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]



Please vote for I-522 this November, YOUR RIGHT TO KNOW about whether of not the food you buy is genetically modified.

The Power of Incrementalism

The Newcastle News did a fair job with the article about the Position 6 race for the Newcastle City Council (September, 2013 issue).  However, regarding my quote about little towns like Newcastle not having much of an impact in regards to the environment, that is clarified further below, and thereby gives the statement more context.  What I may or may not have left out in the interview, by implication or otherwise, is that all of us together, in the universal sense, have a lot of impact.  In other words, the power of incrementalism can do wonders!

- Mark Greene

[revised on 9/3/13]

 CLARIFICATION AND OTHER COMMENTS 

As one of the two subjects of this article, my statement that Newcastle is not going to have much of an impact when it comes to environmental issues should be clarified. I only mean this from the governmental angle, because the big decisions about the quality of our environmental standards are going to be made in Washington, D.C., and not the Newcastle City Council, as it’s mainly Congress and the White House that will decide whether or not to make the appropriate regulations to ensure that the environment is not inextricably harmed, and to advance environmentally sound energy, national parks and international treaty and trade policies. 

Of course, in the sense that the power of incremental steps is great, even little towns like Newcastle play a major part in the overall universal objective of sustaining a workable, peaceful, healthy and long lasting environment. “Doing our part” is very significant when everybody does their part, and to be frank, environmental decisions by governmental entities, writ large, have been harmful in many respects, as politicians are often too connected and tied in to narrow business interests through lobbyists and powerful CEO’s that are more concerned about their bottom line than the environment that sustains us all.

Regarding my opponent saying, in so many words, as quoted in this article, that he would fit in well with the Council, well, that is true, especially if you want a like-minded, “go along, get along” Council. A soliloquy of seven that strikes harmonious notes might not be the tonic that Newcastle needs in this era of urgency. However, if citizens want someone who will ruffle a few feathers (or a lot of feathers) to stake out principle-minded positions in the interests of the common good, then they might want to check out (my blog profile section).

- Mark Greene

Please vote for I-522 this November, YOUR RIGHT TO KNOW about whether of not the food you buy is genetically modified.