One of the more agreeable aspects of the Convention of States movement is meeting and communing with individuals who approach civic life with a historical perspective.
Such an approach, which is of course vital to particularly understanding and explaining how and why Article V of the Constitution came to be, and the necessity of a Convention of States, also applies generally.
A few days before the Battle of Long Island in the Revolutionary War in late August 1776, General George Washington issued one of his more memorable "General Orders." His words are engraved in granite all over the country, including in Washington Square in my town of Haverhill, Massachusetts.
Washington reminded his charges of the stakes:
"The hour is fast approaching, on which the Honor and Success of this army, and the safety of our bleeding Country depend. Remember officers and Soldiers, that you are Freemen, fighting for the blessings of Liberty - that slavery will be your portion, and that of your posterity, if you do not acquit yourselves like men."
So it is with the upcoming election. The prospect of a significant shift in the balance of power in Congress to those who pledge to stanch the bleeding of our country is encouraging to say the least.
Yet regardless of the outcome on Tuesday (or whenever the recalcitrant districts and states announce the outcome), we in the COS movement know that our work is not finished. We know this because of our historical perspective and approach.
We remember the aftermath of 2010, when we thought that Congress and the courts would rescue us from the precipice, place limits upon the government, and bring it to heel.
We remember that, as has so often been demonstrated throughout history, victories subside, and politics as practiced by those who purport to represent us, mostly disappoints.
The November 8 election should be looked upon as one battle -- important, no doubt -- but just one battle in the fight for liberty and limited government.
Unless a truly overwhelming wave of freedom crashes down upon Capitol Hill, the necessary constitutional amendments that we believe must be proposed will not be proposed and approved by Congress in 2023 or 2024.
We, the officers and soldiers of COS, recognize that our work -- fighting to secure and advance the blessings of liberty -- endures and transcends any election. And we must do that work ourselves.
In other words, we must acquit ourselves like free Americans each day of the calendar, not just one Tuesday in November.
