In the United States, sovereignty is divided in a unique way that has worked for 250 years to keep Americans free. We have dual sovereignty:

• The federal government has sovereign powers granted to it by the U.S. Constitution — national defense, foreign affairs, interstate commerce, immigration, currency, etc.
• Each state also retains sovereign authority over matters reserved to it — policing, education, property law, local government, much criminal law, health and safety regulation, elections, and so forth.

For example, a California governor may exercise important powers of a sovereign state, but the governor himself is not “the sovereign.” He exercises executive authority that the California Constitution and laws give to the governor.

The same is true of a President. POTUS is not the sovereign of the United States. The President exercises the federal government’s executive power. Congress exercises legislative power, and the courts exercise judicial power. The President cannot simply exercise every sovereign power of the United States personally.

This is a chart that lays out sovereign powers of the governors and the POTUS.

A governor can sometimes have authority in an area where the President has no authority at all. For example, ordinary local policing is fundamentally a state matter. A President cannot simply take over a state’s police department because he is “higher ranking.” There isn’t a simple national chain of command running President → Governor → Mayor.

Conversely, a governor cannot conduct U.S. foreign policy, issue U.S. currency, or command the U.S. military. They both have their spheres of influence. However, the Constitution is very clear that states possess sovereign authority over the administration of elections.

I like to think of this chain of command in a very simple way. Parents send their children to schools. While in school, there are rules the children must follow. But the parents are closer to their children than the school and its teachers are. In that way, state governments are closer to US citizens than the federal government is. Does that make some sense to you? By the way, this was the original Tea Party Republican gripe.

The original gripe of Reagan Republican voters was the federal government does not belong meddling in my local affairs. And now we have a so-called Republican president who wants to run elections, declare wars, and charge tariffs without even asking our Congressional representatives how we feel about it. After all, a representative is supposed to re-present what his constituents want in a democracy. In an oligarchy or fascist state, like Russia, the federal government takes over the spheres that deal with the people. That is not democracy. That is not what the United States has been for 250 years.

So What Are We All Going To Do About It?

September 4th, 60 days to midterms.

Those who believe in democracy must show Americans that they know how to fight to restore the balance of power in America. But, they currently have no real power in the federal government to effect the change they are campaigning on. Or do they?

A governor’s oath is to the U.S. Constitution and the state constitution, not to the President personally. There is no constitutional requirement that a governor show personal allegiance or political loyalty to whoever occupies the White House. And many governor’s oaths refer to protecting its citizens from all enemies, foreign and domestic.

So if a President acts in a way that is unconstitutional or endangers it citizens, the governor’s sworn constitutional duty is not “obey the President anyway.”

A Union of Governors Dedicated to their State Constitutions and the US Constitution.

Our democracy is under attack by its federal government which is currently run by a convicted criminal. That attack no different than what was attempted here on 911. In fact, it is much more dangerous because it is much more likely to succeed than the 2011 Bin Laden box cutter attempt. We got here because people in the Democractic party respected the norms of government. It’s time for that to stop right now.

STEP ONE: DEMOCRATIC LEANING STATE GOVERNORS DECLARE THAT EXECUTIVE ORDERS WITH RESPECT TO ELECTIONS AND TARIFFS WILL NOT BE RESPECTED IN THEIR STATES IF THEY RUN COUNTER TO WHAT IS PLAINLY WRITTEN IN THE US CONSTITUTION. THEY MUST ALSO IMMEDIATELY STOP THE COLLECTION OF TARIFFS THAT WERE NOT APPROVED IN CONGRESS AS PROOF THEY INTEND TO STICK TO THE CONSTITUTION TO PROTECT THEIR CITIZENS. THEY MUST ALSO DECLARE THAT ANY EFFORT TO MEDDLE IN OR CHANGE THE WAY ELECTIONS HAVE BEEN RUN IN THE USA WILL BE DEEMED AN ACT OF WAR VS THEIR CITIZENS’ RIGHTS AND THE THE CONSTITUTIONS OF THEIR STATES AND THE USA.

That means their ports immediately cease collecting tariffs that were not approved by Congress. The effect of that action will reverberate in three ways. Two ways are predicatble.

The citizens and businesses in blue states will enjoy an immediate reduction in the cost of living. Businesses may re-route deliveries to blue states. The citizens in red states will demand the same of their governors. And what will the governors do about that? That’s what we do not know. But for sure, the Democratic States that enroll in not collecting tariffs ( or holding them in escrow until Congress approves them ) will have proven they mean business when they speak about affordability.

This is in some ways the same thing Donald Trump did on J6. He did something outrageous. It unified a portion of his base. But this act of unconstitutional tariff defiance unifies the entire country, red and blue states. No one likes these tariffs except Donald Trump who had found ways to get paid in negotiations for lifting tariffs on ” friends” and enforcing them on “enemies”.

And this also is very much like what Trump is doing with his ballroom. He is going forward with building that though it was not approved by Congress as it is written it should be. And yes, some may say “but the Supreme Court said …”. To which I say, the Supreme Court is just a few people, some of whom have been paid off to side with Trump’s admin, and some of whom were okay with releasing convicted J6 criminals back into the population. Those actions are actions that aided and comforted convicted insurrectionists, hence, as per 14th sec 3, those justices have no right to power in any state, federal or judicial sysyem in the USA.

In other words, the SCOTUS rulings, like Trump’s unconstitutional executive orders, do not have to be respected by the Governors of democratic leaning states, any more than Trump does not respect the law that voting in the USA is to be conducted solely by the states.

Those who really care about saving this democracy cannot allow there to be two standards of justice in the USA any longer. Because that is what we have with Donald Trump. Everyone knows it, and no one is really challenging it before the midterms.

