Detroit City Wire

The dream of freedom, whether of its attainment or avoiding its loss, has persisted throughout all history the world over. Do you ever wonder why, in America, a land in which freedom is proudly proclaimed in comparison to other countries, there seems so much dissent and disagreement about what it is and who has it?

“If a man hasn’t discovered something he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.” Martin Luther King said these words at a speech in Detroit on June 23, 1963. His passion, what he was willing to die for, was freedom not just for his own people, but for all Americans. This he clearly stated in perhaps his most memorable speech, the “I Have a Dream” speech of August 28, 1963. As can be seen from the video not only did Martin Luther King have a great gift in the passion he possessed, but also a great gift for oration. His gift of oration was shared by few, but his passion by many. Indeed, Martin Luther King, Jr had a dream, one that persists today and is maintained by the passion of a great many.

A movement of a large number of people very much motivated by similar passion of freedom for all Americans is the movement of the “Convention of States,” or COS for short. COS seeks to impose restrictions on Congress through 1) Fiscal Restraints, 2) Restriction of the Power, Scope & Jurisdiction of the Federal Government and 3) Term Limits for Federal Officials. As recent history shows, each of these three objectives has been prompted by the encroachment of our freedoms by the Federal Government. Regardless of one’s political views it is easy to see why each of these COS objectives is necessary.

By almost any reasonable rationale, the proposed “Build Back Better” bill, currently estimated to cost taxpayers 1.75 T (that’s trillion!), but which some opponents say could be much higher, is by any estimate, beyond what most would consider fiscally responsible spending, and counters the first of COS’s objectives. Counter to the second objective of COS is the proposed “Voting Rights”, or John Lewis bill, which among other things, places state elections under federal jurisdiction. As for the Term Limits objective there are many in Congress who have served 30, 40, or more years, counter to the two or three term limit envisioned by the third COS objective. President Biden is a prime example of this having served 47 years in Congress before running for president. So just considering this short list, it appears things are getting out of control in Congress in Washington DC. It doesn’t appear to be what the Founding Fathers had in mind when drafting the US Constitution.

Interesting to note is how the US Constitution has grown over time. It started out at 3,000 words and grew to 4,000 words after the Convention of States of 1787. At the present time it is about 3,500 pages. A more comprehensive explanation may be found at this link and also the COS site. The US Constitution has grown along with the country, for better and for worse.

A credit to the wisdom of the Founding Fathers is that they saw both sides of the issue (i.e., power to amend the Constitution between the governing and the governed) quite clearly, which can be seen by considering Article V of the US Constitution. This is the article which provides the mechanism(s) by which a Convention of States may be called.

The original US Constitution, as written by the Founding Fathers, is the result of men who had the passion for freedom, and equality, for all Americans. This dream is best exemplified in more recent times by the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In his “I Have a Dream” speech, he clearly stated his vision for rights and freedom equally for all Americans. As one who remembers Dr. King’s speech when he gave it, risking giving away my age, my impression at the time was that he had just given a great speech. What MLK’s vision said to me is that when each of us, as American citizens, can be happy for all other American citizens for the pride we can take in being an American regardless of race, creed, religion, or ethnic background; then, and only then, will the dream of Dr Martin Luther King be achieved.

To learn more about the Convention of States project and sign the petition, see: www.conventionofstates.com

To help, see: www.conventionofstates.com/take_action

Printable answers to FAQs and 3-minute video about the Convention of States process

Thomas Powers is a veteran and volunteer State Content Writer for Convention of States Michigan. Thomas uses his writing skills to inspire more to stand up to save our way of life. Interested in genealogy, he is also a distant cousin of George Mason himself, the author of the second part of Article V in the Constitution. This section addresses state legislatures creating a convention of states to suggest amendments. To contact him, email thomas.powers@cosaction.com.