Do the people pictured above look like chauvinistic racists who would stop at nothing to destroy the Constitution of the United States and strip Americans of their civil rights if given the chance?
To believe some unhinged opponents who testified against the COS resolution before the Hawai'i Senate Committee on Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs hearing on March 20, they are just that -- and you are, too.
Convention of States Action president and co-founder Mark Meckler led off proponent testimony at the hearing and discussed the substance of the resolution, which is to have a discussion among the states about returning power to the states, and that residents of Hawai'i -- not those in distant D.C. -- should decide most issues for themselves.
His testimony was backed up in impressively strong fashion by several members of COS Hawai'i (which is led by state director Mark White) who discussed the role of state legislators and legislatures in amending the Constitution, why constituents trust their state representatives more than those in Congress, and the need for fiscal responsibility in order to protect future generations.
The team also presciently emphasized that Article V is for every American regardless of party or political preference.
Opponent testimony included representatives from groups such as Americans for Democratic Action, Common Cause, and, oddly enough, Hawai'i Children's Action Network Speaks.
Their testimony started off on familiar ground, once again confusing the limited-purpose Article V convention proposed in the resolution with a fantastical free-for-all runaway Constitutional Convention "with no guardrails" that would "tie the hands of the federal government" during crises.
One opponent argued that an Article V convention would lead to the "evisceration of our government and our democracy" at "warp speed." How an Article V convention would or could complete such a project went unexplained, and the fact that the option for the states to call an Article V convention happens to be in Article V of the Constitution was conveniently overlooked.
Not all of those who testified against the resolution went to the overdrawn well, and things got more interesting to say the least.
One opponent, a representative of Common Cause, asserted in jaw-dropping fashion that an Article V convention had the potential to consider black Americans as "three-fifths of a person again". Another opponent, representing herself, stated that an Article V convention would lead to her "having no voting rights as a woman."
As any fair-minded observer of the COS movement would admit, nothing could be further from the truth.
The effort to activate an Article V convention is to initiate a conversation that can lead to proposals for amendments that will reinforce and solidify the right of every American to be what our founders intended us to be: free and independent.
If you missed the proceedings and these novel attacks against COS, you can watch the full replay and post-hearing coverage that includes reaction by Mark Meckler to such slander by clicking below:
Near the conclusion of the hearing, the committee decided to defer the COS resolution. Stay tuned to the blog and COS socials for updates.
Congratulations to COS Hawai'i for standing strong while patiently and eloquently explaining the need for an Article V convention, and urging the panel to stand for accountability and liberty in the face of hostile resistance and and outright false testimony.
