Rick Perry is NOT a secessionist

Let's get the record straight. Rick Perry is not a secessionist. That he is even associated with Texas secessionism is more the result of careless speaking, bad reporting, and the desire of the neoconservatives to see him out of the Presidential race.

What really happened (supported by news reports at the time) was that he was speaking to a Tea Party in Austin April 15, 2009, when someone in the crowd yelled "Secede!" He answered the remark this way, as reported at the time by the Houston Chronicle:

Texas is a unique place. When we came into the union in 1845, one of the issues was that we would be able to leave if we decided to do that,” Perry said. “My hope is that America and Washington in particular pays attention. We’ve got a great union. There’s absolutely no reason to dissolve it. But if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, who knows what may come of that.”

He suggested, in a thickly veiled way, that he could imagine a situation in which secession might become necessary, but he never supported the notion.

To one who does support secession from his state, Gov. Perry's remark sounded like an attempt to laugh the idea off.

Anyway, it is self-contradictory and politically suicidal for a U.S. Presidential candidate to favor the right of secession.

When states begin exiting from the Union, Washington will do everything it can to resist; but it may not have the support and the resources Lincoln had to quash it.

My impression of Gov. Perry is that he is trying to walk a tightrope between the paleoconservative and neoconservative wings of the Republican Party. If I were a betting man, I would wager that he is going to fall off.

Update Sept. 26: Brent Budowsky at The Hill submits a concurring opinion, observing that the race for the Republican Presidential nomination is not, and never has been, a "two man race." Rather, it is like "the Wild West."

Same is true of Ohio...

From the Texas National Movement, via DumpDC:

by Cary Wise, Membership Director, Texas Nationalist Movement

Dear Governor Perry:

Once again Texas gets slapped in the face by the federal government and the Obama administration. Wow, Governor, it seems everyone in the nation can get federal disaster relief except for Texas. Nothing seems to matter as to the cause, as other States receive disaster relief from damage caused by tornados, floods, fire, snow, rain…you name it! It just seems strange to me that Texas can’t get federal relief for millions of acres that are burning, a border that is lawless and out of control, the halting of drilling operations in the Gulf of Mexico and the continuation of an environmental death match with the Environmental Protection Agency, an agency of the federal government responsible only to the President.

Well, Governor Perry, let me and the entire population of Texas clear this up for you…if you are having a problem figuring out what’s going on, that is.

This federal government and especially this administration are moving toward a one world government and a one world economy. Is that hard for you to believe? If so, I suggest you watch the world continue to buy gold by the TONS! I suggest you watch the news and listen to the “Left” now overtly call for a one world government and economy. I and the good people of Texas suggest you ask why ObamaCare has been ruled unconstitutional yet the process moves forward to destroy our State economically! The last thing I would like to suggest, Governor Perry, is for you to re-read Fed Up!…the book YOU wrote! You yourself laid out all the federal government problems in that book as well as the answers! Are you going to execute your plan or was it just a bone thrown to a desperate Texas populace?

The actual real answer, Governor Perry, is that one State stands in the way of Mr. Obama and the Progressive posse’s plans…and that is Texas! With that in mind, Texas will receive zero help from the government. Texas will continually be involved in litigation with federal agencies as they attempt to destroy not only our State, but our culture, our history, our economy, and our Texas independence state of mind!

I propose to you that it seems the only people who do not seem to be aware of this are those on both sides of the aisle now residing in our state capitol building!

Governor, quit making Texas drop to its knees and beg the federal government for handouts! You are making Texas and yourself look weak in the eyes of those who place Texas first! We here in Texas can go it alone and we ALL know it!

Governor Perry, it is time to begin discussing DIVORCE from this Union gone awry! It is time to become the leader for TEXAS! It is time to begin to represent the PEOPLE of Texas as you have pledged to support and lead!

We Texans are done with our politicians sitting on their hands with their mouths shut. We are tired of our leadership being “shocked” when again and again Texas gets slapped by this government! Stand up Governor Perry! Our only option left is Independence! (lest we spiral down into the pit that is being prepared for us and the rest of this nation! And if we do, all the politicians in Austin will be held responsible! Make no mistake about that!)

