Posted on 10/27/2013 3:07:35 AM PDT by Jacquerie
In early September, the Convention of States Project began searching the country for citizens who recognized the brokenness of D.C. and were ready to be a part of the solution. Since the release of its Volunteer Leadership Application, the Grassroots Team has reviewed hundreds of names. Each application highlights a common desire to serve the nation and defend its freedoms for future generations.
We are excited to announce that twenty-six states now have active leadership in place.
One recently-appointed leader explained, “I don’t want to take the chance of sitting aside thinking that perhaps someone else will jump in and do it – and then not have it happen. So I am putting myself out there and am offering my time and my talents to help get this going.” Every day, citizens, no longer willing to sit on the sidelines, stand up and take tangible steps to return rightful power back to the states.
State Directors are now active in: AL, AK, AZ, AR, GA, IA, KS, MD, MA, MN, NJ, OH, PA, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, and WV.
Legislative Liaisons are working in: AZ, DE, IA, NH, NC, TX, and VA.
Coalitions Directors are looking for organizations who will partner with COS in: AL, AK, AZ, CO, GA, IA, KS, MD, MT, NY, OH, SC, and TX.
It’s not too late to join the growing ranks of citizens who are taking their place amongst the great leaders in American history. United we will stand. Undivided we will be successful. Together we will save the future of our homeland.
Join us.
It would be easy to see the word State as referring to the State Government, rather than its people.
But you James Madison argued the State referred to both its people and the State Government as a single unit as far as Washington was concerned.
If you wish to make that argument, and I would support such a case, you will have to make it in one of the states that did not ratify the 17th amendment.
Those States would be:
Utah (explicitly rejected)
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
Mississippi
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Virginia
Do we know anyone to carry our cause in any of theses States?
I do understand that. My concern is that the pols will simply ignore the changes. In much the same way that the pols do now. Regardless I fully support making the changes and, as a patriot, making the gubmint follow the amendments if necessary. Hopefully it won’t be necessary.
Seeing the word freedom is so rare it caught my attention. I cannot remember the last time the topic came up.
Of course the related words are responsibilities and rights.
The equation is really quite simple really.
The reason Washington doesn’t listen to us is they have a vested power interest in the spending and growth of their government.
Frankly everything we conservatives have been asking them to do has been to tie down their hands with the chains of the Constitution and cut down on the amount of money they can spend buying votes. That quite obviously runs against the grain of politics which makes Our political efforts 3 times harder than the left’s.
By targeting our States instead with specific demands which have the potental of increasing their power and influence(Be it at the cost of Washington). Our arguments become far more effective. We have only to find clever ways to uses their power to cut down Washington’s. (Something that uses to be a lot easier prior to the 17th amendment).
Washington is the problem; the state legislatures provide the only solution.
“I do understand that. My concern is that the pols will simply ignore the changes. In much the same way that the pols do now. Regardless I fully support making the changes and, as a patriot, making the gubmint follow the amendments if necessary. Hopefully it won’t be necessary.”
I agree, we may want to look into pushing more structural changes to Washington to make it more accountable to the powers protected by the Constitution.
Hence the repeal of the 17th amendment, preferably with a replacement of a more ambassadorial type system.(recall & replacement of senators by State legislators, and Governors)
In the interest of political expediency(in an institutionally ignorant america) we might just target that aspect alone. Making senators recall-able by their Respective State legislators, and leave elections up to the state.
The senate would never agree to again become appointed, and the left would endlessly holler that it was “anti-democratic”, with most people not understanding the issue.
In fact, the left is still at it, now trying to attack the electoral college in the same way they began to attack the appointed senate, by calling it “anti-democratic”. A few blue states have even banded together with the idea that all their electoral votes would be given to the national candidate with the most total votes.
Another issue is that while we see congress engaged in anti-state activities, as well as the POTUS doing so, what is not seen is what rogue federal judges do as well.
A great example is the giving of civil rights to corporations, which was done, of all things, by a Supreme Court reporter in the time of Lincoln. After a hearing, he approached the Chief Justice of the time to ask him if the court meant to give corporations civil rights. The Chief Justice said that is what the members of the court think, so the court reporter put that out as a commentary to all federal judges, that corporations now had civil rights.
Since that time, this idea now dominates business law, and is an issue in vast amounts of litigation. But it was not passed by congress or signed by the president.
My point is that federal judges effectively create federal law just as much as does congress. They appoint Special Masters to dictate to state legislatures how much money they must appropriate for something the judge wants, usually funding of education.
They also judicially prevent states from carrying out their own laws, like the death penalty, because the federal judge doesn’t *like* it, personally.
In any event, putting the Second Court of the United States just beneath the SCOTUS would give the states something that woefully was omitted in the constitution—a pruning mechanism to cut the federal government down to size in an orderly and peaceful manner.
A perpetual pruning mechanism, so that every castle some president and congress want to build can just as easily be torn down if the states do not approve of it.
???? The whole purpose of Article V is to go around our oppressors in Washington. They don't have a choice.
I understand your subsequent points. There is no guarantee of success. FWIW, Levin's amendments would subject Scotus decisions to repeal upon three fifths vote of the states.
I also know that most state legislators are part time politicians. They have lives outside of the political realm. Many are businessmen who know the horrible effects of our consolidated national government. They have pride in their states and chafe at the endless outrages coming from DC. Unlike our oppressors, state legislators cannot create money and actually have to deal more or less with budgets.
I think it is shortsighted to not realize the contempt our state legislators have for DC. The time to utilize the power we reserved to ourselves in 1787 is now.
