| Episode # | Episode Title/Audio | Description | PowerPoint | Google Slides | iTunes | Original Air Date |
| 57 | Convention of States Summer: Legislative Pitfalls | A Convention of States summer consists of not just vacation, but prime preparation time for the upcoming legislative session. National Legislative Director Rita Dunaway presented three common legislative pitfalls in this video; we'll expand and expound on these pitfalls, and discuss some real world examples on how to avoid these pitfalls. The time to prepare for your 2018 session is now!! |  |
June 17, 2017 | ||
| 56 | Article V Endorsements: Legacy and Contemporary | Two weeks ago we surveyed some of the scholarship and books promoting the use of the State-Initiated Amendment process found in Article V, and we noted the dramatic increase in public interest in the last 8 years. But what about endorsements? Who in our past has endorsed this process, and who are the present day endorsers? Who is in opposition, then, and now? And what value do endorsements have? | |
June 10, 2017 | ||
| 55 | Article V Scholarship: Books and Papers | For two centuries, almost no scholarship existed regarding the state-initiated amendment process described in Article V of the US Constitution. 1988's "Constitutional Brinksmanship", by Russell Caplan, was the first serious work addressing this issue. | |
May 27, 2017 | ||
| 54 | The Texas Strategy: How We Won! | We're going to discuss how we won in Texas, and what we've learned through this process. | |
May 20, 2017 | ||
| 53 | Texas Stampedes and Leads! | That Provident Article returns with big news - Texas, and Missouri, have joined 10 other states joining the call for a Convention of States. | |
May 13, 2017 | ||
| 52 | Where We've Been, Where We're Going! | This morning we'll begin with an excerpt from Mark Meckler recorded earlier this week during a Convention of States leadership conference call. Mark explains in detail the Providential Circumstances which joined the Convention of States Project with Mark Levin in the Summer of 2013, effectively jump starting the COS Movement from it's inception. | |
December 24, 2016 | ||
| 51 | The Playing Field Has Changed! | Over the last two weeks, the Convention of States Texas has met it's objectives it set forth immediately after the last legislative session ended on June 1st, 2015; the message since that moment has been that Texas Must Lead! This past Tuesday, December 6, 2016, at an historic Bill Pre-Filing Event, the Convention of States Texas officially transitioned from pursuing it's goal to Declaring It's Position in the Nation - TEXAS WILL LEAD! | |
December 10, 2016 | ||
| 50 | Giving Thanks, Getting Ready For Session! | This Thanksgiving weekend, we will give thanks for all of the blessings that have been bestowed upon us, in our nation, our families, and in the Convention of States movement. And then we'll look ahead just handful of weeks, in preparation for the legislative sessions in the states beginning in January. | |
November 26, 2016 | ||
| 49 | Election Ruminations, Results, and Reactions | We'll discuss the prognostications prior to the election (not about who would win, but how the country would be governed depending on who would win), the meaning of the results of the election, and the reaction to the election. What can we learn about ourselves as a nation from this election cycle. | |
November 19, 2016 | ||
| 48 | Voting is No Longer Enough! | Sometime this coming Tuesday evening, or Wednesday morning, we should know who will be the next President of the United States. This has been an election cycle like no other in modern American history. And many citizens, of all political persuasions, are frustrated at the choices presented to them on election day. Regardless of which candidate wins, the structure of our republic is in grave peril. And no one person, no branch of the federal government, is ready to restore the structure we so desparately need. | |
November 5, 2016 | ||
| 47 | The Art and Science of Messaging | Tamara Colbert, the Convention of States Media Director, and my partner in liberty as the Texas Co-Director, will join us for a discussion on messaging. How do we best communicate this great solution provided by the Founders in the Constitution? | |
July 23, 2016 | ||
| 46 | Reflections on Three Years with Article V | We will plan an extended, edited clip from Mark Levin's July 10, 2013 episode, when he first announced his new book, "The Liberty Amendments", and when many of us heard, for the first time, of the state-initiated process the founders gave us in Article V of the U.S. Constitution. Plus, hear Michael Farris describe the perfect timing related to Mark's book and the Convention of States Project. | |
July 9, 2016 | ||
| 45 | The Declaration Reflected in the Constitution | On this Independence Holiday Weekend, we will take a look at the relationship between the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. | |
July 2, 2016 | ||
| 44 | Convention of States and the Texas Plan | On January 8th, 2016, Texas Governor Greg Abbott advocated the following: "I want legislation authorizing Texas to join other states in calling for a convention of states to fix the cracks in our broken Constitution." During the same speech, Governor Abbott outlined the "Texas Plan", a series of nine model amendments/subjects to rein in the federal government. | |
June 25, 2016 | ||
| 43 | Can A Convention of States Cheat History? | Amid the growing frustration and impatience with our federal government and it's relentless assault on state and individual liberty, is there any cause for encouragement that a solution, found right in the Constitution, can work? | |
June 18, 2016 | ||