And therein lies the larger predictable problem. The crimes against the constitution we have witnessed in both Trump administrations are only “the crimes we have seen”. Do you think there might be more crimes? Trump and Kushner alone know the full extent of the treasonous crimes that have been commited against this country, it’s constitution and its people. Where are the national secrets Trump took with him when he left office after Trump 1.0 … etc? Trump knows he cannot affords to lose, and will do anything to stay in power. Is the assassination of his political enemies off the table? I doubt it.

I fear waiting for election results, getting bogged down in court fights post November, and the refusal to seat the real winners while challenges get court dates, is the GOP plan, rather than address the concerns off all Americans which Trump was never interested in. People see that now. Those who knew him growing up, as I did, knew this was all he was capable of from the get go.

A Union of State Governors With an Article 5 Creed

Trump’s Administration wants to stay in power regardless of the election results, and they believe they have the physical muscle to do that. But blue states’ governors have muscle and sovereign powers too. They can uphold the rightful results of the midterm elections in their own states. They can state that if Trump does not deliver ballots the same way they were in 2024, a year Trump won, they will reserve the option to ignore the results of said rigged election. They can say they are financially out of the union until the insurrectionist supporters are all removed from office as per 14th sec 3.

I believe a temporary financial divorce, or the serius talk of it, is the fastest way back to a truly unifies country. The reason for that is populism works. Red state citizens are more afraid of life under Trump than blue state citizens because, in general, they suffer more than blue state citizens, with less health care, poorer education, lower wages, etc. They mainly liked Trump because they thought they owned the libs. But if the libs have their own rules and economies, they will quickly realize they are footing the bill for all of Trump’s follies alone. And they won’t put up with that for long, I am sure.

To annouce a financial divorce upon election tampering, the blue states need to do plan ahead, announce it, and do this altogether and at once when the line is crossed. It’s way better done before the elections, as soon as evidence of meddling is on the radar, which it is now.

If the Governors of blue states formed an alliance, and backed that alliance with muscle, their police and national guardsmen, which is within their sphere of sovereignty, they can declare that they will only abide by the actual fair election results counted the same way they were in 2024. If states unite with a purpose, the mere presence of their unity lessens the danger of a civil war via election rigging because the cheaters will know if they even try to cheat the blue states will not abide and their own citizens won’t like that.

This union of allied governors with a NATO-like Article 5 creed, you come for one, you come for all, best be announced as soon as possible. States United is the only sovereign power backed with enough muscle to fend off Trumpism when they pivot to violence at midterms, which is almost certain. They are calling for ICE to be near polling places. How does that not end up with people being shot?

Historically, the momentum of every government criminal coups eventually carries it to physical resistance by the oppressed people. Trump is betting we will not be willing to risk our statuses, fortunes nor our lives to preserve our now borderline democracy. And in his mind, he intends to mow us down if we get in his way. His inside people are in too deep to walk away. They know Trump’s made criminals of them all. Their speaker is talking immunity if we stand together, much like Ben Franklin said about hanging together or hanging separately.

I posted this edited photo in 2017, at Helsinki. It was true then, and it is still true today. I am sure Trump admires Putin for the way he rules with an iron fist. That’s all I needed to know, to be sure he had been compromised for the 2016 election help he willingly took.

That’s how the dictators think: pay off the SCOTUS and politicians, and get what you want (money, power) from being top dog. Democracy, civic service, protecting one’s citizens? That’s for the suckers, to use a Trump line. Dictators are just common criminals who got to the top and will defend their position with the muscle that comes with being top dog.

Tariffs Can Stop in Blue States Tomorrow

Governors can announce that their ports will no longer collect, nor allow the collection of tariffs created by Trump, without the approval of Congress. That is the law. Same with wars. But tariffs are easier to stop. And wars are in the sphere of the president. That would leave the citizens in red Trump states stuck paying tariffs, while people in blue states enjoy lower prices, a better economy and standard of living.

People in red states will immediately demand the same from thier governors. And they will have even more reasons to vote out all their GOP representatives in Congress who have remained loyal to Trump and his tariffs that hurt the working American class. This would be populism enacted, not merely promised. And thats when dems win it all and we get our country back.

Americans are begging for this kind of caring populism. It would be a way for states to show they mean business, not just rhetoric. Tariffs without Congressional approval are not constitutional. The law is on our side. If Trump can go ahead building a ballroom though he has no right to, blue states can certainly stop collecting tariffs tomorrow.

The original tea-party gripe was the government takes and does not give back enough. Fixing tariffs on a state level would prove those governors are on their own citizens’ side. I am sure the announcement of the reversal of Trump’s tariffs in blue state ports until they are approved by Congress would be very popular with all Americans – all sides and in-between.

What citizens can and must do today.

Please call and email your governors. Tell them to form a union with the other governors and share with them how you feel about what’s going on as well in your own way. They need to hear from their own people. I know many don’t listen. But this time they are scared as much as we are. Ask them to read this post. Send them a link to it. Tell them to reject tariffs and wars not approved by Congress as per the constitution loudly and clearly, or you will support a representative that does.

Tt’s fine to protest. But honestly, when people protest, people like Trump just think “good, they are not getting paid today”. Same with boycotting. I hear all kinds of resistance plans within the citizens. But only the sovereign power of a governor can stand up to the muscle of the federal government. I hope I made this clear in this post.

Finally, because I do understand risk and reward, I want to add this. Waiting and hoping the elections turn out okay is optimistic, but it’s a terrible gamble. if we lose, we lose all for the foreseeable future. If we win, we still have the insurrection supporters in our government to deal with. It’s tails we lose and heads we win the right to keep fighting. I don’t like that as a gamble. I prefer to win it all before the midterms, or at least have a plan to resist what seems almost certainly to be coming our way.