This is rich...are you ready? Ind. Senate calls for U.S. constitutional convention

[silvershadow]

Ind. Senate calls for U.S. constitutional convention

Indiana would seek a U.S. constitutional convention — the first ever called by the states — under a measure that passed the Senate on Tuesday.

The idea is being pushed by Senate President Pro Tempore David Long. When the Fort Wayne Republican found himself under fire from conservatives and tea party activists for blocking bills that defy the federal government — bills Long said were unconstitutional — he came up with an answer: Rewrite the constitution.

Long’s resolution, if it clears the House, will make Indiana the first state to seek a constitutional convention this year limited to two issues: restricting the federal government’s use of the interstate commerce provision and its taxing authority.

Long just needs 33 more states to agree. It takes two-thirds of the states to agree to invoke Article 5 of the U.S. Constitution to call for a constitutional convention to rewrite some or all of the document.

More:
http://www.indystar.com/article/20130226/NEWS05/302260067/Ind-Senate-calls-U-S-constitutional-convention?nclick_check=1
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I posted here instead of LBN, not sure rules...this appears to be from the IndyStar blog. Sounds like Occupy may not have been out of bounds after all. Even the legislature agrees. I toss my name in the hat to be a delegate, should it ever pass. On edit: I don't think it's a blog, it's a staff story. I'm going to cross post to LBN.

[Buzz Clik]

1. They should hold a Constitutional Workshop instead.

They could learn what the constitution is all about. They really have no clue.

[Initech]

5. This is *EXACTLY* what scares the living shit out of me with this idea.

The people that know absolutely nothing about constitutional law - the fundamentalist Christians and the tea party - will be the ones who get to rewrite it. We cannot under any, repeat, any circumstances allow that to happen.

[customerserviceguy]

2. Eventually, it could happen

Of course, previous generations of Americans regarded such a convention as a potential Pandora's box, but with the polarization of this country, eventually we're going to see this happen.

We have a number of factors (three 24/7 news channels and the Internet come to mind) that I feel make this more possible than it's ever been.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. Nullification and the civil war. Per Rachel the Alaskan

Legislature went there today.

Now this.

:sakes head: entering more and more of a dangerous swamp.

[silvershadow]

4. In reading the article, I'd say Pandora's box is an apt description. That's why I would *have to be

a delegate. Have to. To keep it from sliding off the rails.

[Initech]

6. Dangerous idea. Very very very very dangerous idea.

[Gorp]

8. Agreed.

[sofa king]

7. Interesting.

I have a vague recollection of Republicans kicking the same idea around early in the Clinton Administration, and I've seen Libertarians speak of it as a grass-roots strategy as well. Have the Occupy folks hit upon it as well? That makes sense.

Of course, actually convening a Constitutional Convention is sort of like passing a Constitutional amendment in reverse. States have ratified Constitutional amendments fewer than twenty times since the Bill of Rights (the first ten Amendments) passed, and the same number of states would be required to call for a convention, which is why it has never happened. (Interestingly, there was another Amendment that was not ratified by the states when they were presented with the Bill of Rights. That proposed Amendment had no expiration date for consideration, and is still alive, theoretically.)

Quite simply, most states are not competent enough to deal with such a proposal. There is always someone who opposes it who can gum up the works, fifty times over. States almost always table the issue and wait for the countdown timer (if there is one) to kill the proposed amendment, and a great number of them would certainly do the same for a convention proposal.

Yet, having said that, I will point out that a convention to consider stupid, hateful, and highly damaging changes to our Constitution stands a much greater chance of passage than a convention to consider doing something actually productive. That's because Republicans own a majority of state legislatures, leaving them only a comparative handful of states to flip in their favor.

Competence, however, would still be the key element of the problem that Republican legislators just can't get around, because you have to be a fool to some degree to believe in foolish things, as they do. That always shows in their (lack of) work.

[bemildred]

9. Bring it.

Our observance of the original is so corrupted at this point that a fresh look might help, and it cannot get much worse.