Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!unix.cis.pitt.edu!gvlf3.gvl.unisys.com!tredysvr!cellar!rogue From: rogue@cellar.UUCP (Rogue Winter) Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk Subject: Re: Amendments Message-ID: Date: 1 May 91 03:10:21 GMT References: <1991Apr28.061119.18402@eecs.nwu.edu> Sender: bbs@cellar.UUCP (The Cellar BBS) Organization: The Cellar BBS and public access system Lines: 38 ptownson@eecs.nwu.edu (Patrick A. Townson) writes: > >> The other is to get three-quarters of the state legislatures to > >> petition Congress to call a Constitutional Convention, at which > >> time Congress has no option but to call the convention. > > > It should be noted that this option is avoided like the plague, since > > once a CC is convened it's open season on the Constitution and *anything* > > can be changed. > > No, it should *really* be noted that this option is only avoided like > the plague by lawyers, ACLU-types, and other stupid liberals who want > to save us from ourselves ... > > Good heavens! The idea of the unwashed masses of the American public > having any actual say-so in how they are governed? I think a CC would > be a great idea, with real people -- not politicians, not lawyers, not > Alan Dershowitz, not ACLU'ers -- actually deciding their fate for a > change. Understandably, a couple of law school professors might grow > nauseous and faint if it happened ... This option is avoided for damn good reason. Your second paragraph alludes that you must have some knowledge of who would run a Constitutional Convention - the Congress, with no other members. The first Constitution was barely any different - written by the Revolutionary era Congress - except that there were few huge concentrations of extragovernmental power in 1789, and there were enough people who realised the needs to guarantee civil rights (for white men only at the time) from succeeeding elected governments. The prospect of a Constitutional Congress without the current House and Senate is indeed a tempting one, but isn't likely to happen without a civil war first. Rogue Winter | "The truth knocks on the door and you say, rogue@cellar.uucp | "Go away, I'm looking for the truth," and so uunet!cellar!rogue | it goes away. Puzzling." Cellar 215/3369503 | -Robert Pirsig (quoted in Zen_To_Go, Jon Winokur)