By Carol Menges
Risk vs. Reward
While writing comments at numerous blogs and newspaper op-eds about Article V's second means to amend the US Constitution, I've run into many versions of the argument against it of overwhelming risks.The fires of fear are stoked based on not knowing the end from the beginning. This type of opposition prefers not to trust the Founding Fathers' faith in We the People. They insist the proof is in the fact that the Founders lived in what they believe was a much less volatile world, one without the complications of high tech and nearly instantaneous access to information, let alone buttons in the hands of tyrants that can blow countries into oblivion.
That George Washington couldn't have anticipated our times when he said, “I do not think we are more inspired, have more wisdom, or possess more virtue, than those who will come after us. The power under the Constitution will always be in the People,” (November 10, 1787).
Big Hat, No Cattle
It's a people problem all right, but on many levels. Opposition to a convention of states makes me think of what would happen if a group of totally inexperienced city-slicker vacationers came to a wild horse ranch and were given the reins to run the place, while owners were away for a few hours.Say there are some horses in a crowded coral who recognized the bosses were out of the picture and they wanted to get out of confinement. At least one of them starts to slowly build to uncontrollable fury, kicking at the fences, agitating other horses to join in.
Pretty soon enough commotion is caused that the vacationers are alarmed. Cell phones are pulled out, but the problem is an immediate emergency—at least for the ranchers. A few men and women suggest they shore up the fencing if they still can, or get a truck to stand in front of the breach—whatever they can come up with. And then there are the naysayers who insistently advise against it—liability issues, you know—and besides, it's dangerous!
While they dither over details, the ones who wanted to see if there was some way to solve the problem recognize they aren't going to have needful help and they give up. The ranchers come back and find they made a huge mistake in letting these guys run the show even for a short time. They have to do a whole lot more work than would have been necessary otherwise, starting over. And now they've got injured horses to deal with too.
Definition of Insanity
While complaints proliferate about whether we should send people from states to a meeting to debate and solve problems, our country is going to hell in a hand basket. But the wise will convene regardless of the difficulties, with a chance to rein in the way-out-of-control federal government.If there's even the remotest possibility of sabotage for a constitutional meeting of state commissioners, fearmongers must milk it and insist we're better off to keep on the path of doing nothing different than the insane things we've done, letting the federal government in all its capacities grow ever larger and more tyrannical.
The devil you know vs. the devil you don't. We do know where we are and where we're headed if we continue without change.
Can We Be Successful?
The original Constitution—the pocket-sized one rather than the 2600+ page online version that Congress lives by today—and its baseline principles from the Declaration of Independence are being shredded to extinction.Working to reestablish its originalist intents with the means given within it—the second means in Article V—is considered too much a slippery slope to dare to try. I believe, though, we will be successful if we do everything good in our power, and invoke Divine help once more as the Founders did when against all odds they beat the best army and navy in the world.
If we don't even try to use the Founders' remedy, we deserve the results of our neglect by failing to act when we could have won.
