To understand the extent of federal power, we must first understand generally what type of government the Constitution created. During the Philadelphia Convention, many framers favored a strong national government. In fact, James Madison even proposed a federal veto on state laws. But as the convention wore on, delegates voted down proposals to create a..
Read moreMore On the Non-Violent Path to Freedom
My last article titled I Choose the Tougher Path to Freedom: Non-Violence was reprinted over at the Tenth Amendment Center. A commenter named Paul over there leads me to expound a little on the subject of the use of violence to bring about change. Paul wrote: 'The non-aggression principle serves as the cornerstone of my..
Read moreI Choose the Tougher Path to Freedom: Non-Violence
Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary. - Gandhi I'm conflicted. More than anything, I simply want to live free. When others build walls against freedom, we must tear them down. But how do we go about doing that? How do we stop those that would lay chains over..
Read moreNevada, You Have a Problem!
Nevada, you have a problem. Many have framed the standoff between Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy and the Federal Bureau of Land Management as a “states’ rights” issue. Consider this summary by CBS News. “The fight between Bundy and the Bureau of Land Management widened into a debate about states' rights and federal land-use policy. Bundy..
Read morePulling History Out of the Orwellian Memory Hole
In the dystopian world created by George Orwell in 1984, inconvenient truth disappeared down a memory hole. The Ministry of Truth frequently updated history to coincide with the messaging of the day. Whenever the official story changed, all evidence of the previous incarnation of truth was systematically destroyed. In the walls of the cubicle there..
Read moreTalking Obamacare Nullification on the Freedomworks Podcast
I recently sat down and chatted with Brad Jackson on the Freedomworks podcast on efforts to nullify Obamacare at the state level. I shared good news about a recently passed bill in Georgia that lays the foundation for stopping Obamacare implementation and also talked about establishment Republican efforts to kill an anti-commandeering bill in South..
Read moreNo. We Shouldn’t Follow Every ‘Rule’
I recently wrote an article suggesting that the president should not enforce every act of Congress. My argument primarily rests on those already articulated by founding era figures, specifically Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. You can read the article HERE. I wasn't surprised by the negative reaction I got from some readers. In today's political..
Read moreSpeaking at the Tennessee Libertarian State Convention
I spoke to an enthusiastic audience at the Tennessee Libertarian Convention on Saturday, March 15. I talked about the danger of centralization and why we should emphatically resist it. I compared government monopoly with corporate monopoly and raised the question: why do so many people abhor one while enthusiastically embracing the other? I shared with..
Read moreCrimea – A Matter of Sovereignty
One of the arguments bandied about to justify US intervention in the Crimean situation revolves around the constitutionality of the upcoming referendum. The people of Crimea will decide whether to remain part of the Ukraine, or split off and align with Russia. Most observers believe the vote will fall on the side of secession, considering..
Read moreSmacked with the Race Card
I have to confess; it gets under my skin when people call me a racist. Most things people throw around in political debates roll right off my back. But the racist charge stings. It really shouldn't. When an opponent screams "racist," or its first cousin "neo-confederate," it clearly indicates he has no leg to stand..
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