The August COSA Outreach meeting was another success.
There were 31 attendees at the Convention of States Action (COSA) meeting, with 7 returning from previous sessions. It was hosted by Carole Wilson, Ernie Borgoyne, Marshall Sanchez, and Joelene Williamson. The team gave a tutorial on the Convention of States following an Invocation by Carole and the Pledge of Allegiance led by Marshall.
The Constitution and Article V
The Intolerable Acts imposed by Britain in 1774 was the final straw for the American colonies. They called the 1st and 2nd Continental Congress to forge a framework for a new independent country. The first step was a formal Declaration of Independence ratified on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States of America. Immediately, they began work on the Articles of Confederation, the first US Constitution, which was ratified in 1781.
The newly formed United States governed itself by calling conventions of states (or colonies before independence) to address issues affecting the country. During the 1786 Convention of States in Annapolis, it became clear that there were defects in the Articles of Confederation that needed to be remedied. They called for a Constitutional Convention to make some fixes.
Delegates at the convention in Philadelphia convened in 1787. They quickly realized that the Articles were not structured in a way that could be easily modified. The ‘Beta’ version of the Constitution must be scrapped and rewritten. The newly written document formed a federal level of government with three equal but separate branches with specific duties: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial. The powers granted by the states to the federal government would be limited to ensure that the states retained control.
By September, the delegates were close to approving the new Constitution when Col. George Mason of Virginia noticed a problem. Article V of the Constitution, which defined the process for amending the Constitution, did not allow the states to propose amendments. He argued that the federal government might one day become “drunk with power.” Col. Mason’s wisdom and foresight gave the country a precious tool that can be used when necessary. It’s time to break the glass and use this tool.
Article V - The Congress, whenever two-thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two-thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three-fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress.
Convention of States Action (COSA) Areas of Focus
Many states have passed resolutions on various topics to call for an Article V Convention of States. However, our organization, Convention of States Action, has coordinated with several states to submit resolutions on the same three topics. Here is Arizona’s 2017 resolution:
“.. pursuant to Article V of the Constitution of the United States, the Legislature of the State of Arizona formally applies to the Congress of the United States to call a convention of the states limited to proposing amendments to the Constitution of the United States that impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government and limit the terms of office for federal officials and for members of Congress.”
COSA believes these 3 areas will have the most significant impact – a solution as big as the problem.
The 22nd Amendment limited the president to two 4-year terms. Congress, Judges, and Bureaucrats have no term limits. With no balanced budget, we are $33T in debt and spending our children’s money – pure theft. Federal overreach is rampant in the DOE, DOJ, and many other areas.
The Process
Once two-thirds of the states (34) have submitted resolutions, Congress sets a time and place for the convention, and then they step away. There have been several Conventions of States in our history, but there has never been an Article V Convention of States. The states can send as many delegates as they want, but each gets only one vote. There are strict guidelines the convention must follow by precedent. Any discussion about items not in the original resolution is considered out of order. The convention will likely take weeks and months before an amendment is unveiled. There could be multiple ones written and approved.
Watch the Mock Convention sponsored by COSA held earlier this month in Colonial Williamsburg. It lasted only two days but it demonstrated how the convention would be run.
Questions and Answers
AZ Senator Wendy Rogers likes to talk about how she is championing election audits and other conservative agendas. Yet, when asked about COS, she stated, “I don’t want to rewrite the Constitution.
Although we are a non-partisan organization, most of the left does not support this, but surprisingly, many on the right do not as well. Famously AZ Congressman Andy Biggs published a book arguing that an Article V Convention of States would be a Constitutional Convention. This is not true, read why. We need to keep legislators aware by writing letters and reminding them about this effort.
What can we do to help and get the word out? How can we influence other states?
Consider becoming a Fifteen Minute Patriot (forms were passed out to the audience and several immediately signed up.) Talk to your friends and family in other states and get them involved. Most importantly talk to your children and grandchildren. They are just as frustrated as we are and looking for answers.
How long has this effort been going on? What is the current status? What is the timeframe to get this done?
Convention of States Action is ten years old. Today there are nineteen states that have passed a COSA resolution, seven states have passed in one chamber, and seventeen with active legislation. We only need 34 to call a convention. Some states have included sunset clauses in their resolution, so it's important to keep our legislators aware of the importance.
What is COSA doing for Constitution Day? There is a law that requires schools to commemorate September 17, 1787. Do you know about that law?
Excellent point! After researching further, H.R.4818 - Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005 designated September 17 "Constitution Day and Citizenship Day” and added both the requirement that federal agencies provide their employees with educational materials about the Constitution and one stipulating that educational institutions receiving federal funds do the same for their students. COSA Arizona is currently discussing ways to assist in this effort.
The American Trinity Project
Charmaine Gurule, one of the attendees who came all the way from Payson, asked to speak about her project, whose goal is to "Keeping the Brushfires of freedom alive through the arts." She displayed a piece of artwork that is a copy of a 11x6 foot original painting depicting its citizens’ individual responsibilities. Charmaine wants to present at COSA events as another way of communicating the American spirit through art. Absolutely! We look forward!
In Conclusion
We enlisted six prime candidates for leadership positions. Fourteen people signed the 15 minute patriot pledge. We are on a roll!
Come join us in our effort to get Arizona moving to help protect our country!
