The recent election results in Virginia and New Jersey – representing in part a strong repudiation of the threats to freedom over the past year – have energized many pro-liberty activists. It is imperative that we keep the pressure on.

But we can be sure the other side will try to trick us into damaging statements in order to discredit us, or lure us into time-wasting strategies.

So here are a few things to remember:

* Let’s keep our eye on the ball. The ultimate goal of most in the Tenth Amendment movement is to restore constitutional limits to the federal government. Our Constitution – not any peripheral or personal causes – is what we are working for.

* Swarm, swarm, swarm. The focus for the short-term has to be continue to “swarm” our elected representatives, get in their faces, and tell them over and over that more deficit spending or tax increases are simply unacceptable. So also is any major expansion of government control, particularly a takeover of heath care.

* Restoring limits on the feds. The focus long-term has to be one or more constitutional amendments to put the federal government’s house back in order and protect future generations from the kinds of assaults on our freedom we have faced over the last year. When a system breaks down, sometimes you have to patch up to set it right — just as our fathers and grandfathers adopted the 22nd Amendment to re-establish the two-term presidential tradition that Franklin Roosevelt had disregarded. That’s our situation now.

* 2010 elections. The focus medium-term is now the 2010 elections – not just for Congress, but particularly on the state level. This is because constitutional amendments to curb Congress’s powers are probably not going to come from Congress. The states will have to use the Constitution’s state-proposal procedure.

* Don’t let the bad guys marginalize you. Talk of actions such as secession suggest that we are the ones willing to destroy our constitutional system – when in fact the opposition has that dubious distinction.

* Work smart. The other side has a lot of people who work full-time in politics or who work for the government, which sometimes amounts to nearly the same thing. That’s in addition to Soros money. So we have to carefully husband our resources – devote your time and energy only to things that make sense in view of our goals.

* Don’t waste your time on stupid or impossible causes. Here are a few causes that are certain time-wasters: (1) impeaching Obama (impossible while the Dems control Congress, even assuming there are grounds to do so), (2) recalling U.S. Senators or Congressmen before their terms are up (there is no recall procedure authorized by the Constitution or federal law), and (3) secession movements (which, besides conceding the Constitution to the other side, overlooks the fact that they have the nuclear weapons).

* Again, keep your eyes on the ball – restore the Constitution. That means letters to the editor, candidate identification, working in the political party of your choice, fundraising, keeping in touch with others in the Tenth Amendment movement, and educating yourself by visiting great websites like the Tenth Amendment Center.

Rob Natelson is a constitutional law professor at the University of Montana, and runner-up in the 2000 “open primary” for Governor of Montana. His opinions are his own, and should not be attributed to any other person or institution.

Forget everything you know about politics. Forget the age old story about the Democrats and the Republicans, where one side is good and the other side are a bunch of America hating vats of pure evil. Forget about the left vs right debate, forget about conservative vs liberal. At this stage in the game, there are only two sides;

Those who support the further growth of a centralized authoritarian state and those who oppose them.

That’s it. There are your teams, which one are you playing for?

In the wake of the liberty revolution, there are many active groups doing good things to oppose centralized tyranny. They go by many names: the 912ers, the TEA Partiers, Campaign for Liberty, GOOOH, We Surround Them and of course our own Tenthers. These groups are all playing for the same team. Their backgrounds and tactics may be entirely different, but as members of any number of these groups, we must all keep the big picture in mind.

We are all on the same side.

Too often I hear about meetings of these different groups where there is a clamoring for control, where there are too many chiefs and not enough soldiers. This must stop.

When members of almost every group mentioned above found their way to Washington DC on September 12th, the estimated number of people present was not tallied as “300,000 GOOOH, 200,000 C4L, 800,000 912ers etc”. The number was simply 1.7 million people, all ready to fight tyranny and whether they knew it or not, all on the same side.

Let us learn to accept those who come from different ideologies, political parties, lifestyles and parts of the country. For me, the only thing I need to know about you at this point is this-

Are you with me, or are you with Big Brother?

Everything has been turned upside down in the past 12 months- Dems and Reps have swapped dugouts along with the establishment media, from overlord to underdog and vice versa.

So much is different that it can be tough for a champion of state sovereignty to know what steps to take, so I have assembled a list as we at Tenth Amendment Center see it.

