Free Republic

Fascinating discussion between Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) following HBO's "The Swamp" (I didn't see it). Gaetz & Buck want a Convention of the states to introduce federal term limits and a balanced budget amendment. They also discuss a range of other topics regarding Congress and how things are done. Click Excerpt Link then play the video (discussion starts about 5 mins in)...

On Tuesday, disgruntled Democrats held a forum to discuss the possibility of replacing the Electoral College. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) conceded that Democrats could not get rid of the Electoral College due to the way the United States Constitution is written. “I don’t think we can sustain our American democracy by having the majority ruled by the minority. And so the question is how to fix this since the Constitution is written in such a way that it’s almost impossible to amend,” Lofgren said. Lofgren went on to say she is open to a Constitutional Convention, “We are three states...

Did you ever wonder why unsuccessful candidates merely “suspend” their campaigns after losing a key primary, instead of terminating them? Surely all those candidates knew that it’s impossible to restart a presidential campaign once it’s been suspended. In the famous words of Theodore Roosevelt’s daughter Alice Longworth, “You can’t make a soufflé rise twice.”

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...

It takes a fair amount of audacity for a pair of political bloggers to call a group of lawyers that includes professors from Princeton and Georgetown Law School, two former Supreme Court law clerks, a White House Counsel, a law school dean, an attorney with actual Article V litigation experience and a former attorney general of Virginia “a posse of supposed conservative constitutional scholars.” What could merit this kind of sneering vilification from the local political bloggers? We merely contend that the states should use the explicit text of Article V of the Constitution to stop the abuse of power...

One of the most unique and important discussions among constitutional conservatives is taking place right now in Virginia’s General Assembly. It is the debate about whether the states (including Virginia) should exercise their rights to call an Article V Convention of States. Principled limited government constitutional conservative former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has come out in favor of two bills currently before the Virginia legislature calling for a constitutional convention of the states. Speaking through his e-newsletter “The Cuccinelli Compass” Cuccinelli argued in favor of a position shared – and opposed – by many principled limited government constitutional conservatives....

Dear Friends: On Tuesday Jan. 27thSpeaker Howell’s Rules Committee will hear HJ 497 and HJ 499, applications asking Congress to call a Convention to amend (change) our U.S. Constitution. Please contact the following delegates to OPPOSE these measures. The Hearing will be in House Room 1, around 1:00 pm if you can attend. delwhowell@house.virginia.gov, delslandes@house.virginia.gov, delslandes@house.virginia.gov, delkcox@house.virginia.gov, deltkilgore@house.virginia.gov, dellware@house.virginia.gov, delcjones@house.virginia.gov, delborrock@house.virginia.gov, delbknight@house.virginia.gov, delringram@house.virginia.gov, deljmassie@house.virginia.gov, delghabeeb@house.virginia.gov, deljjoannou@house.virginia.gov, delkplum@house.virginia.gov, deldtoscano@house.virginia.gov, After all of the sacrifices made by our Founders to birth our nation and form our government, I am troubled that the Constitution is blamed for the ills facing America, when really...

I keep getting asked about this and people keep advocating it, so let's talk about it. The issue is a Constitutional Convention, with the expressed intent being to return the United States to its Constitutional Roots. Sounds like a good idea, yes? Well, it quite arguably is, if you'd like to see the government return to its Constitutional boundaries. The problem is that this "remedy" isn't a remedy and if it comes to pass what you want won't happen. I know this for a fact and, if you think about it, so do you. I know what you're going to...

Former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, in his new book, recommends six rewrites to the U.S. Constitution. He would restrict gun ownership to militia members; ban the death penalty; and allow government to set "reasonable limits" on campaign financing, among other things. But Stevens says he's no radical: "I think every one of my proposals is a moderate proposal," Stevens told ABC's George Stephanopoulos in an interview that aired Sunday on ABC's "This Week." One of Steven's proposals would add five words to the Second Amendment, which would then read: "...the right of the people to keep and bear...

U. S. Constitution

Momentum is building behind what would be an unprecedented effort to amend the U.S. Constitution, through a little-known provision that gives states rather than Congress the power to initiate changes. At issue is what's known as a "constitutional convention," a scenario tucked into Article V of the U.S. Constitution. At its core, Article V provides two ways for amendments to be proposed. The first – which has been used for all 27 amendment to date – requires two-thirds of both the House and Senate to approve a resolution, before sending it to the states for ratification. The Founding Fathers, though,...

