Wingnuts

Mississippi Republicans’ Nullification Fantasy

Mississippi Republicans are pushing for the creation of a "Joint Legislative Committee on the Neutralization of Federal Law."

The bill, known as the Mississippi Balance of Powers Act, was authored by state Rep. Gary Chism (R), chairman of the House Insurance Committee, and Rep. Jeff Smith (R), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. Earlier this week, the bill was referred to the House Constitution Committee.

“The provisions of this act shall serve as a notice and demand to the federal government to cease and desist any and all activities outside the scope of its designated constitutionally enumerated powers, and that attempt to diminish the balance of powers as established,” the bill reads. [...]

The committee will be allowed to review “any and all existing federal statutes, mandates and executive orders for the purpose of determining their constitutionality.” Any measure that is found to be “beyond the scope and power assigned to the federal government under Article 1 of the United States Constitution or in direct violation of the Mississippi Constitution of 1890” may be recommended for neutralization by the simple majority vote of each house of the Mississippi State Legislature.

Not to sound like a broken record, but Article VI of the Constitution clearly states that federal law shall be "the supreme law of the land." And Mississippi state legislators who have obviously become too big for their britches can't simply nullify it on a whim.

The arrogance required to even entertain the idea that some panel of handlebar mustache-ed shitkickers in Mississippi would have the power, or even the knowledge, to decide what is and is not constitutional is truly beyond description. And I shouldn't laugh, because we're deep inside secessionist territory here, but their unflinching belief in their own significance is breathtaking.

The only thing that rivals their hubris is my contempt for them.