READ tenthamendmentcenter.com

We provide the best examples we can find of past, present and future thought on the balance of state and Federal power. The best first step for all who want to counter the tactics of misinformation is right on our website. Read up on past articles and jump in with your own personal view on the battle. The more educated our ranks, the better our chances of winning this fight.

CONTACT lawmakers in your state

The Tenth Amendment Center’s 10-4 Pledge is a great way for patriots to weed out those lawmakers who talk a good talk but won’t really take a stand for liberty. By presenting the 10-4 Pledge to your state legislature the cream will rise to the top and leaders worth rallying around will stand up and become visible to all.

DRAFT sovereignty legislation

Many groups around the United States have already begun to craft sovereignty legislation for their state. With the help of our scholars and legal experts, Tenth Amendment Center has a new offering, with example resolutions that serve as an excellent starting point for your state’s sovereignty resolution.

CAMPAIGN to introduce sovereignty bills

As 10-4 Pledges emerge in your state, the entry point for sovereignty legislation is clear and available. 10-4 lawmakers are champions who have already chosen the side of liberty and can be considered the entry point to get your sovereignty resolutions introduced in your state house.

Once 50 states have said NO and chosen to resist DC, we will be close to the goal of liberty in our lifetime.

Now is the time to take action!

In recent months, we have heard voices on the Left cry “foul” at the town-hall tactics of  Americans upset at current political leadership. Leftists profess to be shocked — horrified! — to see Americans defending themselves passionately, unapologetically, and confrontationally.

The confrontational tactics the Left now finds so troubling include such activities as  holding up really big signs and shouting.

Now, I’ve seen a lot of political hypocrisy in my lifetime, but the Left griping about confrontational tactics has got to be some kind of record.

Of course, leftists have no problem with strong-arming when they do the strong-arming. They’ve been using such tactics for decades to beat up on the rest of us.  As if anyone needed reminders –

• Many people remember when “peace” activists were seizing college buildings, disrupting higher education, burning flags, throwing excrement and bricks at law enforcement officers, and assaulting and intimidating administrators, faculty, and other students.
• For decades, activists allegedly for causes like “peace,” “civil rights,” “welfare rights,” and “fair trade” have freely trampled law, property, and the rights of others.
• When leftists have taken power, they have used it freely to push around the opposition. One of many examples:  During the Clinton administration, almost every conservative and libertarian think tank in the country found itself targeted by an IRS audit.
• Thuggish tactics by left-wing union activists are so common that the phrase “union goons” has entered the American vocabulary.
• “Community organizing” — ala Obama and Hillary Clinton — is famously governed by Saul Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals,” a guidebook to underhand political knife-fighting.

And while more moderate leftists refuse to engage in such tactics, they seldom refuse to take political advantage of the chaos and fear they cause.

Dwarfing these instances is the long list of technically legal strong-arm maneuvers the Left has used to assault the rest of us. Government agencies campaign for their causes and give our tax dollars to groups like ACORN. Government collects fees for public sector unions, which use them (or fungible replacement dollars) to crusade for leftist causes.

Under the leadership of the “tenured radicals” that dominant many universities and other tax-exempt organizations, many of those institutions have become political entities, emitting constant propaganda attacking traditional values and promoting more government regulation and spending.

Here’s a mental exercise to put it in perspective: Think of all the political vandalism you have seen over the years: The traffic signs defaced, the slogans painted on bridges and viaducts, the literary garbage slapped on private property, etc. etc. Just how often have you seen that done to convey a right-wing message?

So the correct question is not, “Should Americans who pay the bills and make things work have become so passionate and confrontational when threatened by government?”

The correct questions are:

(1) What took them so long?” and

(2) Will they become passionate and confrontational enough to save the country?”

Rob Natelson, a former conservative activist and business owner, is a constitutional law professor at the University of Montana who writes mostly about the American Founding.  His views are his own, and not necessarily those of any other person or institution.

IN THE BEGINNING

Several months ago I started my efforts to promote action on the 10th Amendment in Idaho. This effort was based on the encouraging fact that the Idaho Legislature passed House Joint Memorial No.4, a sovereignty declaration not requiring the Governor’s signature. My original motivation in this effort was not to promote partisan politics. It was not an emotional effort to “strike a blow for freedom”, nor was it a revengeful effort to put the Federal Government “in its place”.

