Call a Convention to Amend the Constitution
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There Are Two Fundamental Reasons That Our Federal Government Has Far Exceeded Its Legitimate Authority Granted by the Terms of the Constitution
TESTIMONY OF MICHAEL FARRIS, JD, LLM HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA There are two fundamental reasons that our federal government has far exceeded its legitimate authority granted by the terms of the Constitution. First, it is the nature of man to want to expand his own power. Second, the several states have never employed their constitutional authority to limit the size of the federal government. We should not be surprised that the federal government has continually expanded its power. When there are no checks on its power, not even the need to spend only the money that it has on hand, abuse of power is inevitable. George Mason was the delegate at the Constitutional Convention who best understood this propensity of government-all government-and he insisted that we create an effective check on this abuse of power. He said that when the national government goes beyond its power, as it surely will, we will need to place structural limitations on that exercise of power to stop the abuse. But, no such limitations would ever be proposed by Congress. History has proven him correct on both counts. But Mason's arguments led to the final version of Article V which gave the states the ultimate constitutional power-the power to unilaterally amend the Constitution of the United States, without the consent of Congress. The very purpose of the ability of the states to propose amendments to the Constitution was so that there would be a source of power to stop the abuse of power by the federal government. 1 It should seem self-evident that the federal abuse of power is pandemic. -
Mark Meckler Attacks and Belittles Other Conservatives Who Do Not Agree with Him Such As Phyllis Schlafly. (Taken from the Book
Mark Meckler Attacks and Belittles other Conservatives who do not Agree with him such as Phyllis Schlafly. (Taken from the book by Orlean Koehle, America Needs Revival Not Revision, the Dangers and Risks of an Article 5 Convention, pp.76-83) In an article published in the American Spectator, Dec. 2013, [Meckler] accused Phyllis Schlafly of not being a constitution scholar. i He states: She is no constitutional scholar… and she stands almost alone on the fringe of conservatism, with no significant support from legitimate scholars or notable commentators, clutching feebly to a letter written in the 1970s by liberal activist Chief Justice Warren Burger [that warns against a COS]. Meckler further accuses Phyllis of: aligning with the liberal Burger against the American people’s right and obligation to restrain a runaway federal government? She is unwittingly leading her supporters into a desperate, sad place of permanent citizen impotence and government overreach. Instead, she should change course and align her values with the Founders. We welcome her to join the fight, bring her troops, and help the people, via the states, to restore liberty. ii Obviously, Meckler does not know very much about Mrs. Schlafly, nor has he read her writings or books. She holds a law degree just as Mark Meckler does. She has been writing about the Constitution long before Meckler was born. Most of her 20+ books and writings refer to the Constitution. She has a reputation of being a brilliant constitutional scholar. She served as a member of the Commission on the Bicentennial of the U.S. -
CQR Tea Party Movement
Res earc her Published by CQ Press, a Division of SAGE CQ www.cqresearcher.com Tea Party Movement Will angry conservatives reshape the Republican Party? he Tea Party movement seemed to come out of nowhere. Suddenly, citizens angry over the multi- billion-dollar economic stimulus and the Obama ad - T ministration’s health-care plan were leading rallies, confronting lawmakers and holding forth on radio and TV. Closely tied to the Republican Party — though also critical of the GOP — the movement proved essential to the surprise victory of Republi - can Sen. Scott Brown in Massachusetts. Tea partiers say Brown’s Tea kettle held high, a Tea Party activist dressed like a election proves the movement runs strong outside of “red states.” Revolutionary War soldier rallies tax protesters in Atlanta on April 15, 2009. It was