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[Ya-ta Boy]

The other day Kuros brought up the idea of a new constitutional convention. This morning I ran into a reference to an up-coming discussion of the same topic.

On September 24 & 25, I [Lawrence Lessig] will co-host a conference at Harvard with Tea Party Patriots co-founder Mark Meckler, on whether it is time for a new constitutional convention...But as many of us believe that our nation has come to another moment of crisis in its capacity to govern, some of us believe we must begin to talk through whether fundamental reform through a convention will be required...

The convention that we will discuss is not, however, the same sort of convention that gave birth to the Constitution. It is instead a convention explicitly envisioned by that constitution. Article V of the Constitution gives the states the power to demand that Congress "call a Convention for proposing amendments" to the Constitution.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lawrence-lessig/a-conference-on-the-const_b_923249.html

[Ya-ta Boy]

I'm a conservative on this one.

There are certainly a number of amendments I could support, for example, the abolition of the Electoral College and campaign finance reform.

However, I think we need to address the various issues through public movements that are focused on each issue separately. I think concentrating the desire for change/reform into one big convention would rouse the public into a fever, and that can be dangerous. I think it would be especially dangerous at a time like this when the whole world is unstable.

In my opinion, the people who say 'the system is broken' are mistaken. I've said it a few times myself, but have changed my view. The system functioned adequately for more than two centuries. It failed one time when a radical minority rose up and attempted to destroy the system unless they could control it. As Lincoln said at Cooper Union: "But you will not abide the election of a Republican president! In that supposed event, you say, you will destroy the Union; and then, you say, the great crime of having destroyed it will be upon us! That is cool. A highwayman holds a pistol to my ear, and mutters through his teeth, �Stand and deliver, or I shall kill you, and then you will be a murderer!� " We are fast approaching the same situation now.

A radical minority has infected the system. The system itself is not the problem and changing the system will not solve the problem of radicalism. In fact, calling a constitutional convention is just more radicalism.

[Kuros]

A radical minority didn't hold the debt hostage, it was done by both parties within the past decade.

A radical minority didn't filibuster democracy in the Senate, it was done frequently by both parties within the past decade.

A radical minority didn't authorize and condone torture, its been bipartisan policy for at least the past decade.

[Ya-ta Boy]

You've gone to the dark side.