Georgie Senate threatens dismantle of US

RallySoob · Apr 17, 2009

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Georgia Senate threatens dismantling of USA
7:02 am April 16, 2009, by Jay

It wasn't quite the firing on Fort Sumter that launched the Civil War. But on April 1, your Georgia Senate did threaten by a vote of 43-1 to secede from and even disband the United States.

It was not an April Fool's joke.

In fact, Senate Resolution 632 did a lot more than merely threaten to end this country. It stated that under the Constitution, the only crimes the federal government could prosecute were treason, piracy and slavery.

"Therefore, all acts of Congress which assume to create, define or punish [other] crimes ... are altogether void, and of no force," the Georgia Senate declared.

In other words, in the infinite, almost unanimous wisdom of the Georgia Senate, Michael Vick is being imprisoned illegally, Bernie Madoff should serve no time for stealing $60 billion and the Unabomber must go free. In fact, the federal penitentiary in Atlanta should be emptied of its inmates.

But wait, there's more.

The resolution goes on to endorse the theory that states have the right to abridge constitutional freedoms of religion, press and speech. According to the resolution, it is up to the states to decide "how far the licentiousness of speech and of the press may be abridged."

The resolution even endorses "nullification," the legal concept that states have the power to "nullify" or ignore federal laws that they believe exceed the powers granted under the Constitution. That concept has a particularly nasty legacy. It helped precipitate the Civil War, and in the 1950s and early '60s it was cited by Southern states claiming the right to ignore Supreme Court rulings ordering the end of segregation.

Finally, the resolution states that if Congress, the president or federal courts take any action that exceeds their constitutional powers, the Constitution is rendered null and void and the United States of America is officially disbanded. As an example, the resolution specifically states that if the federal government enacts "prohibitions of type or quantity of arms or ammunition," the country is disbanded.

In other words, if Congress votes to restore the ban on sale of assault rifles, the United States is deemed to no longer exist.
This, your Georgia state Senate voted 43-1 to endorse.

Now, to be fair, the resolution passed because it was snuck unnoticed onto the Senate resolution calendar on the 39th day of the 40-day legislative session, when senators were trying to handle dozens of bills and scores of amendments. Most did not have an opportunity to read the six-page resolution, which in its description claimed to merely affirm "states' rights based on Jeffersonian principles."

However, those who introduced and sponsored the measure have no such excuse. Presumably they read and understood what they asked their fellow senators to endorse. And those sponsors include some of the most prominent members of the Senate —- Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers of Woodstock, Senate President Pro Tem Tommie Williams, Transportation Committee Chairman Jeff Mullis of Chickamauga, and Chief Deputy Whip John Wiles of Cobb County, among others.

The resolution they sponsored is part of a radical right-wing national movement —- a similar resolution was introduced in the Georgia House but not voted on. It has been introduced in legislatures all over the nation, and has passed in both chambers in Oklahoma and one in South Dakota.

And while the Georgia resolution is legally meaningless and was passed without debate or even knowledge of most senators, it has had an impact. It has been hailed by, among others, those fighting the conspiracy to create a single North American country, by the Confederate States Militia, by the John Birch Society, and the League of the South, which still pines for the cause of an "independent South" and believes that "Southern society is radically different from the society impressed upon it by an alien occupier."

You have to question the judgment of those who would have any truck whatsoever with such nonsense, and who would jeopardize the reputation of the Georgia Senate to lend aid and comfort to such radical causes and fringe groups.

RallySoob · Apr 17, 2009

And then I hear Texas Governor is also threatning Secede...wow

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AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas Gov. Rick Perry fired up an anti-tax "tea party" Wednesday with his stance against the federal government and for states' rights as some in his U.S. flag-waving audience shouted, "Secede!"

An animated Perry told the crowd at Austin City Hall -- one of three tea parties he was attending across the state -- that officials in Washington have abandoned the country's founding principles of limited government. He said the federal government is strangling Americans with taxation, spending and debt.

Perry repeated his running theme that Texas' economy is in relatively good shape compared with other states and with the "federal budget mess." Many in the crowd held signs deriding President Barack Obama and the $786 billion federal economic stimulus package.

Perry called his supporters patriots. Later, answering news reporters' questions, Perry suggested Texans might at some point get so fed up they would want to secede from the union, though he said he sees no reason why Texas should do that.

"There's a lot of different scenarios," Perry said. "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, you know, who knows what might come out of that. But Texas is a very unique place, and we're a pretty independent lot to boot."

