Thanks Publius. That is indeed a good laugh at the end of an arduous day.
I spent the day at my state capitol with the CoS folks talking to Senators and Reps about getting on board an Article V Convention in Texas. Fortunately we have a sitting governor on board who clearly laid out the necesary law and procedures to all state congresscritters present. As of today we have bills filed in our House and Senate ready to go for the next session beginning Jan 10, 2017.
Hearing what this rat senator has to say is funny. Not so funny are the misconceptions I’m reading by the commenters to this thread. We FReepers owe it to our nation to educate ourselves on an Article V Convention of States. It’s a great opportunity, not some horrid theft of liberty.
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The amendatory process under Article V consists of three steps: Proposal, Disposal, and Ratification.
Proposal:
There are two ways to propose an amendment to the Constitution.
Article V gives Congress and an Amendments Convention exactly the same power to propose amendments, no more and no less.
Disposal:
Once Congress, or an Amendments Convention, proposes amendments, Congress must decide whether the states will ratify by the:
The State Ratifying Convention Method has only been used twice: once to ratify the Constitution, and once to ratify the 21st Amendment repealing Prohibition.
Ratification:
Depending upon which ratification method is chosen by Congress, either the state legislatures vote up-or-down on the proposed amendment, or the voters elect a state ratifying convention to vote up-or-down. If three-quarters of the states vote to ratify, the amendment becomes part of the Constitution.
Forbidden Subjects:
Article V contains two explicitly forbidden subjects and one implicitly forbidden subject.
Explicitly forbidden:
Implicitly forbidden:
Reference works:
Frequently Asked Questions About a Convention of the States
Proposing Constitutional Amendments by a Convention of the States: A Handbook for State Lawmakers
State Initiation of Constitutional Amendments: A Guide for Lawyers and Legislative Drafters