All Eyes on Arizona
By Brian Harris
One would think that the election problems blatantly witnessed
by America in 2020 would have been rectified prior to the 2022 midterm elections. Unfortunately, for freedom-loving Americans across our nation, they were not. I vividly recall watching election returns on the evening of November 3, 2020. President Donald Trump was marching toward re-election, and then they stopped counting in a handful of states. I had never witnessed anything like this in my entire life. What was happening in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Wisconsin, and Michigan? Another strange occurrence was the early call for Biden in Arizona on Fox News. When we woke up on November 4th, Donald Trump’s lead had been erased, and the rest is history.
Fast forward to the 2022 midterms. In Arizona, Republican candidate Kari Lake had reason to be optimistic. She had campaigned relentlessly for over a year. Her rallies were Trumplike in attendance and enthusiasm. Lake also held an eleven-point lead over the democrat candidate, Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, in the week leading up to the November 8th election. Republican turnout on Election Day was huge, and exit polling was favorable. Yet as I write this, Katie Hobbs is the Governor-Elect. What on earth is going on in the Grand Canyon State, particularly in Maricopa County?
Election Day voters in Maricopa experienced long lines, printer and tabulating machine failures, and the dreaded Box #3. Other issues plague the legitimacy of a Hobbs victory, such as her refusal to recuse herself as the certifier of the election in her capacity as Secretary of State since she was a candidate in the race. Another concerning fact is that Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer and Supervisor Chairman Bill Gates started a PAC in 2021 to defeat MAGA candidates. Why did it take days and days to finish counting votes in Maricopa County? Arizona elections look like an embarrassment compared to states like Florida and Tennessee, which were able to get their results tabulated on election night.
Lake filed suit against Hobbs and Maricopa County officials. It is a must-read for anyone who cares about election integrity. The allegations are stunning and if proven true, necessitate a do-over of the Arizona election. Election integrity is the bedrock of our republic. It is the day that we as citizens of the United States exercise our direct sovereignty. Keep your eyes on Arizona in the days and weeks ahead.
Convention of States – What’s It to You?
By Debbie MacDonald
Perhaps you’ve seen it- the large round badge of honor proudly sported by many Convention of States volunteers and supporters at rallies and events across the nation. All who would happen to glance at it learn that we stand
for “Self-Governance.” That is a wonderful purpose since it is what the Founders of our country originally intended for our nation when they crafted the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
But the button makes a claim about Convention of States. It claims that “It’s More than a Convention,” leaving the observer with a puzzlement- what is the “More”? And to that question, there are many answers. We are a grassroots organization with almost 5.5 million supporters and over 200,000 engaged citizen activists, and each person may have a different explanation of what “COS” stands for or means to them.
As for me, I find the simplest and most concise explanation is the one Mark Meckler has often used: who decides?... It should be “We the People,” who have the right to decide what we believe is best for ourselves, our families, our communities, and our states.
C O S stands for CHOICE:
Central Or State
- do I want my country’s government power to be centralized within the Federal government, or should power rest mainly within the individual states?
Capitalism Or Socialism
- do I want my country’s economic system to be based on free market principles, including private business ownership, or on governmental and social ownership?
Constitution Or Statue
- will I be ruled by the tenants of our Constitution or by a continually growing number of Presidential edicts
Citizen Or Serf
- do I wish to be a free citizen of a democratic republic or a serf living under the rule of a powerful group of elites?
Comply Or Speak up
- will I blindly follow policies that trample my God-given rights and liberties or join the collective voices of patriots and speak up?
Courage Or Submission
- do I have the courage to stand up to laws that take away my freedoms, or will I merely submit to the status quo?
Contender Or Spectator
- will I get in the ring and fight as an engaged citizen, an informed voter, a judicial watchdog, or will I sit by and let others who do not necessarily have my or my family’s best interests at heart make decisions for us?
Cement Or Sand
- will I stand firm on the Rock and live true to my Judeo-Christian morals and values, or will I follow the current culture and sway with the blowing sands of shifting moralities and truths?
