This article is a follow-up piece to Susan Kokinda’s March 24th post There’s Only One Thing Wrong with the Convention of States—It’s No Damn Good.  It is highly recommended to read that posting first, before proceeding here.

Let us first consider the battlefield upon which we find ourselves.

In November 2020, the Presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump, and in January 2021, the senile Joe Biden was illegally inaugurated as President. Since then, we have witnessed a relentless, escalating, drive to impose a Uniparty dictatorship over the nation. The highest priority of the oligarchical elite has been, and continues to be, to prevent Donald Trump from regaining the White House—while doing everything possible to weaken and disorient the movement associated with Trump. Make no mistake. It is Trump and the more-than-half-of-the-nation who voted for him that the oligarchy fears, not the Republican pygmies in the U.S. Congress.

Now we are witnessing a strange phenomenon where individuals promoting a “Convention of the States” are slithering into meetings of the MAGA movement and other patriotic gatherings across the land, perhaps wearing “Let’s Go Brandon” buttons to display their bona fides, to promote their message that a rewriting of our Constitution should be priority #1 for all patriotic Americans. Forget about Trump. Forget about retaking Congress. Just convene a “Convention of the States,” and voila!—all our problems will be solved.

If you fall for this line, you are a fool. Please don’t be offended by such an accusation. A fool is merely someone who acts foolishly. If you buy into the nonsense of the “Convention of the States” and their proposals to destroy the economic sovereignty of our Republic, you are being very foolish indeed.

I.—The Reality of America Today

A partial overview of our current situation:

• A foreign invasion by narcotics traffickers, whose activities have resulted in the deaths of more than 100,000 young Americans during the last 12 months.
• War-time censorship and an historic attack on free speech, with the legacy media and the Silicon Valley-controlled social media monopolies seeking to crush and erase all “unacceptable” viewpoints.
• Water shortages, energy shortages, the breakdown of transportation and the continuing destruction of our manufacturing and industrial base.
• The mass indoctrination and child abuse which takes place every day in thousands of public schools throughout America.
• The transformation of our large cities into hellholes of crime, decay, and dependency.
• A maniacal drive by the Uniparty in Washington, D.C., with the RINOs in lockstep with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, driving the United States into a military showdown with Russia.

Now ask yourself this:  Will a so-called “Convention of the States,” organized to allegedly “amend” the U.S. Constitution, fix any of these life-and-death crises?

The answer is NO! It does not address, nor will it fix, even a single one of these critical problems.

The “Convention of the States” is a blatant con game—designed to disorient, fracture and misdirect the growing movement of American citizens who are now fighting to take their country back. It is financed with millions of dollars—from both the “right” and the “left”—including big bucks from the Koch brothers apparatus, George Soros, and other bitter enemies of Donald Trump.

A glimpse of the true purpose of this operation is to be found on the website of Citizens for Self-Governance (CSG), the organization which is now leading the effort to rewrite the Constitution. In an appeal from the leadership of CSG, they state their intention to recruit “100 volunteers in 4,000 state legislative districts to force through legislation in the targeted states to call a convention.”  One hundred volunteers in 4,000 legislative districts represents 400,000 people. In other words, they seek to recruit 400,000 individuals—citizens who are desperately needed in the fight to take back control of Congress and the White House, citizens who are desperately needed in the battle to throw out the Uniparty traitors who are destroying our nation, citizens who could be recruited into running for office themselves—and instead direct them into a campaign to trash the U.S. Constitution.

II.—What Exactly is a Convention of the States?

The first thing to recognize about a “Convention of the States” is that the name itself is a lie.

Article V of the United States Constitution defines two procedures by which the Constitution can be amended. The first is, when two-thirds of both Houses of Congress pass an amendment, and then must be ratified by three-quarters of the states. This is the way that all constitutional amendments, up to now, have been adopted. The alternate procedure is for two-thirds of the states to call for the convening of a Convention. Such a Convention, as defined in Article V, automatically becomes a Constitutional Convention (Con Con). Once convened, such a Convention is free to set its own rules and procedures and to rewrite the entirety of the Constitution if it chooses to do so. A “Convention of the States” is, in fact a Constitutional Convention. Anyone who tells you differently is lying.

