“Nullification begins with the axiomatic point that a federal law that violates the Constitution is no law at all. It is void and of no effect. If a law is unconstitutional and therefore void and of no effect, it is up to the states, the parties to the U.S. Constitution, to declare it so and thus refuse to enforce it … Nullification provides a shield between the people of a state and an unconstitutional law from the federal government.”
These words, from Thomas Woods, author of Nullification: How to Resist Federal Tyranny in the 21st Century, describe the idea of nullification being promoted by the 2011 Nullify Now! (NN) conference, at which Woods will be a featured speaker.
The 2011 Nullify Now! season began in Phoenix, Arizona in January and traveled on to Cincinnati in March. From Austin (April 16) the tour will head west for a May date in Los Angeles, then on to Kansas City. The tour will likely visit at least twice as many cities as it did last year.
Nullify Now! 2010 proved to be largely successful, having made its way to Forth Worth, Chattanooga, and Orlando. The sponsoring Tenth Amendment Center held a similar event in February 2010 in Atlanta.
The Los Angeles-based Tenth Amendment Center, along with WeRefuse, hatched the idea of the Nullify Now! tour in answer to the question of what to do about the overreach of America’s modern federal government and its violation of the Constitution. Championing the rights of states to invoke their Tenth Amendment rights through nullification, the two groups went to work and came up with a plan that may prove to be the bellwether of a movement. Quoting Thomas Jefferson, “…that every time Congress exercises powers not delegated to it — every time — it must be resisted on a state level. Thus, when states pass laws to reject unconstitutional federal “laws” — this is not rebellion — it’s duty,” the tour has captured the sentiments of constitutionalists around the country, and educated a good many citizens about the idea of nullification.
NN Austin will feature speakers worth listening to. In addition to Woods, Art Thompson, CEO of the venerable John Birch Society and Debra Medina, former Texas gubernatorial candidate, will grace the dais. Stewart Rhodes, founder and director of Oath Keepers, and some local speakers will be joining these esteemed voices. Expected remarks will include some proven ideas about how citizens can achieve political results.
The New American, national sponsor of the tour, reported that the Cincinnati stop drew about 300 attendees, and a record crowd is expected in Austin.
Hosted locally by the grassroots group Texans for Accountable Government (TAG), and co-sponsored by Campaign for Liberty and the Libertarian Party of Texas, this event promises to be everything and more that freedom lovers expect of a NN event.
Next stop — the Lone Star State.
