The Bandera County GOP held its Executive Committee Meeting at the Rockin’ “B” Ranch in Pipe Creek, Texas, on April 13, 2023. In attendance were 100% of the County Precinct Chairs, appointed officials, and invited guests.
The Bandera GOP Chair, Conrad Striegl invited Al Torres, State Director, Convention of States (COS) Texas as their guest speaker for the evening. Most of those in attendance were not familiar with COS and intently listened to all that Al had to say.
Although the venue did not have AV available for the video typically shown to those new to COS, Al delivered a passionate 30 minutes discussion on the foundational tenets of COS: bringing the power of governing back to the states and the people. The basis of a convention of the states would be to make amendments towards holding Washington accountable for balancing the national budget and use fiscal restraint in reining in the overspending, reduce government overreach, and instill term limits on the elected federal officials.
He reviewed the process of passing the COS resolution in each state and the grassroots actions required to accomplish it. Al explained the expiration date that was put on the Texas resolution when it passed in the state legislature in 2017, and the need to remove it this session.
Al reviewed how our founding fathers unanimously agreed with George Mason on inserting Article V into the Constitution so that the people would have a means of stopping a government that had become too powerful and out of control. That time is now, as all who were present wholeheartedly agreed.
The goals, methods, gains, obstacles, and long-range plan of the COS Action plan were discussed. Al encouraged all to visit the Convention of States website to sign the petition, or to sign one in person at the meeting, to let their representatives know that their constituents were in support of the Convention of States.
Al shared the “why” that led him to align himself with the Convention of States. As a veteran and former CIA officer he believes COS is his avenue in the fight to save our country from our overreaching government that continues to increase our national debt beyond what we can afford and has insinuated itself into our everyday lives far beyond the intentions of our founding fathers when they wrote our constitution.
At the end of Al’s presentation, he announced that he and his wife, Rhonda, will be moving to Virginia. The position of Co-State Director, COS Texas, will pass to a new Co-State Director who will work alongside Erika Hatfield, Texas State Director, COS, to carry on in the great state of Texas.
Virginia has not passed the COS resolution and the United States is still under attack by an overreaching government. Therefore, Al will persist in the battle for our nation, just from Virginia rather than Texas. So, we say, "until we see you again," to a true Texas leader who believes in using Article V of the Constitution to save this great nation we call, the United States of America.