The right to choose is freedom.
When I think about the many patriotic organizations we see fighting for liberty and freedom in our current culture, I notice most focus on a single area of “injustice.” Movements have been sparked around such causes as education, healthcare, the election process, taxes, the 1st amendment, the 2nd amendment, and many others. All these groups play a certain part in helping citizens reclaim self-governance.
What makes Convention of States unique is that, as individual citizens within the organization, we are free to support and fight for whichever causes we are most passionate about. Yet, we also work collectively to reach our goal of calling an Article V convention, unified in the effort to rein in the federal government and return power to the states and the people.
Self-governing, engaged citizens working together can fix the damage done to our liberties and preserve a future of freedom.
That is why I believe that COS also stands for our Country’s Only Solution!
So… What does COS mean to you? 
From Comfortable Retirement to a Passionate Warrior for COSA
By Jim MacDonald
One of the greatest blessings of being an active member of this grassroots army of American Patriots is crossing paths with people that would never have happened otherwise. Such is the case with COS Tennessee Regional Captain Jay Walling. A self-described retired introvert engineer who has a passion for God, country, family, and the Convention of States Action (COSA).
Jay graduated from Tennessee Tech with a bachelor’s degree in
Mechanical Engineering and married his wife, Debbie, over forty-six years ago. They have two adult children with currently three grandchildren. Jay worked as an engineer for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) at the Sequoyah Nuclear Power Plant.
Jay’s son graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business. Then not wanting to be stuck in a cubical, he went to China for a year to teach English without knowing how to speak Chinese. He quickly became what he terms a “survivalist mandarin.” Now back in the states working as a firefighter in Chattanooga. His wife works in social services as a victim advocate Supervisor for the Chattanooga Police Department.
Jay’s daughter graduated with a finance and marketing degree and has worked for ten years as a senior analyst for the TVA, the same company Jay worked for. Her husband worked as a paramedic in Chattanooga but is now a medical recruiter.
So why Convention of States Action?
Jay, raised by conservative parents with Christian values, was not a fan of 
the direction the Obama Administration was taking the country. However, when President Trump was running against Hillary Clinton, all the predictions had Hillary winning the election. On election night, Jay was up till one in the morning waiting to hear that President Trump had beaten Hillary. In his exuberance, Jay felt the country would be back on track.
With the success of Trump’s presidency despite four years of persecution from the media, the Left, and the RINO Right, combined with large contributions to Trump-backed candidates, Jay thought it was a no-brainer that President Trump would win a second term.
Unfortunately, total disappointment was ahead as the non-campaigning, so-called uniting candidate won the election. Jay had no idea how bad two years into Biden’s presidency would take our country. Regrettably, Biden has become a great divider rather than a uniter.
Shortly after President Trump lost the election, Jay was working on a project with his son. He stated: “I feel my generation has let you down. We are leaving you with a huge debt you will never be able to pay off.”
Jay knew something had to change. As he was searching the internet, Jay came upon an answer to his prayers: the Convention of States. Having no desire for politics, never really studying the Constitution, and knowing nothing about Article V, Jay felt compelled to become involved with COSA. After all, he was concerned for his children and grandchildren and only wished he had done more when he was younger.
With some research into COSA, Jay became excited that maybe there was a way to fix our nation. He felt that we could get a balanced budget and our country back on the right track—and doing so was necessary. But, unfortunately, Jay didn’t see how the Republicans v Democrats, conservatives v liberal politicians had any desire for restoring our nation. It was going to take the people to take charge and move forward.
What are the challenges we face in calling a convention?
If using Article V of the U.S. Constitution is the solution, why don’t we just call the convention and get this country back in order?
The Founders knew democracy was just a mobocracy, easily persuaded
and bound for destruction, which explains why they created a republican form of government rather than a democracy. But, unfortunately, the Leftists have coerced the educated idiots to believe we are a democracy, and the easily persuaded loud minority has set the course for devastation.
