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LibertyInJeopardy
10-09-2008, 08:12 AM
Please see:

http://slaveuprising.com/forum/showthread.php?t=111 (http://slaveuprising.com/forum/showthread.php?t=111)

Then please bring attention to this thread by joining the discussion here.




Usually the term "Constiutional Convention" mean to re-draft it. A 'Convention in Defense of the Constitution' might not confuse as much.

I agree.


My worry is that we'd get the wrong people there, and because many of the people have been brought up to expect and love the Nanny State, that we might be in a tough spot.

The message about this convention, most likely, would naturally spread best among our own movement because our focus is already on the constitution. At the very least, if the idea does draw in many outside groups, the convention is strictly focused on the Constitution so it will likely only attract people who will represent a genuine concern for its safety even if they have disagreements in some other areas.


But anyway, I'd run in WV.

Excellent.


Anyway, point being that everybody thinks their idea of freedom and the world is the best. Having an open congress would have everybody and their granny there for to be the next president. There's got to be an easier way.

Having an open congress would ensure that the resulting plans would be acceptable to our ideology's representatives but will also be tempered by competition in the convention with others so any such plans are likely to have even greater mass appeal.

Besides, the convention is not about deciding on ideology. It is about what to do in order to defend the constitution. Our concern for the constitution and its protections will unite us.


Also, we need to make sure we frame this in just the perfect light. Certain agencies might take offense as it could be construed as treason. They kinda shoot/hang people for that.

If we portray it as "A Convention in the Defense of the Constitution" and the government attempts to trample on our constitutional rights the government will have immediately given us the ammunition to wake up a great number of additional people to our concerns for the state of our liberties.


I like the convention idea. What if we held 50-100 (some starts are large) State Conventions. Then those Conventions deal with their State level issues. Each Convention elects a delegation of some appropriate number (divisions like in Congress make sense, say 2 +a population thing) of Delegates to our National Convention. We deal with the National Constitutional crises there, and report back to our States.

Individual state conventions could be good and I'd personally support that idea later, but I think we need to recognize that our movement is very dispersed right now and needs to become focused to action on a national scale and what better way to do that than to delegate all of our concerns and energy to state representatives who can then come back to us with plans we can all agree to act upon in unity?

We will always be individuals and will always have our local opportunities, but national action is what can bring the most attention and really get the ball rolling.



A 'special election' in my county costs $140k. So doing that nation-wide... not really do-able. That kind of leaves internet and mail. How do we solicit voters for this? Direct mail, tv, radio, internet? Funds: can we afford to pay for hotels, flights, etc? If yes, great? We need to get started, because this will take some time to plan well, and we're operating on a very short time-line.

I agree. It would have to be internet based at first most likely. We could solicit them the same way our movement usually does any sort of message spreading - viral videos and message boards.

LibertyInJeopardy
10-09-2008, 08:27 AM
Where is the revolution on this? Are we too busy watching events unfold to create events of our own?

LibertyInJeopardy
10-09-2008, 08:52 AM
I'm confused. Are you supporting state conventions or a national convention first? Wouldn't state conventions be used to elect national delegates? Some clarification if you please.

I support a national convention first with national delegates elected via the internet or other low cost methods.


I like the idea in theory. It is though, as you say, very dispersed at the moment. It's something that has to be built up from a foundation. If we spread it out too fast, it's possible to see it collapse right out from under us.

I agree, but I think it is the other way around from what you're implying. Ron Paul was a national candidate and he brought us all together. March in D.C. was brought together from the National Pool. Rally for the Republic was also a national effort.

National is what brings the most action right now. I believe the more localized levels are what our national movement should grow into, rather than the other way around.



You'll get people who think everything is just fine, and the exact opposite. Expect every possible theory. It's also going to be time and resource consuming. Who's going to poll these people? Where will this event take place? Online? What about people with no internet or computer access? What's the time limit for this event? How does one become a part of it? There's tons of questions to be answered.

We cannot control what ideas and theories are elected, but we can control the focus of the convention: "Plan of Action for Defense of the Constitution"

I believe the convention itself must take place in person to truly inspire people. I believe the elections can take place online, but the gathering of elected delegates should be somewhere in a physical hall with 50 live people discussing our concerns and the constitution.


There's already national attention - myspace, facebook, HERE, you name it - and it's a rabble at best. We need low level ground foundation to work up from. Solidarity and strength in numbers.