among several But some political experts voice skepticism, arguing that the Tea protests held in cities around the nation. Party’s fiscal hawkishness won’t appeal to most Democrats and many independents. Meanwhile, some dissension has appeared among tea partiers, with many preferring to sidestep social issues, I such as immigration, and others emphasizing them. Still, the move - N THIS REPORT ment exerts strong appeal for citizens fearful of growing govern - S THE ISSUES ....................243 I ment debt and distrustful of the administration. BACKGROUND ................249 D CHRONOLOGY ................251 E CURRENT SITUATION ........256 CQ Researcher • March 19, 2010 • www.cqresearcher.com AT ISSUE ........................257 Volume 20, Number 11 • Pages 241-264 OUTLOOK ......................259 RECIPIENT OF SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE N AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION SILVER GAVEL AWARD BIBLIOGRAPHY ................262 THE NEXT STEP ..............263 TEA PARTY MOVEMENT CQ Re search er March 19, 2010 THE ISSUES SIDEBARS AND GRAPHICS Volume 20, Number 11 • Does the Tea Party rep - Tea Partiers Running in MANAGING EDITOR: Thomas J. -
Why and How the Koch Network Uses Disinformation to Thwart Democracy
“Since We Are Greatly Outnumbered”: Why and How the Koch Network Uses Disinformation to Thwart Democracy Nancy MacLean, Duke University For A Modern History of the Disinformation Age: Media, Technology, and Democracy in Historical Context Social Science Research Council *** Draft: please do not circulate without permission of the author *** ABSTRACT: This chapter examines one source of the strategic disinformation now rife in American public life: the Koch network of extreme right donors, allied organizations, and academic grantees. I argue that the architects of this network’s project of radical transformation of our institutions and legal system have adopted this tactic in the knowledge that the hard-core libertarian agenda is extremely unpopular and therefore requires stealth to succeed. The chapter tells the story of how Charles Koch and his inner circle, having determined in the 1970s that changes significant enough to constitute a “constitutional revolution” (in the words of the political economist James McGill Buchanan) would be needed to protect capitalism from democracy, then went about experimenting to make this desideratum a reality. In the 1980s, they first incubated ideas for misleading the public to move their agenda, as shown by the strategy for Social Security privatization that Buchanan recommended to Koch’s Cato Institute, and by the operations of Citizens for a Sound Economy, the network’s first and very clumsy astroturf organizing effort. In the light of these foundational efforts, subsequent practices of active disinformation by this network become more comprehensible as driven by a mix of messianic dogma and self-interest for a project that cannot succeed by persuasion and organizing alone in the usual manner. -
Proof of Publication
PROOF OF PUBLICATION 21 ___________________________Feb-16, 20___ /͕ĚŐĂƌEŽďůĞƐĂůĂ͕ŝŶŵLJĐĂƉĂĐŝƚLJĂƐĂWƌŝŶĐŝƉĂůůĞƌŬŽĨƚŚĞWƵďůŝƐŚĞƌŽĨ Ă ĚĂŝůLJŶĞǁƐƉĂƉĞƌŽĨŐĞŶĞƌĂůĐŝƌĐƵůĂƚŝŽŶƉƌŝŶƚĞĚĂŶĚƉƵďůŝƐŚĞĚŝŶƚŚĞŝƚLJ͕ŽƵŶƚLJĂŶĚ^ƚĂƚĞŽĨEĞǁzŽƌŬ͕ ŚĞƌĞďLJĐĞƌƚŝĨLJƚŚĂƚƚŚĞĂĚǀĞƌƚŝƐĞŵĞŶƚĂŶŶĞdžĞĚŚĞƌĞƚŽǁĂƐƉƵďůŝƐŚĞĚŝŶƚŚĞĞĚŝƚŝŽŶƐŽĨ ŽŶƚŚĞĨŽůůŽǁŝŶŐĚĂƚĞŽƌĚĂƚĞƐ͕ƚŽǁŝƚŽŶ Feb 16, 2021, NYT & Natl, pg B3 ͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺ ͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺ ^ǁŽƌŶƚŽŵĞƚŚŝƐϭϲƚŚĚĂLJŽĨ &ĞďƌƵĂƌLJ͕ϮϬϮϭ ͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺ EŽƚĂƌLJWƵďůŝĐ C M Y K Nxxx,2021-02-16,B,003,Bs-4C,E1 THE NEW YORK TIMES BUSINESS TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2021 N B3 SOCIAL MEDIA Clubhouse Is Scrambling to Keep Up With Its Breakneck Growth FROM FIRST BUSINESS PAGE Clubhouse has a “blocking” fea- sentation in Bollywood and even ture to give users more control cosmic poetry. over their spaces. That has in turn “This is a major change in how sometimes created disputes the social internet works,” said about access, including with a Dave Morin, who founded the so- New York Times journalist. cial network Path more than a Kimberly Ellis, 48, an American decade ago and has invested in and Africana studies scholar at Clubhouse. “I believe it’s a new Carnegie Mellon University who chapter.” leads workshops on digital safety, Clubhouse’s trajectory has been said she had also been in Club- rapid — it had just a few thousand house rooms where people ap- users in May — even though the peared to dispense financial ad- app is invitation-only and not vice but were instead “doing mul- widely available. The invitations tilevel marketing.” are so coveted that they have been “Some want to coach you and listed on eBay for as much as $89. get money from you for their Media companies such as courses,” she said. Barstool Sports have also set up In Sunday’s Clubhouse discus- Clubhouse accounts, and at least sion, Mr. -
