Prior to the fall of 2020, Ed Castlen was not feeling particularly political or patriotic. While recovering from back surgery, with too much time to surf the web and watch TV, he realized how big the mainstream media’s racist lies had grown. Both Ed and his wife, Jackie, thought the media attacks on a sitting president should not go unchallenged.
Ed likes to share ideas, have what he calls a gabfest, but he knows we must be careful to only share with people who think alike. Ed recognized how many people fear speaking up or saying anything to defend an unpopular president. “It’s very dangerous to out yourself,” he said. It is clear that anyone who does could be attacked on social media, lose a job, and even go to jail.
Obviously, we all do not get the same “news.” When Ed talks about lockdowns or mandates being a form of government overreach, some people do not understand that the federal government is overstepping its constitutional boundaries.
His barber had no idea what Ed was talking about because the media is not doing an honest job of reporting both sides of a story. Ed’s mission was to find some way to wake people up, to help them see the other side.
How and Why of COS
Of all the unlikely places to discover the Convention of States, Ed found recurring hints and clues on TikTok, Facebook, and other social media. Finally, he decided he had to dig in and find out what this group was all about.
The Convention of States offers volunteers a place to examine ideas without fear of censorship. COS University helps us learn the history and constitutional facts necessary to speak up and educate fellow citizens in a non-threatening way.
Ed signed up as a state videographer and is busy putting his creativity into practice. His first posting reminds us that we are witnessing the overreaching government our Founding Fathers warned us about and we need to pay attention to who decides for us.
Guns and Trucks
A Florida native, Ed now lives in Jacksonville after spending twenty years in Gainesville. As an army brat, he also lived in both New Hampshire and California. His son Dustin, who served three years in active duty, strengthens their family’s military connection along with Jackie’s Marine brother.
Most military families share a strong appreciation for Second Amendment rights. Ed and Jackie enjoy gun shows and shooting at the gun range. A rally in Sarasota motivated them to step up to defend these rights and demonstrate their love for our republic.
They were inspired by examples from other patriots who visibly support our American freedoms.
Truck, flags, and COS ideas became a tactic to help wake up our sleeping lions. After a few experiments, Ed is now an expert at patriotic vehicular flag waving. He has discovered the types of fabrics, stitching, and grommets that perform best on road tests.
The Castlens decided to try out their latest flag mounting mechanism on a weekend trip to the DeBary Diner. They felt compelled to support a fellow American who demonstrated the courage to act against the Afghanistan withdrawal debacle. A good way to resist tyranny is to stand together.
At a busy intersection in Palm Coast, Ed and Jackie were amazed and gratified when 40 to 50 car horns all blew up honking at once. Since the Castlens were sporting a fresh array of flags, their theory of attracting attention to gauge and encourage support proved true.
“I believe we’re gonna turn this around just like I breathe air. I hope and believe that hard.”
The complete disregard for rule of law that is the hallmark of the current administration needs to be stopped in its tracks.
For the sake of the next generation of flag-caped superheroes, Ed hopes you will sign the petition, join COS, and draw attention to Article V as a solution as big as the problem.
