they don't want a "reform" that costs a staggering $1.2 trillion yet fails to meet the left's desire of insuring all the uninsured. And they certainly don't want a bill that...

Two quotes come to mind: There comes a time in every man's life.... when they must spit on their hands....raise their black flag...and start slitting throats...~ HL Mencken... "America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards."- Claire Wolfe But there is another option, secession. Secession has long been the last peaceful choice of a people who believe that they can no longer tolerate the government that rules over them. History is replete with examples of secession as one group or region declared their independence from their parent...

Both Montana and Tennessee have passed FFAs, and they are to be commended for their commitment to the right to keep and bear arms. Unfortunately, the FFAs passed in Montana and Tennessee have serious problems that make their probability for success in the courts highly unlikely. Both states' FFAs contain items regulated by the federal government not under its power of interstate commerce, but under the federal government's power of taxation. It specifically includes silencers and destructive devices (firearms over .50 caliber).

<p>DENVER – The Colorado ski town of Breckenridge has voted overwhelmingly to legalize marijuana.</p> <p>Early returns Tuesday night showed the proposal winning with 72 percent of the vote.</p>

Brady Campaign's Dennis Henigan seems to have problems understanding this document. The Brady Campaign's Dennis Henigan is apparently as unimpressed with the 10th Amendment as he is with the 2nd. This can be seen by his reaction to passage in Tennessee and Montana (and consideration elsewhere) of bills that would exempt firearms, ammunition, and firearm accessories made and sold within the state, from federal gun laws. That reaction is one of fussy disapproval. We know that individuals can defy the law. Can a state legislature defy the law? When it comes to the gun issue, apparently it can.I refer to...

It is no surprise that America's renewed focus on the separation between state and federal authority has created an almost hysterical rage on the Left. Collectivist ideologues are always necessarily threatened by divisions of power. But rather than shame dissenters into silence with labels like "tenther," the disdain shown by the political class and its sycophants for the Constitution has only heightened the growing tension between those in America who desire absolute central government, and those who still believe in the federalism and freedom of our founding.

A pro-life movement seeking to guarantee basic human rights to unborn babies is exploding in 32 states – and leaders say it could be just the key to nullifying abortion provisions in President Obama's health-care "reform." While abortion was not specifically mentioned in earlier bills under consideration, H.R.3962, unveiled by Nancy Pelosi this week, does in fact state abortion is to be covered. Concerns are mounting that whatever the final form of the legislation, the procedure will become more accessible, requiring health insurance companies to fund abortions. Gualberto Garcia Jones is director of Personhood Colorado and a legal analyst for...

Health Reform: House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer says it's constitutional to mandate insurance coverage. Congress, he insists, has "broad authority" to make us buy things to provide for the "general welfare." Democrats' Alice In Wonderland interpretation of what they consider to be a "living Constitution," where words mean what they say they mean based on political considerations, gets more bizarre by the minute. (snip) We've been down this road before. In 1994, Hillary Clinton's secretive health care task force was trying to nationalize health care. "A mandate requiring all individuals to purchase health insurance would be an unprecedented form of...

We have known about the H1N1 (Swine Flu), risk for many months now. We knew that last spring's outbreak would turn into a more virulent strain by this fall. That is all basic science. Concerned for our citizens, the government recognized the need to produce substantial volumes of vaccine. We have spent more than $2.2B for H1N1 Swine flu. To date, only a minor amount of this vaccine has been delivered, but concern seems muted. Despite new vaccine manufacturing technologies, we persist in using outdated methods and to spend huge sums of money in a wasteful manner. Why?

Gun Rights: A decade after Congress forbade the CDC from studying the health consequences of gun ownership, the National Institutes of Health has started funding such research. Will reform pry the guns from our cold, sick hands? More than a decade ago Congress, seeing it as a backdoor assault on the 2nd Amendment and the right to keep and bear arms, voted to cut funding for firearms research by the Centers for Disease Control. Such research was viewed as one-sided and based on flawed assumptions that all gun use was bad, even that which saved lives and deterred crime. The...

In an act of merciful sanity, the Obama administration has made good on its promise to stop interfering with states that allow the medical use of marijuana. Clink-clink, hear-hear, salud, cheers, et cetera, et cetera.... It's a good move, long overdue. But is it enough? Not quite. The debate over whether Americans ought to have the right to be stupid -- or to make other people seem more interesting -- continues apace after 40 years of the (failed) "war on drugs." Arguments for and against decriminalization of some or all drugs are familiar by now. Distilled to the basics, the...

Tennessee is urging 49 other states to come together and create a "joint working group between the states" to combat unconstitutional federal legislation and assert state rights. Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen signed HJR 108, the State Sovereignty Resolution on June 23. According to the Tenth Amendment Center, the resolution created a committee to form a joint working group between the states to enumerate the abuses of authority by the federal government and seek repeal of imposed mandates. State Rep. Susan Lynn recently wrote a letter to the other 49 state legislatures, inviting them to join the group and warning that...

Ohio has joined with several other states, including Montana and Tennessee, in asserting independence from federal gun laws with the introduction of House Bill 315. This bill, sponsored by Representatives Morgan and Martin, would make all guns manufactured wholly within the state of Ohio exempt from federal gun regulations provided sales are within state boundaries. The Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, and Explosives has claimed that they have the authority through the right to regulate interstate commerce because even exclusive intrastate sales of guns have an effect on gun sales nationwide. With two states already having passed similar bills, and...