WASHINGTON – Momentum is building behind what would be an unprecedented effort to amend the U.S. Constitution, through a little-known provision that gives states rather than Congress the power to initiate changes. At issue is what's known as a "constitutional convention," a scenario tucked into Article V of the U.S. Constitution. At its core, Article V provides two ways for amendments to be proposed. The first – which has been used for all 27 amendment to date – requires two-thirds of both the House and Senate to approve a resolution, before sending it to the states for ratification. The Founding...

Oklahomans committed to liberty united to defeat the the money spent by con-con supporters.The Inside Story of How Oklahomans Beat the Con-Con 16 March 2014 “Whenever our affairs go obviously wrong, the good sense of the people will interpose and set them to rights.” — Thomas Jefferson to David Humphreys, 1789 Jefferson would be proud of the constitutionally minded citizens of Oklahoma and their recent defeat of the forces pushing for a second constitutional convention. As we reported last week, the Oklahoma State House of Representatives decided not to vote to apply for a constitutional convention (con-con) under the...

The Oklahoma state House of Representatives decided not to apply for a constitutional convention. Oklahoma Won't Apply for Con-Con, Votes Not There 13 March 2014 After a close battle that featured several late nights, the Oklahoma State House of Representatives has decided not to vote to apply for a constitutional convention (con-con) under the authority of Article V of the Constitution. Put simply, the votes needed to approve the con-con application were not there, and it's now dead for this year's legislative session in Oklahoma. This is a crucial victory in the struggle to protect the Constitution and the...

The next session of Virginia’s General Assembly needs to pass important legislation as well as sending an amendment to the Virginia Constitution to the voters for ratification. This may be the most important priority in generations. And it might attract bipartisan support, so Republicans need to try it and not simply assume Democrats won’t be on board. Battle of the Titans: Mark Levin vs. Phyllis Schlafly • Mark Levin, insists: Amend the US Constitution independently from Congress by States calling for a Constitutional Convention, in his new book The Liberty Amendments. This is the only pathway left, Mark Levin argues,...

Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., explained to a town hall of his constituents that he wanted to call a national Constitutional Convention after reading Mark Levin’s new book, The Liberty Amendments. “I used to have a great fear of constitutional conventions,” Coburn said according to the Tulsa World. “I have a great fear now of not having one.” As the Tulsa World notes, a national convention is called by two-thirds of the state legislatures and is one of two ways the U.S. Constitution can be amended. Coburn made his remarks in Muskogee, Okla.

Wednesday evening, hat-tip to Drudge linking to a CBS report that the organizers of the Occu-Pest fiasco in New York and around the country are planning a bigger event for next summer in Philadelphia from July to October. It’s being called a “National Assembly” and the aim is clear: They intend to intimidate Americans and US institutions. Mayor Nutter said: “I understand national Occupy would want to be in Philadelphia — this is birthplace of freedom, liberty, and democracy for the United States of America — so I look forward to a conversation.” One would think Mayor Nutter was talking...

A few weeks ago the Revolutionary Communist Party USA (RCPUSA) announced that they had completed a draft proposal for a new national charter. In truth, the document’s aim is to be the guiding legal code for a multi-national territory and is appropriately styled the “Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in North America.” In order for the new constitution to take effect, the “present capitalist-imperialist system” in the United States would have to undergo a little historical liposuction. First, the part of the union that was once a part of Mexico would be returned to that country. The RCPUSA wants...

When we were young, we learned about the best and brightest minds in the nation coming together to create the foundation of a new country and fundamentally change the role of government in the lives of the people. Now there is a proposal to have a similar Constitutional Convention in California, but without those great minds, how are we to be sure that we get a document that rewrites the Constitution for the better and not make our state’s problems even worse? It is important to note that according to recent article in the Ventura County Star by Timm Herdt,...

SAN CARLOS, Calif. (AP) - Fed up with the budget crises and partisan battles that have paralyzed California for years, some influential voices believe it's time to tear open the state constitution and start anew. Once dismissed as a hokey gimmick, support for a proposed constitutional convention has been building in the nation's most populous state. Even Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, has indicated he would back an effort to retool the document to make state government function more smoothly. Opponents of the step say it's just a ruse to raise taxes and could expose the constitution to a host...