Governor, there are millions of us out here that have studied, planned and prepared for an Independent Texas. I ask you, as do my fellow Texas citizens, to engage with us in all urgency and begin immediately the discussion of the defense and future of Texas. You, as the chief executive of the sovereign state of Texas, MUST lead the counter-attack against federal tyranny and keep Texas sovereign and free! Believe me, Governor, if you do not act and lead, the people of Texas will. Your leadership and the rallying of the citizens around you is the way to go, so that a peaceful process from federal slave to free and sovereign state can be assured.

I, and millions of Texans, pray that you are listening and that you take the point as a true “Son of Texas”!

Respectfully submitted,
Cary Wise

 We do not have Texas's tradition of one-time independence, but there is no reason that we could not make it as an independent nation. Throwing off federal taxes and federal mandates will leave all of us better off, even after taking on our own national defense and foreign relations. We should make Ohio another block to one-world government and preserve the freedoms that are so well protected by our Ohio Constitution!

Governor Kasich, it's time to get "Fed up" and stand up for Ohio!

The limitations of speed limits

Ohio, of course, has a national reputation for being a police state when it comes to speed limits -- while every surrounding state except Pennsylvania sets a 70 limit, we insist on 65. That reputation was enshrined in American popular culture in the opening to the madcap cross-country race in the film Cannonball Run (1981), in which the announcer said:

Of course you know certain skeptics note that perhaps 10,000 of the nation's most elite highway patrolmen are out there waiting for us after we start, but let's stay positive: Think of the fact that there's not one state in the 50 that has the death penalty for speeding... although I'm not so sure about Ohio.

As Eric Peters points out at LewRockwell.com, what are legally "speed limits" represent no such thing logically:

A legitimate speed limit (not a speed that amounts to the de facto normal cruising speed or average traffic flow of most cars on the road, as current “speed limits” are) ought to be about 85-90 mph on most roads. It’s ridiculous that the “limit” – as we Americans define it – amounts to the speed most cars are cruising along at. A speed limit ought to be just that – the absolute maximum safe speed for that road under ideal conditions.

Highlighting that absurdity is the fact that most interstate highways prior to 1974 had a speed limit of 70, but following an Act of Congress that year, the maximum "safe" speed suddenly went down to 55. (The act was repealed in 1994, with little observable change in the accident rate).

Even in our "police state," there are many stretches of highway where the car going 65 (which I do to save gas) becomes the slowest car on the road.

All of this leads up to another stroke for liberty in the making in the soon-to-be Republic of Texas -- a bill to increase its speed limit to 85 mph -- which makes perfect sense on the vast stretches of lightly-traveled rural highway in that and other Western states; but is mind-boggling to most of us in Ohio. (Please, I am not suggesting an 85 limit in Ohio -- but perhaps we could justify 70 or 75 on some open stretches of I-70, I-71, and I-75).

Makes you wonder, are higher limits as much a threat to safety as they are to revenue?

The rule in a libertarian society would be no speed limits, but if you cause an accident as the result of reckless driving, you or your insurance company will be sued, and the damages will hurt a lot more than the fines.

Virtual buckeye to Andy Myers. 

News from the secessionist front

Well, here is the gerbil in the wheel, spitting out another post about secession-is-just-around-the-corner. (Whether or not it is "worthless," I shall leave to your judgment). In this post are two states that may be in contention for "most likely to secede first." One state has the strongest movement, the other may be the most prepared.

Texas Nationalists launch billboard campaign

The Texas Nationalist Movement has purchased billboard space along heavily-traveled I-10 to proclaim that yes, Texas can secede. Through the campaign, the movement hopes to attract new visitors to its website and raise donations, as well as consciousness.

"We hope our billboards will get the message across to our fellow Texans: we don't have to take it. There IS another option," said movement president Daniel Miller.