It was and still is a matter of SURVIVAL.

I saw then as now, an out of control Democratic President and Congressional majority with a socialist agenda proposing bills and mandates so illogical, that the impact in Idaho would be catastrophic. I believed then and still do, that the only entity strong enough to mount a defense against this usurping Federal Government was the states using their 10th Amendment rights.

I then authored a petition requesting the Legislature and Governor take action to enforce the statements put forth in their declaration, and to refuse to comply with usurping mandates and guidelines required by Federal funding grants to the state. The petition was relative well circulated throughout Idaho by contact with the various teaparty groups, whom I urged to form a strong statewide political coalition. I felt confident at the time that this petition was going to have a significant effect on the Legislature and Governor. I sent a copy of the petition to all one hundred five (105) Legislators and Governor, plus a special “Letter of Concern” to the Governor urging him to publically state his support for states rights.

The results for these efforts are as follows:
1. I have to date received a positive response from two (2) legislators and a negative response from one (1). I am actively working with one of these legislators.

2. Have heard nothing from the Governor’s office except after a follow up email, a staffer called and said his office would contact me. A month has passed and still waiting.

3. The teaparty group leaders have helped out to a degree, but their priority has been, and continues to be, teaparty activities in their own area, and the upcoming 9-12 rallies in DC and around the nation. They also continue to reflect very little inclination to form a structured statewide political coalition and they believe they can win their war at the Federal level. I equate this viewpoint as standing on the deck of the Titanic waiting for the rescue ship and passing up the lifeboat.

THE REALITY SETS IN
Where does the fault lie for the marginal results thus far? Obviously with my own apparent inability to organize supporters, and influence legislators, but the greater responsibility for Idaho sitting dead in the water in it’s 10th Amendment voyage is the Idaho Legislators and Governor themselves.  They are fully aware of the unconstitutional actions of the President, and the impending radical laws and mandates to be imposed on the citizens of Idaho, yet they have not made one significant move past their initial declaration. One would wonder why they are not self motivated by the common circumstances that are impacting us all.

The political reality is, they are in sitting in a political comfort zone completely out of danger. They are not getting blamed for the state of the economy and chaos in DC. They are not getting hammered by the mainstream news media. They are not getting out in the street rallies and townhalls and being pushed around by “union thugs “. They are not facing protest rallies in their home towns or state capitals against them. Sitting in this enviable political position there is simply no motivation for them to take on a fight with the Federal Government and risk losing Federal funding or exposing themselves to criticism.

I feel certain, that as 10th Amendment advocates in other states begin the implementation process, they will encounter the same reluctance for action by their governors and legislators as I have experienced in Idaho. It is one thing for state legislators and governors to vote on a Sovereignly declaration, but an altogether different matter to bring on a fight with the Feds and risk losing Federal funding. There is also great resistence by various state agencies to the idea of “rocking the federal funding boat”, i.e. taking on the Feds.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Thus, we who are engaged in the 10th Amendment issue do have options to motivate legislators, governors, and agency heads to action, but it is going to take a great deal of work. Listed below are some tasks that I believe must be taken on if we are to realize our goals.

1. Form a nationwide 10th Amendment proactive cooperative coalition.

2. This coalition would need to initiate a statewide information campaign informing state citizens that the very state they live in has the means and muscle to throw back the intrusive Federal usurpations. I have found that the general public is basically uninformed of the 10th Amendment option, and are frustrated, fearful, and angry as they focus at the national level. A petition requesting action on passing a sovereignty declaration, or putting force of action to one already passed can serve as a good information vehicle.

3. Contact the teaparty, 912 type patriot groups within your states, and solicit their help and cooperation. They can be a tremendous asset, but as I have previously stated, they are defiantly focused in on their local sphere of influence as it relates to the federal issues, and so far have provided somewhat tepid cooperation. This is especially evident with the upcoming 912 activity.

4. Organize statewide political rallies demanding 10th Amendment action by the legislators and governors. This action is going to have to be unprecedented, comprehensive, and some what shocking to the incumbent politicians. At first it seemed that we could achieve victory by one nullification bill at a time in order to check the Feds. But it is now apparent that the blitzkrieg of federal laws and mandates are coming so fast that full time state legislative sessions would not be able to keep up. This action must take the form of a complete state plan of action, a plan of action that we as 10th Amendment advocates need to formulate and present to our legislators and governors for action. Each plan of action would have to be tailored to fit the unique characteristics of individual states. Below is plan “B” I have formulated for Idaho. This plan is preliminary, general, incomplete, and somewhat audacious, but it’s primary purpose is to start the process of planning.

