State and Individual Sovereignty
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.
— Tenth Amendment to the US Constitution
The word sovereignty is defined as “supreme power or authority.” It is also referred to as a “self-governing state.”
The US Constitution, in the Tenth Amendment, clearly establishes state sovereignty. As well, our Declaration of Independence establishes individual sovereignty as our unalienable rights emanate, and are endowed by, Creator God: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These rights are not given to us by man — government — and, therefore, cannot be adjudicated or restrained by such an entity. These were the bases upon which we dissolved our bonds with Great Britain because, as Thomas Jefferson brilliantly articulated, they have violated our rights.
In reaction, our Founding Fathers established these United States of America. Pay attention to the use of the word “these.” The signers of the Declaration of Independence said “these” Colonies would be “free and independent States.” That concept, ideal, was solidified in the Tenth Amendment.
Now, the ideals of State and individual sovereignty are under assault by the progressive socialist left, the real secessionists, calling themselves the Democrat Party. It is not debatable that the Democrat Party is seeking to undermine the sovereignty and supreme authority of States in several instances.
First, the Constitution does not grant the enumerated power to the federal government to control the execution of elections, nor proscribe its processes and procedures. The implementation and execution of elections reside as a power of the States.
However, after successfully enacting unconstitutional actions to undermine respective State election laws, the Democrats are looking to codify such abhorrent behavior into law. States must assert themselves in nullifying any attempt by the federal government to usurp this extremely important power, or we shall suffer the consequences of rule, not constitutional governance.
The current issue Texans are facing, with the wanton disregard of our sovereign border, is highly disconcerting. But, it is not without the ability of the State of Texas to take action. It is apparent that Joe Biden has abdicated his constitutional duty to defend our nation from what the framers of the Constitution termed “invasion.” Biden has, by Executive Order, sought to implement an open border agenda that undermines the safety, security, and sovereignty of the Lone Star State, and America.
However, Article I, Section 10, Clause 3 of the Constitution clearly grants a State the right and power to take action, without delay, when immediate danger is being posed, an invasion.
Texas does not need to idly stand by and watch the Biden administration allow what is now hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants into our State.
The fact that this administration has allowed 3,000 illegal immigrant males to be situated in the Dallas convention center and another 1,000 out in Midland is unconscionable. Texas should not be allowing any illegal immigrants to leave the border zone. They should be processed, biometric data collected and entered into a database, and then repatriated across the border.
The fact that the Biden administration is preventing the sovereign Governor of the State of Texas from visiting these sites is unacceptable. I gotta tell you, no one from the Biden administration would prevent me from executing my duties as Governor.
This past week, we saw the US House of Representatives pass an illegal immigration bill granting amnesty. There is a reason why the left wants to flood our state, and nation, with illegal immigrants. It is called permanent victim class, votes.
When you consider that HR 1 eliminates voter ID, one realizes the left does not believe that representation should be based upon citizenship, but rather population. With the impending redistricting coming, you can ascertain the true intention of the delusional totalitarians of the progressive socialist left.
But, it is not just that the left wants to undermine the power of our states, they also want to cancel the rights, freedoms, and liberties of sovereign individuals in our Republic.
Leftist legislation that has passed the House of Representatives — such as HR 5 and HR 8 — are detrimental and damaging to individual rights in elevating the left’s ideological agenda. Ideals such as Red Flag Laws and the non-transparent FISA court are contradictory to our Fourth Amendment rights, eliminating due process.
A few weeks ago, I wrote a Monday message titled “Fortis Fortuna Adiuvat.” Fortune does favor the bold, and our original framers of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution evidenced such boldness. If we are to do as Benjamin Franklin admonished, “A Republic if you can keep it,” it requires us to remember that the two most important aspects of a Republic are the rule of law: our Constitution, and individual rights. We must never forget that our Constitution was not ratified until it contained a Bill of Rights, our first ten amendments.
That final, tenth amendment, established the fundamental power, sovereignty, in our Republic: the States, and the People.
It is time we exercised that power, and reminded the Biden administration of such, from a constitutional perspective.
Steadfast and Loyal,
LTC Allen B. West (Ret.)
Chairman
Republican Party of Texas
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