'We the people' do not have the power to enslave our neighbors.
Yes, we could. Would we? Never.
I'm saying that that oath [of office] should be enough to satisfy your argument that they would protect the Constitution.
That oath hasn't worked to date. -- Why do you think it would work at a Constitutional Convention? -- A 'runaway convention' passing amendments repugnant to our liberties, would be subject to the checks & balances in the original document.
In any case, all of us are obligated to protect and defend our Law of the Land. -- You agree?
In theory, yes, but I wonder where the source of "obligation" comes from.
We have the right, the ~duty~ to "alter or abolish" any form of government destructive to our liberties.
If you're just talking about obeying the law, then everyone who is a resident here has an obligation to live by the law as part of the bond of civil society. If you're talking about changing existing law, people should be free to suggest any change they wish, and then suffer the wrath of society if they are too radical in their ideas.
'Free to suggest' re-instituting slavery is a long way from passing an amendment to do so, -- on that we can agree.
The oath is given to immigrants. Are natural born citizens given an oath or do we just assume they will support and defend the Constitution as a part of their birthright?
Those who refuse to support & defend are free to renounce their citizenship at any time, last I looked.
So, I can foresee people trying to start a grass-roots campaign for an amendment that could be harmful to some, but if it gets that far, then the delegates to a convention who do take an oath have the obligation to stop it.
Indeed they do. -- Glad to see you renouncing your 'power' to enslave anyone.
Now, now... I never claimed the power to enslave anyone.
Think about that idea; -- could 'we the people' re-institute slavery?What I hinted at earlier, and we drew out from our dialog, was that even the Article V Constitutional Convention has checks and balances to prevent inhumane or other extreme ideas from reaching the Constitution.Yes, we could. Would we? Never.
-PJ