I fear States' Rights because...

[Valley Oak]

I fear states' rights. I fear them because they are used as an excuse to abuse individual rights, even today. Back in the 1950s, the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (1954, US Sup. Ct.) was handed down to protect the constitutional rights (federal rights) of African Americans, especially those living in the old confederate states, and destroyed the "separate but equal" argument. Human rights take precedence over states' rights and many court decisions, such as Brown v. Board to name just one, asserted this.

The argument of states' rights is one of the favorite political arguments of the Republican Party, Libertarians, Tea Partiers, and conservatives in general (Ronald Reagan's, "The Speech"). Not only that, but the states' rights position is used by anti-abortionists (like Ron Paul), racists (George Wallace), and anti-gay activists.

The idea that states' rights actually protect freedom and individual rights, etc, is a HUMONGOUS lie. For example, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Wikipedia) was instituted to protect the individual rights of African Americans, because, once again, they were still being violated by the states. Powerful conservative senators, such as Strom Thurmond stridently opposed the CRA-'64 and even filibustered it. Thurmond, who was a Republican (~1964 until end of career) also ran for the Presidency of the United States in 1948 as the segregationist States Rights Democratic Party (Dixiecrat) candidate. Thurmond was a Democrat at the beginning of his political career.

By taking power away from a centralized authority, people like Ron Paul and his son, Palin, Tea Partiers, and millions more, have the opportunity to deny those basic human, civil, and constitutional rights once again, returning, possibly to the old Jim Crow laws. In other words, what states' rights advocates are arguing for is the right of the majority of citizens in a given state to take away or deny the rights of minorities such as African Americans (Rand Paul's statement that people should have the right to deny service to African Americans), the LGBTQQI community, women, non-christians, etc, etc, etc.

There needs to be a singular, national authority to protect the rights of minorities. That is the greatest flaw of the stupid states' rights view.

I hope to see the day when the US Supreme Court decides in favor of same-sex marriage and forces ALL 50 states, against their will and the will of their majorities, to recognize and protect the rights of same-sex couple to marry.

Edward

Hi Conrad,

Thanks for sharing your views. Here's the video of Ron Paul with Bruno...

-Laurel