Trent Reedy - Divided We Fall

JoBell could hardly stay in her seat. “But the Supremacy Clause—”

“Only counts” — Mr. Shiratori spun to face JoBell, pointing the Stick of Power at her — “when the law the US Congress passes is constitutional. The Idaho state government said that the law was not constitutional, so the federal government didn’t have the power to pass it, and that Idaho will refuse to enforce it.”

“Can Idaho do that?” Samantha Monohan asked.

“That’s the question, isn’t it? That’s what people were arguing about in Boise, and that’s why we need to understand our government and how it works. Because what I’ve described to you are only the basics of the case. Nullification, or the right of a state to, on its own, declare federal laws unconstitutional, goes all the way back to some of Thomas Jefferson’s ideas, and most especially to the 1830s, the state of South Carolina, and the vice president at the time, John Calhoun. Calhoun and his supporters opposed certain tariffs, or taxes, on the importation of foreign goods, and they argued that any state in the union had the power to declare any federal law to be unconstitutional for the entire country.”

I couldn’t believe it. The whole disaster in Boise had happened over a stupid argument about ID cards? How could people be dead as a result of something so unimportant?

JoBell couldn’t remain silent. “But—”

Mr. Shiratori held up the Stick of Power to cut her off. “South Carolina argued that once a state had nullified a law, it would take a constitutional amendment passed by three-fourths of the states to make the law constitutional. President Jackson believed that everything Calhoun and South Carolina were proposing was dangerous and illegal. He said, ‘Nullification means insurrection and war.’ So the federal government did two things. They passed a law that would allow President Jackson to use the military to force South Carolina to obey the federal tariff laws, and they also reduced the tariffs that South Carolina had been mad about in the first place. In a way, both sides won.”

“So are we going to have a war?” TJ asked.

“Don’t be stupid,” I said. “This is America. There’s no way—”

“Mr. Wright, you’re free to debate in this classroom, but you will not insult people.”

Did TJ really count as a person? I decided to let that issue rest. “Fine. Sorry. But that stuff you were saying about South Carolina is totally different from what Idaho is doing, right? Idaho is only saying that the federal law is not allowed in Idaho. It’s still allowed in the rest of the country.”

“It’s allowed in the rest of the country for now, Mr. Wright,” said Mr. Shiratori. “But the states of Texas, Oklahoma, and maybe even New Hampshire are already considering nullifying the law as well.”

“People need to calm down and talk this out,” I said. “Find a way to get along and then come to an agreement. That President Jackson guy is from way back. Things are different now.”

“Yeah,” Sweeney said. “No way is anyone going to fight over this. No way could a president get reelected if he launched a war on a state, if he killed people just over stupid ID cards.”

“Exactly,” I said. “This isn’t old pioneer times or whatever. We’re a united country. We’re all one big Army. Soldiers all go to the same basic training, wear the same uniforms.”

“Maybe you and Sweeney are right about all that,” JoBell said to me and the class, “but the bottom line is Idaho doesn’t get to decide which federal laws to obey and which to outlaw.”

Mr. Shiratori tapped the stick on the floor. “It’s a hot controversy, and now that people have died, now with Governor Montaine refusing to even release to the federal government the identities of the soldiers involved, it’s more contentious than ever.”

JoBell switched Eleanor back on and held up the photo of me leaning over that dead girl. “Whatever they decide with this ID card law is one thing, but our governor should be in jail along with this guy who murdered those people Friday.” She held up the image of me on her comm. “I hope the president gets them!”

Mr. Shiratori pointed at JoBell with the Stick of Power. “Miss Linder, I think the situation is a lot more complicated than you think.”

I sank down lower in my seat. Mr. Shiratori had never been so right.

—• Warning, you are about to enter the Truth Zone. Here comes… The O’Malley Hour !

Let’s get right to the talking points tonight. The president has danced around the issue with the Idaho Guardsmen for an entire week. If the federal Department of Justice has enough evidence to indict the Idaho Guardsmen for this incident, then those men should be arrested. Negotiating with the Idaho governor is a waste of time. It’s not up to Governor Montaine to make this decision. Unfortunately, so far, he’s the only one deciding anything. •—

—• With us today on Viewpoints is Senate Majority Leader Laura Griffith! Thanks for being here, Senator.”

“It’s a pleasure, Belinda!”

“Well, we’ll get right to business because I have a bone to pick with you.”

“Uh-oh!”

“I think I speak for most of the women here on Viewpoints when I say that we are generally supporters of President Rodriguez, and so we’re concerned, I think, with the way you’ve been very critical of him lately.”

“To be fair, Belinda, most of my problem is with Governor Montaine, but this isn’t merely party politics. Look, what Idaho is doing is. Completely. Illegal. It’s unconstitutional. The shooting incident is a tragedy, and I hope a full investigation is finally allowed, but the shooting and Idaho’s nullification attempt are two separate issues. Nullification is tantamount to secession, and it must be dealt with immediately. I’m disgusted with Governor Montaine and certain members of the Idaho legislature, and rather than being critical of the president, I’m merely strongly encouraging him to take immediate action to rectify this dangerous situation. •—

—• is willing to examine Governor Montaine’s claims that some bullets recovered from Boise shooting victims were not military issue, seeming to substantiate reports that at least one civilian involved in that protest was armed. White House spokesperson Kelsey Santos says that the president will not be satisfied until a full federal investigation has taken place.

Governor Montaine said in a written statement this morning, quote, “There is conclusive ballistic evidence suggesting fifteen-year-old Brittany Barker was killed by someone other than Idaho soldiers. One of the Guardsmen was wounded by a non-military weapon. It is almost a certainty that some of the rioters were armed. However, although shots from rioters would certainly justify the Idaho Guardsmen’s decision to fire, my legal and proper order to disperse the dangerous riot was all the justification they required.”

In the meantime, the federal government is doing its best to proceed with its own investigation into the Boise shootings. The FBI is asking anyone who has photographs or video of any aspect of the protest, particularly images of the National Guard soldiers, to please send those photos and videos to the website listed at the bottom of the screen. They are looking to get as many angles on this tragedy as possible, and we have not seen the FBI enlist the help of the public like this since their investigations in the wake of the bombings of the Boston Marathon and the Mall of America in Minneapolis. •—