| 42 | From Grassroots Activist to Collaborator | How do you transition from being just another grassroots activist to a collaborator with your state legislators? The Convention of States is the first project launched by the parent organization, Citizens for Self-Governance; the name of that organization should give some indication of where we intend to go! | |
June 11, 2016 | ||
| 41 | Putting Our Plank On A Platform! | Two years ago this week, the Republican Party of Texas became the first political party in history to add a pro Article V plank to it's platform. | |
June 4, 2016 | ||
| 40 | To Limit the Power and Jurisdiction | After a two week hiatus, we're back with a fresh look at the Convention of States. And what a week to come back; Louisiana became the 8th State to pass the Convention of States resolution. | |
May 28, 2016 | ||
| 39 | We Have Our Nominees, What's Next? | Highlights of news for the Convention of States out of Louisiana, Missouri, and South Dakota. Then, we'll discuss that there's no denying this has been perhaps the strangest Presidential election cycle in our nation's history. | |
May 7, 2016 | ||
| 38 | The Journey of Article V | This week's episode will highlight some great news for the Convention of States out of Oklahoma and Maine (yes, THAT Maine!). We'll cover the journey of Article V through the Constitutional Convention. | |
April 30, 2016 | ||
| 37 | Momentum is OK, Chelsea Clinton, Immigration hearing | This week's episode will highlight some great news for the Convention of States out of Missouri and Oklahoma. Plus, Chelsea Clinton discloses her mother's plans for the 2nd Amendment under a Hillary Clinton administration. | |
April 23, 2016 | ||
| 36 | An Open Phone Line Discussion | The Convention of States Project - An Open Phone Line Discussion | |
April 16, 2016 | ||
| 35 | The Deadly Cost of Fear | Texas Co-Directors Tamara Colbert and Paul Hodson discuss the March 9th blog post from Michael Farris |  |
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March 12, 2016 |
| 34 | The Texas Plan: The President | Today's episode will be discussion of Texas Governor Greg Abbott's "Texas Plan", and specifically the second section of the plan dealing with The Presidency of the United States. | |
March 5, 2016 | ||
| 33 | Imagine an Election After a Convention of States | Today we're going to imagine what this election would look like if some amendments, proposed at an Article V "convention for proposing amendments", were already ratified by 3/4ths of the states. How would the elections for Congressional representatives be affected if term limits were in effect? What about Senate elections? Add to that the repeal of the 17th amendment - how does that change the focus of your state elections? | |
February 27, 2016 | ||
| 32 | Justice Scalia and the Convention of States | Last Saturday Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia passed away. His unexpected passing has stirred political debate, and drawn attention to the meaning of the phrase "Constitutional originalist". Both supporters and opponents of an Article V convention reference Justice Scalia in support of their own position. | |
February 20, 2016 | ||
| 31 | The Texas Plan: The Inside Scoop | Today's episode will be open phone lines to discuss the last two weeks of activity in Texas, including the Convention of States Texas meeting with Texas Governor Greg Abbott's staff regarding "The Texas Plan". | |
February 13, 2016 | ||
| 30 | The Texas Plan: The Congress | Today's episode will be discussion of Texas Governor Greg Abbott's "Texas Plan", and specifically the first section of the plan dealing with The Congress of the United States. | |
February 6, 2016 | ||
| 29 | Introduction to the Texas Plan | Today's episode will be an introduction to Texas Governor Greg Abbott's "Texas Plan" | |
January 30, 2016 | ||
| 28 | Interview with Stewart Collins, Convention of States Volunteer in Florida | Today's episode will be dedicated to an interview with Stewart Collins, a Convention of States volunteer in Florida. Stewart is the epitome of a self-governing individual - in today's language, Stewart "takes initiative" rather than waiting for direction. RE-AIRING of 1/16/16 episode #26. | |
January 23, 2016 | ||
| 27 | Interview with Ben Stratmann: Chief of Staff for Texas Senator Brian Birdwell | Today's episode will be dedicated to an interview with Ben Stratmann, the Chief of Staff for Texas State Senator Brian Birdwell. | |
January 18, 2016 | ||
| 26 | Interview with Stewart Collins, Convention of States Volunteer in Florida | Today's episode will be dedicated to an interview with Stewart Collins, a Convention of States volunteer in Florida. Stewart is the epitome of a self-governing individual - in today's language, Stewart "takes initiative" rather than waiting for direction. | |
January 16, 2016 | ||
| 25 | Interview with Martin Harry: Legislative Liaison for Texas Convention of States | Today's episode will be dedicated to an interview with Martin Harry, the Legislative Liaison for the Texas Convention of States Project. Mr. Harry will share insights on the responsibilities of the Legislative Liaison, and how supporters and District Captains can best help the Legislative Liaison. | |
January 9, 2016 | ||
| 24 | Grassroots Influencing the Party: The Platform Process | The Convention of States mission statement is “To urge and empower state legislators to call a Convention of States to propose amendments to the Constitution to curb the abuses of the federal government.” The only participants with actual authority to accomplish this task are the state legislators. Almost every state legislator is a member of a political party. How does this inform us in terms of fulfilling our mission? | |
