Opponents on both the left and the right express concerns that an Article V convention to limit the spending, power, and jurisdiction of the federal government could undermine the existing rights of Americans. On the right, there are fears that our First and Second Amendment rights could be abridged. The left, pointing to the preponderance of Republican-controlled state legislatures, cites concerns surrounding the more-recently recognized rights of minorities.
A move by the Arkansas House last month, however, demonstrates that red states are far from united in a quest to impose a hyper-conservative agenda upon the rest of the nation. On March 30th, the Arkansas House considered and defeated SJR7, a resolution asking Congress to propose a constitutional amendment defining marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman. Although Republicans enjoy a 3-to-1 majority in the Arkansas House, fully one-third of them stood with Democrats refusing to support this resolution.
This legislative evidence demonstrates that anything regarded as extreme by either party stands little chance of securing the support of the 38 states needed for ratification. We have always known that both parties control more than enough legislative chambers to stop anything they see as unreasonable. But as Arkansas has demonstrated, we can now unequivocally state that a significant number of Republicans, even those from the Deep South, even those who enjoy supermajority status in their state legislatures, can be counted on to stand against any attempt to turn back the civil rights clock.
This isn't about left vs. right...it's DC insiders vs. the rest of us.
Have you signed our on-line petition at www.cosaction.com? Click here to join the 17,000 Illinoisans who support HJR 32. And use the buttons below to share on social media. Can't see the buttons? Scroll up and click on the title of this article, "Arkansas Legislature..."
