Posted on 03/20/2015 7:25:15 AM PDT by GILTN1stborn
If only the Founders were as smart and trustworthy as today’s politicians, then we wouldn’t have all the problems we see nowadays.”
No, that’s not a talking point from anti-gun nanny staters like BILLIONAIRE anti-gun activist Michael Bloomberg or even President Obama.
I’m afraid it’s pure snake oil being peddled by professional “conservative” charlatans -- with help from a handful of political celebrities who should know better -- demanding a state-initiated Article V Constitutional Convention.
I’ve ignored the Constitutional Convention con (more aptly named "Con-Con") job until now -- hoping and praying it would just fall flat before it gained too much steam.
But I can’t any longer.
I’m sick of seeing good folks get duped with this fool’s gold.
And I’m worried what this could mean for the future of our Second Amendment rights . . .
The truth is, if those pushing a Con-Con ever succeed, ALL of our freedoms protected by the United States Constitution -- including the Second Amendment -- would be put on the chopping block!
That’s why I’m counting on your action today.
There’s no doubt that Washington, D.C. has spun out-of-control in recent years.
And I know fixing their mess is the motivation behind many misguided folks who are pushing this scheme.
But a Con-Con is NOT the answer for several critical reasons.
As Article V of the United States Constitution provides, states can bypass Congress to call for a Constitutional Convention.
34 states would be required to initiate a Con-Con.
Besides those very general parameters, the Constitution is silent on much of the process. But this much is sure: >>> DELEGATES WOULD BE SELECTED BY STATE GOVERNMENTS IN THE MANNER OF THEIR OWN CHOOSING.
Just imagine the millions of dollars Bloomberg would pour in to ensure his minions are the ones rewriting our nation’s founding document in a Con-Con!
Even in the best of cases, delegate selection is likely to be little more than a popularity contest with our anti-gun media demanding the selection of “reasonable” choices who can “work with both sides.”
In fact, they're likely to be many of the exact same Congressmen and Senators who are ignoring the Constitution now!
Without patriots like James Madison and Benjamin Franklin, would you trust these folks if the convention went behind closed doors -- like the 1789 convention in Philadelphia did?
>>> THE CON-CON ITSELF WOULD BE CHAOS.
Just imagine the special interests and protesters lining up to demand their piece of the pie. Imagine our anti-gun national media types doing everything they can to skew the convention outcome.
Those of us who would like to see our Second Amendment and the rest of our Constitution untouched would be immediately demonized as “backward” and “radical.”
>>> A CON-CON WOULDN’T EVEN WORK.
The problems we face today are not the Founders’ faults, and there’s nothing wrong with the Constitution we have now.
The problem is that we have politicians who won’t obey it! That’s not going to change unless you and I FORCE them to take their oaths of office seriously.
>>> ANY NUMBER OF AMENDMENTS TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION COULD BE CONSIDERED.
This, by far, is the biggest danger -- and the biggest lie being spread by convention proponents who claim “there’s nothing to worry about.”
Yet even the groups pushing the Con-Con scheme can’t even agree on what they want to accomplish! And as former U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger wrote in 1983 -- the last time this scheme reared its ugly head:
“[T]here is no effective way to limit or muzzle the actions of a Constitutional Convention. The convention could make its own rules and set its own agenda . . . After a convention is convened, it will be too late to stop the convention if we don’t like its agenda.”
The moment a Con-Con convenes, you and I might as well kiss our Second Amendment rights goodbye.
If you’ve ever been to a political party convention, you’ve seen enough shenanigans to know they’re hardly a pristine processes.
In fact, I was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 2012 and served on the Rules Committee.
There, I saw firsthand anti-gun establishment attorneys and GOP insiders run roughshod over the grassroots -- including using physical violence against an older woman.
Their goal was to ram through new rules to weaken grassroots’ influence on the Republican Party.
I was so furious I could hardly see straight.
Just imagine what you and I would see come out of a Con-Con with even more crooked players and even higher stakes!
*****, you and I want no part of this madness.
That’s why I’m counting on you to contact your State lawmakers and urge them to oppose HCR8005, SB1460, H0931, SB1242, or any other legislation calling for an Article V Convention.
As it stands now, three states -- Alaska, Florida and Georgia -- have passed resolutions calling for a Con-Con.
22 states have passed resolutions that naively call for a convention limited to just one issue -- something that would never happen.
And other resolutions are under consideration by even more state legislatures right now and meeting little opposition.
And anti-gun activist Michael Bloomberg must be grinning from ear-to-ear.
That’s why I’m counting on your action today to help me: 1) Prove to politicians in state legislatures across America that pro-Second Amendment patriots like you and me passionately OPPOSE the creation of a Con-Con;
2) Alert Second Amendment supporters in states considering this scheme to just how dangerous a Con-Con would be. My plan is to use everything from U.S. mail and email, to Internet, radio and even TV ads if necessary to ensure this scheme is stopped.
But I can’t do it without you.
The truth is, a Con-Con is NOT the solution -- but that doesn’t mean you and I can’t rein in Washington, D.C.
I know progress can seem painfully slow.
But you and I have made big progress over these past two years.
First, against all odds, President Obama’s anti-gun assault went down to defeat in 2013.
Then, in 2014, dozens of anti-gun politicians paid the price for their attacks.
But our job isn’t done yet.
So won’t you please contact your state lawmakers and urge them to oppose an Article V "Con-Con" right away?
You see, the solution to our problems is for you and millions of other patriotic Americans to continue holding politicians accountable for betraying their oaths of office.
Once politicians understand they can’t assault our freedoms without paying the price at the ballot box, they’ll stop.
