Convention of the States…a Refute to a Runaway Convention

Many people are jumping on the Constitutional Convention bandwagon. I wanted to address a couple of issues with Michael Farris’ latest article about the Runaway Convention Myth.

In his article titled “Can We Trust the Constitution? Answering the Runaway Convention Myth”, he states that opponents to a Constitutional Convention claim two arguments, they are 1) “the delegates were instructed to merely amend the Articles of Confederation, but they wrote a whole new document and 2) The ratification process was improperly changed from 13 state legislatures to 9 state ratification conventions.

First, let’s straighten something out, Michael Farris should know better than the U.S. Constitution is the “supreme Law of the Land”…not the Supreme Law of the Land. The Declaration of the Independence references the “Supreme Judge of the world…” and our U.S. Constitution refers to the Supreme Court as the “supreme Court”. Our founders understood the limits of a manmade Constitution and the existence of a “higher law”.

Being the founder of a religious college, hopefully there’s no further explanation needed but it does explain why he’d support a Convention of the States in controlling the federal government. The understanding that there is a higher law is the reason there’s opposition to a Constitutional Convention.

You cannot control the actions or morals of individuals through manmade law.

According to the article, the delegates for both the Constitutional Convention and State ratifications conventions were selected by popular vote…which meant that state legislatures had no say in calling, conducting or ratifying our current Constitution. The claims were that they were instructed but were they instructed? That we are merely saying is that the delegates went to the convention and created a whole new document. Not sure if George Washington, Alexander Hamilton or Benjamin Franklin, necessarily needed direction in how to conduct the convention, they were elected by popular vote.

Whereas the Articles of Confederation may not have given the Continental Congress authority to “call” a convention, the U.S. Constitution does.

The fact that the number of states to ratify the Constitution was changed from 13 to 9 is the point.

We trust the Constitution; we don’t trust the current political process to fix a document that has endured centuries.

As Michael Farris is in good company with Ruth Bader Ginsburg as she wishes to change the Constitution also.

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One Comment

  1. There are not just two points of argument against a Constitutional Convention but dozens. The very first on my list is; what is really broken? Is it the Constitution or is it a run-away Federal Government that ignores the Constitution? And if it is ignoring the Constitution WHAT, in Heaven’s name, is going to make it pay attention to any of the New Amendments?

    What the nitwit Levinites seem to ignore is that we actually have TWO governments in place; there is the TRIAD Constitutional Government made up of the three branches – the one we elect representatives to every 2 year and in which we do have a voice. Then there is the Administrative Bureaucracy in which we have NO direct voice! This is the cornucopia of alphabet soup Departments, Bureaus, and Agencies that continue to not only regular our freedom out the A– but also pretty much do what every they wish. You know; the EPA, BLM, BIA, US Forest Service, FEMA, CDC, FDA, FCC, IRS, FBI, DATF&E – should I go on? Do we vote for any of the heads of these ILLEGAL Agencies? – They ARE illegal!! Where in the Constitution does the Fed have the authority for a National Police Force or even half a dozen of such Bureaus?!

    So. How are we going to make these Agencies obey our Constitution? With yet another Amendment that would, by definition, incorporate all of these agencies into our Constitution??

    Which brings up yet another point of assault on our Constitution and our Citizenship – just how complex do we need the Constitution to be?

    I contend over and over that the Constitution was written by Amateurs (of government) FOR Amateurs (of Government)! It is now a simple document – in comparison to our COMPLEX Government! You can fit the entire text onto a single large piece of paper! Compare that to Obamacare. Do we want to make our Constitution Complex like our government? Why must we do that? So that we can all argue about what the Constitution really says?! Why can we NOT use the perfect document we now have to make our Government simple again – LIKE THE CONSTITUTION?!!!

    For decades our legislators have been busy making more and more laws of such complexity that we can no longer read them to understand them! We must now pass the laws and then BETA TEST them to have a clue as to what they are really about – with accompanying Lawsuits, Executive orders, and general polarization! If we open up the Constitution to a convention will It NOT become the same thing? Listen carefully… there will not be just ONE con-con but MANY until the COMMUNIST get what they want!!

    Calvin Coolidge once said;” it is better to stop bad bills than to pass good ones”. The authors of the Constitution purposefully kept the Constitution simple so that we could enjoy our individual liberties AND keep track of what our Government was doing! Do I need to repeat this?

    The authors of the Constitution purposefully kept the Constitution simple so that we could enjoy our individual liberties AND keep track of what our Government was doing!!!!

    That is the true AGENDA of the Constitution. That is what the phrase “…made in pursuance thereof…” MEANS in article VI!

    There is nothing wrong with our Constitution. EVERYTHING is wrong with our Government. They twist Article VI into the so-called Supremacy Clause in order to grant the Federal Government boundless power when that is NOT what Article VI says, WHAT SO EVER! The Constitution IS our Sovereign. IT is indeed the Supreme Law of the Land and anyone with the desire to understand it; CAN!

    Every American should read it! Then they will see that there is no need for additional Amendments. If we enforce the Constitution as it stands we will wipe out 80% of our government – the Administrative Bureaucracy – and force what remains to govern as enumerated BY the Constitution and Bill of Rights!

    What really needs to Change is our Society! That is the counterbalance of Government. Society needs to take back its responsibility of SELF-governing! COMMUNISTS have been socially demoralizing our children for Generation! We MUST regain the minds of our future generations. In the mean time we must fight a long drawn out “war” against the ideas of Tyranny and Globalism! Educating our citizens is the key to this victory!

    The Levinites are lazy, instant gratification, crybabies that are looking for the fast food “Mac Answer” to a problem that has been in development for over a century! They think they can short cut the war and they have deluded themselves with a colossal LIE. READ 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;…”

    I have capped the word THIS because This Article clearly says that if you are going to amend THIS Constitution – by either means (Congress, or States Convention) it is CONGRESS who will control the process and it is CONGRESS who will decide how it shall be ratified!

    Do you trust THIS Congress?!

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