You may forgive the feeling of near-disbelieving euphoria among those of us who support an Article V convention to curb the power of the federal government as President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet and administration begins to take shape.
As has been chronicled, Vice President-elect JD Vance is a supporter of Convention of States.
On November 12, it was reported in various media outlets that U.S. Army veteran, Fox News Channel personality, bestselling author, and COS endorser Pete Hegseth will be tapped as the nominee to become Secretary of Defense.
This comes on the heels of reports that former Arkansas governor and COS endorser Mike Huckabee will be nominated to serve as U.S. ambassador to Israel.
U.S. senator and COS endorser Marco Rubio is reportedly moving from Capitol Hill to Foggy Bottom as Secretary of State.
In addition, entrepreneur, former presidential candidate, and COS endorser Vivek Ramaswamy will join entrepreneur Elon Musk in leading what is being billed as the Department of Government Efficiency in the Trump administration.
Who's next?
Of course, this astonishing and gratifying turn of events -- just days after most of the country seemed braced for another long and contentious ballot reporting and counting drama -- must be met with as even a temperament as humanly possible.
As the COS grassroots army knows well, even an executive branch filled with COS endorsers and supporters cannot, will not, and should not magically codify term limits for federal officials, conjure a balanced budget amendment, or forcefully institute any other potential amendment proposals that an Article V convention might yield.
It is the states -- through the sovereign citizens -- that must do the work. That is as it should be.
Yet the hopeful excitement that accompanies one invigorating appointment announcement after the other is emblematic of a new spirit that seems to be spreading across the land and moving toward Washington, D.C.
It is the spirit of self-governance.
For far too long, no matter the party affiliation of the President-elect, the period between a general election and Inauguration Day has consisted of the dispiriting appointments of all-too familiar faces and names.
We watched the revolving door of Washington, where lobbyists become heads of agencies and eventually again become lobbyists, mediocrities are lavishly rewarded with ambassadorships, generals far removed from their charges are beribboned for nothing, and political hacks wield the levers of power and put their bloated thumbs on the scales of justice.
The appointments of people like Hegseth and Ramaswamy, and the influence that independent-minded people like Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., will likely have in the new administration prove that this is not that.
This is something that Washington, D.C., has been sorely lacking for decades: originality. The men and women who are being appointed to the new administration are original thinkers. They are not beholden to the stale and corrupt methods of the federal leviathan. They are daring and bold, willing to risk the censure of their parties, colleagues, friends, and family to do what is best for the country as they see it.
This originality is rooted in a spirt of self-governance -- which is the spirit of '76 that fathered the most daring and original self-governing document known to man.
It is the spirit that understands that the overwhelming power of the federal government has brought our republic to the brink of collapse. It is the spirit that understands, in the words of Lord Acton, that power corrupts -- and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
The exponents of this spirit who will be serving in the next administration do not believe in the entrenched elite who live in -- and for -- D.C. They believe in us. They believe in the capacity of the American people to govern our own lives, and believe that, in their limited and temporary function, their role is to secure our republic and clear a path so that we might enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Many of them also believe in the mission of COS.
While we understand that the work to get to 34 states and convention remains and there is much to be done, it's nice to know we have a few friends in high places.
Please do excuse the smiles.
To express your spirit of self-governance and join the ever-growing and increasingly influential grassroots movement to call an Article V convention, sign the petition below:
