Launched in September 2010, the Nullify Now! tour seeks to help Americans rediscover the Tenth Amendment as a defense against the tyrannical and unconstitutional measures taken by the federal government. It has advocated the use of “state nullification” as a means to thwart unconstitutional federal laws such as ObamaCare. The tour has made its ways across the country, with stops in a number of states including Texas, Florida, Tennessee, and California.
On Saturday, more than 10 prominent constitutional experts spoke before an enthusiastic crowd of over 200 people in Los Angeles. Perhaps the most notable speaker of the evening was Thomas Woods, constitutional expert and the author of 11 books, two of which were New York Times bestsellers, including Meltdown and Nullification: How to Resist Federal Tyranny in the 21st Century.
Woods has been a reputable advocate of nullification as an effective means to resist government tyranny, after having pursued extensive research on the subject and history of nullification. According to Woods, nullification remains a viable option for states as the courts have proven to be puny defenders to the unconstitutional overreach of the Fed:
If the federal government can just monopolize the determination of what its powers are, it’s going to keep acquiring new powers. The states have to have some counterbalance in check and federal courts, ultimately, for whatever victories you might win once in awhile, cannot perform this role because they are an interested party. They are one of the parties in dispute between the states and the government. You don’t refer disputes between you and your neighbor to your wife.
Instead, Woods contends that nullification remains the best option available to the states, as it was outlined by Thomas Jefferson in 1798 to be a defense against the federal government:
The system is rigged. The system is broken. The system is the opposite of what the Framers tried to give us. Thomas Jefferson imagined that the states would act as the sentinels of the liberty of the people. They would protect the people from the unconstitutional overreaches and those powers have by and large been stripped from the states over the years and they need to be reclaimed.
On Saturday, speaker Jason Rink of the Foundation for a Free Society began the Nullify Now event by emphasizing the importance of the American people actively ensuring that the federal government maintains its proper role as a governing body outlined in the Constitution. He declared, “The federal government is not an impartial judge of whether the federal government is operating within the Constitution.”
Similarly, Bryce Shonka, founder of the Los Angeles-based Tenth Amendment Center, addressed the Supremacy Clause, indicating that federal law must always be “pursuant to the Constitution” in order to be legitimate.
John Birch Society CEO Art Thompson offered a positive message regarding states’ rights, reminding attendees that state nullification remains a viable option against an unconstitutional law. Thompson explained:
Nullification is a winnable movement. All it will take is work-working together in our communities is not only educate our friends and legislators, but the opinion molders in our community.
Thompson also encouraged the formation of an informed electorate, indicating: “Nothing works without an informed electorate.” Take for example term limits, Thompson remarked. “It may be a short term solution, but in the long haul, if the voter has not changed, he will elect the same sort of person taken out by term limits.”
Further, Thompson celebrated the efforts of The John Birch Society in effectively seeing to the introduction of nullification bills on ObamaCare in approximately 25 states.
Other speakers included Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes; Michael Boldin of the Tenth Amendment Center; and John Dennis, a Republican candidate who ran against Nancy Pelosi.
Attendees were also regaled by the musical performances of Jordan Page, Johnny Leroy, and a number of other artists.
Likewise, guests who attended the lectures were encouraged to remain at the venue following the speeches to engage in fellowship building.
Overall, the evening proved to be an enormous success.
The Nullify Now! tour will continue to make stops throughout the country, with the next stop on the tour set for Kansas City, though the details have not yet been confirmed.
Those interested in bringing Nullify Now! to their city are encouraged to visit nullifynow.com in order to engage in an email campaign that would attract enough interested parties to bring the tour to their area. Such campaigns have already been launched for Jacksonville, Florida; Bay Area, California; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Chicago, Illinois; Las Vegas Nevada; and many more locations.
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