Fox News Has The Virginia Sadz

Fox News says that Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring is "throwing out" the Tenth Amendment. They are VERY UPSET. Snork!

Tenthers Want Feds Out Of Marriage

The anti-gay Faith & Freedom Institute has issued a press release asking Christian Tenthers to support their petition to block all federal courts, including SCOTUS, from making any rulings on same-sex marriage. The petition reads:

We petition the Obama Administration to ask Congress to deny the US Supreme Court and all federal courts jurisdiction concerning same-sex marriage.  The President should propose legislation to the Congress to remove from the US Supreme Court and lower federal courts jurisdiction concerning the issue of same-sex marriage. The US Constitution gives this power to Congress in Article III, Sections 1 and 2. Also see Federalist Paper 80.  The Tenth Amendment clearly intended issues concerning marriage to be left to the States or to the people.   Sadly, the issue of same-sex marriage has deeply divided the American People. Honorable Americans on both sides of this issue have strong feelings concerning this matter.  We believe for the sake of national unity that the issue of same-sex marriage should not be decided by unelected members in the federal judiciary. We think that good judgment and wisdom demands that this issue be left to the American People.

Romney/Ryan/Rand 2012

Ted Nugent: We Wouldn't Have Obamacare If The South Had Just Won The Civil War

"Because our legislative, judicial and executive branches of government hold the 10th Amendment in contempt, I’m beginning to wonder if it would have been best had the South won the Civil War. Our Founding Fathers’ concept of limited government is dead. Because of the chief justice’s vote, Fedzilla just burped and is now prepared to gobble up even more of our tax dollars, more of our GDP and limit even more opportunity in the private sector." - Faded rocker Ted Nugent, writing for the Washington Times.

The Attack Of Zombie Ayn Rand

(Tipped by JMG reader Dwayne)

Frothy Mix Attacks Fellow Tenthers

Huntsman Rejects NOM's Hate Pledge

And says he supports states' rights on marriage. Huntsman isn't remotely a contender, but NOM is still pissed.

TX Gov. Rick Perry Wants Constitutional Bans On Abortion & Gay Marriage

Rick Perry is a die-hard Tenther who totally supports states' rights. EXCEPT in those cases where the Christianist agenda is better served by overriding states' rights with federal constitutional amendments. Got that?

Crazy Eyes: It's OK For States To Have Gay Marriage, But As President I'll Repeal It

ARIZONA: Teabaggers Introduce Bills Setting Up Interstate Pacts To Defy Feds

Tea Party-backed GOP lawmakers in Arizona have introduced bills that would create alliances with other states in order to defy the federal government. Ironically (or maybe not so, since we're talking about teabaggers), the federal government would have to approve the alliances.

The push to form interstate compacts, which have the power to supersede existing federal law if approved by Congress, is part of a broader effort at the Arizona Capitol to promote states' rights. Lawmakers have introduced bills that seek to limit congressional spending and federal authority on issues from elections to environmental inspections, and Gov. Jan Brewer lists federalism as one of her top priority initiatives this term. So far this session, Republican legislators have introduced more than a dozen bills that propose to create compacts, about three times as many as lawmakers introduced in each of the past two or three years. Among them are measures to allow participating states to build a border fence, regulate endangered species without federal interference and set up their own health-care programs.

The lawmakers behind the bills cite the Tenth Amendment, which stipulates that the federal government cannot issue laws on subjects not explicitly mentioned in the U.S. Constitution. And since the Constitution never mentions environmental protection, health insurance, etc...all those federal laws are therefore illegal.

TENTHER: Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) Says Child Labor Laws Are Unconstitutional

Newly elected GOP Sen. Mike Lee (UT) says that federal child labor laws are unconstitutional because as per the Tenth Amendment, only laws expressly laid out in the Constitution are legal. Lee is part of the new class of "states rights" Congress members intent on overturning all federal legislation not mentioned in the Constitution.

Clever Editing For Crazy Eyes

The Citizens United propaganda film Fire From The Heartland (trailer here) edits an encounter between Rep. Michele "Crazy Eyes" Bachmann to make it look like she totally pwned Treasure Secretary Tim Geithner. Here's what really went down.

ALASKA: Teabagger Candidate Joe Miller Calls Minimum Wage Unconstitutional

Joe Miller, Alaska's teabagger Senate candidate, says the minimum wage is unconstitutional. He's a Tenther, folks.