Many of the proponents of a “Convention of the States” claimed that such a Convention would be “limited,” and they point to the Article V alleged “safeguard” that any amendments approved by such a convention would still have to be ratified by three-quarters of the states. But is that actually true?

Once convened, the Convention can rewrite any part or all of the Constitution by simple majority vote—including Article V. They could eliminate the three-quarters requirement for ratification and set their own ratification procedure. Far-fetched, you say? Well, consider this:  In 1787, when the delegates met in Philadelphia, legally no changes could have been made to the Articles of Confederation except by a unanimous vote of all 13 states.  The delegates simply ignored that legality and unilaterally declared that only nine states were needed to ratify the Constitution. A second Constitutional Convention would be completely free to make similar decisions.

There have been several attempts in the past to convene a second Constitutional Convention, and almost all of these efforts were organized behind campaigns to adopt one specific amendment (e.g., the direct election of U.S. Senators, a limitation on the income tax, a balanced budget amendment, etc.). Despite these past precedents, however, there is absolutely no way to limit the Convention to a single amendment or issue. Once convened, the Convention has unrestrained power to change the Constitution as it sees fit. In fact, in the current drive for a “Convention of the States,” many of those leading this effort have put forward lists of multiple amendments they propose for adoption. The CSG has 6 proposed amendments, neocon war hawk Mark Levin has proposed 11, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has proposed 9, and Trump-hating RINO Larry Sabato published a book A More Perfect Constitution, which includes 23 proposed amendments designed to “substantially overhaul” the Constitution. On March 23 of this year, Sabato sent out a tweet proclaiming, “Liz Cheney will be honored in history for courageously putting country over party and elevating the Republic over her own self-interest.”  In the same tweet he denounced “her Trump-cult challenger.”

III.—The Oligarchy Deploys the Left and the Right

The British monarchy and their oligarchical Wall Street and other elite American allies have always hated the U.S. Constitution. In her posting, Susan Kokinda referenced the case of Woodrow Wilson—who despised the Constitution. More recently, we witness the case of Lloyd Cutler, a long-time member of David Rockefeller’s Trilateral Commission and White House Counsel to both Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. In the fall 1980 issue of the New York Council on Foreign Relations’ Foreign Affairs magazine, Cutler authored an article titled, “To Form a Government,” wherein he argued for eliminating our Presidential system and rewriting our Constitution such that we would adopt a European style “Parliamentary System.”  And Cutler is not alone in his desire to dismantle Constitutional government.  In recent years, proposals to alter the Constitution to better suit the intentions of the oligarchy have frequently appeared in Foreign Affairs, in Atlantic magazine, at conferences of the American Enterprise Institute, and in other mouthpieces for the financial elite and “deep state.”

What is different in 2022 is the unleashing of big bucks to finance a popular movement (or what can at least be portrayed in the establishment media as a popular movement) behind this anti-Constitution campaign. At the same time, although many “conservatives” vehemently deny it, this drive to rewrite our Constitution most definitely now involves a left wing/right wing alliance—at least at the highest level, where the big money resides.

On the right, most of the money to finance the “Convention of the States” project comes from the extended network associated with the Trump-hating libertarian Koch brothers—including the Koch family foundations, the Donors Trust, the Mercer Family Foundation, and others. These groups have provided millions of dollars to the front line CSG to finance their efforts. Most of this “conservative” Daddy Warbucks apparatus includes the same sources from which the “Tea Party” movement was bankrolled and corrupted more than a decade ago. Today, Koch-connected groups like the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and the Heartland Institute, have adopted the “Convention of the States” as the “new mission” of the Tea Party.

