“This is so frustrating,” Representative Clark exclaimed. “I am so tired of being lied to.” I chuckled to myself as I had seen this before. Beginning in 2006, opponents would twist one of my column points into an unrecognizable declaration, attribute it to me, and then attack me for it. If you are a skimmer rather than a consumer of the news, you may actually believe I hate puppies, babies, and whooping cranes. Unfortunately, politics and lying are forever inseparable. Hitler taught the world a big lie will become the truth through repetition. World War II introduced the world to nuclear weaponry, but atomic energy is child’s play compared to the destructive energy of the state sponsored lie. Little Boy and Fat Man leveled Hiroshima and Nagasaki only once while the lie can be detonated over and over again.

The red tsunami in last fall’s election swept a new breed of public servant into legislative chambers across America. Stereotypically, they are brave constitutionalists and they terrify progressive and progressive-lite advocates of Marxism. In Montana’s House we may only number 38, but these fresh patriots make me more optimistic than ever America will survive. (We could use dozens more in 2012.) The first half of our 62nd legislative session was pockmarked with deceptions propagandized in the media, so here is the truth from the trenches. Caution: Readers desiring to teach-the-world-to-sing should avoid the remainder of this column because the truth will make you feel neither enlightened nor special. Let’s start with a simple review of American civics.

Our founders designed our republic with two distinct separations of power along the horizontal and vertical axes. With the exception of Senator Chuck Schumer, most Americans recognize the horizontal balance of power between the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches of government. Neither holds supremacy over the remaining two. It is the vertical separation which confuses some Americans.

In our unique American republic, forming the base of the vertical axis is the people and their consent to be governed. We always have, and must remain, the sovereign ultimate arbiter of all government power. Second only to the people in this vertical separation, are the fifty united, yet independent, states. Last and intentionally smallest in terms of power, lies the federal government and every founding document purposely obstructs the growth of this third tier. A progressive century long degradation has disrupted this vertical separation and the central government has become tyrannically massive and oppressive. Today, it is not just the right of the states’ legislatures to call this shift into question; it is our obligation to do so.

This session we have introduced multiple bills nullifying three unconstitutional federal laws. (Nullification is the new “n-word” to the left.) During debate opponents rose and preposterously declared “It was nullification which South Carolina used to start the Civil War. You can’t just ignore laws you don’t like just because you want Montana to secede.” Although wrong on all three points, the media reported the above lies as fact. The big state sponsored fabrication went viral, our governor went national and citizens were left consuming news which simply wasn’t true. Let me explain nullification.

Read and study Article VI, clause 2, followed by the Tenth Amendment of our Constitution. With that knowledge, read Madison’s and Jefferson’s words in the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions of 1798 where they introduce the concept of nullification in response to President Adam’s Alien and Sedition Act. Re-read all the above because you must know this cold. Now let me address all three big lies.

Lie #1—Nullification and the Civil War: The only time nullification was used in reference to slavery was when the northern states nullified the Federal Fugitive Slave Act. Since no federal law prohibiting slavery existed in 1860, it was impossible for South Carolina to use nullification to secede. (The left obscures facts with hysteria.)

Lie #2—Ignoring laws. It’s not a question of like or dislike, nullification is based on constitutionality. If the federal government endows themselves a new power not enumerated in Article I, section 8 of our Constitution, they are violating America’s eternal founding document and must be called to question. Since the three horizontal branches of government are equal, we must turn to the vertical axis to find the entity capable of questioning federal usurpation of power—namely the states.

Lie #3—Secession. Deeply rooted in every patriot is the love of our great republic and our goal is not secession, it is restoration. America was born the beacon of liberty to the entire world and only by restoring her to those founding principles will she beam once again. It was not socialized healthcare, greenhouse gas regulation, or wolf re-introduction which made America great, it was freedom! To such we must return.