Be Courageous

By Patti Buxton, Ohio Regional Captain

It was about a week before Christmas, and I was talking to one of my COS friends and yes, I was complaining because I was so disappointed that the Ohio legislature had not passed HJR1 or SJR4. I was looking forward to being the twentieth state to pass our Resolution., I had been working for COS for 8 years.  I also told my friend that I wasn't looking forward to starting again in the 135th Ohio General Assembly. Suddenly, an idea popped into my head, and I promptly ended my Pity Party.
 
My thoughts turned to all that I had done with others and all we had learned over eight years. I was pleased at how many people I had helped to train about how our Constitution can fix its own problems that have been occurring for many, many years. 

I was remembering that 8 years of educating all our families, all our friends, and hundreds of strangers at gun shows, fairs, festivals, craft bazaars, and car shows had produced 108,600+ petition signers here in Ohio. What we had been doing was very effective, but now we needed to add something new. It seemed as though we were always talking about what was bad, or inefficient, or tiresome. I thought we need to keep doing this but add how the needed changes would benefit each of us and change who was doing the talking and to whom they were talking. We need to tell the story about how our lives would improve by calling a Convention of the States.

We have asked our volunteers to write letters, send emails, and make phone calls to their legislators. And they have done a great job. It is time to encourage one-on-one contact between not just leaders, but volunteers and legislators. How do we do that? I believe we start small and have small groups of a legislator’s supporters (5 or 6) meet in a library or someone’s home and talk to each other, remembering to always be polite, respectful and smiling. The discussion should start by asking the legislator about the legislation he or she has sponsored in the past and also what new legislation he or she is currently interested in.

Then, the subject can move to what the COS volunteers expect to happen after the convention is over and the Commerce Clause and General Welfare Clause are updated. They have both been badly misused with harmful and costly effects.

We must remind ourselves that legislators and constituents are more alike than different from one another. Both have families and concerns about shortages of food, gas, heating fuels, electricity and more. District Captains and supporters need to be trained on Constitutional fundamentals so they are comfortable engaging in those conversations.  

The end game and our focus for 2023 and beyond is to build relationships, friendships if we can, between legislators and constituents. Imagine how much our lives will be improve once we’ve established and nurtured the relationships and all of work toward common goals.

I believe constituents will show great enthusiasm as they speak about how good life could be, and their enthusiasm will be contagious. Imagine legislators going back to Columbus and talking about the extraordinary gathering they had on Saturday with 20 constituents at the library down the street from his or her home. This meetup just may be the way we get our legislators as enthusiastic about what COS can do for our country as every COS supporter is.

After all, we love America and recognize how fortunate we are to call America home. America just needs a tune up. We the people are ready and willing to make our home as good as it possibly can be for ourselves and the next generation. We are Americans, and we are courageous.