Miller said there should not be a federal minimum wage, since it’s not a power given to the federal government in the Constitution. It’s not an enumerated power,” said Miller, R-Alaska. “That is clearly up to the states. We believe -- the state of Alaska has a minimum wage which is higher than the federal level because our state leaders have made that determination. The minimum level again should be the state’s decision.”

A favorite of Big Oil, Miller also wants to defund the EPA. Here's his new campaign ad produced by the Tea Party Express.

GOP House Nominee Stephen Bailey Visits JMG To Attack Rep. Jared Polis Over Saxby Chambliss Comments

"Jared Polis recklessly slandered every Republican and Republican staffer with his comments -- guilt by an association not predicated by the bias at issue. This is a logical fallacy and it undermines the moral high ground on this issue. He hurts his cause when there is a valid point to be made and lashes out emotionally and insults innocent people. When an organization has as many people as a political party, it will include some who do not reflect the values of the organization and certainly not all members. I have heard anti-gay comments a few times at Republican events. I, or others, have spoken against those comments. The comments reflect the personal biases of a very small number of people and not of all Republicans.

"Republicans believe in constitutionally limited government. Our Constitution protects the rights of everyone equally. Those values are incompatible with persecution of individuals or a group of individuals that are not guilty of violating anyone's rights. Monitor Sen. Chambliss and the resolution of this intolerable act. Allow for time to ensure that the guilty party is identified. A rush to judgment could accidentally identify an innocent and damage their reputation. If there is no accountability after a reasonable time, then the Senator will deserve your contempt." - GOP U.S. House nominee Stephen Bailey, in a comment he left on this JMG post last night. Bailey's opponent is Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO).

RELATED: Endorsed by Ron Paul and Dick Armey's FreedomWorks, Stephen Bailey is a libertarian Tenther who believes that the federal government has no authority to impose any laws not specifically mentioned in the U.S. Constitution. Bailey's campaign site glowingly quotes Ayn Rand and he has signed on to the Tea Party-influenced Contract From America (their italics.) He also wants to abolish the Federal Reserve and force the losers of civil lawsuits to pay the legal costs of the winner, effectively chilling any response to corporate, medical, or law enforcement wrong-doings. In denouncing the concept of global warming, Bailey says, "Use common sense. Is the climate of your area substantially different today than 20 years ago?"

QUESTION: Has a GOP candidate for national office ever before taken to the comments of a gay blog to attack his opponent? I can't recall such a thing happening in the past.

Teabaggers Mum On DOMA Ruling

Although the Christianist right has been screaming blue bloody murder, we haven't heard much from the teabaggers about last week's DOMA ruling. According to the Washington Post, Tea Party libertarians and Tenthers are quietly thrilled with the ruling's affirmation of states' rights.

The silence is by design, activists with the loosely affiliated movement said, because it is held together by an exclusive focus on fiscal matters and its avoidance of divisive social issues such as abortion and gay marriage. Privately, though, many said they back the decision because it emphasizes the legal philosophy of states' rights. "I do think it's a state's right," said Phillip Dennis, Texas state coordinator for the Tea Party Patriots. The group does not take a position on social issues, he said, but personally, "I believe that if the people in Massachusetts want gay people to get married, then they should allow it, just as people in Utah do not support abortion. They should have the right to vote against that." Everett Wilkinson, state director for the Florida Tea Party Patriots, agreed: "On the issue [of gay marriage] itself, we have no stance, but any time a state's rights or powers are encouraged over the federal government, it is a good thing."

While Tea Party leaders acknowledge that many in the movement oppose same-sex marriage, they claim it is "not a majority" and that the issue "just isn't on our radar." Hmmm. One Florida Tea Party official claims that his group has several hundred gay members.

HomoQuotable - Jonathan Capehart

"Let me point out that the Gill case was not the only relevant one decided by Tauro. He also ruled that DOMA was unconstitutional because it trumped states’ rights to set their own marriage laws. It was a satisfying outcome. But his decision has gay legal eagles and federal court tea leaf readers a bit mystified and concerned. 'Perhaps more importantly, his Tenth Amendment arguments prove entirely too much,' Yale constitutional law professor Jack Balkin wrote last week about Judge Tauro’s ruling. 'As much as liberals might applaud the result, they should be aware that the logic of his arguments, taken seriously, would undermine the constitutionality of wide swaths of federal regulatory programs and seriously constrict federal regulatory power.' Balkin supports marriage equality, fyi.

