If the plan of the Convention, therefore, be found to depart from the republican character, its advocates must abandon it as no longer defensible. -James Madison
Taken on its own, we could easily look at this Convention of States project as a failed experiment even before we’ve fully gotten out of the gate.
I mean, think about it.
- The government is vastly overreaching, every year slipping a few more of our liberties out of our hands and calling it “protecting our rights.”
- We’re trillions of dollars in debt—and climbing by the hour.
- Compared to the rest of the United States, our brave COS army is small and vastly outnumbered.
- Many see us as the enemy. Better the devil you know, right?
- We’ve become so fractured among race, gender, and party lines, that finding common ground seems impossible.
- Finally, we’re battling a deeply-ingrained victim mentality from American citizens who have never gained the wisdom to accurately think for and interpret for themselves what our Founders truly desired from this Great Experiment called the United States of America.
The answer lies a little further in Federalist Paper No. 40. James Madison delves into the reasons why conforming to a constitutional republic is the only hope of preserving our God-given liberties for ourselves and our posterity.
A constitutional republic, he says, can be defined as:
A government which derives all its powers directly or indirectly from the great body of people, and is administered by persons holding their offices during pleasure, for a limited period, or during good behavior.
He later adds:
The members of the Judiciary department are to retain their offices by the firm tenure of their good behavior.
Federalist Paper No. 40 is essentially an argument for defining our constitutional republic as neither fully national, nor wholly federal.
It’s a little bit of both and that is why we still have hope to continue on this Grand Experiment.
More importantly, it's a gauntlet thrown down.
Because we are the people. We are also the nation. And we don’t depend on a majority rule, a mob rule, or a benevolent monarch. Our Convention of States, like its cousin the original Convention, is our best hope for reining in the governmental Frankenstein we’ve created and making sure our representatives are on their best behavior.
Let us not lose hope because the finish line seems so far away and the obstacles so large. We are still a constitutional republic, and the best proof of that in these stormy times is Article V.
If you’re new to the movement, get educated. Read the Constitution we’re fighting for today.
Find out where you can bring your unique talents and skills to the table by volunteering in your state, calling (or gently hounding) your legislators, and showing your neighbors, family, and friends that you have a cause worth fighting for.
Whatever you choose, do not throw up your hands and believe that this cause is hopeless. We are not strong because we have the numbers--although three million strong isn't anything to scoff at.
We are strong, because we have the Constitution, the values that our nation was founded on, and America's best interests at heart.