January 2, 2016 | ||
| 23 | Grassroots and Political Parties: A Symbiotic Relationship | We will discuss the opportunity we have to use the COS grassroots enthusiasm to participate in, and influence, the political parties. | |
December 26, 2015 | ||
| 22 | Who Says It's a Constitutional Convention? (Part 5) | Our 5th, and final, installment of our examination of the history behind the phrase "Constitutional Convention", as it has been, and continues to be, applied to describe the Constitution's Article V State authorized amending mode, a "convention for proposing amendments". | |
December 19, 2015 | ||
| 21 | Who Says It's a Constitutional Convention? (Part 4) | Part 4 of our examination of the history behind the phrase "Constitutional Convention", as it has been, and continues to be, applied to describe the Constitution's Article V State authorized amending mode, a "convention for proposing amendments". | |
December 12, 2015 | ||
| 20 | Who Says It's a Constitutional Convention? (Part 3) | Part 3 of our examination of the history behind the phrase "Constitutional Convention", as it has been, and continues to be, applied to describe the Constitution's Article V State authorized amending mode, a "convention for proposing amendments". | |
December 5, 2015 | ||
| 19 | Who Says It's a Constitutional Convention? (Part 2) | What better way to celebrate Thanksgiving weekend than to learn some of the history behind the phrase "Constitutional Convention", as it has been, and continues to be, applied to describe the Constitution's Article V State authorized amending mode, a "convention for proposing amendments"? | |
November 28, 2015 | ||
| 18 | Who Says It's a Constitutional Convention? (Part 1) | Today's episode will begin a series considering the phrase "Constitutional Convention", as it has been used for decades to describe the second mode of amending the Constitution as defined in Article V. This will be an introductory presentation, laying some basic ground work, highlighting both opponents and proponents of an Article V "convention for proposing amendments" using the phrase "Constitutional Convention", and beginning the discussion regarding whether that is helpful, or harmful, to the understanding of the meaning of Article V. | |
November 21, 2015 | ||
| 17 | Interview with Policy Analyst/Advocate Michael Cicerone | A real treat for me this week, and I think informative for all of you as well. We'll be interviewing Michael Cicerone, who worked in Texas State Senator Brian Birdwell's office this past legislative session as a Policy Analyst to the Senator. | |
November 14, 2015 | ||
| 16 | What Does Tuesday's Election Results Mean? | Following Tuesday's election results, analysis was available in print, digital, talk radio, and probably at your work place water cooler as to what this means. | |
November 7, 2015 | ||
| 15 | Current Events and the Convention of States | Since last week's episode was devoted entirely to our great interview with Joy Davis, Chief of Staff for my State Representative DeWayne Burns, we missed our normal news update. So today, we're going to cover the last two weeks of news, spend a little bit longer fleshing out each story, and do the real easy work of concluding that the only real fix is for the States to reclaim the authority given them in the Constitution. Only an Article V "convention for proposing amendments" is going to curtail the continuous abuse. | |
October 31, 2015 | ||
| 14 | Interview with Chief of Staff Joy Davis | This week we interviewed the Chief of Staff for my State Representative here in Texas. Joy Davis generously gave us about 30 minutes of her time as we discussed some of the general challenges in running a State Legislator's office and schedule. We then specifically discussed the best methods of communicating with our State Legislators, how to not only get their attention, but also to keep their attention. | |
October 24, 2015 | ||
| 13 | Madison's View of a "Convention for Proposing Amendments" (Part 6) | The concluding part (6) of our multi-part series examining the view with which James Madison, considered the father of the Constitution, regarded the State amending convention provision in Article V. | |
October 17, 2015 | ||
| 12 | Madison's View of a Convention for Proposing Amendments (Part 5) | Today, we discuss the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798, instituted by Founding Father, and Second President, John Adams, which led Madison to write the Virginia Resolution (and Jefferson the Kentucky Resolution). What is the historical context for these acts, and what is the final outcome of the two State resolutions. | |
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October 10, 2015 |
| 11 | Madison's View of a Convention for Proposing Amendments (Part 4) | Today, we'll just introduce the historical context of the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798, which led Madison to write the Virginia Resolution (and Jefferson the Kentucky Resolution). We'll especially remind ourselves how even our founders, such as John Adams, can easily forget the freedom and form of government for which they fought only 10-20 years earlier. | |
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October 3, 2015 |
| 10 | Meeting with Your State Legislator | We're interrupting our series on James Madison's view of the phrase "a convention for proposing amendments", mainly because of an interruption in my weekly schedule which included a lengthy meeting with my State Senator. While the meeting is fresh on my mind, I thought I'd take advantage of this Providence to discuss some of the ways to contact your State Legislators, what to ask them when you do meet them, and some of the decorum and best practices. | |