Therefore, calling a convention requires the people to get involved with their state legislators. Thirty-four of the fifty states must agree to a common resolution for the purpose of calling a convention. Nineteen states have accomplished this, and we only need fifteen more. It’s a slow process, but the Founders didn’t want to give the mob the ability to call this convention.
Jay says: “The school is where we are losing the kids. The Supreme court decision that took God and the Bible out of the schools, along with the distortion of the phrase “separation of church and state,” has just killed our school system.”
Jay stated, “the school system is just a total propaganda arena. They are just pumping out socialists. So what is the first thing we will do if the schools are on fire? We will get our kids out of school. Our schools are on fire, and we must get them out.”
The second issue is getting people engaged in taking action. “That’s where the rubber meets the road.” Continuing: “it’s a challenge to get people involved. It’s human nature just to rock along unless they lose something directly impacting their daily walk or lives. Like the analogy of boiling a frog by slowly turning up the heat until the frog boils to death.”
A third challenge that Jay can relate to is how busy people are. Most families have both spouses working. Some are working 60 to 80 hours per week to survive. Add in the children and their activities; young families barely have time for anything else, let alone studying the Constitution and paying attention to politics.
With that said: Jay said: “the younger generation will have to deal with it. They must be prepared to pick up the mantle and fight because this is not a short-term fix. The greatest generation answered the call as teenagers and fought the Nazis in Germany. They stood up. Unfortunately, the following generations went through a time where we fell asleep because we thought we were invincible.”
So what is the solution?
First and foremost, unless God is for it, it will not happen! Jay believes ten percent is the tipping point. We’ll be there when ten percent of the country is on board with COSA at some level. Getting there is the challenge.
Jay says: “Talking to young folks about getting involved and reminding them, we’re only going to be around a few more years. After that, it’s going to be all in your hands. Look at what you’ve got. You may not have seen the country when I was little. It was great. I could not have asked for a better place to grow up in. I’ve been exposed to different places in the world, and we don’t realize what a blessing we have here—and it’s not going to get fixed unless you get involved.”
“The goal of COSA is calling a convention of states. But the mission of getting people involved and educating them on civics is what is most exciting to me.”
“Next, we must fix the political arena in the local areas. That mentality will bubble up at the national level when that’s done across the country if we fix the local level. Then, we will fix the national level.”
Next, our churches must stand up and then take back our schools.
The Bible teaches us how to live life. It applies to all aspects of our life, not just specific areas. The church must speak up and call out what’s going wrong in our local community. The things that are going on in our libraries, businesses, and public offices…the church must speak up.”
So, what is Jay doing personally to make this happen?
Jay, an introvert by nature, fits the standard mold of an engineer. He loves to work in the background and never likes to get out in front. However, Jay feels called to get out and promote COSA, Biblical Citizenship, and community involvement. Jay says this is “so far from my comfort zone; I’d much rather sit back at my desk by myself.”
Jay got involved back in January 2021 and became a District Captain. He has developed one of the largest teams in Tennessee, with outstanding leaders on his team. Since then, Jay has become the Regional Captain and has received the coveted COSA Challenge Coin.
Shortly after getting involved with COSA, Jay learned about Patriot Academy and their Biblical Citizenship classes. He instantly became a coach and started speaking with his Pastors about the course. A short time later, he was leading his first class with 51 people in the class.
Jay currently has a two-day (rather than 2 hours, eight weeks) Biblical Citizenship class later in January for young people. He knows they are busy, so Jay figures if he can get a “high speed, data dump into their heads, they will be exposed to Biblical Citizenship and get involved. To get exposed to biblical citizenship, we need to get them to stop and realize this makes sense.”
In Conclusion
God doesn’t call the equipped; He equips the called. Jay feels like God is moving him around, opening doors, and putting him in places. It’s a real blessing to Jay to be used in some form or fashion for God’s glory. To promote His culture and to bring people for His glory.