IDAHO SOVEREIGNTY
PLAN “B”

ONE
Create a new state agency (as if we needed more agencies) called “Federal Relations” This agency under the direction of the legislature would be tasked with official communications between The state of Idaho and the Federal Government concerning all 10th Amendment / State Sovereignty issues. This agency would also be tasked with accumulating the following information:

A. The accounting of all federal and Idaho state taxes paid by Idaho citizens.

B. The budget requirements of State agencies and entities.

C. The amount of Federal funding that is being received by any entity in the state whether direct or through state channels. This will require all County and city governments to report these funds.

D. Search out and define any and all federal programs, mandates, or laws that are currently in violation of Idaho’s 10th Amendment rights, and in particularly the school system, as in my opinion needs to be brought back out of any Federal control into state/ school district control.

E. Present a report of the above information to the Legislature and Governor.

TWO
Through the “Federal Relations” agency issue a memorandum to the Feds that the State of Idaho will no longer recognize or comply with any federal programs, mandates, or laws that are currently in violation of Idaho’s 10th Amendment rights, and then list them. The memorandum could start out like this:

“Please be advised that the State of Idaho can not and will not comply with funded or unfunded federal programs, mandates, or laws that are currently in violation of Idaho’s 10th Amendment rights. This action has now become necessary due to the recent illogical, and economically disastrous legislation being mandated by the Obama Administration in cooperation with the Democratic controlled Congress. These funded and unfunded federal programs, mandates, and laws are listed below:” etc. etc.

THREE (SCENARIO, the fight is on)
At that point the Feds will probably withhold Federal funding in an attempt to bring Idaho back into compliance.

FOUR
In lieu of the loss of federal funding, Idaho will be forced to impose a property tax on all Federal real estate and improvements lying within Idaho.
(The Feds own approximately 3/4 of all Idaho lands)

FIVE
The Feds won’t pay it.

SIX
Idaho will be forced to confiscate all federal taxes due within the state, in order to meet the state budget. This is not violating the 16th Amendment, as the Feds can continue to tax away, the state is just temporarily confiscating the Fed’s money into a temporary state fund in order to meet state budgets needs until the Feds resume the federal funding the state has become depended on.

If one state could get this fight going it might encourage other states to join in with their own agenda, primarily confiscating federal income taxes, thereby de-funding the Feds.

It is my hope that this article may illustrate the hurdles to be overcome, yet promote real action by the advocates of the 10th Amendment movement.

Pete ketcham

Article 3 in Series, Restoring Freedom: An Entrepreneur’s Perspective

We must bring our revolutionary product of individual freedom to market, and soon; otherwise servitude, Washington D.C.’s product of choice will monopolize and we will see out market share for freedom disappear and our great experiment in self-government fail.

Crossing the Chasm, a book focused on bringing technology products to market, presents an analogy based on World War II Europe. After Hitler took control of Europe, the Allies were left without a front to counter Axis aggression. At the time many considered Europe lost. The Allies, faced with an impossible task, developed a strategy to liberate Europe. That’s what we need: a strategy to liberate freedom itself.

Here’s what the book says about crossing the chasm: “This is not the time to focus on being nice. As we have already said, the perils of the chasm make this a life-or-death situation for you. You must win entry into the mainstream no matter what resistance is posed. So, if we are going to be warlike, we might as well be so explicitly.”

So here’s our strategy, we cross the English Channel and re-take Normandy, therefore reclaiming state sovereignty; then we use this beach head as a front to re-take Europe, demanding individual freedom and smaller federal government. In order to cross the English channel we must first assemble the right invasion force, which is a strong mix of grassroots individuals, state level politicians and any national level politicians willing to give power back once they get to Washington. We will need to have the right message that is suitable for the early majority. Remember, the early majority will not be interested in the 10^th amendment for historic or visionary reasons. They will want to know how a movement based on the 10^th can help them improve their daily lives or their children’s future. This communication will be easier over time as more pain from socialism becomes apparent, but reversing the trend right now would be much easier. So we can’t wait, we need to move forward today.

