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From: rogue@cellar.UUCP (Rogue Winter)
Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk
Subject: Re: Amendments
Message-ID: <c9Z912w164w@cellar.UUCP>
Date: 1 May 91 03:15:23 GMT
References: <63917@bbn.BBN.COM>
Sender: bbs@cellar.UUCP (The Cellar BBS)
Organization: The Cellar BBS and public access system
Lines: 33

cosell@bbn.com (Bernie Cosell) writes:

> nazgul@alphalpha.com (Kee Hinckley) writes:
> 
> }In article <4364.2816d635@iccgcc.decnet.ab.com> herrickd@iccgcc.decnet.ab.co
> }>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 Consitution and *anything*
> }can be changed.
> 
> NONONONO.  The Constitutional Convention **ONLY** replaces the "Congress"
> part of the amendment process.  You _still_ need to get 3/4ths of the states
> to approve.  There is a real myth floating around that a CC really can just
> rewrite the Constitution, but that is *not* the case.
> 
>   /Bernie\


But ratification is not done on state-by-state polling of the voters, it's 
done by the state legislatures.  And coming from Pennsylvania, I know how 
state legislatures can be even more dangerous, incompetent, and corrupt, if 
not more all-out-stupid-and-don't-give-half-a-fuck, than the federal 
Congress.

Could be worse though, I might work for WordPerfect, and have to live in 
Utah.

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)