September 26, 2015 | ||
| 9 | Madison's View of a Convention for Proposing Amendments (Part 3) | Today, we'll analyze the Madison's correspondence with George Lee Turberville in 1788, which includes one of the most oft quoted phrases used by opponents of the Article V "convention for proposing amendments". We'll include a brief biography of the man George Lee Turberville, of which very little is known. We'll examine the correspondence in the context of the political activity of the time - the State ratification conventions. | |
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September 19, 2015 |
| 8 | Madison's View of a Convention for Proposing Amendments (Part 2) | Today, we'll review the year plus after the Constitutional Convention, and look at Madison's writings not only in the Federalist Papers, but also his personal correspondence, where much has been made of his concerns about the States holding another convention. To what was he referring? What role do the State Ratification Conventions play in understanding his writings? | |
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September 12, 2015 |
| 7 | Madison's View of a Convention for Proposing Amendments | Various interpretations of Madison's views have been presented over many years, in support of multiple positions in regard to the utility, and even the safety, of the Article V provision to the States to hold a "convention for proposing amendments". We are going to walk through this man's life, through his written record, to construct his position, and the continued consistency of his position, and provide the most accurate representation we can of his thoughts. | |
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September 5, 2015 |
| 6 | The Framers' Defense of Article V | Our presentation will be concentrating on the Framers' (those delegates at the Constitutional Convention) own words in describing the State's authority in exercising their unilateral method of amending he Constitution. We'll investigate not only Madison's own words, but also Hamilton and George Washington. | |
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August 29, 2015 |
| 5 | The Framers Previous Convention Experience (Part 2) | We'll continue our discussion concerning the 55 Constitutional Convention delegates (commissioners!) and their previous experiences in conventions of states/colonies. | |
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August 22, 2015 |
| 4 | The Framers Previous Convention Experience | A discussion concerning the 55 Constitutional Convention delegates and their previous experiences in conventions of states/colonies. | |
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August 15, 2015 |
| 3 | Article V in Context: A Review | A review of our first two podcasts - "An Introduction to Article V", and "Article V in the Constitutional Convention" | |
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August 9, 2015 |
| 2 | Article V in the Constitutional Convention | A review of Article V as it was developed throughout the 1787 Constitutional Convention, highlighting the original, and overriding, intent of the framers to give the State Legislators the authority over the "National Legislature" | |
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August 8, 2015 |
| 1 | An Introduction to the Convention of States | A textual analysis of Article V | |
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August 1, 2015 |
Physicians for COS
The diagnosis is clear.
We have a growing cancer today known as the Obamacare. As a result physicians are no longer free to practice medicine.No profession feels the full force of the federal government more than physicians. The medical profession is the most highly regulated profession in the United States. The practice of medicine is controlled, taxed, and regulated to the point of being destroyed by the heavy hand of the federal government.
Physicians are told how to bill, how much to charge, and how to treat patients. They are mandated to use expensive electronic medical records. The federally enacted HIPPA (Health Information Privacy and Portability Act) makes the communication between physicians and atients burdensome, inefficient,and expensive. Every physician is required by federal mandate to register with the government to obtain an NPI (national provider identifier.) We are required by federal law to obtain and pay for a license to prescribe medication through the DEA, which is separate from our state licensure.
This heavy hand of government not only oversees the largest federal health bureaucracy ever created, but by extension reaches into every state, every city, and every small town to regulate how every licensed physician practices the art of medicine and how citizens obtain care.
The treatment is also clear.
The prescription for a cure was written into our constitution by our founders. Article V of our constitution allows for the states to call for a convention of states to limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government through the proposal of constitutional amendments. Physicians should be the strongest supporters of this brilliantly-crafted states’ rights tool placed into our constitution by our founders.
I urge my fellow American physicians to join with me in supporting an Article V Convention of States to take back control of the practice of medicine. It’s the only way that we can return the practice of medicine back to the intimate relationship between a doctor and patient without interference by the heavy hand of a distant, national government.
Jeffrey I. Barke, M.D. Family Physician Newport Beach, CA