North Dakota bank positions state for independence

Recently, I reminded readers how the Bank of North Dakota has positioned its state to issue an alternative currency as the dollar spins into hyperinflation. Russell Longcore at DumpDC explains in an article widely reproduced in the secessionist blogosphere how that fact actually makes that state of 700,000 one of the most prepared to assume independence. One reason is that the existence of a state bank makes it relatively immune to retaliation from the Federal Reserve:

If Washington balks at state secessions, their first retaliation will be to cut off the flow of cash to the Federal Reserve System member banks in that naughty state. In the event of secession, all the North Dakota State Bank would have to do is (a) establish its money, which is the underlying precious metals or underlying minerals to provide value to their money…then (b) issue their new state currency. 

Other seceding states will lose precious months setting up a state banking system before they can issue their own currencies.  Mr. Longcore explains why the idea of secession isn't as crazy as it may sound:

Many other states are giving serious consideration to the State Bank concept in an effort to wrest control away from an insane Federal Reserve System and an equally crazy Washington. We here at DumpDC encourage the states to cease all this anguish and simply secede. In one magnificent act, all your problems with Washington vanish. Don’t be misled by what I am saying. No one knows how Washingon will react to an Ordinance of Secession. But taking a page from the history books from 1989 shows me that after an economic meltdown, Washington will likely be just as powerless to prevent secession as the Kremlin was to prevent the breakup of the former Soviet Union.

It's time for Ohio to set up a state bank and prepare to institute a silver-based state currency. The days of the strong dollar are numbered -- we just don't know the last two digits.

Texas group rallies for secession

From the Associated Press, via Politico:

"Texas can take better care of itself than Washington,” said Lauren Savage, vice president of the movement. “We are here to raise interest in the Legislature of the possibility of secession to cure the ills of America.”

Members are demanding that state lawmakers introduce a bill that would allow Texans to vote on whether to declare independence.

Fed up with federal mandates, the burden of unsustainable taxes and disregarded votes, members say secession has been a long time coming.

“This is a cake that’s been baking for 85 years,” said Cary Wise, membership director of the Texas Nationalist Movement. “All this administration has done is light the candles.”

Of all the states, Texas is probably the best prepared to resume life as an independent nation. The referendum is a great idea, and I hope they do it; but Texas will still have some ducks to line up before it is prepared to go out on its own.

Why we belong to the liberty movement

... and why some of us become secessionists. In September 2009, Cary Wise, a patriotic veteran of the Vietnam War, made a difficult decision to join the Texas Nationalist Movement. He did so, not because he hated the United States, but because he hated what its government had become.

Even if you are not a secessionist, Mr. Wise's essay is a stirring testimony that will motivate you to keep up the struggle -- so that you, your children, and grandchildren will have something important to live for.

I encourage you to read it in Russell Longcore's DumpDC.

A darned inconvenient truth

Daniel Miller of the Texas Nationalist Movement lays out the case for secession about as plainly as it can be laid out. After cataloguing the excesses of the federal government, he writes this:

So What Is It Going To Take?

The Founders of Texas declared independence from Mexico for far less and sacrificed way more. The Founders of the United States declared independence for far less and sacrificed way more. The people of France took to the streets for far less and sacrificed way more.

It is time for you to make a decision. Either you want to: “A” live like this or you want something better. Either you or perfectly fine with the ride the federal government is taking you or you want to be rid of it. Either you want to exist in bondage or you want to “B” live free and independent. There is no "Option C". There is no compromise option. There is no middle ground. There is only slavery and tyranny or freedom and liberty.

If you fail to choose, you have chosen. We either create history or it will be created for us.

Years from now, you will have the opportunity to explain this period in our history to the generations yet to come. When they ask you what you did when Texas became a Republic again, are you going to tell them that you couldn't take off of work? Are you going to tell them that you missed out because the Cowboys game was on? Are you going to tell them that a pizza or a case of beer was more important?