On the left, some of our readers might recall that in 2011 another “anti-establishment” movement came into existence—the left-wing Occupy Wall Street phenomenon. Financed by George Soros, and intended, like the Tea Party, to entice angry American citizens into dead-end political activity, today’s remnants of Occupy have now joined with CSG to assault the U.S. Constitution. Among these “children of Occupy” are Wolf-PAC, run by the very sleazy Cenk Uygur, the host of “The Young Turks” web show; as well as MoveToAmend.org, associated with Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig, who has proposed that the U.S. Constitution be “completely rewritten.”  Both Wolf-PAC and MoveToAmend.org are heavily financed by George Soros, and both are now solidly onboard the campaign for a “Convention of the States.”  At a September 24–25, 2011 conference promoting the “Convention of the States,” MoveToAmend.org’s Lawrence Lessig co-chaired the conference with then Tea Party Patriots’ national coordinator, and current CSG President, Mark Merckler. The left-right harmony was palpable. More recently, Merckler held a joint press conference to promote the “Convention of the States” with Joan Blades—co-founder of MoveOn.org, another organization wholly owned by George Soros.

The Soros-financed organizations have put forward their own proposed Constitutional amendments, some identical to those of CSG, Mark Levin and Larry Sabato, and others directed more toward reducing the political influence of corporations.  But despite their differences, the unholy left-right alliance against the Constitution is now a reality.

IV.—Citizens for Self-Governance

As stated above, the organization which is leading the campaign for a new Constitutional Convention is the Citizens for Self-Governance (CSG), founded in 2012 and based in Austin, Texas. The co-founder and current President is Mark Meckler, who previously was the head of Tea Party Patriots, a group largely financed by the Koch brothers. The Chairman of the Board of CSG is Eric Stephen O’Keefe, the longstanding national director of the Libertarian Party.  O’Keefe has been a fierce enemy of Donald Trump, and in 2016 he authored an article in the Wall Street Journal urging delegates to the Republican Convention to stop Trump’s nomination.  He actually formed a group, called “Delegates Unbound,” to lobby delegates to violate their first ballot pledges and vote for anyone other than Trump.

The CSG has drafted and circulated a “Model Resolution” calling for a Constitutional Convention under Article V. Among other things, it calls for imposing “fiscal restraints on the federal government, limiting the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, and limiting the terms of office for its officials and for members of Congress.”  Of course, limiting “the power and jurisdiction of the federal government” can mean almost anything.

Currently, the CSG resolution calling for a convention has already been adopted by 18 states—with three states (Wisconsin, Nebraska, and West Virginia) adopting the resolution since the first of this year. In 7 other states the resolution has passed one chamber of the legislature, but not the other; and the resolution has also been introduced in 15 additional states.

In 2016, the CSG held a mock “Convention of the States” in Williamsburg, Virginia, with “delegates” from around the country. That Convention “adopted” a number of Constitutional “amendments,” including:

• A Balanced Budget amendment, requiring the states to approve any increase in national debt.
• Term Limits, for both Congress and the Supreme Court.
• Repeal of the 16^th Amendment (income tax) and a requirement for a supermajority in Congress to impose any federal tax.
• Empowerment of the states to Abrogate or Nullify any federal law, regulation, or executive order with which they disagree.

Frankly, this is outright treason. An enforced balanced budget, a ban on federal taxes, and giving the states the right to nullify federal law would mean the end of the United States. This is a direct assault on what George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, and other patriots fought for in 1787.

As I stated, there have been several dozen proposed amendments from individuals associated with this campaign. It would be tiresome and a waste of time to go through them one by one. But, for the sake of argument, let’s take one of them—one that enjoys a certain amount of popular support—and examine it a little more closely. I am speaking of the proposal for Congressional “term limits.”