It’s that simple.
You see, there isn’t a magic wand you and I can wave to restore America overnight.
I know many Americans want there to be.
Many folks want to jump into politics for a short time, fix the problems they see and then just get back to their lives.
It’s that instinct those who are pushing a Con-Con are preying on.
But as Thomas Jefferson said, “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.”
*****, you and I can restore America.
But it’s going to take hard work and commitment -- like signing petitions, sending faxes, writing legislators, giving contributions and holding politicians accountable -- not snake oil solutions.
Those are the guiding principles behind everything your National Association for Gun Rights does.
So won’t you please contact your lawmakers right away?
Thank you for all you do.
For Freedom,
Signature Dudley Brown President
P.S. A dangerous threat to the Second Amendment has made its way to the Florida legislature.
That's right.
Right now snake-oil salesmen are trying to peddle their goods to Republican members of the Florida Legislature by pushing the dangerous Article V Constitutional Convention or "Con-Con" plan.
Please click here to contact your State lawmakers and urge them to oppose HCR8005, SB1460, H0931, SB1242, or any other legislation calling for an Article V Convention.
Well, maybe comments, thoughts, and behind the scenes actions like you describe above are what he's afraid of, too. My concern is over one of "who will watch the watchers?" To put it in a more relevant context, "who watches the organizers and deciders of the CoS?" How were they chosen?
It is easy to say there'll be safeguards, rules, decorum and consensus about what's to happen, but I can't help but to think about that line "the most careful of battle plans are thrown out the window when the first shot is fired." I am disillusioned about it because you rarely, rarely can find someone nowadays in government, politics, or conservative activism that actually does what they say they will do.
A case in point for me is the recent expose about the actual candidate donation rates (% to candidates) of the top Tea Party sentiment/affiliated PACs. Frankly, they are embarrassing and disgusting IMO, and they certainly don't give me good reason to believe in the best hopes of a CoS.
Yet all these background foundational explanations result in one paragraph. In the end, only that one paragraph is operative.
The Framers’ process was intended to make the natural right of the people to suggest changes fairly easy to achieve.
However, changes should not be made lightly. That is why three-fourths concurrence is a wise and high bar.
You explained far more of yourself than you know.
I understand and agree with the spirit of a CoS. I just don’t think I have much hope for it. This country can’t even come to grips with the likes of Ferguson and its aftermath and the basic problem it represents. Couple this one thing with all the others of the tyranny we call government now, and I just think some very nasty unintended things could happen.
I don’t want to stop a CoS, but I don’t want to have rainbows blown up my keester about how this and how that will go, either.
I’ll shut up now and go my way. If it (CoS) does happen, I’ll certainly hope for the best. :0)
There’s no need to get personal and snide. I haven’t done anything of the sort with you.
You don’t wish to learn. I view it as factual, not personal.
So, you as one of the CoS proponents would likely be a participant, and you, given your assessment and dismissal of my concerns would be perfectly content to “keep people like me” out. There was another poster here who voiced that same thought at another here who had CoS concerns.
The problem with CoS proponents is that there is a lot of talk, supposition, ‘background’ on something that has never happened before ‘all going according to some master plan’.
Attack those concerned seems to be the order of the day it seems. Good tactic. It works well with Democrats.
And your solution is? There is nothing wrong with having discussions about the good, the bad and the ugly. However, other than the suggestions for revolution, where are the alternate solutions that are also Constitutional? The founders gave us Article V for good reasons.
I’m done on this topic. You guys go on off and do it now.
The founders gave us a Constitution and system that is premised on the basis of having honest men implement it. We do not have that now. Our Constitution, laws, and mores have been assaulted continually for several decades by the most vile and evil people imaginable and have been used against us to no good end. To expect a pristine process like Article V to occur with no interference is folly.
Nevertheless, good luck to you. I hope it works out like you envision.
In a lot of cases, up to half of the state budget money is actually federal matching funds. How the feds get their tentacles into state matters is by the promise of money. The reason we had a federal speed limit was due to federal matching funds. States can balance their budgets and spend without raising their state taxes due to this. They are happy. People in the states are happy. They don't need to know the details.
In the end if Article V passes, you'll see possibly two scenarios. One is enough sides team up in a turf war and roll over another side. It's possible. The other is to make deals to avoid a turf war and loot the federal treasury the same or more as it is now. (But it's a balanced budget - well, more taxes then. The delegates don't have to face the people - ever)
I refuse to donate to any national group that claims to speak for the tea party. They aren't tea party. They are noise machines who collect money, spend it on themselves, and rarely help candidates. The only national group I've seen do ANYTHING is Americans for Prosperity.
Now many of the local tea party groups don't have much money and do good work with the money they have. They also actually give a damn about the issues like we do.
Article V is written in 18th Century legalese. My explanation is written in modern English. No suppositions, just explication.
Bkmk
I agree with much of what you say, except the founders did understand that there was and would continue to be, evil in the world. That’s why they wrote the Constitution the way they did. I do not believe anyone expects the process to be pristine and easy. In fact, I think it will dangerous, difficult and very ugly. The left will come out in full force to attack us. They will use the IRS, NSA, DOJ, HSA and thuggery to threaten and silence patriots. Our state represenatives that have stepped up to this effort already know this. They do not put forward this effort lightly. I will support them and pray because I think, that in light of the widiots (wuss+idiot) and the leftists in DC, it is our best last chance before we go the way of Rome.
I have logged many volunteer hours with AFP in addition to some other smaller grass roots groups. I try to be so careful where I donate my time and money. That is why I was upset about NAGR.
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