If you ignore this call to join with the Texas Nationalist Movement, then never, ever complain about the federal government again. Never complain about Obama, Pelosi, Reid or any of their successors. Never complain about taxes, inflation, unemployment or immigration. When the banks run out of money, don't complain. When your job goes to an illegal alien, don't complain. When your money becomes worthless, don't complain. When the price of food goes sky high, don't complain.

And whatever you do, never insult the French. They at least did something that you were unwilling to do for far less.

However, if you are ready to join with me and other Texans who are ready to give everything and sacrifice all to live for a cause, then I welcome you and embrace you as my countrymen.

Respectfully submitted to the Citizens of Texas this 26th day of October 2010.

Daniel Miller, President
Texas Nationalist Movement

Liberty-minded Ohioans are hoping for election results next Tuesday that will strengthen our voice in the General Assembly and the Congress. I voted, and I hope we are right. But if we're not, then what?

I have advocated taking the nullification route first; but we must start preparing for the step after that. As a certain Columbus-based insurance company would say, "Life comes at you fast." Like it or not, ready or not, the revolution will soon be upon us. What we do in the next few months will determine whether or not we deserve to live in a free society.

How to win friends and influence people, cont'd.

Bud Kennedy at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes of a Tea Party in his Texas city, in which secessionist activist Larry Kilgore knocked down all of the United States flags on the platform.

Later, [Mr. Kilgore] wrote on Facebook: "Many people were angry that I tossed their idol to the floor." He called partyers "idol worshipers."

I agree that too many freedom-loving Americans confuse love of country and its traditions with mindless nationalism; but theatrics like this, like those of the Latinos at the rally in Phoenix, only discredit their cause. And in Mr. Kilgore's case, it happens to be my cause.

Only by respecting people can we hope to persuade them. We don't have to act like the Three Stooges to get our point across.

Don't mess with Texas

A crowd demonstrated in Austin, Texas on Monday in 104-degree heat, and the mainstream media can't be bothered. Not only did they demonstrate, as displayed below (and reported in Human Events); but their Governor Rick Perry reportedly got an icy reception from Emperor President Obama when he wanted to hand him a letter requesting additional federal help in protecting the southern border from drug cartels and gangs. Democratic politicians in Texas have become allergic to the President.

While most of the speakers were candidates running for state and local office as Republicans, the rally itself had a Tea Party flavor to it, albeit with a Texas twist.

Attendees carried signs with anti-Obama and anti-government messages, similar to Tea Party slogans:

• Rejecting Socialism is Patriotism
• I Love My Country, I Fear My Government
• Free Markets, Not Freeloaders.
• Sounds Like Marx, Acts Like Stalin, Must Be Obama

The Tea Party favorite “Don’t Tread on Me” flags were joined by the Texan “Come and Take It” rallying cry from their War of Independence against Mexico.

And there were plenty of signs that said “Hands Off Texas,” “Don’t Mess with Texas,” and “Secede.” [!]

This led Old Rebel at Rebellion to observe:

Readers send me emails asking if I think secession from the immoral empire will happen within our lifetimes. These days, it looks like it could be within a few months.

I don't think it will happen quite that soon. Keep in mind that, at the present time, no state is prepared to secede. None have an active state militia and none have developed an alternative currency; but the pressure is building. Americans have had enough of federal arrogance, and will soon be ready to throw it off.

Ohio will not secede on its own, but once the collapse begins, we will join most of the rest in finding our way out. I expect this to occur within the next two years.

Don't mess with Texas ... or the rest of us!

Yesterday's Texas primary election led to the renomination of Gov. Richard Perry (Associated Press article). Gov. Perry, of course, won fame with his appeals to the Tea Party movement, including his veiled reference to secession last April. He also endorsed the Texas state sovereignty resolution. While some in the liberty movement have questioned his sincerity in espousing its goals, there is no question that he is popular within it. Debra Medina better fit the goals of many in the movement, but while she captured 19% of the Republican vote, she was unable to force a runoff. Between the two candidates, the message is clear. Texas wants Washington out of its business.

So do the rest of us, as I suspect the 2010 election cycle will make clear.

