Lately, I have been troubled by events in Washington DC and across the country. From the inability of Congress to perform its Constitutional duties to a rogue Judiciary that finds "rights" that don't exist in the Constitution and denies enumerated rights clearly stated in bold.
In these troubling age, we see our Liberty eroded away at the hands of a duplicitous Congress, an unanswerable Judiciary; many who are no more than politically driven ideologues, plus a host of nameless faceless bureaucrats whose regulations carry the force of law.
Article V, U.S. Constitution
* * * * * * * * * *
Article V
The Congress, whenever two thirds of both houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose amendments to this Constitution, or, on the application of the legislatures of two thirds of the several states, shall call a convention for proposing amendments, which, in either case, shall be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of this Constitution, when ratified by the legislatures of three fourths of the several states, or by conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by the Congress; provided that no amendment which may be made prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any manner affect the first and fourth clauses in the ninth section of the first article; and that no state, without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate.
(Bolding added by Warren)
This is not a Constitutional Convention but a legitimate provision of the Constitution enabling the States to add amendments to the Constitution.
Mark has thoroughly researched this subject and the rational for consideration in his book "The Liberty Amendments: Restoring the American Republic" . The book is available in several different formats.
The eleven amendments he proposes are:
- Impose Congressional term limits
- Repeal the Seventeenth Amendment, returning the election of Senators to state legislatures
- Impose term limits for Supreme Court Justices and restrict judicial review
- Require a balanced budget and limit federal spending and taxation
- Define a deadline to file taxes (one day before the next federal election)
- Subject federal departments and bureaucratic regulations to periodic reauthorization and review
- Create a more specific definition of the Commerce Clause
- Limit eminent domain powers
- Allow states to more easily amend the Constitution by bypassing Congress
- Create a process where two-thirds of the states can nullify federal laws
- Require photo ID to vote and limit early voting
this is an ongoing process. So far eleven States Legislatures have voted and approved a Convention of States. Expect to hear a lot more about it, in a derogatory manner, from the media as they try to quash this movement and from politicians who will, lose a lot of their clout as they try to scare the ill informed.
Sorry if anybody peaked in while I was re-editing the post.
ReplyDeleteThere were formatting problems in the in the text that I had trouble removing. Several sections of the post were too small to read and the Blogger composing editor wouldn't let me reformat them. I had to retype them completely.
There is much more information about a Convention of States and a FAQ HERE!
The current state of all three branches of the federal government beg...literally beg for a Convention of the States, though I don't think it's a tenable proposal until we repeal the 17th Amendment.
ReplyDeleteI also don't have an issue with early voting; exercising this Constitutional right should not be a burden upon the citizen.
But in lieu of a dramatic shift towards confederalism, I heartily endorse this effort.
- CI
CI,
DeleteIs early voting especially susceptible to voter fraud?
It seems to me that absentee voting is susceptible to voter fraud. Also, I note that when Mr. AOW and I use absentee voting, when we send off for the forms, in just a few days, along comes in the mail information about the Democratic candidates. Never information about the Republican or Independent candidates.
Mail-in ballots could be more susceptible, though I don't remember hearing of elevated fraud in states that have such, like Oregon. With voter ID, early [in-person] voting would be any riskier than normal.
DeleteWhen a resident of Oregon [my entire military career] I voted absentee, but never received any information other than my ballot and the description of measures/initiatives to vote for.
- CI
At the time of the proposal and ratification of the 17th Amendment, Supporters argued that Gilded Age monopolies would no longer be able to control the U.S. Senate (left) by corrupting state legislatures (right).
ReplyDeleteIt is informative to read the Effect section over at Wikipedia. Note this footnote:
Politics, like nature, abhorred a vacuum, so senators felt the pressure to do something, namely enact laws. Once senators were no longer accountable to and constrained by state legislatures, the maximizing function for senators was unrestrained; senators almost always found in their own interest to procure federal legislation, even to the detriment of state control of traditional state functions.
Warren,
ReplyDelete"Repeal the Seventeenth Amendment, returning the election of Senators to state legislatures"
While I get the other 10, I'm not sure as to what this will accomplish-HELP?
@JonBerg
ReplyDeleteReturning the election of senators to state legislatures brings us back to federalism; that is to say, the participation of state governments in the development of national policy. The downside to this, of course, is political cronyism, but I am quite sure we could solve this problem. Let the people have their say! I think we are at least that clever. Sadly, the popular election of US senators was an ill-conceived Republican idea. It serves as a reminder that we cannot trust politicians farther than we can toss them.
@Warren ... we also need to repeal or modify the 14th Amendment, otherwise we never solve the problem of anchor-babies. Another thought: a federal department of education has no greater duty than to require states to incorporate civic duty in secondary education. Our failure to do this over the past 30 years has produced our dismal present-day society. We might also consider means testing to those who seek admission to the United States. I cannot imagine what meaningful contributions a goat-herder will make to the progress of American society. Anyone who lacks the means of making a substantial contribution to the USA has no business here.
