The Con-Con: Solution or Pandora's Box

The Article V Convention Forum: Solution or Pandora’s Box was organized by a coalition of conservative groups and met on December 8, 2014 in Falls Church, Virginia. The moderator and one of the organizers, Sevil Kalayci, discussed the necessity of such a meeting since most of the conservatives who oppose an “Article V Convention” have been shut out of the debate by other conservatives with the exception of Danville, Henrico, and Fair Lakes Tea Parties. “The Convention of states has divided the conservative movement,” she said. Kalayci asked, “How do you enforce the Constitution? How do you enforce the amendments?”

The speakers, who argued against state legislatures asking Congress to call for a convention to amend the Constitution, included:

-       Jeff Lewis, National Director of the Patriot Coalition

-       Richard D. Fry General Counsel, Patriot Coalition

-       Dr. Edwin Vieira, Author and Constitutional Scholar

-       Robert Broadus, former Congressional Candidate in District 4 Maryland

-       Mitchell Shaw, Citizens for Constitutional Government

-       Peter Boyce, political activist and Chairman leading the effort to stop a call for an Article V Convention in New Jersey

Mitchell Shaw was the first to address the audience. He described the Constitutional convention known as “con-con,” “amendments convention,” “article V convention,” all phrases referring to the same event, a “convention held for the purpose of proposing amendments to the U.S. Constitution as authorized by Art. V of the present Constitution as it was written.”

He enumerated the conservative groups interested in this “con-con” are the Convention of States, Compact for America, Balanced Budget Amendment Task Force, Middle Resolution, and other individuals interested in addressing what is wrong with America.  

Shaw mentioned many groups and individuals on the left equally interested in amending or potentially replacing the existing Constitution such as “Code Pink, Alliance for Democracy, Wolf Pack, Center for Media and Democracy, Independent Progressive Politics Network, Vermont Single Payer, Sierra Club, MoveOn.org, occupy groups,” and some billionaires.

Are there flaws in the Constitution? Why do we need to amend it in order to rein in an out-of-control government? What “magic language would an amendment adopt,” wondered Mitchell Shaw, in order to force Congress to abide by the Constitution that they are already ignoring? In his opinion, there are no flaws in the Constitution. Congress is ignoring it and American citizens allow it because they are too ignorant of their own Constitution. An amendment is not the solution, Shaw said, the solution is the creation of an informed electorate that understands the power of the state legislators to rein in the federal government. Unfortunately states compromise because they have become dependent on federal money to pay their bills.

Robert Broadus, a Navy veteran and the host of the east coast anti-federalist radio show, presented the anti-federalist viewpoint of an article V convention of the states.

Richard D. Fry explained that our current legislators no longer fear the people and God. They are no longer serving the interests of the American people; they are serving their own interests. We as citizens are not doing our job of holding them accountable. “This article V convention has been promoted for 50 years, starting with the Ford Foundation.” Fry concentrated his speech on the idea of sovereignty of a state with inherent power to regulate itself internally. “The states themselves are sovereign.”

Dr. Edwin Vieira, a Constitutional scholar, summed up the Constitution convention in three words, “imprudence, incoherence, and irrelevance.” He made the most important point of the evening that any kind of amendment, agenda, proposal, or draft are irrelevant in light of the looming national debt which is impossible to repay or manage currently or in the near future.

 “We are on a Titanic right now,” $18 trillion in national debt. If we add unfunded liabilities, we are at over $200 trillion.” That is the biggest threat to our national security. “And the solution is hyperinflation, followed by depression, or hyperinflation with depression.” He continued that the debt is unpayable and must be written off through currency depreciation. “We already have currency wars around the world in reference to the dollar being the reserve currency. This is the run up to WWI again. WWI was ultimately caused by trade rivalries between Germany and England. This war is going to be caused by monetary rivalries.”

Dr. Vieira believes that the Constitutional convention will not happen before “these monetary and geostrategic events come to fruition.” “The Ship is going to come down first,” he said, referring to the irreparably damaged ship of state.

When the monetary system and the banking system collapse, prices will go into freefall, there will be social effects, civil disobedience, a breakdown of society, and other unpredictable events caused by a devastated economy.

Preserving the original Constitution is most important. How long would an amendment take to pass if that is the only intent? Quoting Oswald Spangler and his “Decline of the West,” Dr. Vieira said that the “Untergang” (fall, downfall, doom) of the West will occur first. “The amendment might pass after the Carpathia shows up,” he concluded.

Copyright: Ileana Johnson 2014