North Carolina GOPers Catch 'Convention Of The States' Fever

[big_dog]

Source: Talking Points Memo

A group of Republican state legislators in North Carolina introduced a bill that would, if passed, establish a committee to study whether the state should apply to Congress for a "convention of the states" under Article V of the Constitution.
The convention the lawmakers have in mind would propose amendments imposing "fiscal restraints" on the federal government, limiting its "power and jurisdiction" as well as the "terms of office for its officials and members of Congress."
The bill's four primary sponsors are state Reps. Bert Jones, Chris Millis, Dennis Riddell, and Jim Fulghum -- all Republicans. The bill itself, the text of which is only a page long, argues that the federal government has "created a crushing national debt through improper and imprudent spending," "invaded the legitimate roles of the states through the manipulative process of federal mandates," and "ceased to exist under a proper interpretation of the Constitution of the United States."

North Carolina isn't the first state to take a step in this direction. The Convention of States (COS) Project, a Virginia-based group, believes that Washington, D.C. "is broken and will not fix itself." The group urges state lawmakers to pursue measures like the one now alive in North Carolina. "The COS Project seeks to urge and empower state legislators to call a convention of states," the group says on its website. "The delegates at such a convention would have the power to propose amendments to the Constitution that would curb the abuses of the federal government. Article V of the Constitution gives them this power."

The COS Project was founded by the Austin, Texas-based group Citizens for Self-Governance. Among the COS Project's leadership are Michael Farris, the chancellor of Patrick Henry College, and Mark Meckler, the co-founder of the Tea Party Patriots. Alaska, Florida, and Georgia have already passed "convention of the states" legislation, according to the COS Project, while Missouri, New Mexico, and South Carolina have measures pending.



Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/north-carolina-convention-of-states

[Warren Stupidity]

1. At this point I welcome the opportunity to blow the whole thing apart.

[big_dog]

2. MSNBC had this on tonight

couldnt they vote to do almost anything?

[bluemarkers]

6. we love fracking too

down here in the old north state....

I had to learn the state toast back in the day

"Where the weak grow strong and the strong grow great"

not anymore

[karmaqueen]

8. We can get our State back...

I am just sick about what they are doing.. The latest stunt with the mandatory jail time for disclosing the chemicals used in fracking is not popular with anyone.. I have hope that people will wake up..They are proving more every day There is something VERY wrong with them... People are also wise to their voter suppression game.. We need to GOTV..

[CatholicEdHead]

3. This is a national GOP push

By the Domionists and quiet backing from the money wing of the GOP. This is a back way to completely rewrite the Constitution into a hyper religious and feudal society. In the Upper Midwest, Wisconsin is pushing it in Walker Country (TM). Once they get a session, anything goes, so while they plug the talking points above, it will never happen. The agenda will turn on a dime.

[elzenmahn]

4. This has been a wet dream of the radical right for a long time...

...Tea Partiers, Birchers, other radicals - you name them, they will likely endorse a bona-fide rewrite of the Constitution.

So much for these types being "constitutional fundamentalists" and their supposed respect for our Constitution.

Be careful what you wish for, I say to movements like this - on either side of the aisle. You just might get it.

This is dangerous.

[dhill926]

5. seems more appropriate for the Bush years...

but yeah, whatever. He was one of them...

[HeiressofBickworth]

7. I fear this more than terrorism

First Amendment rights dispensed with
Second Amendment would be enshrined
Third Amendment -- how would you like to have soldiers stationed in your home to house and feed at your own expense
Fourth Amendment -- search and seizure without warrant for probable cause
Fifth Amendment -- no Grand Jury rights
Sixth Amendment -- right to speedy trial and other defendant rights. Can you say "kangaroo courts"?
Seventh Amendment -- right to trial by jury -- see above re kangaroo courts
Eighth Amendment -- say hello to excessive bail and cruel and unusual punishments
Ninth Amendment -- protects rights not specifically enumerated by the Constitution. Used in Griswald and Roe v. Wade
Tenth Amendment -- state's rights

Each of these would be revoked by a GOP-lead state's convention. Other rights, minority voting, women's right to vote, would also be at risk. Do you really trust that there would be enough "blue" states to stop the wholesale removal of all of the rights that the current Constitution afford us all?

[big_dog]

14. MSNBC said it would be a 'repeal of the 20th Century'

on their 5pm broadcast

[freshwest]

9. Paul Ryan has been pushing this for years. The Koch Konstitution will be nothing like the original.

First on Ryan's list is the repeal of the 14th Amendment with its Due Process, Equal Protection Under Law and Birthright Citizenship clauses. They want to repeal everything back to the Tenth, when women and minorities could not vote, there were no taxes, etc. Matching the Koch platform completely:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024806298

Read the list. They have or are in the process of getting all on that list. The people are voting in their pals in cities, counties and states and Ryan said all they have to do is get enough stated 'red' to call for this convention. People had better consider what is going. It's not a RWNJ fantasy. It's moving along in front of us.

[Iliyah]

10. ya still need government monies

unless the koch assholes and commerce are willing to give you guys it Plus forcing people to work for no pay kinda like the 1800 to 1900s. That's where you guys want it to go? Yep.

[Blue_Tires]

11. So this "convention" would be like a short-term secondary congress?

only smaller and even nuttier?

Oh, yeah---Just the thing that's going to break the D.C. gridlock...

[littlemissmartypants]

12. We have seen the enemy . . .nt

[CRK7376]

13. Why does my

stae have to be so stupid?..... Oh yeah we are Southern and the idiot right has taken charge of nearly everything. At leaset at this time fracking is not near my county. All the other GOP crap is and will only get worse.