Mustang,
Deletewe also need to repeal or modify the 14th Amendment, otherwise we never solve the problem of anchor-babies
YES!
The original intent of the 14 Amendment was not to create anchor-babies.
Mustang, reading words like these just reminds how far in the hole America is.
DeleteMustang: Well said. The Senate being isolated from popular fevers and public ire is what allowed them the luxury of being the saucer that cooled the tea, and yes, it gave states a direct influence on the workings of the Federal government.
ReplyDeleteMustang, well said. As for political cronyism, a good dose of the first suggested amendment would go far in alleviating that particular problem.
ReplyDelete@CI "I also don't have an issue with early voting; exercising this Constitutional right should not be a burden upon the citizen."
The proposed amendment carries other provisions including an official photo ID and citizenship to register to vote, without fee (with provision for those who could not satisfy a photo ID requirement,) it also continues early voting, but only when circumstances warrant and only for a limited specified time period to curb the trend toward months long voting cycles. Not only do lengthy voting periods invite some forms of voter fraud the electorate becomes dissimilarity informed. Mr. Levin said "Premature decisions can lead to perverse decisions. The objective of Federal elections is to achieve a national judgement for national leadership." I agree, your millage may differ.
@ Mustang, regarding the 14th Amendment.
DeleteI agree. Amendments would be proposed during the convention.
I agree with what Warren said:
DeleteNot only do lengthy voting periods invite some forms of voter fraud the electorate becomes dissimilarity informed.
In my view, early voting encourages voting strictly along Party lines. That manner of voting is irresponsible, IMO.
12. Add that Congress shall make no law affecting the population but not themselves nor make no law that affects them but not the population.
ReplyDelete@ Kid:
DeleteI'll purtdy up a little.
How about, Congress shall make no law exempting themselves in whole or in part.
?
Maybe, No Senator or Representative shall vote on legislation they have not read.
I see no Constitutional basis for members of Congress to be able to exempt themselves from legislation.
DeleteHow did that exemption get started in the first place?
Warren. Good deal. I'm all for bottom lining it.
DeleteThat 2nd part might be tough to police. Them suckers don't even know anything about the constitution.
AOW, the writers of the Constitution screwed up, or they planned to be exempt from everyone else.
Delete@AOW ... the golden rule. Whoever has the gold makes the rules.
ReplyDeleteMustang,
DeleteIndeed.
I suppose that thus it has always been -- or mostly has been.
Texas has elected a Republican Majority Legislator; both Houses, Lt. Governor and Governor. BUT...Oh, what a BUT.
ReplyDeleteThe Speaker of the House - elected from a District of San Antonio. Need I say more? Or, some don't know; anyway - Mostly DemocRat territory.
Joe Straus, a Republican from San Antonio. BUT thinks and acts like a RHINO/DemocRat.
Straus has power like no other when it comes to getting re-elected to the Speakership. Everyone in Texas is puzzled as to why he is still Speaker!!!!
Has put a hold on Legislation for the Convention of States.
The Legislation for this term is about to end.
The regular session is nine months every year. The regular legislative session lasts 140 days every two years.
The Governor can call a Special Session after this Year's term is up.
The good news is the Governor SETS the AGENDA- NOT THE Speaker of The House, in a Special Session.
But nobody knows what the Governor has up his sleeve.
Texas is a Heavily Masonic Strong Hold as is most States,
And the Masons in the Washington D.C. Congress, declares a no go for the Convention of States, the Masons in the 38 States needed will follow the Orders of the Lodge.
Ask your politicians if the Oath of Office/Oath to the Constitution, has to take a back seat to their Masonic Oath?
Texas legislature passes article 5 convention
ReplyDeleteIt's a done deal.
@ TS/TW:
ReplyDeleteThe Masons aren't what you think they are. Many of the founders were Masons. Their membership spans the general population from the powerful to blue collar guys.
I'm "not" a Mason.
The Founders de-nounced the Masons in the Declaration of Independence (the original)- our copies left out that little tidbit. All but Jefferson. Jefferson thought he could keep American Masons pure.
ReplyDelete1730's is where the Masons were corrupted in Europe/Britain.
The pure Masons fled here. The War Between the States is where the corruption took hold--THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT-- was the turning point for the problem we are starting to see today. (It has taken 100 years for the Convention of States to be in the public's eye (1970's, Texas tried in 1890's), but they put the stop for that effort. And again in the 1980's, they stopped COS. Lets see if that will happen again this time. 34 States for the COS--Then 38 States to ratify.)
That's what [Nation of Laws-not of Men] is all about. That is what the Capture of the White House and burning it was.
Sunlight is what keeps them restrained. But not to many of us can see the destruction they leave in their wake when achieving power and wealth.
