The Constitution holds the keys.
Mark Levin Introduces His New Book “The Liberty Amendments: Restoring The American Republic”
Unlike the statists who defy, ignore and rewrite the Constitution for purpose of evasion — as they push their big government rules and regulations — I propose that we, the people, take a closer look at the Constitution itself for our preservation. The Constitution provides the means for restoring self-government and averting societal catastrophe. Or, in the case of societal collapse, resurrecting the civil society in Article V.
Article V sets forth the two process for amending the Constitution, the second of which we’re going to focus on. Article V says, in part:
Congress, whenever two thirds of both houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose amendments to this Constitution, or, on the application of the legislatures of two thirds of the several states, shall call a convention for proposing amendments, which, in either case, shall be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of this Constitution, when ratified by the legislatures of three fourths of the several states, or by conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by the Congress
Importantly, and I want to emphasize this, in neither case of amending the Constiiution does Article V provide for a Constitutional Convention. This is important, because you’ll hear critics say, “We don’t need a Constitutional Convention! We’ll never get anyone better than the Framers!”
And they’re right! This isn’t a Constitutional Convention. This is a convention for proposing amendments to the Constitution.
In other words, Congress can propose amendments to the Constitution — and has in 27 cases that have been ratified — and the states can too, through the convention process. The first method, where two-thirds of Congress passes a proposed amendment and then forwards it to the state legislatures for possible ratification by three-fourths vote. And that has occurred 27 times.
The second method, involving the direct application of two-thirds of the state legislatures, for a convention of proposing amendments — not a Constitutional Convention, a convention for proposing amendments, which would thereafter require three-fourths of the states to ratify — has been tried in the past without success. And today it sits dormant.
The fact is: Article V expressly grants state legislatures significant authority to re-balance the Constitutional structure for the purposes of restoring our founding principles should the federal government shed its limitations, abandon its original purpose, and grow too powerful as many delegates in Philadelphia in 1787 at the Constitutional Convention feared.
Which is exactly why they provided for two methods of amending the Constitution. On June 11, 1787 — at the Constitutional Convention — George Mason of Virginia, one of the most underrated of the Founding Fathers and one of the greatest men in American history, who had drafted Virginia’s “Declaration of Rights”, the precursor to the Declaration of Independence… he responded to some of the delegates who didn’t see the necessity of having the states propose amendments. Which Mason strongly advocated for!
In [James] Madison’s Notes from the Constitutional Convention, he writes about Mason’s comments:
Colonel Mason urged the necessity of such a provision : “The plan now to be formed will certainly be defective, as the Confederation has been found on trial to be. Amendments, therefore, will be necessary ; and it will be better to provide for them in an easy, regular and constitutional way, than to trust to chance and violence. It would be improper to require the consent of the national legislature, because they may abuse their power, and refuse their assent on that very account. The opportunity for such an abuse may be the fault of the Constitution calling for amendment.”
NOTE: Kudos to Doug Ross for doing the heavy lifting in the transcribing of Mark’s words, much appreciated.
