What sedition looks like
Sedition is defined as “any act, writing, speech, etc., directed unlawfully against state authority, the government, or constitution, or calculated to bring it into contempt or to incite others to hostility, ill will or disaffection.”
Would you like to see the real world version? No, I’m not talking about Fox or other anti-Obama outlets thinly protected by the First Amendment. I’m talking about Arizona Bill 1433:
After being shot down earlier this week, the Arizona State Senate revived and successfully passed a bill that would create a mechanism for the state to nullify federal laws.
As TPM has reported, Senate Bill 1433 would create a 12-person “Joint Legislative Committee on Nullification of Federal Laws,” which would “recommend, propose and call for a vote by simple majority to nullify in its entirety a specific federal law or regulation that is outside the scope of the powers delegated by the People to the federal government in the United States Constitution.”
The article goes on to clarify what the position of the Constitution is on this matter by quoting the actual Constitution, something Republicans love to talk about doing but tend to forget when it’s inconvenient:
This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby, anything in the Constitution or laws of any State to the contrary notwithstanding.
This is the very definition of sedition and no, it’s not protected speech. Why is it that this is tolerated by conservative voters? Why is OK to hate your government when that government is Democratic but even disagreeing with a Republican administration is treason?
Republicans like to talk about the slippery slope to tyranny but this is, what? A patriotic fight to undo the Civil War? What happens when a state decides that black people can’t vote? Or that slavery’s not that bad? If state rights’ are supreme, where do you draw the line? This isn’t a ridiculous worst case example like gay marriage leading to man on dog marriage. We’ve literally fought the bloodiest war in American history over this very thing and Republicans want to revisit the underlying causes? I can’t imagine how that could possibly be a bad thing.
If anyone can find this blatant an assault on the Constitution by a Democratic state government within our lifetime, I’d be very curious as to the circumstances.
Related posts:
Author: Justin "Filthy Liberal Scum" Rosario
Come join me on Facebook, my home blog or just follow me on Twitter @FilthyLbrlScum
7:31 pm
This is an unresolved issue that goes back to the creation of the Constitution. The Jeffersonians considered the 10th Amendment to be the way the Constitution should be interpreted since the Constitution itself is silent on how it should be interpreted. Federalists argued that it should be the Supremacy Clause (quoted above) and the courts. After the “Marbury vs. Madison” case (1803), a precedent was established for Supreme Court interpretation, but it’s not a legal decree. It’s a precedent. Unresolved. Interesting. Our country is starting to split at the seams — will they hold?
2:17 am
… iT’S TiME “OCCUPY THE WORLD” YOU ARE DEFiNiTELY iN THE DRiVER’S SEAT RiTE NOW!!! “OCCUPY DENVER” …OCCUPY OAKLAND” … “OCCUPY WALL STREET” … “OCCUPY PORTLAND” … “OCCUPY MiAMi” THE WORLD iS WiTH YOU-STAND UP… SUPPOSEDLY FREE AMERiCA iS EXACTiNG FiNAL & BRUTAL & ViCiOUS PUNiSHMENT ON iTS SUPPOSEDLY FREE CiTiZENS JUST BECAUSE OF THEiR NEED FOR PEACEFUL & NON-ViOLENT GATHERiNGS-THE ENTiRE WORLD iS NOW WATCHiNG HOW SUPPOSEDLY FREE AMERiCA USES HARD MiLiTARiSTiC WEAPONS & GESTAPO BRUTAL POLiCE TACTiCS 2 SQUASH & PUT DOWN iTS SUPPOSEDLY FREE CiTiZENS-STAND UP… Dolphins Head Coach http://t.co/ZUCh4Xqa Sparano sent out a spirited message 2 Dolfans http://goo.gl/LXJ2G He said he needs you all at the stadium 2REPRESENT &that the team needs your support &undying loyalty-He finished up with-We’re going to get there (GET THERE-WHERE? DAMN-iT!!…THE ROAD 2THE SUPER BOWL iS DEFiNiTELY NOT LOCATED DOWN iN THE SEWER!!) one way or the other-I hope its with you but we’ll do it without you-What do you think about his message-Will you be cheering on the Fins @SunLifeStadium this season-Sound off here @WPLG Your responses will be read on WPLG Local10 News @6am “BELiEVE”
9:50 am
What they are referring to is actually called Nullification. As a theory it really came about in the late 1700′s by Thomas Jefferson.
From Thomas E. Woods:
“Nullification, as many readers of this site already know, refers to the power of a state to refuse to enforce an unconstitutional federal law. Most Americans have never heard of the idea, or know of it only in caricature…
When he memorably laid out the case for nullification in the Kentucky Resolutions of 1798, Thomas Jefferson argued that if the federal government were allowed to hold a monopoly on determining what its powers were, we would have no right to be surprised when it kept discovering new ones.” quoted from http://www.lewrockwell.com/woods/woods142.html
Nullification in itself is not sedition, nor is it treason. There is a fine line between the three however and it could be very easy for someone with a little too much zeal to step over it. Party affiliation has nothing to do with it, there are zealots on all sides. The stereotypical Republican Party view of Federal powers is no better off than the stereotypical Democratic Party view of Federal powers. They both are so self consumed with hubris that they can’t see the rest of the world over the fog they all live in.
What it really comes down to is – how do you interpret the Constitution? Do the states have the power or does the Federal government? From what I’ve seen everyone is very liberal in the interpretation of the Constitution – only taking the parts out that support their side. Frankly I think they are all insane.
2:38 pm
This is called Federalism…
4:05 pm
They don’t seem to understand the US is not a confederation of independent states…we are a Union!