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Georgia on the Brink
Convention of States ^ | January 23rd, 2014 | COS Project Team

Posted on 01/23/2014 12:59:18 PM PST by Jacquerie

Attention COS patriots: Georgia needs your help! Tomorrow, January 24, at 9:30am the state senate Rules Committee will hold a hearing to discuss the COS application. This is a huge step towards passing the application in Georgia, and we need to show the committee we mean business.

So here’s what you can do:

If you live in Georgia, go to the meeting! It will be held at the Georgia State Capitol in hearing room #450. We need to pack the room so the senators know how many Georgians support a Convention of States.

If you can’t make it to Atlanta, you can still help. Send an email voicing your support to info@conventionofstates.com. You can type your own or simply use the sample letter below:

Hello,

My name is [Your Name], and I support the Georgia State Senate resolution (SR 736) to apply for a Convention of States.

A Convention of States is the last, best chance to curb the abuses of the federal government and force Congress to be fiscally responsible. The Founder’s included the Convention of States option in Article V for precisely the situation in which we find ourselves today. It’s our responsibility to use the tool the Founders gave us to limit the federal government’s power and jurisdiction.

Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the Constitution—I want Georgia to be the first state to save it.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

We’ll give your letters to our team in Georgia, and they’ll print them out and bring them to the hearing. We want a huge stack of letters, so get yours in ASAP.

Don’t live in Georgia but want to help? No problem. You can still send us your letters voicing your support for the Georgia resolution. With letters from folks across the country, we can show the Georgia state senators this movement has nationwide support!

Sending an email takes five minutes, but those five minutes will bring us one step closer to preserving liberty in our country. Thanks for standing with us!


TOPICS: Activism/Chapters; Constitution/Conservatism; Government; US: Georgia
KEYWORDS: articlev; constitution; statesrights
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To: Art in Idaho

Thanks Art...

Here is Madison in Federalist #43 (Number 8)
http://www.foundingfathers.info/federalistpapers/fed43.htm

and

Hamilton in Federalist #85
http://www.foundingfathers.info/federalistpapers/fed85.htm

to add to the discussion...


81 posted on 01/23/2014 5:38:17 PM PST by bfh333 ("Hope"... "Change"... You better HOPE you have some CHANGE after the next 4 years!)
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To: Art in Idaho
It’s the Article V process or Revolution.

THAT sums it up!

82 posted on 01/23/2014 5:40:11 PM PST by Jacquerie (Restore federalism and freedom. Repeal the 17th.)
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To: Ingtar

Those legal minds that know like Levin etc have said that doing an Article 5 State convention will allow narrow amendment processes and they can control what is brought up. The left will be controlled and locked out if enough States agree to reaffirm rights and limit the amendments. if not... there will be no convention.


83 posted on 01/23/2014 5:57:53 PM PST by LibLieSlayer (FROM MY COLD, DEAD HANDS! BETTER DEAD THAN RED!)
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To: Repeal The 17th

I agree.


84 posted on 01/23/2014 5:58:24 PM PST by LibLieSlayer (FROM MY COLD, DEAD HANDS! BETTER DEAD THAN RED!)
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To: Art in Idaho

The first link in your list is incomplete or broken.


85 posted on 01/23/2014 5:58:38 PM PST by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: Publius
I am afraid of this, too. However, state ratifying conventions are not popular votes of the people that are ripe targets for voter fraud.

Wouldn't state legislatures still have a say on the rules for the state ratifying conventions, if Congress chooses to go that route? Each state would choose its own rules for their own conventions, too, right, because these are state-managed events.

Would the federal government try to argue that "equal protection" allows them to insert themselves into the state processes to make each and every state hold their conventions in exactly the same way? Today, "equal protection" does not allow the federal government to intercede when some states hold primary caucuses and other states hold popular votes, so why would the federal government be allowed to dictate how a state holds its own ratifying convention?

-PJ

86 posted on 01/23/2014 6:25:15 PM PST by Political Junkie Too (If you are the Posterity of We the People, then you are a Natural Born Citizen.)
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To: Political Junkie Too
Fortunately we have a precedent from 1933 when the 21st Amendment was sent by Congress to state ratifying conventions.

The states held special elections for their conventions by having one (or more) delegates elected from each district of the state's lower house of the legislature.