He said when Texas entered the union in 1845 it was with the understanding it could pull out. However, according to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, Texas negotiated the power to divide into four additional states at some point if it wanted to but not the right to secede.

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Texas did secede in 1861, but the North's victory in the Civil War put an end to that.

Perry is running for re-election against U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, a fellow Republican. His anti-Washington remarks have become more strident the past few weeks as that 2010 race gets going and since Perry rejected $550 million in federal economic stimulus money slated to help Texas' unemployment trust fund.

Perry said the stimulus money would come with strings attached that would leave Texas paying the bill once the federal money ran out.

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, also Republicans, have been outspoken against the federal economic stimulus spending and were supportive of tea parties in their states. The protests were being held throughout the country on federal income tax deadline day to imitate the original Boston Tea Party of American revolutionary times.

In an appearance at the Texas Capitol last week, Perry joined state lawmakers in pushing a resolution that supports states' rights protected in the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. He said the federal government has become oppressive in its size and interference with states.

Since then, Perry has been featured on the online Drudge Report, and other conservative commentators and citizens have latched on to his words.

After praising veterans in the cheering crowd Wednesday, he said: "I'm just not real sure you're a bunch of right-wing extremists. But if you are, we're with you."

Perry said he believes he could be at the center of a national movement that is coordinated and focused in its opposition to the actions of the federal government.

"It's a very organic thing," he said. "It is a very powerful moment, I think, in American history."

For her part, Hutchison issued a newspaper opinion piece Wednesday criticizing the Democratic-led Congress for spending on the stimulus bill and the $1 trillion appropriations bill.

"On April 15 -- Tax Day -- some in Congress may need a reminder of just who is underwriting this spending: the American taxpayer. I am deeply concerned over the swelling tax burden that will be imposed on all Texas families," she wrote.

The crowd at the Austin tea party appeared to be decidedly anti-Democrat. Many of the speakers were Republicans and Libertarians.

One placard said, "Stop Obama's Socialism." Another read, "Some Pirates Are in America," and it showed photographs of Obama, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid wearing pirate hats.

Rebecca Knowlton, 45, of Smithville, said she took the day off of home-schooling her three children and brought them to the rally to teach them about civic duty. Knowlton, a critic of the Social Security system and the United Nations, said she felt camaraderie at the demonstration.

"The movement is growing stronger," she said. "You're not alone."

JumpWing · Apr 17, 2009

Though these measures are extreme, there's no question that the Fed has far overstepped it's authority and has disregarded both the will and the well-being of the People.

Stomper · Apr 17, 2009

I think the intention of all this various state legislation is to send a CLEAR signal to the Progressive-"Statists" in BOTH parties that "reign" in Washington, that they are stepping into some VERY DEEP DOOKIE. Everybody (with a brain) knows that if the USA breaks apart into 50 seperate little countries that we are ALL done for as ANY foreign country (EVEN France) could militarily steamroll right through a sigle "former state-gone independant country", and it WOULD happend if they had the chance... seccession wouldn't fix a thing, it'd make things WORSE... maybe a "French Stye" revolution would be better...

ZombieAssassin · Apr 17, 2009

Secession was one of the founding principles of this country -- that if a state wanted to secede, then they could do so peacefully. But at some point in history it became ok to invalidate this part of the contract between states and federal government, and thus the war against citizens in the form of the Civil War (secession being one of the reasons, economic being another).

Funny how it is now deemed "crazy talk" to advocate secession, and some would kill over it, despite it being a founding motivation of this country. Why would the colonies secede from the Crown, in the form of satellite territories, form their own states, but then impose the same "try to leave and you will do so in a coffin" mentality that was imposed upon them?

PlayboyPenguin · Apr 17, 2009

This is just another one of those things that gets snuck onto the calender on the last day of legislation with a misleading description and gets passed because no one reads it since it is not a bill with any legal power. In fact it is pretty much just a meaningless PR tactic by the far right. Anyone with any brains knows a state like Georgia would not survive six months after succeeding from the union.

I would think people in here would be outraged that a state would ever claim that they could effectively nulify you constitutional rights any time they wanted to do so.

I really do wish it was a real possibility. I would love to see a be strip of states from Texas on over to South Carolina succeed and then watch them wither.

Stomper · Apr 17, 2009

Well I'm no moderator on these forums and I'm not trying to tell anyone what to do, but this thread doesn't specifically pertain to legal/political issues pertaining specifically to firearms (the reason for this forum section)... we better cease and desist (guilty as charged) before the forum mods put the hammer down on us.