If you're a Texan with a Citibank account, you might want to go shopping...

Whiskey & Gunpowder reports that New York-based Citibank has sent out a notice with its statements nationwide:

“Effective April 1, 2010, we reserve the right to require (7) days advance notice before permitting a withdrawal from all checking accounts. While we do not currently exercise this right and have not exercised it in the past, we are required by law to notify you of this change,” Citigroup said on statements received by customers all over the country.”

According to Ira Stoll at The Future of Capitalism, the notice was meant to apply only to depositors in Texas.

From checking accounts? One has to wonder, is Citi that insolvent, are they just harrassing Texans because of the strength of their secessionist movement, or are they just trying to see how much they can get away with? One has to wonder...

Might be a good time to buy some bullion (Monex latest: Gold $1,112; silver $16.38 per troy ounce).

Virtual buckeye to Old Rebel at Rebellion.

Now THIS is something we can do without!

Amanda Stinzalis at KVUE-TV in Austin, Texas reports that a 40-year-old Kerrville man is under investigation for impersonating an officer.

Kerrville police spotted the man driving around with three magnetic emblems on the side of his truck. The emblems were circular in shape and said, "Sheriff's Dept of Bexar County" on them. Inside the circle, it said, "Republic of Texas."

The Republic of Texas is a group that believes Texas is its own nation. The group elects all of its own leaders, from President down to county officials. It also elects its own county Sheriff, including one for Bexar County.

When Kerrville police questioned the man about the emblems, he responded, "I am a Sheriff's Deputy for the Republic of Texas, and I answer to my own Sheriff."

This reminds me of the incident in 1996 in which a police officer in Frazeysburg shot in the line of duty a "patriot" who claimed to chief justice of "Our One Supreme Court."

There is only one legitimate government in any state -- the one that was elected by the people of that state in accordance with its Constitution and lawful electoral process. The "sheriff's deputy" in Bexar County has no more legitimacy than if he represented a micronation, and he should be arrested for impersonating an officer.

Secession will occur when the electors of a state vote in referendum (or through a convention) to dissolve the union between that state and the United States; or in an emergency situation, by the legislature of that state. There is no other way, and there should be no other way.

The mainstream media are beginning to notice

... that secessionists aren't a bunch of lonely kooks on the outside.

This article from the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram notes that movements are developing all across North America, not just Texas. In addition to the Texas independence movements and Larry Kilgore's candidacy for Texas governor in 2010, the article mentions the Second Vermont Republic and Cascadia (in the Pacific Northwest).

It also lists laws passed in Montana and Tennessee nullifying Federal law for firearms produced in-state, a proposed state Constitutional amendment in Arizona to opt the state out of proposed federal healthcare mandates, and resolutions in nearly two dozen states to refuse participation in the Real ID Act (which requires state drivers' licenses and ID cards to meet federal standards).

The article also brings up a great opportunity for Ohio anti-war activists, a burgeoning movement to "Bring the Guard Home", which is pushing legislation in 23 states to empower governors to recall state National Guard units from Iraq on the grounds that the federal law authorizing the deployments has expired.

Nothing earth-shaking yet, but definitely an indicator of things to come.

Sept. 22 update: Now, Lou Dobbs has joined Glenn Beck in discussing the Tenth Amendment (and to a limited extent, secessionism) on his radio show. And like Glenn Beck, he is catching his share of liberal namecalling.

Virtual buckeyes to Old Rebel at Rebellion for both the original article and the update.

Texans rally for secession

The YouTube clip below displays excerpts from last Saturday's rally at the State Capitol in Austin, Texas. Two candidates for the Republican nomination for Governor spoke at the rally: Debra Medina and Larry Kilgore. Mr. Kilgore is a well-known activist in secessionist circles, who garnered more than 270,000 votes in his bid for the U.S. Senate in 2008 -- on an explicitly secessionist platform. I don't know how much of a threat he is to Rick Perry and Kay Bailey Hutchinson, but the race will be (to say the least) fascinating to watch.

