This week, I appeared on the Foreign Policy Focus podcast to talk about state action and foreign policy. Now, you might be asking, how can actions at the state level impact U.S. foreign policy? Well, as I explained to FPF host Kyle Anzalone, quite significantly.
Most people assume nullification can only be effective in limiting federal overreach domestically. But in fact, state and local governments support the U.S. military and surveillance state in many ways. By ending that support, states can make it more difficult for the federal government to continue actions that violate the constitution – even those relating to war.
The best example is the TAC’s OffNow campaign to turn off resources to agencies like the NSA that are violating the Fourth Amendment. Kyle and I talked about how we can use this same strategy to end state and local cooperation with torture and rendition. We also talked about “Defend the Guard” legislation to nullify federal overreach into the use of a state’s National Guard Troops. It would effectively block the use of Guard units for offensive military operations overseas. Finally, we delved into police militarization and how state and local efforts can block federal efforts to turn local cops into soldiers.
