Wade Henderson, Esq.: States' Rights Belongs in History Books, Not Headlines

Rejecting the view that racial antagonism motivates some of his most overwrought opponents, President Obama has said that "anti-government" sentiment is more central to the protests against his policies.

Once again, the President has maintained his civility, while others have trouble maintaining the synapses between their mouths and their minds. Still, I'd find it even more reassuring if the noisiest critics of the federal government's role in health care, the economy, education, and other facets of our national life weren't recycling the rhetoric that was used to justify secession, segregation, and other injustices.

For instance, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty recently suggested that he might invoke the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution to prevent his state from participating in a national health care plan. Pawlenty subsequently backed away from this threat, but not before casting a spotlight on a growing anti-government movement that uses musty constitutional arguments, with deeper roots in the old Confederacy than modern-day Minnesota.

During a Sept. 10 conference call with conservative activists conducted by the Republican Governors Association, Pawlenty warned:

You're going to see more governors, including me, and specifically Gov. Perry from Texas, and most Republican governors express concern around these issues and get more aggressive about asserting and bringing up the 10th Amendment. So I think we could see hopefully a resurgence of those claims and maybe even lawsuits if need be.
Texas Governor Rick Perry certainly has been "aggressive" about asserting states' rights. At a rally on April 15, he denounced the federal government, while some "tea party" protesters shouted "Secede!" Later that day, Perry said Texas became part of the United States in 1845 with a special understanding that it could leave if it chose and that Texans may get so fed up that they'll do just that.

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Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wade-henderson-esq/memo-to-govs-pawlenty-and_b_300060.html

And the pro-"states' rights" side lost.

To the tune of 600,000 dead. That should be a pretty convincing argument for anyone.