Call a Constitutional Convention, Already! | The
RESET PASSWORD Subscriber Login | Subscribe | Renew Search Search ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE CALL A CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION, ALREADY! Article V: A gift from the founders. By Allen Mendenhall – 3.14.14 UPI e've talked endlessly about using a Constitutional convention to wrest the reins of government from entrenched interests W and put them back in the hands of the people. Enough talk: It's time to put the theory into action. To recap, the Constitution may be amended in two ways: by a two-thirds vote of Congress, or by a convention called by two-thirds (34) of the (50) state legislatures. All amendments to date have arisen through the first mechanism, although conservatives and libertarians increasingly are calling for state lawmakers to pursue the second. If 34 states pass convention measures, Congress must convene a convention to discuss amending the constitution. In the words of James Madison, who was instrumental to the drafting of Article V, "If two thirds of the States make application, Congress cannot refuse to call one." Even the centralizer Alexander Hamilton conceded that the wording of Article V leaves "nothing...to the discretion of Congress." The publication of Mark Levin's The Liberty Amendments seems to have brought this simmering talk to a boil. In his book, Levin suggests several amendments: to establish term limits for members of Congress, to repeal the Seventeenth Amendment, to establish term limits for Supreme Court justices and provide a legislative override of their opinions, to limit federal taxing and spending, to restrict the federal bureaucracy, to promote free enterprise, to protect private property, to grant the states more direct power to amend the Constitution and check Congress, and to ensure that voting is open to citizens only. -
Union & States' Rights
Copyright © 2016 by The University of Akron Press. All Rights Reserved. Union & States’ Rights Copyright © 2016 by The University of Akron Press. All Rights Reserved. Legal Thought Across Disciplines Published in Cooperation with The University of Akron School of Law Elizabeth Reilly, editor, Infinite Hope and Finite Disappointment: The Story of the First Interpreters of the Fourteenth Amendment Kalyani Robbins, editor, The Laws of Nature: Reflections on the Evolution of Ecosystem Management Law & Policy Neil H. Cogan, editor, Union & States’ Rights: A History and Interpretation of Interposition, Nullification, and Secession 150 Years After Sumter Copyright © 2016 by The University of Akron Press. All Rights Reserved. Union & States’ Rights A History and Interpretation of Interposition, Nullification, and Secession 150 Years After Sumter Edited by Neil H. Cogan University of Akron Press Akron, Ohio Copyright © 2016 by The University of Akron Press. All Rights Reserved. All New Material Copyright © 2014 by The University of Akron Press All rights reserved • First Edition 2014 • Manufactured in the United States of America. All inquiries and permission requests should be addressed to the Publisher, the University of Akron Press, Akron, Ohio 44325–1703. 18 17 16 15 14 5 4 3 2 1 isbn: 978-1-937378-13-4 (paper) isbn: 978-1-937378-38-7 (ePDF) isbn: 978-1-937378-39-4 (ePub) library of congress cataloging-in-publication data Union & states’ rights : a history and interpretation of interposition, nullification, and secession 150 years after Sumter / edited by Neil H. Cogan. — First edition. pages cm. — (& law : legal thought across disciplines) Includes index. ISBN 978-1-937378-13-4 (pbk. -
The Disinformation Age
