Articles

Stopping a Modern-day Con Con

The purpose of The New American is not merely to better inform fellow citizens, though that is part of it. The purpose is also to provide information that will better equip John Birch Society members engaged in the freedom fight. “We are an army fighting with facts,” Robert Welch said. “And to be better informed is to be better armed.”

The educational ammunition dispensed twice a month via the print edition of TNA includes two recent articles by Joe Wolverton II, J.D. that warn against the dangers of a modern-day constitutional convention. The articles are “10 Point Refutation” from the April 4 issue of TNA and “Renewed Push for a Con-Con” from our April 18 issue.

“10 Point Refutation” surveys the Goldwater Institute’s pro-Con-Con document “10 Facts to Rebut the Mythology of a Runaway Convention,” and then, concisely and convincingly, rebuts the institute’s rationale for calling a con-con. “Renewed Push for a Con-Con” continues in much the same vein, rebutting additional pro-con-con arguments raised by the Goldwater Institute and Dr. Robert G. Natelson, whose paper, “Amending the Constitution by Convention,” was published by the Institute.

Of course, Joe Wolverton, a scholar of the Founding era of our Republic, recognizes that our U.S. Constitution is the product of a Con-Con. But the fact that the accomplishment of the Constitutional Convention of 1787 could rightly be called a miracle does not mean that a new convention would turn out so well — a point Joe makes in his “Renewed Push for a Con-Con” article. Indeed: “The prospect of a convention endowed with power of this magnitude [the power to write not just amendments but an entirely new Constitution], populated by delegates determined to tinker with the precision gears that give movement to works of our mighty Republic, is frightening and should give pause to everyone presently promoting this cause or considering joining it.”

It is very frightening, particularly considering the American people already possess a Constitution that properly limits and defines federal powers. We can therefore restore good government simply by applying the existing Constitution — another point Joe makes. Why, therefore, risk a Convention?

We published Joe Wolverton’s two articles in the print edition, and also made them available online at TheNewAmerican.com and JBS.org, because JBS members and other activists opposing a modern-day Con-Con have been repeatedly confronted with the pro-Con-Con arguments from the Goldwater Institute and Natelson. Please read Joe’s articles if you have not already done so and then use the information as appropriate.

Action Summary

• Please Use Joe Wolverton’s articles “10 Point Refutation” (April 4 issue of TNA) and “Renewed Push for a Con-Con” (April 18) to demolish the pro-Con-Con arguments from the Goldwater Institute and Dr. Natelson. Both articles are also available at TheNewAmerican.com and JBS.org.

With so much good news happening, it’s hard to know where to begin. First off, JBS members have been putting in overtime, meeting with legislators on such important topics as the dangers of calling for a constitutional convention, explaining the downsides of the UN’s Agenda 21 to local officials, and getting involved in educating others about sound money, limited government and nullifying unconstitutional laws. There have been many hard-fought battles with many wins in the Con-Con fight across the country — and JBS influence is felt in all of them.

JBS CEO Art Thompson continues his presence at the Nullify Now! Tour that is run by the Tenth Amendment Center and WeRefuse.com. JBS and The New American are national sponsors with booth space at each of the remaining stops. For more details, visit NullifyNow.com and get involved if it is arriving near you.

Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we are able to expand our staff. See the “Career Opportunities With JBS” notice on page 6 of this Bulletin. By the time you are reading this, a new position in the Public Relations Department will have been filled. We have seen the need to expand the team and add a Publicist, who will be responsible for garnering publicity for the Society, specifically in promoting our key spokesmen. Not only will we be reaching more concerned audiences through the media, this also gives us a chance to take a step back, plan a bit further in advance, and evaluate our efforts with a closer eye. We should also have more time to coordinate promotional efforts in the geographical areas that we have targeted for growth. Rather than rely on one or two methods to contact potential members in a new area, we will be able to do more research on the area, delve into and penetrate the market through various avenues, and reach more people.

For the last nine months, a committee has evaluated the JBS website and made recommendations that were passed to an outside vendor. Since November, the vendor and a few staff members have met regularly to implement those changes and make the site more user friendly while also making it geared more for organization of members, specifically for educational campaigns and locating others in your area. We’re hoping to have the site done soon. Those registered users from the old site will be asked to opt-in as we will be using a new email service to deliver the e-newsletters, legislative alerts, and product information. Keep an eye out for that email, if you are a registered user.

With the opportunity of expanding the Headquarters staff and the Field staff, JBS is taking a major step forward. We are making much progress in the areas that we have focused on during the last two years and only see more of that happening within the next two years. Of course, none of this would be possible without your support, and for that and much more, we are truly grateful. Thank you!