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To: Repeal 16-17; Congressman Billybob
The reason people use the term "constitutional convention" is because the MSM uses the term, which only goes to show the ignorance of the average journalist. Regrettably, I've seen Judge Napolitano use it, which grates on me.

Because the 1787 Convention actually wrote a new document, there is a belief that another convention would have the same powers, which it would not. A lot of people fear the states assembling in convention, either because they fear a runaway convention, or because they fear a brand new constitution on the Soviet model. Neither are permissable, either under Article V or the 1992 law.

I have to credit Congressman Billybob for giving me an education on concepts such as black letter law and the principle of agency, which are critical in understanding the limited powers of a Convention for Proposing Amendments.

BTW, I believe that the states are so angry that we could see 34 states petition for a convention to address some facet of the relationship between state and federal governments. The trick is for the state legislatures to work together to write identical language for the petitions, lest Congress use slight differences in language to say that the petitions were not on the same subject.

Back in the Eighties, it was a Texas state senator who educated state legislatures on the possibility of ratifying Madison's 1789 amendment proposal to get it belatedly into the Constitution. I would hope that some enterprising state legislator or state attorney general would enter upon a similar effort of education for a possible convention.

31 posted on 03/22/2010 4:28:33 PM PDT by Publius (The prudent man sees the evil and hides himself; the simple pass on and are punished.)
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To: Publius
We can call it an "Article V Convention". Just out of curiosity, what do you consider to be a "Constitutional Convention"?

As for the substance of your last post, the States should start planning on calling an Article V Convention in case the Supreme Court yields to the Liberal Messiah.

32 posted on 03/22/2010 4:41:06 PM PDT by Repeal 16-17 (Let me know when the Shooting starts.)
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