“I feel like bringing the culture back is the real answer. We must teach people to use the Bible to pay attention to it what He has told us and live by it. Read it daily and remember that He is not dead, and the story is not over. We must keep going. We fight until the dirt hits the top of the casket, where we ultimately win.
SURGE DAY 2023
By Ramona P. DeSalvo, State Director for Legislative Action
As the fifth state to pass the COS resolution in 2016, Surge Day started for the Tennessee team in 2015. Every year since, volunteers from across the state travel to Nashville to join COS supporters for the opening day of the 113th General Assembly, which convenes at noon on Tuesday, January 10, 2023.
As in years past, COS leaders, volunteer activists, and citizens first will meet at the Cordell Hull Building, 425 Rep. John Lewis Way N. (formerly Fifth Avenue) where we will greet everyone, check our meeting schedules, hand out packets for delivery to the lawmakers, and then break away for meetings. COS volunteers will have scheduled meetings with lawmakers, so if a supporter/volunteer arrives without having made an appointment, he/she can join a scheduled meeting. Sometimes lawmakers cannot commit to a specific time due to their fluid schedules, and they will allow “drop-ins” meetings. We will have a list of “drop-ins,” so you can use these times to fit your schedule.
A COS will be at each meeting to assist those attending for the first time or those who may be a little rusty at meeting with their legislators. Each meeting is set for ten minutes and so saying hello and quickly stating the reason for your visit is key to a successful stop. A supporter can join any of the scheduled meetings, but it is also very important for a supporter to visit his/her representative and senator as lawmakers like to meet their constituents.
At roughly 11:30, the teams will meet at the entrance to the tunnel, where we will walk over to the Capitol building and get seated as a group in the gallery. On the House side, COS volunteers generally join the gallery to the left of the Speaker of the House. The session opens at noon, so we will want to be outside to greet members as they enter the chamber, and then volunteers can take their seats.
Following the session, volunteers and supporters will return to Cordell Hull through the tunnel to resume afternoon meetings. Once the volunteers and supporters have concluded their meetings, they are free to leave, to meet with others for a meal, and also to enter information about the meetings in the COS app.
Surge Day is a great way to make COS visible at the Capitol, remind lawmakers we are watching what they do, and also thank our lawmakers for their service to the State of Tennessee. Everyone is welcome to join us on opening day. For more information, contact Ramona DeSalvo at (615) 943-8704/ramona.desalvo@cosaction.com or Co-State Director John Taylor at (615) 838-8477/john.taylor@cosaction.com.
We look forward to seeing you as the 113th General Assembly convenes.
Tennessee on the Move...
Patriots from Maryville
Upcoming Meetings and Events
Surge Day at the Capitol in Nashville, Tuesday, January 10, 2023, from 8 till 4 p.m. See article above.
Jamestown, TN. Jan 14, 2023, from 9:30 to 11:00 at Fentress County Courthouse, 101 N. Main St., Jamestown, TN 38556 Larry Wilke
Loudon, TN. 1st Wednesday of every month at the Chota Rec Center 145 Awohili Dr., Loudon, TN 37774, Room D at 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. - Call Terri Hult for more information: 865-304-6997
Murfreesboro, TN. Saturday, January 21, 2023, from 1:00-3:00 p.m. at Unity Freewill Baptist 1901 Florence Rd Murfreesboro TN 37129 Linda and Richard
Powell, TN. Saturday, Jan 14, 2023, from 12:00 till 1:00 p.m. at Shoney’s on Emory Road, Powell, the second Saturday of each month, Ann and Doug
Shelbyville, TN. Saturday, January 28, 2023, from 10:00-12:00 at Shelbyville-Bedford County Library, 220 South Jefferson St., Shelbyville, TN 37160 Claire and Joyce
Winchester, TN. Jan 21, 2023, from 10:30-11:30 a.m. at Franklin Cty Library 105 S. Porter St., Winchester TN 37398 - Tony Celiberti
BattleCry, Join Mark Meckler for the BattleCry every Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. EST on Facebook and Rumble.
