Free Republic

Along the way of researching my last two posts, I ran across The Two Great Republics: Rome and the United States (1913), by Illinois Senator James Hamilton Lewis. I was hesitant to open this online book because from his Wiki bio, Lewis supported both Woodrow Wilson and The New Deal. Bleh. But, I gave him a shot and I’m glad I did. While his conclusions squint Leftward, mine do not; his portrayal of Roman government and politics struck me as factual and neutral. His text found a home on my online reference bookshelf. The takeaway lesson is that republican societies...

Despite our best efforts, we occasionally stumble along the way of life. On the discovery of our mistakes, we correct them, learn, move on, and hopefully avoid repetition. As our capacity to learn improves with age, we learn from the mistakes others as well. But, perhaps the wisest among us learn from the successes of others. To avoid as many of life’s natural pitfalls as possible, pay attention to the examples of the successful, good, and virtuous. That which applies to our personal lives extends to society and that expression of society, republican government. Few republican governments of any extended...

My previous posts regarding repeal of the horrid 17th Amendment were built on a simple republican foundation; members of republics are represented in the lawmaking body. The Constitution acts on the people and states, and both had their place in congress until 1913. In its wake, the 17th Amendment left behind a federal Constitution without a federal government. Here, I take a different tack as to why the 17A must go. I will show from the standpoint of balancing society's natural proclivities, we must reestablish a federal senate of the states. Without a strong middle institution to repel democracy, the...

Restore the Republic. In conclusion, Publius Huldah repeated, “Our Constitution is a miracle; there is nothing wrong with it except for some amendments that Americans got conned into supporting.” Ignorance is our problem. It is our duty to know and enforce the Declaration and Constitution. View her speech here.Rodney Dodsworth Response. Every worldly creation endures wear and tear, and eventual breakdown if not purposely maintained. Government is no exception. All of them are subject to corruption by their administrators and neglect of their creators. Our Framing generation knew perfection was not a quality of our Constitution. As Thomas Jefferson wrote,...

Subtitle: Nullification. Publius Huldah. The Bill of Rights and Constitution are ignored. Our Framers advised two remedies to enforce the Constitution. First, James Madison said our constitution requires a virtuous people to select men of virtue and wisdom to office. The second remedy is “don’t go along with the lawlessness.” State legislatures must oppose violations of the Constitution instead of eagerly taking handouts to implement violations of our Constitution. (Timeline 36:00 – 43:00. View her speech here.) Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison wrote that each state has the natural right to nullify unconstitutional federal laws on their own....

Publius Huldah. Near 30:30 minutes into her speech, Ms. Huldah posits that James Madison opposed the state convention method in Article V. She cites The Federalist #49, and a private letter from Madison to a Virginia legislator named George Lee Turberville. Rodney Dodsworth Response. Considering that Madison made provision for amendments in his Virginia Plan of Government, and his notes of the federal convention do not reflect hostility to Article V, the bar must be set high for anyone to claim that Madison opposed a state convention to propose amendments. Ms. Huldah failed to clear the bar. Those who rely...

The 17th Amendment, which allowed the popular election of U.S. senators, “disenfranchised” state legislatures and altered the U.S. Constitution's checks and balances, Chapman University Law Professor John Eastman told an audience of state legislators in Washington, D.C. last week. The amendment made it easier for Congress to pass legislation, which eventually led to the massive growth in federal power that the states are still grappling with today... “What the founders did is come up with this counterintuitive notion that adding an extra layer of government would provide less government and greater liberty. And it only worked if those governments were...

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...

Subtitle: Conspiracy Everywhere. Publius Huldah, “If we have a convention now, George Washington, James Madison, Ben Franklin, Alexander Hamilton won ‘t be there to protect you.” (Timeline: 24:00-30:20. View her speech.)Rodney Dodsworth Response. These leading soldiers, patriots, statesmen and others of equal caliber led the Continental Army, and served in the Confederation Congress and state governments. Yet, such men, the best of their times, were unable to keep, as per Article II of the Articles of Confederation (AC), “security of their liberties, and their mutual and general welfare.” The failure of the AC to achieve its ends, despite the enormous...

Publius Huldah. Alexander Hamilton wrote, “The people are the natural guardians of the Constitution.” Hamilton expected us, the people, to differentiate between lawful exercise and illegal usurpation of power. If the power is on ‘the list,’ (Article I § 8) congress may do it, otherwise, congress may not. She hammers Scotus for corrupting the commerce, general welfare, and necessary and proper clauses, . . . but the nation doesn’t need an Article V convention. “Just look it up in the federalist papers for original intent,” she says.Rodney Dodsworth Response. Ms. Huldah is well-educated, which leaves me at a loss to...