Well, liberals/socialists created this hill, this upward challenge that for some reason some conservatives feel the need to climb...Why???
There are other ways to handle liberals than trying to climb the un-Constitutional obstacles they create...
Some of the political ilk on our side somehow believe it is politically correct to meet them on their home turf...
I do not believe it is necessary...Everytime we do manage to get a win, it is because the folks on our side of the aisle allow us to join them in the battle...We lost, the latest battles because the GOPe’s thought they could handle the liberals on their home field...And they ignored and lambasted the Tea Party grassroots conservatives...
I predict they will fail every single time doing that...
They will lose the immigration battle coming up, then when the debt ceiling is looming again in January...That has already gotten to be a weaker situation for conservatives before it is even joined from the laast battle...
Who knows what will happen and who will show up next November...I don’t think the conservative base will show up...
I hope to be proven wrong...
Thank you for posting! I’ve been meaning to post something from the Convention of States organization and was so glad to see this post.
I’m hoping FR can be another avenue of publicizing what is happening regarding the Article V convention process.
We don’t have much time but as you said, at the state level there is so much loathing of the overreach of the Federal government, that I believe we really have a chance of moving forward with this.
And for all still browsing this thread - the head of the Convention of States project is Michael Farris, Chancellor of Patrick Henry College and Chairman of the Home School Legal Defense Association. During his career as a constitutional appellate litigator, he has served as lead counsel in the United States Supreme Court, eight federal circuit courts, and the appellate courts of thirteen states.
The President of “Citizens for Self Governance”, ( the Convention of the States is a project of CSG), is Mark Merkel, former National Coordinator for the Tea Party Patriots, the largest tea party organization in the nation.
I believe the leadership team for this project is of the highest caliber.
“Well, liberals/socialists created this hill, this upward challenge that for some reason some conservatives feel the need to climb...Why???”
I’m afraid your mistaken, they didn’t create the hill of power for that hill has existed for as long as there has been government.
Our Forefathers were very much aware of it and did their best to create a system with numerous checks that they hoped might slow the growth of this evil. Even Still many if not most of them like Thomas Jefferson knew there could be no halting of this natural evil.
This is why Thomas Jefferson said:
“The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground.” – Thomas Jefferson
By this Thomas Jefferson was stating an observed and deducible fact from the history and nature of man respectively. As I recall my history few of our few if any of our forefathers expected our republic to last this long, and indeed many would say It hasent.
I suppose in the most strict definition, our republic died at Fort Sumter just over 150 years ago when it was determined to be held together by force of arms rather than the consent of its governed.
People tend to lose quite regularly when they surrender, although the truth be said we would have been better off never having engaged in that fight knowing the RINO’s would stab us in the back. But I suppose if we were to assume that we would never go into much less win any fights.
Just tell me one thing, we can get the head of the traitorous John McCain and Lindsey Graham! I have had enough of them backstabbing us. I don’t care if we have to vote for democrats to take their seats. Theses RINO’s are more dangerous to us and our brand than democrats.
Of course I do not imply surrender in this feckless arena of politics...It is too easy, if you have the numbers of engaged Americans who take their rage to the polls every single time...It is not a lot to ask, in my opinion...
As for the battle of the RINO’s, It is to surrender to replace them if you vote for a democrat to replace them, plain and simple...You are not alone on this thought, and it is a dangerous trend in the electorate these days...
There are always options, and people like Graham and McCain have track records to prove our frustration with them that would fill libraries...And even they are not alone...
It all hinges on how YOU react and what YOU do on election day...
These local elections next month are critical because I believe if we are able to show up on such a low priority election, it is a win/win for the liberals...They want a low turnout, thats why you needs to decide if YOU are going to remain fully engaged for a time period that really, in these times is a full time hobby...Most people do not understand that kind of committment, and that is what gets us into trouble in the long run...
Apathy will kill the conservative movement in this country, it is already weakened from attacks outside and from within the political affiliations we all make these days...
There is always something to study, something to learn, something to discover about someone or something political in this country...You just have to commit fully to the fight...And it is not just you, this does not fall totally upon the individual...
We need to learn a lesson in how to duplicate ourselves as well...Not only for political operations, but at the polls...This is actually easy to do, and its not limited to just having one person to do what you do at those polls...I’d try to get as many as possible in that regard...
This is not surrender, far from it, it is engaging an enemy that has absolutely no virtue, or substance in their lives and would rather be led around by the nose ring by those who do know how to duplicate themselves and perpetuate a destructive path which this country is currently on right now...
Thank God that the Article V initiative is gaining ground. Thank you for pinging me.
Along with the 16th and 26th.
Day 1: Your proposed amendments are ratified.
Day 2: Congress re-enacts the income tax.
Day 3: You challenge the new income tax law in court, but the court says, "sorry, we have no power of judicial review."
My point is: without judicial review, who enforces the Constitution?
We enforce the constitution. Plus the constitution will prohibit any form of taxation except a retail sale tax. So they cannot do what you suggest unless they completely disregard the constitution. If they do that then we are no worse off than today and they cannot hide.
Yes.
Great news on Article V Bookmark.
In my plan, I would charge the armed forces with enforcing the constitution. Additionally I subscribe to state nullification as Mark proposes in his Liberty Amendments. Ultimately it may take a number of measures to keep government in check. Ultimately it is the people and their force of arms which will keep government in check. Certainly the SCOTUS won’t do it. And ultimately the people will corrupt themselves into tyranny. It seems that is the way things go. Regardless we fight it.
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