Editor's Note: The following is the columnist's opinion, not necessarily Illinois Review's.
By Nancy Thorner -
Less than a year before his untimely passing, Justice Antonin Scalia called it a "horrible idea" to hold a constitutional convention.
Phyllis Schlafly was always strongly against allowing a constitutional convention to rewrite our Constitution, as with her fight against ERA in the 70's. In the September 2013 Issue of The Phyllis Schlafly Report, Phyllis equated Con-Con to “Mischief-Making about the Constitution” and sets forth good advice against an Article V Convention.
Call to rewrite the Constitution not new
Despite strong denials by pro-Con Con advocates, among them radio talk show host and lawyer Mark Levin, there is no way to limit a constitutional convention. This fact is recognized by nearly all legal scholars. It would be like a runaway freight train.
As set forth in this article, Disturbing Radical Agenda Behind Article V Amendment Convention:
- The terrible threats and current goals to rewrite the U.S. Constitution started over 50 years ago as part of the globalist Rockefeller and Ford Foundations’ billion dollar effort to fundamentally change the Constitution and transform our form of government.
- This movement has led to Tea Party and Christian groups being infiltrated by progressive ideas by people presenting themselves as one of them.
As the article further states:
"There are many front_groups on both the political right and the left that want do away with our existing Constitution, The method of their madness will be an Article V Amendment Convention that will end up as a Constitutional Convention. If this ever happens, once started and convened, you can kiss our current U.S. Constitution good-bye, and America will never be the same. We are headed straight into a fascist dictatorship, but our U.S. Constitution keeps getting in the way of U.N. goals. A One World Government and a One World Religion are already in place. Yes, corporate America wants a convention!!… and they want YOU to be dumb enough to support it! The government-corporate complex has taken control of the United States."
Pro Con Con advocates and supporters
It is commonly believed that the Article V Amendment Convention movement is a grassroots effort coming from the states. It's quite the opposite. National groups have been conducting workshops, publishing tips, holding mock conventions, and staying very busy designing model_legislation (ALEC) for years to convince legislators to pass legislation calling for a Convention of States.
Advocates and supporters of some form of a constitutional convention, or the misnamed “Convention of States,” include billionaires George Soros and David & Charles Koch; Mark Meckler; Lawrence Lessig; Cenk Uygur; Michael Farris; Grover Norquist; William H. Fruth; Bob Natelson; and Richard Fink. Information about each individual can be located here. Many of the 10 Con Con advocates are also pro-immigration, pro-choice on abortion, and weak on American sovereignty.
The pro-Con Con side is simply wrong in pretending that a constitutional convention would "be called by the States." Article V of the Constitution expressly states, as anyone can easily confirm, that "Congress ... shall call a convention for proposing amendments." The States have no control over the process other than applying to Congress for it to act. Big states would dominate any constitutional convention. No state would be entitled to “one state, one vote,” because the U.S. Supreme Court has required proportional representation by population since 1964. California and New York would dominate a Con Con, along with the media.
How state legislators are being turned by Koch Brothers money in Missouri. Texas, and Maine
Known as contributors to Republican causes and organizations, it is telling that neither David or Charles Koch supported Trump during his presidential campaign.
TEXAS: The Koch Brothers basically control Texas through control of the Texas GOP. Virtually every single Republican in the Texas House and Senate caved into the financial pressure coming from the Koch Brothers' mega-donor network and voted for the Convention of States. When Con Con passed into Texas law on May 4, 2017, the Texas Governor, who had made it a priority, cheered. The Texas Lt. Governor likewise favored a Convention of States.
The Koch brothers and their network of billionaires essentially own most statewide politicians in Texas now, some of whom might be potential presidential candidates in two or six years.
MISSOURI: The globalist Koch Brothers, through their money network, also succeeded in swaying Missouri legislators to vote for Con Con. SCR4 passed on Friday, May 12. Twenty-six legislators walked out and one voted "present". More than likely is that some Missouri legislators, feeling squeezed, were terrified to vote against Con Con for fear of big money taking them out with a primary challenge. The Missouri COS Resolution sunsets in 5 years and will no longer be in effect afterwards. The Resolution also tries to impose 12 conditions on the process, which may prompt Congress to disqualify Missouri's application altogether. This would depend on who is running Congress at the time.
MAINE: The Maine House Joint Standing Committee on State and Local Government heard the Convention of States House Joint Resolution, HP987, on Wednesday, May 17, 2017. The Koch are reportedly one of the biggest polluters in our country. Hopefully Maine legislators kept this in mind and acted accordingly. It seems unlikely that Maine would choose to go down the road of allowing the Koch Brothers' money to rewrite the Constitution.
Con Con Facts to Consider
Regarding Heritage Foundation, there is concern that the Koch Brothers' network has recently taken over the Heritage Foundation (follow the money) and will next install pro-Convention of States lackeys.
See here is an updated list with links to the 12 states that have so far passed the Convention of States. The number may be even lower once different versions are separated out, and if the Missouri resolution is disqualified due to its many special conditions.
The Con Con movement, and their secret friends who falsely pretend to be conservatives, is still at least 22 states away from success, and the rescission movement is gaining momentum.
It is increasingly obvious that the Convention of States movement is globalist with a hidden agenda. The Convention of States movement may become a litmus test for exposing politicians who sell out to money over principles.
As many public officials take an oath of office that requires them to "defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic," the hidden agenda behind trying to rewrite the Constitution, as funded by secret donors, must be defended and defeated.