In 2010 our goal is to take over state governments thus liberating our Normandy, state sovereignty; but in preparation we must put together the invasion force. That is our goal for the next 12 months. To achieve this goal, every bit of effort must be placed on the task at hand. As individuals, we must regain control of state governments at all costs. And then we must focus these state governments on the federal government as a legal counter to federal power. For if we do not reclaim this undeniably legal front, guaranteed by the 10^th, then all is lost and we may find ourselves years from now resorting to a much less attractive option, guaranteed by the 2^nd.  No doubt this will happen if we continue our unfocused strategy of attacking whatever issue of the day the media or the politicians tell us to focus on.

As individuals, we must regain control of our state governments and use this to as our “beachhead” to defend our life, liberty and property.

So now that we know what needs to be done, let’s get to it. Just as the Allies faced a fortified beach head when the amphibious assault landed on the Normandy shores, we face massive barriers as we attempt to reassert the 10^th amendment. In 1913, states were stripped of much power when the 16^th and 17^th amendment were ratified. Since then, states have been thrown to the wolves of the progressive movement and judicial rulings have supported abuse of the interstate commerce clause and the welfare clause. This federal abuse of the Constitution is clearly at odds with our Founder’s intentions. Our goal must be to destroy these fortifications as we move forward with our invasion force.

As visionaries supporting the 10^th, many of us find the concepts behind it a strong enough argument to support the movement. The early majority, or the mainstream, does not share this enthusiasm but they can be reached. Consider the following tactics:

• Completely satisfy buying objectives of mainstream. We must clearly communicate the reasons for buying individual freedom in terms of the 10^th amendment. Then we must accomplish all buying objectives for our supporters. In other words, by working at the state level, we are working within a system that we can put together the resources to make significant changes in the short term, and we must develop tangible results to further grow the movement.

• Establish word-of-mouth marketing. For this develop there must be a critical mass of informed individuals who meet from time to time and by exchanging views reinforce the value of the product being sold. We should challenge unconstitutional laws based on the Constitution an the 10th amendment to increase exposure. Additionally, educating existing grassroots movements is key to this tactic.

• Become the market leader. This is very important. The early majority buys products from the market leader. That is why most people feel like they only have a choice between the Republicans and the Democrats. State sovereignty needs to be positioned and then marketed as the market leader in solutions for regaining individual freedom. This can be accomplished by making the 10^th amendment one of the top priorities of the Tea Party and 9/12 movements, recruiting vocal state legislators, supporting and putting in place dedicated governors and then working resolutions and bills at the state level that challenge unpopular federal laws.  Until a stronger movement is developed, targeting changes at the federal level will be very difficult because there will be very little incentive for a national politician to give back power to the states. This will have to be demanded at a later time. However, we should champion national leaders that are dedicated to our cause.

Many may claim that their individual “most important” issue should be the rallying point for regaining our freedom. However, any other issue, regardless of its popularity, does not have the ability to provide a more local, legitimate base of political power. Consider this business analogy… when a startup company seeks investment they must convince the venture capitalists that they have a revolutionary product with a disruptive technology and a management team capable of bringing the product to market. They understand that the only way to create massive change and thus massive wealth is to provide undeniable value to customers and fundamentally improve the way the customer does business. Therefore, they usually seek to invest in companies that can provide a core, fundamental platform that has the potential to provide the foundation for many other complementary products. They typically do no invest in the add-on products.

Every social, political or economic freedom must be defended first by a political power base that is specifically accountable to individuals intent on defending those freedoms at all cost. You can think of state sovereignty as the core technology and anything else as an add-on product. Winning state sovereignty is the key.

Just like the plan to re-take Normandy provided the allies with a front to retake Europe, a plan built on the 10^th provides a front to retake individual freedom. So are we ready to send in the amphibious assault… not so fast, we need to assemble the right forces, determine the right message for the early majority, and dedicate ourselves to the political fight of our lives. Then we might be ready.

Brian Roberts is the President and a founder of an innovative software company in Texas. He has joined the tenth amendment movement as the meetup organizer of Texas Tenth Amendment Center. Follow Brian on Twitter, bcroberts_99.

