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Voices of
Liberty |
"The essence of Government
is power; and power, lodged as it must be in human hands,
will ever be liable to abuse."
-- James Madison
"The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil
constitution are worth defending at all hazards; and it is
our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have
received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy
ancestors: they purchased them for us with toil and danger
and expense of treasure and blood, and transmitted them to
us with care and diligence. It will bring an everlasting
mark of infamy on the present generation, enlightened as it
is, if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by
violence without a struggle, or be cheated out of them by
the artifices of false and designing men."
-- Samuel Adams
"What astonishing changes a few years are capable of
producing! I am told that even respectable characters speak
of a monarchical form of government without horror. From
thinking proceeds speaking, thence to acting is often but a
single step. But how irrevocable and tremendous! What a
triumph for the advocates of despotism to find that we are
incapable of governing ourselves, and that systems founded
on the basis of equal liberty are merely ideal &
fallacious!"
-- George Washington
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The
Strategy
Attempting to establish a amendment to the United States Constitution is
not easy task. Our Founders and Framers intentionally made the task
cumbersome and inclusive.
Amending the
Constitution
Article V of the Constitution provides two processes by which
amendments can be proposed and approved
1) Congress Proposes Amendments: Both houses of Congress approve by
two-thirds votes a resolution calling for the amendment. The resolution
does not require the president's signature. To become effective, the
proposed amendment must then be "ratified" or approved by the
legislatures of three-fourths of the states. Congress typically places a
time limit of seven years for ratification by the states.
2) The States Propose Amendments: The legislatures of two-thirds of the
states vote to call for a convention at which constitutional amendments
can be proposed. Amendments proposed by the convention would again
require ratification by the legislatures of three-fourths of the states.
All twenty-seven amendments, including the Bill of Rights have been
added through the first method. The Constitution has never been amended
using the second process.
While over 10,000 have been proposed, only seventeen amendments to the
Constitution have been adopted since final ratification of the Bill of
Rights in 1791.
Our Strategy
Our strategy for addressing this issue is executed in two arenas
simultaneously while laying the groundwork for a successful ratification
of the amendment.
1) State coordinators work within
their respective states to amass support for state legislation that
would encompass all seven (7) key points of the proposed amendment. Each
coordinator will research the proper authority regarding elections in
their state and mount a grassroots effort, including any and all
likeminded organizations within their purview, to motivate their state
legislators to champion this issue and our proposal. This is the most
immediate avenue to affectively impact the issue and protect the US
Constitution.
2) In tandem with efforts targeting their state legislators, each state
coordinator will work to amass
support on the federal level for the proposed amendment by engaging the
federally elected officials representing their state in the US Senate
and the US House of Representatives, focusing on acquiring bi-partisan
and far-reaching support for the seven (7) points of the proposed
amendment. Each coordinator will assemble a contingent of federally
elected officials who will join in introducing the proposed amendment in
their respective congressional chambers in a cohesive, non-opportunistic
and coordinated effort.
By executing the two aspects of this initiative simultaneously each
coordinator will have moved to institute legislation to immediately
protect the US Constitution and put in place a cohesive mechanism for
advancing the ratification process once the proposed amendment has
passed through Congress and arrives at the State Houses.
In addition to amassing likeminded organizations and successfully
recruiting elected officials to champion the legislative process on
behalf of the initiative, coordinators will be responsible for
pro-actively acquiring positive media coverage for the initiative and
maintaining that support for the duration of the campaign. Coordinators
should also be prepared to offer the names and statements of reluctant
elected officials to the media via interviews and press releases. |