Steven Livingston W. LanceW. Bennett EDITED BY EDITED BY Downloaded from terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/1F4751119C7C4693E514C249E0F0F997THE DISINFORMATION AGE https://www.cambridge.org/core Politics, and Technology, Disruptive Communication in the United States the United in https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms . IP address: 170.106.202.126 . , on 27 Sep 2021 at 12:34:36 , subject to the Cambridge Core Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.202.126, on 27 Sep 2021 at 12:34:36, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/1F4751119C7C4693E514C249E0F0F997 The Disinformation Age The intentional spread of falsehoods – and attendant attacks on minorities, press freedoms, and the rule of law – challenge the basic norms and values upon which institutional legitimacy and political stability depend. How did we get here? The Disinformation Age assembles a remarkable group of historians, political scientists, and communication scholars to examine the historical and political origins of the post-fact information era, focusing on the United States but with lessons for other democracies. Bennett and Livingston frame the book by examining decades-long efforts by political and business interests to undermine authoritative institutions, including parties, elections, public agencies, science, independent journalism, and civil society groups. The other distinguished scholars explore the historical origins and workings of disinformation, along with policy challenges and the role of the legacy press in improving public communication. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core. W. Lance Bennett is Professor of Political Science and Ruddick C. -
How Grassroots Organizations Reinforced Power Structures They Fought to Resist
IRONY OF A REVOLUTION: HOW GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS REINFORCED POWER STRUCTURES THEY FOUGHT TO RESIST by TAMARA J. LYNN B.A., Fort Hays State University, 2000 M.L.S., Fort Hays State University, 2006 AN ABSTRACT OF A DISSERTATION submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work College of Arts and Sciences KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY Manhattan, Kansas 2014 Abstract This study is about two grassroots political organizations that formed prior to the 2012 presidential election in the United States, each concerned with the nation's economy, corporate favoritism, government involvement, and growing income inequality. The study outlines an historical account of a culture of control, and then analyzes actions of two contemporary protest organizations – The Tea Party, known as politically conservative; and Occupy Wall Street (OWS), characterized as liberal – as the national election unfolded. Each group sought to change the political landscape and influence the outcome of the presidential election, but with competing messages and very different approaches. Seeking change from the inside, The Tea Party emphasized limited government regulation of the market economy. OWS intended to crumble the system by outside resistance and demanded government attention to economic inequality. Field research and content analysis provide insight into behaviors, beliefs, and actions of each group, which, in turn, identify efforts to resist the status quo. Content analysis of print news provides evidence of state responses toward each group, while also offering insight into media framing and public influence. Finally, a survey of official responses from host communities reveals specific efforts to control protest organizations, ranging from acts of diplomacy to violent opposition. -
Mark Meckler, “The Tea Party, Born of a Media Moment, Revealed The
The Tea Party, Born of a Media Moment, Revealed the Limitations and Lies of the Media Mark Meckler Citizens for Self-Governance “Must see video!” read the subject line of an email from a friend. I was sitting in my home office in Nevada County, California and was feeling a little depressed about our nation. It was 2009. Just a few months prior, President George Bush had said, “I’ve abandoned free-market principles to save the free market system.” Was this the end of American free markets and exceptionalism? Then, when Barack Obama was elected, the government became even more bloated and corrupt. The President gave seven hundred million dollars to the Troubled Asset Relief Program. He gave billions to bail out the banks, to take over the world’s biggest insurance company, to buy out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, then to buy out