It should be obvious to every observant American that the government based out of Washington D.C. is out of control. From a country founded on the concept of freedom, the executive branch, the legislative branch and the judicial branch ignore the fundamental precepts of the Constitution and attempt to regulate "the People" and take at will.
It seems there is little "the People" can do, with all three branches of government ganging up against them. Tom Woods, though, argues that there is something that can be done, and that something is nullification.
In a brilliant book, Nullification: How to Resist Federal Tyranny in the 21st Century, Woods' educates readers on the Constitution, and what it means, in a manner that most assuredly you did not learn in High School or college. Most importantly, Woods focuses on the concept of nullification, a concept that goes back to Thomas Jefferson. The concept being that states have the right to nullify unconstitutional laws.
As examples of nullification, he discusses the current attempts by some states to legalize medicinal marijuana (despite opposition at the Federal level). He discusses the actions by states that for all practical purposes nullified the federal Real ID Act of 2005. Woods writes that half of the states issued formal declarations that they had no intention of complying with the federal mandate. Woods states that “resistance was so widespread that although the law is still on the books, the federal government has, in effect, given up trying to enforce it.”
Woods also points out that nullification can go beyond the state level and be carried out on an individual level. He cites jury nullification as an example.
Most intriguing, Woods suggests that nullification could take the form of states requiring its citizens to send federal income tax money to the states where it would be put into escrow accounts, where the states then individually determine what legitimately should go to the federal government, with perhaps the states sending the rest back to its citizens.
If you haven't figured it out, this is a radical book, but it is radical constitutionalism, soundly argued. Given the overbearing reach of the Federal government, the nation, outside of Washington D.C., is fed up. This is the book that can provide the manual to take back the country. There are already indications Washington D.C. is scared of this book. I am writing this on Saturday June 26, after returning from the Borders Books at the corner of 14th Street and F Street in Washington D.C. This Borders is just two blocks from the White House. Woods' book is officially not scheduled to be released until Monday June 28, but as is often the case, the book was put on the shelf a couple of days early.
When I spotted the book it was face forward, the way they put books they want to promote, but there was only one copy. This struck me as odd given that the book was face forward, which suggested to me there was originally other copies. Further, since the book isn't officially out until Monday, it's doubly odd there is only one copy. I found a clerk and asked him if he could tell me how many copies of the book the store originally received. He looked it up for me. First, he noticed that the book wasn't officially out until Monday, but that the store had originally received 6 copies. He looked confused that there was only one copy left. I said to him, "That's alright. I think I understand."
A book that provides a playbook on how to reverse out of control government is selling like hotcakes just blocks from the White House. I get it. Some people are very afraid of this book and need to find out what is in it real fast. They know this book has nation changing potential. I say buy the book, get the nullification argument down cold, get in on the debate and scare the hell out of Washington D.C.
Haven't yet had a chance to read this book on nullification, however, another well-written book on 'radical constitutionalism' is "Toward an American Revolution" by Fresia.
ReplyDeleteJust as topical today as when it was written in the 1980's. Highly recommended for those wishing more perspective on basis, history, biases, and purpose of the Constitution.
I'll be buying a copy as soon as I get back to the States!
ReplyDeleteMeltdown was great.
BTW, it's very informative to read Jefferson Davis' comments on nullification in his farewell address to the US Senate. Davis argued against it, claiming that as long as a state was in the union, it was obligated to obey federal laws, and that if a state did not want to do so, the correct course of action was to secede. Davis' particular complaint was the nullification by Northern states of the fugitive slave laws.
ReplyDeleteHere's the speech by Davis that I was referring to above:
ReplyDeletehttp://jeffersondavis.rice.edu/resources.cfm?doc_id=1507
Any work Woods is well very well laid out. Meltdown was fantastic.
ReplyDeleteDon't just vote the bums out, nullify now!
ReplyDeleteHa! I just saw this at Barnes and Noble today on the new releases table. I will have to grab a copy off of Amazon.
ReplyDeleteJust bought this online at Amazon (Kindle) for iPhones. Looking forward to plowing through this. LAC, Moscow
ReplyDeletePurchase the book via LewRockwell.com where Tom Woods posts regularly.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amazon.com/dp/1596981490?tag=lewrockwell&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=1596981490&adid=0G8ZJNPQ9J2Y3FVWV86K&
I pre-ordered a copy from Amazon. Looking forwarding to getting it this week (I hope)!
ReplyDeleteGENERAL PROVISIONS (5 ILCS 70/) Statute on Statutes.
ReplyDelete(5 ILCS 70/0.01) (from Ch. 1, par. 1000)
Sec. 0.01. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Statute on Statutes.
(Source: P.A. 86 4; 86 451.)
(5 ILCS 70/1.14) (from Ch. 1, par. 1015)
Sec. 1.14. "State," when applied to different parts of the United States, may be construed to include the District of Columbia and the several territories, and the words "United States" may be construed to include the said district and territories.
(Source: Laws 1945, p. 1717.)
All modern states are "Federal Territory" by statute, ergo the right of nullification as expressed by Jefferson simply does not apply.
ReplyDeleteAmericans were more free under King George III
ReplyDeleteNullify the Federal Reserve: http://www.ConstitutionalTender.com/
ReplyDelete"Americans were more free under King George III "
ReplyDeletelol and it's also true that Iraqi's were more free under Saddam Hussein (no income tax, no drivers license, no prohibition on firearm ownership).
See WALL STREET AND THE BOLSHEVIK REVOLUTION ( http://www.reformed-theology.org/html/books/bolshevik_revolution/ )
This is great except for those of us who live in states like MA where our own state constitution refers to citizens as "subjects". With some of the most draconian gun laws in the country as an example, a MA citizen can have little hope that any nullification by MA of federal laws would have any benefit given that MA laws are MORE tyrannical than the federal laws.