Mark Edge, co-host of the syndicated radio show Free Talk Live, joins us to talk about the Free State Project in New Hampshire as decentralization in practice, moving towards smaller government on a state level, spreading liberty around the country by example, the insanity of violent response to activists by the federal government, the people of New Hampshire as having a streak of individualism and resistance to government encroachments, the state legislature in New Hampshire, liberty-loving lobbyists, the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance, Free Talk Live’s growing syndication, and more.

Mentioned in this Show:

Free State Project

Free Talk Live

Ridley Report

Free Keene

New Hampshire Liberty Alliance

Article 2 in Series, Restoring Freedom: An Entrepreneur’s Perspective – click here for part 1

Washington is selling servitude.

• We watched as they destroyed the financial sector by forcing banks to give loans to people that could not afford them… then they stepped in to “save the day” by gaining direct control of our financial sector.
• We watched as they destroyed a once powerful automotive industry through excessive regulation and labor union control… then they stepped in to “save the day” by gaining direct control of our automotive industry.
• We listened as they verbally assaulted capitalism when government regulations were to blame.
• We watched as they asked the American people to fund a $1 trillion dollar stimulus bill, they yelled emergency as they slipped cash from our children’s pockets to their political allies.
• We watched, as they worked to destroy the rule of law by arbitrarily dictating revised terms to legal contracts and installing a Supreme Court justice that promotes social justice over rule-of-law.
• We know, they intend to control our children, it’s written in the GIVE Act.
• We know, they intend to control our resources, it’s written in the Cap and Trade Bill.
• We know, they intend control of our very lives, it’s written in the Health Care Bill.
• We know, they intend to control our votes, the 2010 census is now controlled by the white house and the ones registering voters are corrupt
• We watch and wait as they install unaccountable czars for dictating  not representing
• We watch and wait as they increase “organizer” funding from millions to billions of our tax dollars. And we wonder how these groups will be used to steal our life, liberty and property from us.

The fifth sentence of the Declaration of Independence states, “But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”

Our product of freedom is competing with an illegal product. The federal government does not have the constitutional authority to sell servitude. It’s that simple. The 10^th amendment positions our competitor as an outlaw and recent actions in Washington reaffirm this claim. This brings us to our first point of strategic significance:

A movement based on the 10^th amendment is undeniably lawful and moral.

Washington is selling servitude. On fundamental issues, we the people are no longer represented by our national politicians. Our political leaders do not respect the people. They do not bother to read bills that steal away our money and freedom, but then they support these bills aggressively. They set up final votes at midnight in hopes that we do not notice the theft. They pit us against one another by highlighting trivial, but polarizing issues. When the people scream for a solution that doesn’t fit their personal quest for power they shelve the debate instead of making changes that would benefit the people. Despite this disrespect, many national leaders stay in office forever and when real opportunities arise to fill seats with true freedom oriented candidates, the establishment candidates step up, promote and install new big government-types that are mirror images of themselves. It is about personal power not representation. Washington is selling servitude.

Now, thinking like an entrepreneur, Washington used to be a strong ally in our quest to sell individual freedom. Together, we sold freedom to the world and earned the honorable title of “The shining city on the hill”. However, they have now decided to sell servitude. Washington has become a lost distribution channel for our product. Yes, they still want to offer our product, but only so they can do a bait and switch routine and create more customers for servitude. If we continue with these dynamics then the market share for servitude will quickly dominate the market share for freedom. And further compounding our problem, the federal government is a strong distribution channel and finding other channels that can compete is a challenge. To solve this problem, we need a game-changer, something that will expand our more loyal distribution channels while limiting theirs.

The 10^th amendment states, “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.” This one sentence if effectively used to counter federal power can quickly shift power back to a more local level.

A movement based on the 10^th amendment fundamentally changes the political landscape in favor of individual freedom.

Washington is selling servitude. Democrats are selling it outright as if servitude itself was a great product. Most Republicans are packaging it with just a dose of freedom so it goes down a little smoother. But when it comes to the fundamentals like smaller government and individual freedom neither party in Washington is representing us consistently. Both parties are using a horizontal marketing approach and this leaves “we the people” out. Let me explain.

In product marketing, you can position products for sale through a horizontal channel or a vertical channel. The national parties have broad horizontal platforms that work great when selling servitude because it allows them to pick and choose which “selling point” to highlight, which “product deficiencies” to hide and which controversial product features they can use to distract from the outright bugs in their product offering.

