It is my opinion that an article V convention would be a fiasco. We should hope to God that such a thing is never convened, for it will only make things worse.
It is simply not reasonable to believe that Modern Americans will demonstrate more competence than did those who gathered in Philadelphia in 1787.
An Article V convention will put in charge the same sort of people who elected Obama. The very idea should be dreaded and feared.
If we can't even win an election for President, what sort of influence do you expect conservatives to have in an article V convention?
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You're not the only one to think that way, but it all depends the procedural rules that will govern any prospective convention.
Looking toward the future, one ground rule that will have to be insisted upon at such a convention is one vote for each state delegation. Even in today's political climate, it would be impossible for the left to get any of its pet amendment ideas approved by the convention if such a rule pertains.
That's why the left is nothing but fearful of the Article V convention to propose constitutional amendments idea. If they thought they would hold the upper hand at the convention, they would be promoting the idea with gusto. But they are doing just the opposite, attacking the Article V convention supporters.
December 09, 2013
Michael Farris
Yesterday, approximately 100 state legislators from over 30 states met at George Washington's home in Mount Vernon, VA. The meeting's purpose was to begin drafting the procedural rules for a Convention of States. I was not present at the gathering (only state legislators were allowed to attend), but earlier in the week I had a face to face conversation with the leadership of the Mount Vernon Assembly. We are beginning to reach critical mass in our efforts to use Article V of the Constitution to rein in the power of the federal government. The Mount Vernon Assembly is one of the major steps in that effort.
While the work of this group of legislators cannot be binding until actually adopted by a Convention of States, it will be critical to have this work done in advance and to have a majority of the states endorse it in advance. This will ensure the Convention itself can avoid prolonged disputes on the rules and can get right to work on the substance of drafting amendments that limit the power of Washington, D.C.
But there is another, somewhat unfortunate piece of evidence that shows this project is reaching critical mass. Conservative critics of this idea have recently increased both the loudness and shrillness of their long-standing claims that this approach is a dangerous threat to our country through a runaway "Con-Con." Here is why their arguments are doomed to fail: 1. They are based on faulty history. The original Constitution was not adopted as the result of a runaway convention. Their entire argument is premised on this fallacy. 2. They have to convince state legislators that we can't trust state legislators. You see, state legislators control the Article V process from beginning to end. The "Con-Con" argument requires state legislators to believe that we should be afraid of state legislators who might abuse their power.
But what's the alternative? These fear-based arguments leave us in the utterly precarious position of trusting Washington, D.C., to right itself.
No one should trust Washington, D.C., more than they trust state legislators. But, at the end of the day, the audience that matters most is state legislators. State legislators certainly trust themselves more than they trust Congress and the rest of the crowd in D.C.
The fear-based arguments are being overcome by the developing consensus of conservative leadership. Mark Levin, Glenn Beck, David Barton, and I all stand shoulder to shoulder to say that we can trust the Founders’ own solution. And that solution is found in Article V--we need to call a Convention of States.
Join us. Make history. Save liberty.
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Michael Farris is the Chancellor of Patrick Henry College and Chairman of the Home School Legal Defense Association. He was the founding president of each organization. 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.
Farris has been a leader on Capitol Hill for over thirty years and is widely respected for his leadership in the defense of homeschooling, religious freedom, and the preservation of American sovereignty. A prolific author, Farris has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Salvatori Prize for American Citizenship by the Heritage Foundation and as one of the “Top 100 Faces in Education for the 20th Century” by Education Week magazine.
Farris received his B.A. in Political Science from Western Washington University. He later went on to earn his J.D. from Gonzaga University School of Law, and his LL.M. in Public International Law, from the University of London.
Mike, and his wife Vickie, have ten children and 14 grandchildren.