WND EXCLUSIVE

10 states line up to limit federal power

Constitutional convention needs 24 more to call Washington to account

Published: 21 hours ago

image: http://www.wnd.com/files/2014/05/constitution.jpg

constitution

By Paul Bremmer

Ten states now have taken the first step toward limiting the power of the federal government.

Officials from Arizona, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota, South Carolina, Virginia and Wyoming have filed resolutions calling for a convention of states that would propose amendments to the U.S. Constitution with the express purpose of limiting the power and jurisdiction of the federal government.

Article V of the Constitution gives the states the power to call such a convention. The article reads, in part:

“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.”

Mark Meckler, president of Citizens for Self-Governance, co-founded CSG’s Convention of States Project, which is currently working to convince the necessary 34 state legislatures to pass bills calling for a convention of states.

As long as all of the applying states call for a convention to deal with the same issue, Congress must call the convention into session.

Meckler said that, in addition to the 10 states that have already filed, he expects another 15 to 20 states to file resolutions for a convention in the next few weeks.

“We will have legislation introduced in enough states to get to 34,” Meckler said.

He made it clear that filing a resolution is not enough; a state legislature must vote to pass it in order to make it official.

CSG is employing a grassroots-based strategy to gain support for a convention. The organization is trying to build a political operation in at least 40 states, getting 100 people to volunteer in at least three-quarters of each state’s legislative districts. The organization reported just days ago that volunteers had submitted convention of states petitions in 95 percent of all state house districts in the U.S.

Meckler said the need for the states to limit federal power did not suddenly arise overnight. He believes a convention like this should have been held years ago. But he thinks people are only now beginning to understand the power that Article V gives the states.

“Frankly, most people just didn’t understand that the sovereign citizen had retained that power in the Constitution, and so I think that knowledge of the power that the people have under Article V is just now reaching critical mass,” Meckler said.

Randy Barnett, professor of legal theory and director of the Georgetown Center for the Constitution, said it’s about time for a convention of the states.

“I think it’s one of the means that the Founders gave us to constrain the powers of the federal government, which is not about to constrain itself,” he said.

Get your own copy of the U.S. Constitution, “The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Constitution,” and more at the WND Superstore.

Barnett said if the states can agree to have a convention, they should be able to agree on some amendments as well. The professor mentioned two things he would like the convention to do – impose term limits and give states the power to repeal federal laws.

“There are a lot of good ideas that have been circulated, but it’s going to be a give-and-take like all deliberative assemblies are,” Barnett said.

Meckler agrees that a convention would be able to agree on certain fundamental reforms that members of both parties support.

“Contrary to what the politicians pitch us on, and what the media tends to pitch us on generally, the nation is not as divided as they would like us to believe,” Meckler said.

He mentioned three amendments that he believes the convention would agree on. The first is term limits for congressmen and senators, the second was a balanced budget amendment, and the third was a single subject amendment, which would mandate that every bill Congress passes contain only a single subject. He emphasized that all three of those proposals have broad bipartisan support from the American public.

“So I think what comes out of a convention are things that are what I would describe as very mainstream, non-radical, that the vast majority of Americans will agree upon,” Meckler said.

Still, Meckler realizes some people will oppose a convention of the states. The John Birch Society, for example, challenged the wisdom of an Article V convention in a series of 16 questions. But Meckler is untroubled by the opposition so far.

“We’ve met some resistance, but it’s so far relatively minimal, and the resistance has come from folks who love the Constitution and some folks who mistakenly believe that somehow this opens Pandora’s Box,” he said.

Meckler said he has not yet faced any resistance from establishment politicians in Washington. However, he thinks that’s only because they aren’t paying attention to his movement yet.

“I think that pushback from the establishment will come, because they like the perks and the benefits of centralized power, and we’re trying to disperse that power back to the people where it belongs,” he said.

If the states do end up calling a convention, the historical weight of the moment will not be lost on Meckler. It would be the first time the states had ever exercised their right under Article V to call a convention to amend the Constitution.

“This is a tool that was given to us in 1787 in the Constitutional Convention, and it was literally drafted for moments such as this, when the American public felt that the federal government had exceeded the bounds that were intentionally placed upon it by the founders,” Meckler said.

He continued, “And we’ve never used it before, which is really extraordinary. And so to use it for the first time, to actually call a convention of states, I would say it’s in the top tier of historic moments in American constitutional history.”

Get your own copy of the U.S. Constitution, “The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Constitution,” and more at the WND Superstore

You need to be a member of The Patriots For America to add comments!

Join The Patriots For America

Email me when people reply –

Replies

  • exactly the solution I proposed in 2011,,,will this happen ??...

    my take > 1. one four year term all politicians, no taxpayer funded retirement..

    2. all executive orders must be reviewed and approved by 80% of the lawmakers prior to becoming effective.

    •  I prefer no Executive orders at all, also no lobbyist what so ever !!

  • Good maybe other states will wake up.

  • What about the other 40..Iam sorry to say folks but on november 22 1963 our votes became meaningless..I pray that iam wrong but i fear that iam right..

  • Please make the time to listen & consider what this person has to say

    about the dangers of an Article V Convention

    before you commit to this idea.

    Thanks for your time & consideration.

    https://vimeo.com/107933176

    • Thank you so much, Ralph. I had read some of her writings elsewhere but had not seen this video. I have been posting this link all over the WND comment thread. Far too many people itching to jump on this dangerous band-wagon!

      • Thank you, Judith. I must admit that I was also initially getting sucked down the 'rabbit hole' on this subject. Seemed like a plausible solution. Fortunately, I have developed some reliable sources that are helping me and others to see 'behind the curtain'.

        Nullification by our Representatives would be appropriate if they can get it together. Publius Huldah spoke on this subject about a year ago. Otherwise, it's up to us; 'We the People' just as it was at when we defended our Declaration of Independence from English tyranny.

        Ultimately, we're each on our own to support and protect our natural rights. But together, we can be much stronger against our enemies; foreign & domestic.

        We must encourage each other and continue to build a strong coalition while guarding against shills and/or infiltrators who's motives are power and greed thinly cloaked in false promises of seemingly good things i.e. health care, education, economy, security & defense, ad nauseam.

        This didn't all happen overnight. There have been enemies of the American experiment all along.  

        Just watched 'The Shooter' with Mark Wahlberg from 2007. Things haven't changed much.

        Semper Fi & Molon Labe

        • The founders put this in there for us yes i see the pitfalls and horrors that can happen and yes they have the tenth amendment now as it is but we must do something if we don't now govt is gng to gain more power and us well we will be sheep or slaves at their will I will die first.

          PS i loved that movie maybe we need to live where he did hidden away.   Agenda 21 and the UN the iMf and World Bank are all a disaster the the EPA is helping

          ART V would be great we need God now more than ever 

      •  If we let this take place, IT will be the end of America !! this is what they have been waiting for! away to destroy the constitution, Do not let this happen to our law of the land ! the constitution is the ONLY thing we have to protect us ! Kick out the scum , Not the constitution !! it 's up to the voters to do their duty & kick out

        the scum bags in the congress & the senate, & also choose the right person to be our president !!!

    • I agree with you, Ralph. We have no reason to believe our representatives would heed a new Constitutional amendment when they won't follow what we have. In my opinion an article V convention is far too dangerous.

This reply was deleted.