POCATELLO — Chris Stevens, state coordinator of the Campaign for Liberty, said he’d like to see the principles found in the book, “The 5,000 Year Leap: A Miracle That Changed the World,” taught on the neighborhood level to help restore the long-forgotten principles of liberty in the U.S.

    “There are various opinions out there on the Republican Party, and rightly so because they haven’t done a good job lately, especially on the national level,” Stevens said.

    He made the remarks during a meeting of the Campaign for Liberty at the Marshall Public Library on Saturday. About 10 people attended the meeting, where they were informed by Stevens of some actions the Campaign for Liberty in conjunction with other groups will be taking during the upcoming session of the Idaho Legislature.

    He said several resolutions will be submitted to the Idaho GOP during their meeting on Jan. 9 that will ask Republican legislators to consider nullifying what it considers to be unconstitutional federal laws.

    Citing the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which reserves certain powers to the state or the people that are not otherwise delegated within the U.S. Constitution to the federal government or denied the states, the Sovereign Idaho Coalition is asking Republicans to consider nullifying: Any future national health care plan, federal legal tender laws by authorizing payment in gold and silver or electronic transactions backed 100 percent by gold or silver, and unconstitutional federal laws and regulations on firearms, accessories or ammunition manufactured and retained in Idaho.

    When some in attendance began to mention other issues that should be addressed also, Mark Balzer, co-director of the Sovereign Idaho Coalition, made it clear that a methodical approach was the best course of action.

    “We have to do things incrementally,” he said. “Things didn’t get screwed up over night. It took more than 100 years to get it this screwed up.”

    Through the 10th and [9]th amendments, those looking to effect change are standing on firm ground, Balzer said. Once those battles are won, then further battles can be fought.

    In addition to the appearance at the GOP meeting, the Sovereign Idaho Coalition is also holding a Converge on the Capitol event in Boise on Jan. 18. The event will start at 11 a.m. on the steps of the capitol building, eventually going inside to meet with some legislators.

    For more information on the Converge on the Capitol event, go the Sovereign Idaho Coalition Web site at www.sovereignidaho.com.