Subtitle – Article V to Avoid a General Convention.Publius Huldah. Upon declaring Independence in July of 1776, the states operated under the Articles of Confederation (AC). (Timeline: 22:00 – 24:00. View her speech.) Delegates to the federal convention of 1787 disobeyed congress and their states when they went beyond their orders to draft revisions of the AC. Ms. Huldah cites Article XIII of the AC as governing authority. As demonstrated in Philadelphia, convention delegates then as now have inherent authority to do as they please. Therefore, it will be impossible to stop similar antics at a future convention of states.Rodney...

The familiar whining about the popular vote in presidential elections and the implicit anachronism of the Electoral College ought to be turned on its head by constitutional conservatives. The greatest problem of politics and government in our country today is Washington, and the only answer to that problem is the restoration of true federalism, making state governments a vital player in national elections. The Constitution conferred three special powers on state legislatures to make sure that the federal government was held in check: enacting constitutional amendments, choosing members of the Senate, and choosing the method of selecting presidential electors. Until...

A fourth branch of government was created by Article V of the Constitution, superior to the other three. It consists of 7,382 voting members, distributed in the 50 States. In order to act, this fourth branch, which I call the Federal Assembly, must organize itself into a two-thirds supermajority of the States in order to make a proposal. Majorities in both houses of a state legislature in 34 states must agree on the subject matter... ...three-fourths supermajority of states is required to adopt it. It's hard, and it's never been done in the 229 years we've had the Constitution –...

From the Introduction, Publius Huldah gave a lecture on October 29th in which she outlined her opposition to an Article V Convention of the States to propose amendments to our beloved Constitution. The link will take you to a YouTube hosted by the aptly named Patriot Coalition Against All Enemies. Over a fifty-minute span, followed by a Q&A, Ms. Huldah explains why she regards COS and Article V supporters not as misinformed, but rather, as conspiratorial enemies. Publius Huldah. She opened her speech with “The con-con lobby wants to get rid of our Constitution and impose a new one.” She...

In an October 29th speech to a small gathering, Publius Huldah discussed her perceptions of the dangers posed by an Article V Convention of the States to propose Constitutional amendments. After viewing the entire talk, I understand why the leading figures of the Convention of States movement (COS) haven’t responded in depth to her various accusations. Her conclusions are often at the fringes of reason and she carries a deep and personal animosity to the leaders of the COS. Since the COS leadership choose not to address most of her accusations, please allow me, your humble blogger, to take up...

A common concern among Article V opponents is that society is too corrupt to be trusted with amending the Constitution. Perhaps they are right. If so, how did this corruption come about? Is it as bad as many believe? I say the corruption of our culture did not grow upward from the people; corruption rained downward from elites. I place the blame for societal corruption largely on scotus. Scotus not only regularly ignores or violates the written supreme law of the land, it often does the same with Natural Law, the Law of Reason. Scotus has normalized its judicial reach...

Non-Resistance and Passive Obedience. The people who spout ‘diversity is our strength’ have cast a mind-dulling net of intellectual conformity across our nation. Thought police don’t just troll the halls of academe; they have infiltrated society so deeply that violence from those offended by supposedly hurtful thoughts or words is sanctioned by the highest levels of government and popular institutions. Trump supporters can find themselves beaten up. Municipal police in San Jose CA just watched and stood idly by as Trump rally attendees were assaulted. Since Trump is obviously a racist, then so are his followers. Opposition to racism is...

Raise your hand if you knew that James Madison opposed the second method in Article V to amend the Constitution. The New Americana (TNA) recently published a misleading and insult-laden column regarding the Article V state convention amendment process and Convention of States (COS) supporters. It illustrates how the most effective deceptions are built around an element of truth. The TNA shamelessly attempts to deceive the reader into believing the very opposite of the truth, that the man who shepherded the Virginia Plan to fruition as a new Constitution of government opposed taking appropriate measures to keep it. As a...

While one can read recent works by respected academics such as Victor Davis Hanson, Thomas Sowell, and Walter Williams regarding modern Leftist speech codes, thought police, white privilege and other assorted and dangerous nonsense, I want to make the effort here, at the risk of using a Leftist term, to likewise show how truly regressive the modern Left is when it comes to simple reason and our freedom to think. Background. During England’s tumultuous 17th Century, the freedom to use one’s reason to sort out man’s relationship to God and country emerged in a whirlwind. This freedom collided with Stuart...

Let’s step back for a moment from the depressing media-generated noise and nonsense surrounding this presidential election season. Forget that a crime family might be installed in the highest reaches of power. Instead, let us take refuge and solace in an uplifting first principle of our Declaration and Constitution. An occasional criticism of Thomas Jefferson’s edited Declaration of Independence is the substitution of ‘pursuit of happiness’ for that of ‘property.’ Both are Lockean terms well-suited for our Lockean Declaration. While we may never know precisely why this was done, the pursuit of happiness conceptually encompasses a wider universe of unalienable...