No shoes, no shirt....no service! Everyone has seen this sign at one time or another, usually at the door of a restaurant. The sign is self-explanatory without the need for further description. It’s a prerequisite to entering the restaurant.
It’s also a prerequisite that 34 States must pass identical resolutions to submit to Congress to hold a Convention of the States. It’s outlined in Article V of the Constitution. Without 34 states agreeing on an agenda, the convention simply won’t happen.
Those who oppose a convention of the states commonly use the “runaway” convention argument. The argument is predicated on the false belief that the convention would be open to any motion being made during the convention which could include a repeal of constitutional rights or weaken the Constitution in other ways. This false belief is that the prerequisite agenda of the convention to have the same or similar applications no longer applies after the convention gets started.
Wouldn’t that be like removing your shoes and shirt in a restaurant after you’ve been seated or served your meal? Does that mean the rules don’t apply after you’ve gotten what you wanted, a seat in the restaurant?
When you apply for a job, the process usually begins when you fill out an application form for that job. It’s very specific and the information being asked for is about your experiences, training, and skills related to that job being applied for. If you’re lucky enough to get an interview and you tell the interviewer you changed your mind and want a different job, do you think the interview would continue? Probably not. You would likely be told that you needed to start the application process all over again from the beginning for this new position you want.
It's the same application process for an Article V convention of the states. If you want to change the agenda of the convention, you will have to return to your home state and begin the application process again. Or face criminal penalties for trying to hijack the convention.
The opposition to an Article V convention of the states would have you think that any motion can be made during the convention regardless of whether it is related to the application or not. They want you to believe that the prerequisite for a convention no longer is applicable during the convention.
As you see, in many of life’s experiences the prerequisite holds true afterward as much as it does beforehand. The argument of a “runaway” convention predicated on the false belief the prerequisite no longer must be followed is nonsense.
This precedence has withstood numerous conventions of the several States as well as other life experiences.
To learn more about the Article V convention process, we’ve gathered everything into a single resource page for you. View it HERE.