32degrees and so forth is where the corruption is harbored. Lower than 32 degrees members don't have any idea what happens behind closed doors.
I can't say how I know. It's like how AQW knows about the IRS.
@ TS/WS:
DeleteThere were many "drafts" of Declaration of Independence but the only one that counts is the one that was presented to the British. It is the one we have today.
Of the 56 signers of The Declaration 9 were Freemasons.
Of the 39 signers of the U.S. Constitution 13 were Freemasons.
Of the 74 Generals in the Continental Army, (under George Washington and himself a Freemason) 33 were Freemasons. (including Lafayette)
That information comes from The Department of State Office of the Historian and was validated by the membership logs of the various Masonic lodges.
If any rumblings about Freemason occurred in the Declaration you can bet it was at the behest of the 5 Colony's whose official religion was Anglican/Church of England. (a carry over from the long standing feud between the Roman Catholic Church and the Masons. To this day, being a Freemason could possibly get you excommunicated from the RC Church. (BTW, I'm a Roman Catholic.)
There is no official degree higher than 32nd, 33rd degree is honorary and denotes a past lodge master / past Potentate which is the head of a particular lodge.
I know many 32nd degree Masons and a couple of past lodge masters (33rd degree). 3 of them were / are my uncles (only 1 still lives), 1 my former employer and 1 my present employer. Honorable men every one.
The lodges of the Freemasons have held many a rebellious meeting behind closed doors where they were safe from spying ears.
The John Birch Society and the Eagle Forum have orchestrated legislative pushes to combat calls for a Article 5 convention. I'd assume that the US Chamber of Commerce is acting behind the scenes also.
You'd be surprised who your enemies really are.
Yes, individually they are good people-and Honorable men every one.
DeleteWe all or most of us have a relative who is a Shriner, Mason, Knight's Templar, Fabian, or Skull and Bones, Scroll and Key (the Media) or some other offshoot branch.
Most business are owned by Masons.
Someone cannot join with out being religious minded.
Yet they say they are not a religious organization. Yet they have a Masonic Temple.
Yet they have a Masonic Bible.
Ask one to let you read their Bible, a Scottish-Rite 32 degree that is.
In the 1980's the liberals were blamed for stopping the COS, and the Congress straightened up their act to discourage the people from finishing the effort for a COS.
I called them out about the AHCA (Obamma Care).
ReplyDeleteI said that it was nothing but a quid pro quo.
Forced the Sunday Shows to talk about that.
One of the talking heads said, You could call this a quid pro quo--then looked right in the camera and said, BUT WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO ABOUT IT?
I said to myself, My job is done-it's up to the People to take the torch and run with it. Again - NOTHING -.
The people who know (as I know, and there are quite a few) are to timid to speak out as I do.
Trump seems not to be one (neither was Reagan).
ReplyDeleteTrump isn't but a pimple on a nats ass--it will take a whole lot of us (and I mean those in the know, and you all too) to shed the sun light on this corruption.
Starting with the 14th Amendment: Section 3.
It is plain as the noise on our faces - now with the rebellion taking place in the DemocRats and Republican Establishment, Deep State, George Soros and the Snow Flakes.
But we have to be vocal louder than the Snow Flakes; but NO destruction of private property as the Snow Flakes.
Hi, Warren! Well done. I like Levin's list...was impressed that he addressed voting. Yes, on voter ID and NO on early voting...if Europeans can SOMEHOW vote on a weekend, we can. And why NOT on a weekend, so workers can vote without absentee ballots, etc.
ReplyDeleteAlso, no more provisional ballots....they don't look at them; you can run from precinct to precinct voting again and again and just "signing the provisional ballot book" which NOBODY LOOKS AT EVER. You get A CARD in Europe, you vote and that card is DONE...no double voting, nothing.
Which amendment does anybody here think would have the best chance of passing?
Z,
Deleteprovisional ballots....they don't look at them; you can run from precinct to precinct voting again and again and just "signing the provisional ballot book" which NOBODY LOOKS AT EVER
Really? Sheesh.
I think that I favor weekend voting. It has always been problematic for me to get my voting done on a Tuesday -- especially when it's a National Election year (when we vote for the POTUS). Even if I arrive before the polls open, I can have a two hour wait.
You get A CARD in Europe, you vote and that card is DONE...no double voting, nothing.
I'm not sure why we don't do that here in the United States. Is there a reason?
@ Z,
DeleteHello, My dear lady.
"Which amendment does anybody here think would have the best chance of passing?"
Probably the balanced budget amendment.
Warren,
ReplyDeleteThe John Birch Society and the Eagle Forum have orchestrated legislative pushes to combat calls for a Article 5 convention.
WTH?
Sorry AOW, I hit the Q; I can't see the small print in the comment box to good anymore, and I don't proof read to much.
Delete