California was one of the first states in the nation, in 1990, to impose term limits on members of the State Legislature. Then in 2012 they made the term limits more stringent, imposing a lifetime limit of 12 years combined in the State Senate and State Assembly. These are the toughest term limits in the nation right now. What has been the consequence of this? Well, in 1995 there were 22 Democrats and 18 Republicans in the State Senate and 38 Democrats and 40 Republicans in the State Assembly. Fairly competitive—with each party controlling one house. Today, after 27 years of term limits, there are 31 Democrats and 9 Republicans in the State Senate and 60 Democrats and 19 Republicans in the State Assembly.  It is a one-party dictatorship; and California now has some of the most lunatic and murderous policies of any state in the nation. Didn’t quite work out as planned, did it?

But the actual consequences of term limits on the federal level are far worse and would pose an acute danger to the nation itself.  The real evil in Washington—call it the “Swamp,” the “Deep State,” or whatever you wish—the real danger to our Republic does not lie in our elected officials, but in the unelected bureaucracies, in the powers that reside within the FBI, CIA, the State Department, the Department of Justice, and other such agencies.  This is deep entrenched power. These are the people behind “Russiagate” and the impeachment of Trump.  If you weaken the power of Congress by constantly rotating in new inexperienced individuals, this will only have the effect of greatly enhancing the power of the permanent deep-state crowd.  Our elected officials will become even more impotent.

We need to strengthen Congress, not weaken it. We need to elect patriots with the courage to take on the most powerful elite interests in the country. And once they are in office, and fighting for the American people, we need to keep them there.

V.—The Elephant in the Room

Since the financial crisis of 2008, the Federal Reserve, in collusion with the largest Wall Street, as well as foreign banks, has dictatorially acted in a manner to destroy the value of our national currency; and they have imposed policies which have resulted in the widespread deindustrialization of America and the growing impoverishment of the American people.  The mere existence of the Federal Reserve is a violation of the U.S. Constitution—an abrogation of the Sovereign economic power of the U.S. government, and a crime against the American people. The disappearance of U.S. manufacturing, the collapse of our national infrastructure, and the sky-rocketing inflation we are now witnessing can all be laid at the doorstep of the Federal Reserve.

Yet, if one examines the published writings of those calling for a “Convention of the States,” discussion of the treasonous machinations of the Federal Reserve is nowhere to be found.  These “patriots” are trenchant in their denunciations of the federal government, but curiously silent in the destruction wreaked upon us by the private bankers.  Don’t you find that interesting?

In reality, everything that is being proposed by CSG and its friends is intended to weaken the sovereignty of the national government. An example of this intention is a 1992 article, titled “The Southern Solution”—published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Authored by the president of the Ludwig von Mises Institute, the article calls for the elimination of the Constitution’s “General Welfare” clause, a prohibition of protective tariffs, and a prohibition of government-financed internal improvements.

What is being proposed by the CSG, Mark Levin, and many others, such as the neo-con and Hillary Clinton fan, William Kristol, former editor of the now defunct Weekly Standard, is a complete surrender of economic sovereignty to the British-directed private Central Banking System.  For example, the proposed amendment to “balance the federal budget” would annihilate the principle of Public Credit, as enunciated by Alexander Hamilton. Under the provisions of such an amendment, the sovereign “Greenback” policy of Abraham Lincoln would have been illegal. The United States would find itself in the condition of a poor third world nation—begging for crumbs from the international financiers, and forced to submit to the diktats of the International Monetary Fund and similar institutions.

Where is the demand to end this oligarchical tyranny?  Where is the demand to abolish the Federal Reserve, and to return to constitutional banking and credit policies? Where are the urgently needed proposals to rebuild our productive economy?  They are nowhere to be found in the “amendments” proposed by the CSG and others.

Instead, they offer us lies.  The proposal to convene a new Constitutional Convention has absolutely nothing to do with “taking our country back.”  Since 1971, and particularly since 2008, our Republic has been taken over by a private financial oligarchy.  The libertarians, and now their new-found allies on the left, are just the mere foot soldiers of the financial elite.  The oligarchy’s target, the enemy they are determined to crush, is you—the American people.

Let’s actually take our country back.  Let us take it back from the Federal Reserve, the elite financiers, the Silicon Valley billionaires, and the oligarchical Central Bankers who are destroying it.