By Charlie Meadows

An important word picture is that of a person's boot on the neck of another person who is down and at the mercy of a bully. That is a growing description of the relationship between the federal government and the states along with their populations. That is the environment which is giving rise to the 10th Amendment or states rights movement in today's culture.

Citizens who love liberty and recognize the danger resulting from the growing power and tyranny of the federal government are waking up to the viability of an increasing states rights movement. The 10 Amendment states: "The powers not delegated to the United States (federal government) by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

All students of the founding of this nation know our founders intended for the federal government to be small and greatly limited in its duties, with most government regulations or services to come from the states. In fact, our founders wanted the states to compete as to which one could provide the proper functions of government for the least cost, while allowing the greatest level of liberty.

That competition between the states for the best and most efficient government has been greatly hampered by massive interference through mandates from the feds, as well as heavy federal taxation upon productive citizens. In addition, we see massive borrowing and printing of money so the feds can dole money back to the states and the people to make them dependent upon the federal government and easier to control.

The victim in all of this is liberty, self respect and loss of property by some, as government takes what was produced by some and gives it to others. Just remember, there are really only two kinds of government! Government that will either consume your private property and abuse your liberty, or the type of government that protects your private property and respects your liberty. Every label we put on various types of government are only a variations of these two polar opposite philosophies of government.

Liberty loving Oklahomans who believe in free market capitalism owe a real debt of gratitude to Senator Randy Brogdon (R-Owasso) and Representative Charles Key (R-OKC & Bethany) for their leadership in successfully pushing through a 10th Amendment resolution during the 2009 session. That effort put the federal government on notice that Oklahomans are getting fed up with the tyranny of the federal government.

Recently, I was at a meeting where Senator Brogdon and U.S. Representative Mary Fallin were speaking. Both are running for the Republican nomination for governor. Following Brogdon's campaign speech, a fellow in the audience asked him this question: "Senator Brogdon, if elected governor what would you do if the federal government demanded that the state of Oklahoma must lower its speed limits down to 55 miles per hour or lose its federal highway funding?" Without blinking an eye, Senator Brogdon said, that is an easy question. He explained that the way it works now is that Oklahoma collects the federal fuel revenues and sends them to Washington where they take their cut out of it, then they send what is left back to us in highway funding. He said, if the feds try that while he is governor, he simply won't send what we collect to Washington in the first place.

Let me say, as Chairman of the Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee (OCPAC), I haven't publicly endorsed Senator Brogdon nor Representative Fallin and won't until after the OCPAC interview process. But I will say, the attitude, passion and resolve which comes forth from Senator Brogdon is exactly the kind of courage and determination we need to be looking for when it comes to those we elect to Congress, as well as, and especially the positions in state government.

Ever more important is the necessity to elect men and women to the legislature and statewide office who have a love for liberty and self determination. People who respect liberty and are going to be willing to find creative ways, such as suggested by Senator Brogdon, to stand up to an oppressive federal government.

If the power hungry tyrants who control the federal government aren't willing to recede back into their cage of proper governmental jurisdiction, then we will have to take even stronger measures to assert the rights of the states and the people.

Somewhat in jest, I have been saying for some time now that I favor secession. I have suggested, that if the people in the Northeastern states wanted to secede, I wouldn't lift a finger to oppose them. I have even proposed taking up a collection to help them get started.

The reason is fairly simple. The ultra liberal, socialist, fascist lawmakers like Barney Frank, Ted Kennedy, Chris Dodd, Chuck Schumer and others of their ilk actually represent the desires of a majority of the people in their respective states. Whereas, the Jim Inhofe, Tom Coburn and most of our Republican Representatives in Washington butt heads with the liberals previously mentioned as they represent the desires of a majority of the people in Oklahoma.

What I am saying is that the ideology and values of the people in the Northeast and those of the people in Oklahoma are very different. They are becoming two opposing and incompatible cultures. I would be happy if those people would be satisfied with turning their respective states into little socialist compounds, yet be willing to allow the people in Oklahoma and Texas to live in liberty.

However, they seem not to be satisfied with such an arrangement. Through the federal government they seem to be bound and determined to force their "big brother" form of tyranny upon the people in our part of the country, whether we like it or not.

Therefore, the question for the conservative values people in Oklahoma is this: Just how much oppression are we willing to take before we say no more and that the feds have already gone too far? Just how heavy must the federal boot on our necks become before we have had enough? Will we resemble sheep on our backs looking up at the fangs of federal agents, or will be come alive with the same kind of spirit and determination that drove our founding fathers to throw off the shackles and tyranny of the king of England just a little over 200 years ago?

The 10th Amendment movement is out of the bottle and won't be easy to contain. Only time will tell what the future holds.