Erxleben Speaks Against Nullification

City of Newcastle, WA -- Council Meeting of 9/3/13

 

Councilman Bill Erxleben, taking aim at the new marijuana legalization law in the state, implied that the federal law takes precedence over the state law, and thus council members and politicians, in general, should not defer to Initiative 502 (marijuana legalization) when making policy.  He said that members, and by implication, politicians generally, had a duty to uphold the rule of law.  Erxleben said that implementing the state law would be nullification (not enforcing or rejecting laws), and he implied that nullification, generally, was in fashion in several respects.

 

Erxleben expounded on how nullification was rearing its head in the debate over Syria, implying that the U.S. would be nullifying international law if the nation attacked Syria, because no country has the authority to attack another without self defense grounds or formal approval from the United Nations.  Erxleben also gave other examples of nullification in general, particularly about how it was being practiced in other states.  Erxleben's disapproval of nullification was one of two highlights (Mark Greene's speech being the other) in an otherwise mundane council meeting that N.P.R. had to leave early.

 

N.P.R. agrees with Erxleben regarding his points about international law and war, but thinks that nullification should not be totally dismissed since some laws may be unjust, immoral and unconstitutional, but nullification should be avoided if at all possible.  There is a higher law than man's law called universal law or God's law.

 

In other Council news, the Council discussed what the policy should be for sidewalk maintenance as Tim McHarg, Community Development Director, suggested that the Council put aside a special budget account for that purpose.  Public Works Director, Mark Rigos, said that the money that was allocated for sidewalks was basically used for expansion of sidewalks where needed as opposed to fixtures.  He implied that McHarg's suggestion would give a more concentrated picture for where monies should be spent.

 

At the start of the meeting, Council Candidate, Mark Greene, speaking from the public podium, said the U.S. should stay out of Syria's civil war, because there was no justification for getting involved.  The full text of the speech is as follows:

 

Against Intervention

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

The civil war in Syria is sad, tragic and long-going, but it's none of America's business, and to compound tragedy upon tragedy by starting a new front in an old war, and then justifying it by saying you are doing it for humanity's sake makes no sense when you realize that humanity will take the brunt of suffering as a result of a new front.  The chemical weapons convention has been violated a number of times by various countries before, but Uncle Sam did nothing then, so picking and choosing which violations that should be policed sounds arbitrary and discriminatory.  Uncle Sam, himself, possesses the largest quantities of weapons of mass destruction, and has used such in the continents of Asia and Europe (if not others), in the forms of white phosphorous, depleted uranium and atom bombs.  So anointing oneself as the Policeman of the World, again, makes no sense.  If the conventions need to be enforced militarily, then let the entire world act through the auspices of the United Nations.  The American people are tired of war and war-making politicians.  Stay out of Syria and use economic sanctions instead (if the case for economic sanctions can be made).

 

- Mark Greene

[revised on 9/5/2013]



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