Bobby Jindal is wrong. The Governor of Louisiana has been properly criticizing the Federal government for not allowing Louisiana to follow its own plans to protect its own waters and its own shore lines from the mess created by BP's oil spill.
"The Coast Guard told us yesterday – after weeks of reviewing our plan that they approved a single segment of just two miles to see if the sand boom works. This is another example of too little too late. We expressed this frustration to the President..." wrote Jindal on his official website.
Jindal is wrong for allowing the Federal government to stand in the way of Louisiana, who will be the big loser, if Obama doesn't lose bigger politically speaking. But even political losses pale in comparison to what Louisiana is losing in natural resources, fish, wildlife, wetlands, and the industry of everyone in Louisiana; when the fishing industry comes to a halt, the Louisiana economy will begin to tank. Already the tourism industry including local restaurants that rely solely on tourism during the summer months is almost non-existent.
No, Bobby Jindal is wrong for not telling the Federal government to screw itself, and do what Louisiana knows it has to do. This would not only be the right thing for Louisiana, and for Jindal politically, because he would come out looking like David against Goliath. He would come out smelling like a rose, while the Obama administration would stink like the oil-drenched waters that could eventually ride the current all the way up the Eastern Seaboard after ruining the Florida coast, industries, and tourism.
But Jindal will come out smelling like a rose in the 2012 Presidential race, in which he is certain to be one of the front-runners. All the Republicans will smell better than Obama on the environmental front (let alone on the issues of Iran, the Afghan Presidential election and the Presidency itself, and jobs, jobs, jobs.)
This issue of the Obama administration telling the States what they can and cannot do to protect themselves, including investigating Arizona's new illegal-immigrant law, brings the Tenth Amendment issue closer to the showdown between Federal power and State's rights in the 21st Century.
Jindal might not win the Republican nomination, but he and the other Republicans will have a lot of ammunition to use against Obama and his policy wonks come election time, including this fall during the Congressional elections.
"Whereas, The scope of power defined by the Tenth Amendment means that the federal government was created by the states specifically to be an agent of the states; and
Whereas, Today, in 2009, the states are demonstrably treated as agents of the federal government..."
"In case you didn't hear about it on the mainstream media (which you haven't because they want to keep us asleep), numerous states are currently declaring sovereignty, including: http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message720700/pg1
Here is that portion from the Michigan "Journal of the House of Representatives, 95th Legislature, Regular Session of 2009":
[all emphasis added for the purposes of this blog] Rep. Opsommer offered the following concurrent resolution: House Concurrent Resolution No. 4. A concurrent resolution to affirm Michigan’s sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and to urge the federal government to halt its practice of imposing mandates upon the states for purposes not enumerated by the Constitution of the United States. Whereas, The Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States reads as follows: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people"; and Whereas, The Tenth Amendment defines the total scope of federal power as being that specifically granted by the Constitution of the United States and no more; and Whereas, The scope of power defined by the Tenth Amendment means that the federal government was created by the states specifically to be an agent of the states; and Whereas, Today, in 2009, the states are demonstrably treated as agents of the federal government; and Whereas, Many federal mandates are directly in violation of the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States; and Whereas, The United States Supreme Court has ruled in New York v. United States, 112 S. Ct. 2408 (1992), that Congress may not simply commandeer the legislative and regulatory processes of the states; and Whereas, A number of proposals from previous administrations and some now pending from the present administration and from Congress may further violate the Constitution of the United States; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That we hereby affirm Michigan’s sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States over all powers not otherwise enumerated and granted to the federal government by the Constitution of the United States. We also urge the federal government to halt its practice of imposing mandates upon the states for purposes not enumerated by the Constitution of the United States; and be it further Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Office of the President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and the members of the Michigan congressional delegation. The concurrent resolution was referred to the Committee on Government Operations.
"[These States] have seen fit to reaffirm their sovereignty and make various demands to the Federal government in recent months. At the same time, the Federal government saw fit to recall soldiers from Iraq to post them on American soil waiting to be deployed to quell disorder, and are now coming out about their labor camps and forced civilian labor programs.
"Coincidence?
"Seems to me that in tough economic times you can expect to see civil unrest, rioting and even armed resistance. Especially when fascism increases right along side the economic collapse. Perhaps it would be best to draw out the "homegrown terrorists" before the general population is upset enough to be willing to listen to them and even stand beside them. Perhaps the government figures you'd be willing to actively rebel prematurely if you think your state government will support your efforts. Perhaps the government wants to appear weak and unable to cope with you so that they can take you out've the game before they really can't handle you." Circle of 13
It seems to this blogger that States rights as they were designed are finally being recognized once again, in light of the fact that for over a century "the states are demonstrably treated as agents of the federal government," and that "the total scope of federal power [is] that specifically granted by the Constitution of the United States and [was] created by the states specifically to be an agent of the states."
It seems that Originalism in the reading of the Constitution is once again in vogue. Let us hope that, one by one, the States retreat from the fascism of the rule of Washington.
But let us also hope they do not retreat into their own State regimes of collectivism and ignore that the "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."
The Free Assemblage of Metaphysical Naturalists is the SM of The Free Assemblage of Metaphysical Naturalists LLC.