Buckley on marijuana National Review ^ | William F. Buckley Conservatives pride themselves on resisting change, which is as it should be. But intelligent deference to tradition and stability can evolve into intellectual sloth and moral fanaticism, as when conservatives simply decline to look up from dogma because the effort to raise their heads and reconsider is too great. The laws aren't exactly indefensible, because practically nothing is, and the thunderers who tell us to stay the course can always find one man or woman who, having taken marijuana, moved on to severe mental disorder. But that argument, to quote...

On November 23, 1863, Ulysses S. Grant ordered George Thomas and his Army of the Cumberland to take Orchard Knob in preparation for the battle of Missionary Ridge. As Thomas' men advanced, the Confederate skirmishers fell back after a heavy engagement. Two days later Grant, Thomas and General Gordon Grainger were standing on the knob watching the battle of Missionary Ridge. From this vantage point they watched as the Army of the Cumberland routed Bragg's Army of Tennessee in what some scholars believe was the South's last chance for victory in the Civil War. Thomas needed a place to bury...

Heavily armed officers in helmets, bulletproof vests and, oddly enough, Bermuda shorts stormed his store, handcuffed him, disabled security cameras and seized his drugs before taking him to jail. When he asked why his shop was invaded, an officer responded, "We're closing them all down." Those words could prove prescient after Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley said last week he wants to shutter clinics that sell pot for profit. Cooley's plan is the latest salvo in a prolonged conflict in California over whether medical marijuana is truly having its intended effect or is being abused by the larger...

Although I don’t expect the state sovereignty movement to get a fair hearing over at Daily Kos, the total historical ignorance and vacuous credulity of some liberals never ceases to amaze me.A recent post, which purports to offer intellectual firepower capable of refuting the arguments of “tenthers,” essentially states that “Everything the federal government does is constitutional because the federal government says so.”Observe: Obviously Medicare, Social Security, and the Air Force (yes, I’ve had tenthers tell me the Air Force is unconstitutional) are legal because we’ve had them for decades without being struck down by the Supreme Court. Obviously. Except...

Obama Won't Seek to Arrest Medical Pot Users Federal prosecutors will be told it is not a good use of their time to arrest people who use or provide medical marijuana in strict compliance with state laws, officials say October 19, 2009 WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration will not seek to arrest medical marijuana users and suppliers as long as they conform to state laws, under new policy guidelines to be sent to federal prosecutors Monday. Two Justice Department officials described the new policy to The Associated Press, saying prosecutors will be told it is not a good use of...

The federal government is facing a lawsuit over billions in unclaimed bonds that date back to the patriotic fundraising efforts of World War II, leading to a showdown between states who say they should be given the money and a Treasury Department that claims ownership.

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration will not seek to arrest medical marijuana users and suppliers as long as they conform to state laws, under new policy guidelines to be sent to federal prosecutors Monday. Two Justice Department officials described the new policy to The Associated Press, saying prosecutors will be told it is not a good use of their time to arrest people who use or provide medical marijuana in strict compliance with state laws. The new policy is a significant departure from the Bush administration, which insisted it would continue to enforce federal anti-pot laws regardless of state codes.

O’Reilly told Dawkins” you insist you can’t even mention it, that is fascism, sir. Was he right? Is it constitutional/scientific to insist that only materialistic evolution can be taught? See: O’Reilly vs. Atheist Author Richard Dawkins...

I'm going to go back to this quote by Barney Frank of the US House, because it says everything those in state and local governments need to know: Barney Frank, the Massachusetts Democrat who is chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, said in an interview that the defaults were, in essence, worth it. “I don’t think it’s a bad thing that the bad loans occurred,” he said. “It was an effort to keep prices from falling too fast. That’s a policy.” Got it? It's a policy to screw the state and local governments. Huh, you say? It's simple, really:...

exas Governor Rick Perry was recently pilloried for bringing up the concept of secession (“succession” according to leftist political commentator Whoopi Goldberg). He did not, and was not, advocating it but the word obviously struck a nerve in the White House and its MSM trumpets. Everything the left does depends on financing from low tax states such as Texas, Nevada, and Florida. Low state taxes maximize income tax receipts, which help pay for the welfare state and vote buying so important to “liberals.” No person with an IQ above room temperature can read our Constitution and believe those states that...

USAToday has an article today about Sheriff Joe in Arizona being told by DHS to stop looking for illegals. Also, I posted this story yesterday about the illegals detention facility in Texas being emptied a couple of weeks ago, and illegals transferred into unguarded hotel facilities with free food, and medical care.

The nation's governors are emerging as a formidable lobbying force as health-care reform moves through Congress and states overburdened by the recession brace for the daunting prospect of providing coverage to millions of low-income residents. The legislation the Senate Finance Committee is expected to approve calls for the biggest expansion of Medicaid since its creation in 1965. Under the Senate bill and the House proposal, a state-federal insurance program targeted mainly at children, pregnant women and disabled people would effectively become a Medicare for the poor, a health-care safety net for all people with an annual income below $14,404. Whether...