State Sovereignty Resolution Update - 5/20

According to the Austin American-Statesman, the most famous State sovereignty resolution of all, Texas' HCR 50 has been returned to committee on a point of order relating to the way it was sent to the floor. The setback is expected to be temporary.

Secessionists on the "lunatic fringe"?

Now that Texas Gov. Rick Perry has made secessionism impossible to ignore, the mainstream media are falling all over themselves trying to ridicule both the secessionist and State sovereignty movements as lunatic fringe movements.


Here are a few examples:

- Akron's Ben Keeler reports that the Cleveland media ignored a turnout of 2,000 to Cleveland's Tea Party Wednesday. He also observes that leftist protestors broke up a speech by former Colorado Congressman Tim Tancredo opposing unrestricted immigration at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. The demonstration was so rowdy that Mr. Tancredo had to stop his speech and leave the scene. [But then we have known for some time that public universities don't exist to promote free inquiry, don't we? -- HT]

- I usually prefer to leave Rebellion alone when it battles the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), but when they try to smear Tea Party protestors as "Neo-Nazis, militias, secessionists, and racists," they are crossing a line that shouldn't have been crossed. Even the charge of "secessionist", while it applies to me, certainly does not apply to the great majority of people who appeared at the Tea Parties. Most Americans aren't prepared to think about secession yet -- but with tactics like these, they might be encouraged to do so!

- Rob Williams at Vermont Commons weighs in with an observation from Fox News (which Mr. Williams calls "faux news") commentator Geraldo Rivera, asserting that "you would have to be a lunatic to be a secessionist." (video at link) Then again, I never considered Geraldo Rivera to be a serious journalist...

- Also from Vermont Commons: an observation from Cornell Law professor William A. Jacobson about how talk of secession was just fine with the Left during the previous Administration. How the Left gets away with such bold hypocrisy never ceases to amaze me.

- U.S. News blogger John Aloysius Farrell tries to thoroughly discredit the idea of an independent Texas. Fortunately, the article is laced with ridicule and namecalling. (Fortunately, because it speaks to the weakness of his intellectual arguments).

I attended the Tea Party at the Statehouse Apr. 15 as one of an estimated 7,000 participants. (Figure sounds about right -- the lawn was packed). The crowd seemed pretty well grounded to me. Anyone who has ever known former Congressman John Kasich should know he is smart enough not to pander to a "lunatic fringe" movement, especially if he wants to be elected Governor of Ohio next year. (Keep in mind that Ohio is not exactly a classic "red state" and that Mr. Kasich has a moderate reputation to protect, so he cannot afford to risk it on associations with "wingnuts".)

I don't think anyone I know would call me a "lunatic," but I will embrace "extremist" -- as in:

"Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice; moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue." -- Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BC), quoted by Barry Goldwater in his 1964 acceptance of the Republican nomination for President.

The Brits get what the US media ignore

The Financial Times blog by Izabella Kaminska gives a balanced overview of the State sovereignty movement in the United States, and observes that the resolutions do provide a platform for future secession. The comments, however, are a review of the usual arguments for and against secession, particularly as it relates to Texas. Ms. Kaminska believes that Texas needs to be closely watched, since it is rich in oil and gas resources.

Texas governor caught in "firestorm" over secession

Texas is one State where more than a few people really are talking about secession. Gov. Rich Perry made this statement at one of the tea party rallies, as reported by KVUE in Austin:

"Perry said he never called for leaving the union. But he didn't distance himself from supporters with secessionist sentiments, either.

"'Wasn't it a great display of our constitutional rights that we live in a country where we can stand up and say, "you know what I think we oughta secede, or I think we oughta do this or oughta do that,"' said Perry. "

Analysts think that his "Texas two-step" was actually a brilliant political maneuver to help Gov. Perry secure a conservative base. Still, it is daring for any governor not to dismiss secessionism outright, and he clearly is irritating some opinion leaders in the State.

If Washington continues to ignore the sentiments that were expressed in the tea parties Wednesday, there will be more "tea parties", more statements of this nature, and they will be better accepted.