87 posted on 01/23/2014 6:27:54 PM PST by Publius ("Who is John Galt?" by Billthedrill and Publius now available at Amazon.)
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To: Windflier

http://www.conventionofstates.com/


88 posted on 01/23/2014 6:29:50 PM PST by bfh333 ("Hope"... "Change"... You better HOPE you have some CHANGE after the next 4 years!)
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To: bfh333

thats going to be a tough number to get.


89 posted on 01/23/2014 6:44:11 PM PST by 12th_Monkey (One man one vote is a big fail, when the "one" man is an idiot.)
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To: Art in Idaho
From Friends of the Article V Convention

Congress Sets State Application Count As Zero

No Rules Exist for Count; Passes Law Mandating Delegate Election

By Bill Walker

In only what can be only described as a kiss off response Kirk Boyle, legal counsel of the House of Representatives responded in a one page letter to Dan Marks' request for an official count of state applications currently recognized by Congress for an Article V Convention call.

The sheer volume of applications in question is best appreciated by examination of this map.

Mr. Boyle’s response was succinct — number of applying states counted by Congress: zero.

Mr. Boyle stated Karen Haas, Clerk of the House of Representatives, whose job it is to maintain and keep all reports required by law has not been instructed by statutory law to maintain any count of the applications.

However this response does not agree with the facts. As reported earlier, “Under House rules (Rule II, 2(b) and Rule VII) the clerk of the House is responsible for providing any reports required by law to be made to Congress. This of course includes a report listing the number of applying states requesting a convention call as the “law” in question is Article V of the Constitution. The procedure for recording applications was established on May 5, 1789 and has remained unchanged. Therefore, according to House rules, the record is public domain as it has existed over 30 years. Under House rules the clerk is considered the “custodian” of all records of the House of Representatives including state applications for a convention call.”

Mr. Boyle’s letter does not discuss that the Constitution describes Article V, as well as the rest of the Constitution, as “law of the land.” That law mandates Congress call a convention. Obviously, to be in compliance with that law, Congress must track the applications in order to know when to call.

However, Mr. Boyle asserts, because Congress has not passed a law authorizing a count of applications, no one is obliged to count the applications, including the House clerk. Therefore Congress does not have to call a convention because it has not consented to do so in the form of a law authorizing such count. Thus, Congress can ignore the Constitution because it has not consented to be bound to the terms of Article V and conduct a count of applications. In legal language, this is known as the principle of sovereign consent or sovereign immunity.

Despite four Supreme Court rulings mandating a convention call is peremptory, Mr. Boyle’s position is all 746 applications submitted by 49 states don’t count because Congress has never consented to obeying the Constitution; in this instance by providing a means for the applications to be counted by Congress.

This fact means, not only are all applications for a convention call by the states being ignored by Congress, but also all so-called “rescissions” which the John Birch Society has spent the last 40 years submitting to Congress. This fact means these so-called “rescissions” are meaningless. They have had no effect whatsoever on the number of applying states or their applications as Congress has never recognized the validity of the applications in question. Therefore, from the point of view of Congress, there is nothing to rescind.

Mr. Boyle suggested Mr. Marks consent to having his letter forwarded to the House Judiciary Committee “for further consideration.” There are several problems with this suggestion. First, the Founders made it absolutely clear the issue of a convention call was not to be submitted to a congressional committee. Such an act, according to James Madison, would imply Congress would have the authority to refuse and not call the convention. Secondly, the rules (or lack thereof) Mr. Boyle cites for the refusal by the clerk to count the applications are the same House rules which govern the committee and subcommittee.

Thus, these entities have no more authority to count the applications than the clerk does, if one accepts the premise set forth by Mr. Boyle. Hence, according to the rules (or lack thereof), the committees can give no more “consideration” to Mr. Marks’ request than the clerk has. Mr. Boyle’s purpose is obvious. By asking Mr. Marks to submit his letter to a congressional committee for “consideration, ” Mr. Boyle wants to establish Congress has a choice as to whether or not to call a convention — even if the states apply in sufficient number.

As cited above, this so-called choice is entirely contrary to the Founders’ intent, court rulings, and even previous statements from Congress itself.

90 posted on 01/23/2014 6:46:33 PM PST by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: 12th_Monkey

Agreed, as it should be...

But two of the first amendments are a balanced budget and term limit amendment which BOTH have a 65%+ support across a broad political spectrum...


