A week before Christmas, the Atlanta Airport went dark. Flights were canceled and people were wandering around.
But this disruption did not deter our fearless leader, Mark Meckler, on his way to Florida.
The COS Florida team had set up a meetup in West Palm Beach before a Turning Point USA event, and the risk was high Mr. Meckler would be delayed.
But instead of accepting the dilemma and disappointing the team, Mark took control of his destiny, rented a car, and drove the rest of the way. What an amazing challenge to make that meeting!
They drove 625 miles in 12 hours to make that meeting with the Florida team.
The COS Florida team was honored to meet with Mark Meckler at Brio Restaurant in West Palm Beach on Dec 18, 2017. Nine members and 2 guests were present, plus Mark.
Since they were seated at a table in the main area, it was not possible to have a formal speech, so Mark spent time visiting with small groups about the table for the dinner hour. Then, Mark gathered us at one end of the table, where he made some broad remarks and took questions from all of us.
Unique Power Granted to the State Legislators
Mark’s first message was that only state legislators have power to call a convention. All the Founders were state legislators, so they wanted to create a final bulwark against federal abuse. The Founders gave a great power to the legislators to protect their turf.
Imagine a senator saying, “We’ve created a federal mandate and you state legislators raise the taxes for it.” The very notion of unconstitutional mandates from the federal government is preposterous abuse of explicitly limited powers.
Congressionally Spawned Amendments
Mark shared some history on amendments from Congress. Congressionally-spawned amendments are mostly based on ideas already practiced before their passage.
For instance, the Seventeenth Amendment (the direct election of U.S. Senators) followed the process of many states holding non-binding direct votes for senators, so they imagined direct voting would be good nationally. Huge mistake, of course.
“Who Decides?”
Mark repeatedly touched on the theme, “Who Decides?” Does Washington decide our future, or do the people hold the power? Stay focused on that point in public advocacy.
Don’t Get Baited into Bad Arguments
Mark was emphatic in telling us ‘don’t let others bait you into abortion or gay marriage fights’ – all of these fights will still be possible in the state houses. There is no constitutional power for the federal government to mandate any ruling on any of these points.
The team was energized and talked until midnight. Thank you to everyone who attended making this a historic and energized evening with Mark Meckler.