"As nice as this decision is, it’s only the start of the long journey to the Supreme Court. All eyes are on the Justice Department and whether it will appeal the Tauro rulings to the Appellate division. I won’t be surprised or angered if it does. An administration traditionally defends the nation’s laws no matter its policy view of them. President Obama has made it clear many times that he wants DOMA repealed. (Got that, Congress?) And if the administration does appeal I hope it mounts the same limp defense it did in District Court. We can only hope that those same indefensible -- and unconstitutional -- rationales for unfairness will lead to the ultimate demise of DOMA." - Washington Post columnist Jonathan Capehart.

Twelve States Ready HCR Lawsuits

According to World Net Daily, twelve state attorneys general are preparing to sue the federal government to block the health care reform bill.

"The health-care reform legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives last night clearly violates the U.S. Constitution and infringes on each state's sovereignty," said Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum, a Republican. "On behalf of the state of Florida and of the attorneys general from South Carolina, Nebraska, Texas, Utah, Pennsylvania, Washington, North Dakota, South Dakota and Alabama," McCollum announced, "if the president signs this bill into law, we will file a lawsuit to protect the rights and the interests of American citizens."

Virginia's Republican Attorney General, Kenneth Cuccinelli, has also vowed to bring suit, claiming Congress' constitutional power to regulate interstate commerce doesn't extend to requiring Virginians to buy health insurance. "If a person decides not to buy health insurance, that person by definition is not engaging in commerce," Cuccinelli said in a statement. "If you are not engaging in commerce, how can the federal government regulate you?" And in the 12th state, Idaho, Republican Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter signed a measure last week requiring the state's attorney general to file a suit challenging the mandate as soon as the health-care overhaul becomes law.

All will be citing the Tenth Amendment in their suits.

Tenthers Advance On Gun Control Laws

The Tenther movement scored another victory today when South Dakota declared that it had exempted itself from federal gun control laws. Via World Net Daily:

A fifth state – South Dakota – has decided that guns made, sold and used within its borders no longer are subject to the whims of the federal government through its rule-making arm in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and two supporters of the growing groundswell say they hope Washington soon will be taking note. South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds has signed into law his state's version of a Firearms Freedom Act that first was launched in Montana. It already is law there, in Tennessee, Utah and Wyoming, which took the unusual step of specifying criminal penalties – including both fines and jail time – for federal agents attempting to enforce a federal law on a "personal firearm" in the Cowboy State. According to a report in the Dakota Voice, the new South Dakota law addresses the "rights of states which have been carelessly trampled by the federal government for decades." "As the federal government has radically overstepped is constitutional limitations in the past year or so, an explosion of states have begun re-asserting their rights not only with regard to firearms, but also in shielding themselves against government health care, cap and trade global warming taxes, and more," the report said.

The Tenthers are named for the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which declares that the states have sovereignty over any issue not expressly mentioned in the Constitution. Tenthers are using that amendment to fight for exemptions to federal laws covering health care, abortion, LGBT rights, hates crimes, and a myriad of other issues.

SC State Rep. Mike Pitts: Abolish Federal Currency, Replace It Gold & Silver Coins

South Carolina state Rep. Mike Pitts (R) has filed a bill to ban the use of federal currency in his state and replace it with silver and gold coins.

Pitts, a fourth-term Republican from Laurens, introduced legislation earlier this month that would ban what he calls “the unconstitutional substitution of Federal Reserve Notes for silver and gold coin” in South Carolina. If the bill were to become law, South Carolina would no longer accept or use anything other than silver and gold coins as a form of payment for any debt, meaning paper money would be out in the Palmetto State. Pitts said the intent of the bill is to give South Carolina the ability to “function through gold and silver coinage” and give the state a “base of currency” in the event of a complete implosion of the U.S. economic system. “I’m not one to cry ‘chicken little,’ but if our federal government keeps spending at the rate we’re spending I don’t see any other outcome than the collapse of the economic system,” Pitts said. But one legal expert told The Palmetto Scoop that, even if it were passed, Pitts’ bill would quickly be ruled unconstitutional.

Pitts fails to understand that the value of gold and silver fluctuates by the hour, meaning that prices would have to do likewise. But Pitts is a Tenther and doesn't want the federal government usurping his state's right to go completely crazy. Ah, South Carolina, the blogger's friend.

NYT's Buzzwords Of 2009

"Gay-marry" is one of the New York Times' buzzwords of 2009. Some of the other words on the list: birther, Tenther, Octomom, Tea Party, Cash For Clunkers, I'ma let you finish, mini-Madoff, netbook.