We need to focus and unite our numbers, then grow into greater localization as more people meet each other through national activity.


Sure, there's advantages the other way, it will reach a wider area, but for how long? How stable will it remain? We barely got 13 colonies to cooperate with relatively little population density over 230 years ago. The world has drastically changed since then. It needs to be considered at the very least. Better to take the extra time to have the security than watch it fall apart.

If we do not first get this convention idea off the ground, then we will not have the opportunity to push for questions like those to be addressed there.

LibertyInJeopardy
10-09-2008, 09:05 AM
Bump for the spirit of the Continental Congress.

fr33domfightr
10-09-2008, 09:35 AM
Do THE PEOPLE have any recourse against what we feel are unconstitutional Bills?? Can we have a class action lawsuit against the government on specific legislation?? I'm trying to find a way we can get our message across to them sooner, rather than later.

I'd like to add something more. Should we be thinking about a Constitutional Amendment of some sort that would explicitly limit the Federal Governments power to circumvent the constitution??


FF

LibertyInJeopardy
10-09-2008, 09:54 AM
Do THE PEOPLE have any recourse against what we feel are unconstitutional Bills?? Can we have a class action lawsuit against the government on specific legislation?? I'm trying to find a way we can get our message across to them sooner, rather than later.

Perhaps that would be possible. It could be one of the options considered by the convention if you elect a representative for your state who holds that idea.


I'd like to add something more. Should we be thinking about a Constitutional Amendment of some sort that would explicitly limit the Federal Governments power to circumvent the constitution??

Though that may beyond the scope of the convention I'm proposing, I have no control over what the elected convention discusses or decides. I'm not proposing amendments to the constitution with this convention but instead just creating a national focus and plan of action to defend the constitution as currently written.

cheapseats
10-09-2008, 10:21 AM
[QUOTE]Having an open congress would ensure that the resulting plans would be acceptable to our ideology's representatives but will also be tempered by competition in the convention with others so any such plans are likely to have even greater mass appeal.


I agree.




Besides, the convention is not about deciding on ideology. It is about what to do in order to defend the constitution. Our concern for the constitution and its protections will unite us.


I will argue that a great convening of conscientious objectors is Ideology In Action.

Faith without works is dead. ;)




Individual state conventions could be good and I'd personally support that idea later, but I think we need to recognize that our movement is very dispersed right now and needs to become focused to action on a national scale and what better way to do that than to delegate all of our concerns and energy to state representatives who can then come back to us with plans we can all agree to act upon in unity?

We will always be individuals and will always have our local opportunities, but national action is what can bring the most attention and really get the ball rolling.


I agree.

There is how things are done in a perfect world, and how things are done in a clusterfuck. IMPROVISE comes to mind.



I agree. It would have to be internet based at first most likely. We could solicit them the same way our movement usually does any sort of message spreading - viral videos and message boards.

I have spent most of the last year and a half on the road, and I am here to report that the Great Majority does NOT maintain an online presence outside mail and shopping...which is to say Me & Mine.

Email is key.

cheapseats
10-09-2008, 10:23 AM
Bump for the spirit of the Continental Congress.

I have a strong sense that it is rightly and effectively called the Second Continental Congress.

Like an Ecumenical Council, without pontiffs or perverts.

Athan
10-09-2008, 11:47 AM
I like this idea.

+1

LibertyInJeopardy
10-09-2008, 03:10 PM
I have spent most of the last year and a half on the road, and I am here to report that the Great Majority does NOT maintain an online presence outside mail and shopping...which is to say Me & Mine.

Email is key.

I agree. We will have to do everything we are able in order to bring this idea in front of people so they can give their opinion up or down, then if it is generally decided to go forward we will all have to do everything we can to push the vote beyond our movement and into the mainstream so that people who care about our republic will take part or at least take interest in the results of the convention.

We need better skilled people than I am willing to commit in their own way to getting this off the ground.


+ Bump because:

Not only would we be able to involve and reinvigorate the entire grassroots in the voting and campaigning process for each state and gain all the benefits that new local cooperation would bring, but we would also be able to refocus all this energy stirred up by the dangerous events occurring around us on the effort of defending the constitution while the government is busy obviously shoving it aside in a panic.


Question - Does anyone here have web development skill enough to create a state dependent voting mechanism online?

LibertyInJeopardy
10-10-2008, 02:43 AM
Bump for my 2 am companions.