Wyoming, Mississippi, And Now Alabama!

Seriously, this is getting ridiculous.  Alabama is now seeking their own unconstitutional bill to nullify federal gun laws.

Just like Mississippi, Alabama should know better.  750,000 people died in the Civil War that began because of nullification laws!  Stop it!

Of course, I don't think that several states passing unconstitutional laws is going to result in a new civil war.  There are a lot of reasons for why a civil war like we saw in this country in the 1860's will not happen again.  At least the same way that it did then.

The supremacy clause of the Constitution dictates that the states have to follow federal laws.  These states that are trying to pass nullification bills so they don't have to follow laws they don't like is rather ironic.  They are trying so hard to protect their constitutional right to bear arms* that they think it is acceptable to ignore other parts of the Constitution.  They can't have it both ways.

*This premise is open to debate whether that is what was even intended, but for sake of argument...

Wyoming Dives Headfirst Into Nullification

A couple weeks ago I wrote about Wyoming toying with the idea of nullification.  Well, today members of the state House of Representatives passed legislation that would nullify any new federal law passed in an effort to reduce gun violence.  They dove straight in and didn't listen to me.

It is worth it to point out that no federal law has been passed, much less introduced as a bill yet, but that didn't stop them from voting on their bill.  State Rep. Kendell Kroeker (R) said this is the reason the bill is not unconstitutional.  It's nice to see that someone out there is recognizing what they're doing.

The heavily Republican controlled state Senate will likely pass the bill as well.  It will be interesting to see what the federal government does in response to this should any new law pass.

Right-Wing Paranoia

In other news, a Montana state Representative is sponsoring a bill that would allow for a criminal to "bargain" of corporal punishment.  Yes, that does mean spanking.

Montana is one of the most beautiful states in the Union.  Why do they have to go down this path?

An Open Letter To The BSA

Since you reaffirmed your policy of exclusion last year, Eagle Scouts from around the country have been mailing their awards to the national council in protest.  This has clearly made an impact on the Chief Scout Executive and the National Council.  A change in this policy is long overdue.  It is time for the bigotry to stop.

I know former scouts that are gay.  They worked with me at one of the camps around the country.  There was never any wrongdoing by those staff members.  They served the camp and the campers well.  Because of them, and gay scouts and scouters around the country that serve in silence, boys are able to learn and to grow.  They come to know themselves as they are pushed physically and mentally at camps and on High Adventure trips.  These same opportunities should be extended to all boys.

How much would allowing these boys into the BSA really affect the organization?  These scouts and scouters will, no doubt, be as Trustworthy as any other scout.  They are just as Loyal to their family, friends, and communities as any other scout.  They would be loyal to you, as well, if you’d allow them to. 

They would be Helpful and “do a good turn daily” as they take that charge on as their personal motto. 

Being Friendly, Courteous, and Kind would be all too easy for them if only given the chance.  And they would be Obedient to their leaders, families, and the laws of this country.  While they follow the path to Eagle, they would stay Cheerful, thankful for the opportunity to walk the same path as icons like Neil Armstrong and Steven Spielberg.

They would learn to be Thrifty, Brave, and Clean as they grow to be better themselves.  And they would be Reverent to whatever faith they choose.

The time has come to welcome them into the Boy Scouts.  Their inclusion can strengthen you, as you strengthen them.  Their sexuality will not stop them from being good scouts.  They will do their duty, and obey the Scout Law.  They will help other people at all times and keep themselves physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight. 

The time has come.  Next week, do what is right.

Secretary Kerry!

John Kerry was confirmed by the Senate today as the new Secretary of State.  He has some big shoes to fill.

From 12/3/2012

Scalia's Whimsical Hat

I'm not sure how I missed this, but this is amazing.  I don't know what he was thinking, wearing this in front of the world, but he became a meme on inauguration day.

President Obama On Republican Obstructionism

The President sat down with The New Republic and this happened during the interview:

Franklin Foer: When you talk about Washington, oftentimes you use it as a way to describe this type of dysfunction. But it’s a very broad brush. It can seem as if you’re apportioning blame not just to one party, but to both parties—

Well, no, let me be clear. There’s not a—there’s no equivalence there. In fact, that’s one of the biggest problems we’ve got in how folks report about Washington right now, because I think journalists rightly value the appearance of impartiality and objectivity. And so the default position for reporting is to say, “A plague on both their houses.” On almost every issue, it’s, “Well, Democrats and Republicans can’t agree”—as opposed to looking at why is it that they can’t agree. Who exactly is preventing us from agreeing?  

And I want to be very clear here that Democrats, we’ve got a lot of warts, and some of the bad habits here in Washington when it comes to lobbyists and money and access really goes to the political system generally. It’s not unique to one party. But when it comes to certain positions on issues, when it comes to trying to do what’s best for the country, when it comes to really trying to make decisions based on fact as opposed to ideology, when it comes to being willing to compromise, the Democrats, not just here in this White House, but I would say in Congress also, have shown themselves consistently to be willing to do tough things even when it’s not convenient, because it’s the right thing to do. And we haven’t seen that same kind of attitude on the other side.

Until Republicans feel that there’s a real price to pay for them just saying no and being obstructionist, you’ll probably see at least a number of them arguing that we should keep on doing it. It worked for them in the 2010 election cycle, and I think there are those who believe that it can work again. I disagree with them, and I think the cost to the country has been enormous.

He said that much nicer than was really necessary, but he is correct.