State Sovereignty Resolution Update – 4/11/09

I’m a little behind on reporting State sovereignty resolution status, so I am hoping this will make up for lost time:

There is a report, unconfirmed by the Legislative Service Commission, that Ohio’s HCR 11 has been referred to the State Government committee, chaired by Rep. Ronald V. Gerberry (D-Austintown).

In Alaska, HR 9 was replaced with CSHJR 27. It passed the House Apr. 6 by a vote of 37-0 with 3 excused. The measure is under consideration in the State Senate.

The Tenth Amendment Center reports that the Senate version (SR 632) of Georgia’s resolution passed Apr. 1 by a vote of 43-1. Because it is not a joint or concurrent resolution, it will not be considered in the Georgia House.

Indiana’s SCR 37 was replaced with SR0042, which was passed by the Senate Apr. 9 by a vote of 44-3. Like Georgia, the resolution was not joint or concurrent.

HCR 3063 passed the North Dakota House by a vote of 52-40. It has been referred to a Senate committee, which will hold a hearing on it Monday, Apr. 13.

Now the bad news – according to the Tenth Amendment Center, HJR 27 in New Mexico has been tabled in committee. Other bloggers indicate that it may be dead in the water.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry has endorsed that State’s resolution (HCR50). The Central Texas Register recorded the event thus:

“As the federal government spends us into generations of inconceivable debt, responsible state governments are trying to insulate themselves, protect their citizens and govern with fiscal common sense. Perry summed up what has become the common concern of people across the nation when he said:

‘I believe that our federal government has become oppressive in its size, its intrusion into the lives of our citizens, and its interference with the affairs of our state. That is why I am here today to express my unwavering support for efforts all across our country to reaffirm the states’ rights affirmed by the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. I believe that returning to the letter and spirit of the U.S. Constitution and its essential 10th Amendment will free our state from undue regulations, and ultimately strengthen our Union.’”

The Central Texas Register believes that, with six state legislatures passing resolutions, and several governors, including Gov. Perry and Govs. Sarah Palin of Alaska and Mark Sanford of South Carolina, endorsing them, the movement is “bound to have some impact.” At the very least, Congressional Republicans are beginning to feel pressure not to go soft on fiscal issues.

Even more importantly, notes the Register, it shows that the people are demanding real grassroots change. Cosmetic changes, such as a new President, are no longer enough. The grassroots are calling for fundamental transfer of power away from bureaucrats and politicians and back to the people, who are using the power of State governments under the Constitution to hold the Feds accountable, and to end their abuses of power.

The Tenth Amendment Center writer Karen DeCoster is observing that the major issues driving the grassroots push for change are “guns, gold, and secession”. Yes, she wrote the s word! She notes how each is being applied to the effort to protect and enhance the liberties of the people. (Her reference to secession is more that of the secession triggers in the New Hampshire and South Carolina resolutions).

As I wrote a few days ago, a revolution is coming. Our challenge will be to manage it well.

State Sovereignty Resolution Update - 3/17

Two States that had introduced resolutions in their House of Representatives have also introduced similar resolutions in their Senate:

Arizona SCR1038 was introduced Feb. 2 by Sen. Randy Gould (R). It is identical to their House Resolution (HCR2024).

Texas SCR39 was introduced Mar. 4 by Sen. Glenn Hegar (R). While generally modeled on Oklahoma's, it has some interesting features, unique to this resolution:

In the clause that states that "Congress may not simply commandeer the legislative functions of the States", in addition to the New York v. United States case (1992) cited in the other resolutions, the Texas Senate has added Printz v. United States, 521 US 898 (1997).

It also includes quotations from both Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton(!) in support of limiting the role of the Federal government; and reinforces the right of individuals to bear arms.

According to the John Birch Society's Tenth Amendment Movement site, Sen. Sam Rohrer's resolution in Pennsylvania has been introduced and numbered HR95, but I am unable to confirm it on the Pennsylvania General Assembly website.