Chrysler and General Motors, then hundreds of more banks. Was this even America anymore? I clicked on the video and saw CNBC’s Rick Santelli, standing on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. The anchors back in New York asked Santelli a few innocent questions, not realizing his response would change the course of this nation. “The government is promoting bad behavior! I’ll tell you what. I have an idea…. We’re thinking of having a Chicago tea party in July,” he said. The guys on the floor of the stock exchange piped up with cheers and encouragement. “All you capitalists that want to show up to Lake Michigan, I’m gonna start organizing! I’ll tell you what, if you read our founding fathers, people like Benjamin Franklin and Jefferson, what we’re doing in this country now is making them roll over in their graves!” The 5-minute video caught the attention of conservative radio personality Rush Limbaugh, who broadcast it to his 10 million listeners. -
Senate State Government Committees (Oct
Senate State Government Committee MEMORANDUM DATE: October 21, 2019 TO: Members of the Senate State Government Committee FROM: Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill RE: Upcoming Joint Public Hearing The Senate State Government Committee will conduct ajoint public hearing with the House State Government Committee in Room B-3 I Main Capitol Building on Tuesday, October 22, 2019,9 am. to 10 am. The topic of the hearing will be a discussion of House Resolution No. 206, Concurrent Resolution calling for a Convention of States. The tentative itinerary for this hearing is as follows: 9:00 A.M.: Chairmen Opening Remarks 9:05 A.M.: Mr. Andy Schiafly, Pennsylvania Eagie Forum 9:30 A.M.: Mr. Mark Meckler, President, Convention of States Mr. Steve Davies, Pennsylvania Legislative Director, Convention of States 9:55 A.M.: Chairmen Closing Remarks Testimony will be posted to our website at http://stategovemment.pasenategop.com/ Testimony Against a “Convention of States” (HR 206) Pennsylvania House and Senate State Government Committees (Oct. 22, 2019) By Andy Schlafly, Esq., on behalf of Pennsylvania Eagle Forum Thank you for the opportunity for me to submit this testimony against the so- called “Conventibn of States” resolution, 1-IR 206. 1 submit this testimony on behalf of Pennsylvania Eagle Forum, which has sponsored annual events over the last decade in the Keystone State, as attended by prominent officials. Leaders of Pennsylvania Eagle Forum will be attending this important hearing. I am an attorney who practices before the U.S. Court of Appeals for thc 3td Circuit in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania is the birthplace of our Constitution and our liberty. -
The Public Eye, Fall 2017
FALL 2017 The Public Eye In this issue: Hiding in Plain Sight: An American Renaissance of White Nationalism Will Corporations, the Christian Right, and the Tea Party Get to Rewrite the Constitution? Prenatal Diagnosis, Reproductive Rights, and the Specter of Eugenics Life’s Work: A Conversation with Dr. Willie Parker editor’s letter THE PUBLIC EYE QUARTERLY PUBLISHER In Charlottesville, Virginia, this August, Heather Heyer became the latest casualty of Tarso Luís Ramos White nationalism—one of nearly 450 people the U.S. Far Right has killed since 1990. EDITOR When President Trump condemned the violent neonazi marchers in Charlottesville only Kathryn Joyce reluctantly and temporarily, it wasn’t courageous; it was too little, too late. We require far COVER ART more from our elected officials. We call on them to uphold our common humanity as they Jennifer Luxton consider changes to immigration, healthcare, and education, and the need for just foreign policy, law enforcement, and distribution of taxes to fund vital public services. We have no LAYOUT Gabriel Joffe intention of stopping bigotry on the streets only to suffer its continued codification in the laws of our land. PRINTING Red Sun Press The Unite the Right rally Heyer was protesting didn’t arise overnight. Rather, it was de- signed, over months, to be the largest gathering of its kind in at least a decade. Several EDITORIAL BOARD weeks earlier, many of the same activists gathered in Tennessee, at the 27th American Frederick Clarkson • Alex DiBranco Gabriel Joffe • Kapya Kaoma Renaissance conference (pg. 3). Our reporter, Donna Minkowitz, was in attendance, and Greeley O’Connor • L.