If you seek to bring a revolutionary product, such as freedom, to market then vertical marketing is key because it has the ability to capture a significant market share quickly and with minimal budget. The key to success is based on focus.

By focusing on a singular message our demands for more localized control of government will quickly be adopted in positions held by local politicians, followed by state politicians who are emboldened by a loud voice beating the same drum. Whether state politicians are driven to our message by greed or ideals the result is the same, a new ally with a legal precedent to counter federal abuse of power. This can happen in a dramatic way in the next election cycle.

A movement based on the 10^th encourages a state government, accountable to the people locally, to challenge the federal government directly.

So how does this all tie together? Dual-power is the sharing of power between the federal government and the state government. This was a fundamental check on power that was envisioned by our founders and written into the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Over the last 100 years, through judicial decisions, constitutional amendment and by simply ignoring it, the 10th amendment has been watered down significantly. Much of this can be changed if the people demand these changes with clarity. If the message is not clear, the the federal government will appease the population with trinkets of freedom but maintain the power to sell more and more servitude.

The 10^th goes right for the jugular of federal power, it changes the overall dynamics and it does this through a legal means. A movement based on the 10th clearly has large strategic value in and of itself. The 10th also delivers strong tactical value on how to bring freedom to market. Next…

Brian Roberts is the President and a founder of an innovative software company in Texas. He has joined the tenth amendment movement as the meetup organizer of Texas Tenth Amendment Center. Follow Brian on Twitter, bcroberts_99.

“In questions of power, then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.”
–Thomas Jefferson

I would like to extend to you an opportunity to show your support for our United States Constitution’s Tenth Amendment.

As you may be aware, I introduced Senate Concurrent Resolution 1609 to the Kansas Legislature in early February of this 2009 session. This resolution contains language which clearly spells out state sovereignty rights under the United States Constitution’s Tenth Amendment, “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 U.S. Constitution does not empower the federal government to overrule state laws without restraint. The Constitution does not give the federal government the right to interfere with the affairs of our state – or any state – especially by seducing citizens with money that comes with hidden and unknown obligations.The Constitution does not authorize the federal government to intrude by decree into the lives of citizens with excessive spending of their tax dollars.

As James Madison specified in Federalist #45, the U.S. Constitution creates a federal government of specific listed powers, not one of wide-ranging and far-reaching power that usurps the state’s authority and the rights of the people.

After introducing the resolution, I quickly received massive statewide support. With that support, and because of the significance of the underlying principles of the resolution, I wanted to give as many state senators as possible the ability to co-sponsor the legislation. I had the resolution redrafted, received a total of 24 senators’ signatures onto the measure, including all of Senate leadership, and re-introduced the resolution, SCR 1615. You can read it here.

Now I would like to extend you the opportunity to show your support by attaching your signature to this letter.

You won’t be alone. Many organizations throughout our state have voiced concerns about this subject, and their members will also be signing this letter.

The Senate Judiciary Chairman has promised SCR 1615 will have a hearing on Jan. 15, 2010, the first Friday of the 2010 session. But we can take action before that time by sending out a public statement showing the respect and support we have for our state’s sovereignty, and the indignation we feel about the over-stepping of the limits the Constitution places on the federal government.

Today, both the President and Congress assume the federal government should control the states and give them the role of acting as agents on their behalf. But they have it backwards.

Today we put the President and Congress on notice: it is the federal government that exists for the benefit of the states, and that includes the great state of Kansas.

Kansas residents and organizations, to show your support, please e-mail me at tenthamendment@pilchercook.com with your name and the city in which you live, and we will add you to our list of supporters.

I appreciate your attention to this matter and your passion for our liberty.

Mary Pilcher Cook is married to Don Cook – a talented musician and furniture repair technician. Mary grew up in Shawnee and St. Joseph Parish and her parents, Ray and Bertha Pilcher, have been members since 1963. Her brother is Father John Pilcher. Mary has served two terms as a Kansas State Representative and has done quite a bit of legislative work in giving the voters a better system of selecting judges and pushing for more accountability and transparency in government Mary also served as Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women President from 2003-2005. Mary was employed as a software engineer, and she has professional experience in the high-tech financial news industry. She received a BS in Information Science and an MBA specializing in finance from Avila University . Mary and her husband have five children and four grandchildren, and are small business owners in the mobile furniture repair business.