Nice word: Nullification. Constitutionally speaking, “nullification” has been around in the USA for more than 230 years. Take a look at Jefferson’s and Madison’s “Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions” (1798).
“The resolutions argued that the states had the right and the duty to declare unconstitutional those acts of Congress that the Constitution did not authorize. In doing so, they argued for states’ rights and strict construction of the Constitution.”
The idea was that any state legislature could declare any law passed by the US Congress that said state considered unconstitutional as “absolutely null and utterly void.” Thus that state would be under no legal or moral obligation to enforce such a law.
Nullification has been for some years slowly creeping into the mindset of Americans, especially where firearms and taxation and energy and abortion are concerned. If some state—Nebraska for example—considered any ban on oil drilling to be unconstitutional then that state could drill to its heart’s content. The same with firearms. If some 3 letter agency issues some diktat restricting in whatever fashion the 2nd Amendment, then any state could tell that agency to go have sex with itself.
Imagine the possibilities! Each state would be free to enforce whatever law it considered constitutional, and to nullify any law it considered unconstitutional. The states would then revert to what they were supposed to be from the formation of our Republic: “laboratories of democracy”. The 9th and 10th Amendments would actually mean something.
The word for this is Liberty. And one outcome of each state claiming the power of nullification would be the complete impotence of the Supreme Court—John Marshall be damned. Which he already is.
In my opinion the feds main buttress blocking nullification by states is money. 36% of Oklahoma’s state funds is federal revenue, Alaska, it’s 50%, for the great majority of states it’s at least a third of their revenue according to Pew Trusts. You children better not get too uppity or else we, the feds, will stop giving a fraction of the money we took away from your citizens back to you!
I’ve often heard state legislators say, “We can’t do that, the feds will withhold…!”
Pretty big stick the feds have to make states toe the latest line.
Perhaps, but states got along just fine before FDR, LBJ and Nixon without oceans of federal monies. America had excellent schools, no income tax and we won all our wars. We were free then.
Any national cataclysm—civil war being only one possibility, losing a world war would be another—would end the federal blackjack over the states. The federal government would not then have the power to threaten anybody. Most of state and federal spending is at any rate an absolute waste. It would hardly be noticed except by our parasites, who would over time simply disappear.
KCKMay 4, 2022, 1:17 PM
Once you become noticed, or once “they” arrive at your door, you’ve lost the present battle.
I live in a rather well defensible place, and the whole county is majority good guys. Very. well. armed. good guys. The Hole In The Wall Gang, so top speak.
My state is hard to imagine as a Nullify State – rather, it is hard left on the other side of the mountains from me. But, the idea of re-locating to a Nullify State is odious – I’m well established and well entrenched here.
Besides, much of the conflict we now face is an information conflict. It could go kinetic in a minute, but there is an enormous amount of friction that keeps the feds in their own lanes for now.
Real World Address for Donations, Mash Notes and Hate Mail
Gerard Van der Leun
1692 MANGROVE AVE
APT 379
Chico, Ca 95926
Green Pants Interior by Klahn
Who Am I? by Carl Sandburg
My head knocks against the stars.
My feet are on the hilltops.
My finger-tips are in the valleys and shores of universal life.
Down in the sounding foam of primal things I reach my hands and play with pebbles of destiny.
I have been to hell and back many times.
I know all about heaven, for I have talked with God.
I dabble in the blood and guts of the terrible.
I know the passionate seizure of beauty
And the marvelous rebellion of man at all signs reading “Keep Off.”
My name is Truth and I am the most elusive captive in the universe.
Duty, Beauty, Liberty, Country, Honor, Family, Faith — Plus a few simple easy to follow rules for guys
Men saw the stars at the edge of the sea
They thought great thoughts about liberty
Poets wrote down words that did fit
Writers wrote books
Thinkers thought about it
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
Many’s the road I have walked upon
Many’s the hour between dusk and dawn
Many’s the time
Many’s the mile
I see it all now
Through the eyes of a child
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
[Chorus]
Lost dreams and found dreams
In America
In America
In America
Lost dreams and found dreams
In America
In America
In America
And close your eyes
Leave it all for a while
Leave the world
And your worries behind
You will build on whatever is real
And wake up each day
To a new waking dream
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
[Chorus]
Change, change come over
Change come over
Talkin’ about a change
Change, change
Change come over, now
Change, change, change come over
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I see my light
See my light
See my shining light
I see my light
See my light
See my shining light
Gerard Van der Leun
Comments on this entry are closed.
Nice word: Nullification. Constitutionally speaking, “nullification” has been around in the USA for more than 230 years. Take a look at Jefferson’s and Madison’s “Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions” (1798).
“The resolutions argued that the states had the right and the duty to declare unconstitutional those acts of Congress that the Constitution did not authorize. In doing so, they argued for states’ rights and strict construction of the Constitution.”
The idea was that any state legislature could declare any law passed by the US Congress that said state considered unconstitutional as “absolutely null and utterly void.” Thus that state would be under no legal or moral obligation to enforce such a law.
Nullification has been for some years slowly creeping into the mindset of Americans, especially where firearms and taxation and energy and abortion are concerned. If some state—Nebraska for example—considered any ban on oil drilling to be unconstitutional then that state could drill to its heart’s content. The same with firearms. If some 3 letter agency issues some diktat restricting in whatever fashion the 2nd Amendment, then any state could tell that agency to go have sex with itself.
Imagine the possibilities! Each state would be free to enforce whatever law it considered constitutional, and to nullify any law it considered unconstitutional. The states would then revert to what they were supposed to be from the formation of our Republic: “laboratories of democracy”. The 9th and 10th Amendments would actually mean something.
The word for this is Liberty. And one outcome of each state claiming the power of nullification would be the complete impotence of the Supreme Court—John Marshall be damned. Which he already is.
In my opinion the feds main buttress blocking nullification by states is money. 36% of Oklahoma’s state funds is federal revenue, Alaska, it’s 50%, for the great majority of states it’s at least a third of their revenue according to Pew Trusts. You children better not get too uppity or else we, the feds, will stop giving a fraction of the money we took away from your citizens back to you!
I’ve often heard state legislators say, “We can’t do that, the feds will withhold…!”
Pretty big stick the feds have to make states toe the latest line.
Perhaps, but states got along just fine before FDR, LBJ and Nixon without oceans of federal monies. America had excellent schools, no income tax and we won all our wars. We were free then.
Any national cataclysm—civil war being only one possibility, losing a world war would be another—would end the federal blackjack over the states. The federal government would not then have the power to threaten anybody. Most of state and federal spending is at any rate an absolute waste. It would hardly be noticed except by our parasites, who would over time simply disappear.
Once you become noticed, or once “they” arrive at your door, you’ve lost the present battle.
I live in a rather well defensible place, and the whole county is majority good guys. Very. well. armed. good guys. The Hole In The Wall Gang, so top speak.
My state is hard to imagine as a Nullify State – rather, it is hard left on the other side of the mountains from me. But, the idea of re-locating to a Nullify State is odious – I’m well established and well entrenched here.
Besides, much of the conflict we now face is an information conflict. It could go kinetic in a minute, but there is an enormous amount of friction that keeps the feds in their own lanes for now.