ReplyDeleteA must read:
ReplyDeletehttp://praxeology.net/LS-NT-6.htm
Send copies of this article & comments to Arizona - and IF you are fortunate enough to have and afford any vacation time - support Arizona's standing up to Federal defiance of sovereign states & deliberate failure to enforce sovereign immigration LAWS they falsely purport they abide by...that THEY, flawed mortals they are, crafted.
ReplyDelete"All modern states are 'Federal Territory' by statute, ergo the right of nullification as expressed by Jefferson simply does not apply."
ReplyDeleteNonsense. Any statute, or court ruling that violates the Constitution, including the aforementioned, would by definition be unconstitutional, and therefore null and void.
When nullification becomes the order of the day we will see states competing with each other to provide the most free and friendly environment for their residents. At that point the 'subjects' of Mass. will have plenty of relocation options.
ReplyDeleteWhen under or bound by contract, especially SS, drivers license, etc. , one has elected to demonstrate his "right to contract" under the Constitution. Then bound by that contract, he becomes a statutory person and under commercial jurisdiction. For example, you have sold your business and contract to not compete or sell the same product within a given area. Would you think that you could go right back into the same business, ignore that contract, then turn to the Constitution for protection?
ReplyDelete--
ReplyDeleteThe collation of scholarship favoring (rather than evading) the doctrine of nullification is of value for a number of reasons.
First, Dr. Woods' book creates an omnium gatherum of background material on this subject previously found nowhere else.
Second, his work relates the current crisis - a complex of crises caused by truly "bipartisan" federal supremacist invasions of the spheres of individual preferences and actions - to similar crises in the early decades of our federal republic, and how nullification served to either blunt or completely turn back statist overreach.
In other words, Nullification shows that this doctrine, contrary to the standard "We are coming, Father Abraham!" exaltation of national socialism taught in the schools, has been accepted, practiced, and proven practicable in the past.
It works. And that scares the hell out of the creatures in Mordor-on-the-Potomac, doesn't it?
Third, Dr. Woods speaks to currently well-understood federal stupidity, malignancy, and cupidity in matters such as the medicinal use of marijuana - Cannabis sativa, ditchweed - which the majority of people in many of the states favor without more than minimal restriction (if any), and to which our Mombasa Messiah (the agent of "Hope" and "Change") remains obstinately opposed.
What the hell?
The sonofabitch spends millions in legal expenses to avoid submitting his birth certificate to scrutiny and he can't do the "stroke of the pen, law of the land" bit with regard to choke-chaining his own friggin' drug police?
Yeah. While you're down there, yank the other one. It's got bells on it.
Withal, Dr. Wood's latest work is worth adding to the library of liberty, and has my endorsement.
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People are sovereign.
ReplyDeleteSovereign means the one who has the final say.
Citizens are creatures of the state created by statute. Statutory courts apply to creatures of the state.
A man or woman can never be a citizen. A citizen is a fiction of law.
Contract obligations are vitiated by nondisclosure of important elements. Drivers licences and birth certificates may be binding for commercial activities if full disclosure was given to the parties. Absent that, the presumption of a valid contract can be declared void for fraud.
Sovereignty is something that can only be waived for a time. It cannot be forever granted away. It can always be exercised when necessary.
The "patriotic" community has spent a considerable time learning (with the help of mis-information agents) how and why we cannot obtain our freedom from government, when in truth government is a fiction of law and tool to provide a lawful service. At any point administrators of that fiction do something unlawful, government ceases to exist and the actors become criminals.
One who is injured by another while he is engaged in a lawful pursuit, has a right to compensation, and if the injury was committed with intent, the perpetrator is subject to criminal pains through the power of an affidavit of facts and complaint.
Tom is a very serious guy. And one of the few people I look too for the truths of our current situation. Nullification hands down is one of the few ways out of the tyrannical grip of Washington D.C an entity created by the People for the People. Push the book. Write about it were-ever you may roam. Write a review on it again were ever you go. Freedom is not free so write and keep spreading the word! Inform the masses! Give them direction too great web sites like....Lew Rockwell, Campaign For Liberty, Tenth Amendment Center, Mises. org, Ron Paul. Give them this book after your finished reading it have them pass it on to others, buy them a book it is a good deed. I bought my best friend the book. I am still waiting for it's arrival but one thing is certain I have a tracking number and it's on it's way! Show people other Great Authors: Thomas Woods Jr, Thomas Dilorenzo,FA Hayek, Hanns-Herman Hoppe, Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Ron Paul, Albert J Nock, Murray Rothbard, Ludwig Von Mises, The Judge: Andrew Napolitano, Peter Schiff, Henry Hazzlit, Charles Goyette, Thomas Sowell, Kevin R C Gutzman, Robert P Murphy, Etienne de la Boetie, Robert Higgs, Carl Menger, Frederic Bastiat, Walter Block. After reading these folks they will be armed for a Revolution to free themselves!
ReplyDeleteGo Tom Woods!
Triliberty516
Voting the bums out is the only REAL way citizens have of keeping our government "of the people". We have the politicians we vote in. Nullification, secession, "take our government back" & revolutionary talk are all extreme positions taken by people who are extreme. The majority have the system the majority wants.
ReplyDelete(We are plagued by uninformed sheep syndrome and powerful lobbying and election funding issues).
On the subject of States' Rights and the constitution, it is the job of the Supreme Court to keep the Federal Government in check. Whether individuals like it or not, they are doing the job well, and the system works better than any government in the history of the world.
The bottom line is that we already had a war over States' Rights vs. Federal overreach. It was called the Civil War and the Feds won.