91 posted on 01/23/2014 6:50:29 PM PST by bfh333 ("Hope"... "Change"... You better HOPE you have some CHANGE after the next 4 years!)
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To: Windflier
After the 27th Amendment, first proposed in 1789, was ratified in 1992, Congress passed a law to reform the amendatory process. You might want to research that law, because I understand it was poorly written.

The late John Armour, aka FReeper "Congressman Billybob", once told me that the law discharged all petitions submitted since 1790. That would in fact mean that the current count is zero.

92 posted on 01/23/2014 6:53:48 PM PST by Publius ("Who is John Galt?" by Billthedrill and Publius now available at Amazon.)
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To: bfh333

Think state senators should be appointed not elected like the constitution originally intended.

I hope more states get on board, it might be the last hope for our country


93 posted on 01/23/2014 6:59:44 PM PST by 12th_Monkey (One man one vote is a big fail, when the "one" man is an idiot.)
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To: Publius
The late John Armour, aka FReeper "Congressman Billybob", once told me that the law discharged all petitions submitted since 1790. That would in fact mean that the current count is zero.

Alright, but all of those petitions would have been discharged on some particular date. There have been petitions submitted to Congress since then. From what I've been reading lately, over 30 states have recently submitted petitions to Congress to convene an Article V convention.

If Congress is going to stonewall that process, then this whole effort is for naught, and the people will have to resort to other means to impose their will on this lawless government.

94 posted on 01/23/2014 7:24:47 PM PST by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: Windflier
The first link in your list is incomplete or broken.

Thanks for the heads up. Fixed it: Convention of States

95 posted on 01/23/2014 7:33:22 PM PST by Art in Idaho (Conservatism is the only Hope for Western Civilization.)
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To: bfh333

I’m talking about the States taking control not individual ciizens.


96 posted on 01/23/2014 8:43:51 PM PST by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped.)
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To: Jacquerie

I think the best and easiest way to fix things is for the states to just leave the US gov t and start their own govt immediatly. Own military , taxes, laws ect. That is real and certain change. The bankers and perverted globalist control the US govt,not Americans. I dont think America can be fixed too many third worlders here now.


97 posted on 01/24/2014 3:43:02 AM PST by Carry me back
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To: Windflier
Actually, legislators from over 30 states met last December in Mount Vernon, VA to discuss the nuts and bolts of petitioning congress and conducting a convention.

Probably 99% of the media have ignored our burgeoning movement. Once the states meet again this summer, I suspect all hell will break loose in a highly coordinated and choreographed drama of outrage.

98 posted on 01/24/2014 4:44:04 AM PST by Jacquerie (Restore federalism and freedom. Repeal the 17th.)
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To: Jacquerie

Doing it


99 posted on 01/24/2014 6:45:02 AM PST by Lazamataz (Early 2009 to 7/21/2013 - RIP my little girl Cathy. You were the best cat ever. You will be missed.)
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To: Windflier
If you go back to Post #45 and print off the two documents to which I linked, you’ll see that the ABA document addresses this via the Powell decision.

Remember Adam Clayton Powell? He was the crooked congressman from Harlem whom the House refused to seat over 40 years ago. He said the House was free to expel him by the constitutional method of a two-thirds vote of the full House, but insofar as he had fulfilled all requirements of New York state law and won his election, the House had no choice but to seat him. When the House refused, Powell went to federal court.

The Supreme Court decided in favor of Powell and ordered the House of Representatives about like a lackey for the first time in history. There had been warnings from Congress to the Court not to touch this case on separation-of-powers grounds, but the Court took it, decided it and gave the House orders. The Powell precedent still stands.

The states would go to federal court and argue that Congress was blatantly defying the Constitution in refusing to set the time and place for a convention. If the Powell precedent is honored, the Supreme Court would order Congress to set the time and place for an Amendments Convention. Further intransigence from Congress might put the Court in the position of setting the time and place itself.

However, the Court could also rule that this is a political question beyond adjudication. That would mean it would be up to the voters to remove those senators and congressmen who feel that Congress is no longer bound by the Constitution. It depends on the willingness of the Court to be activist.

100 posted on 01/24/2014 6:46:12 AM PST by Publius ("Who is John Galt?" by Billthedrill and Publius now available at Amazon.)
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