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Conventional Thought
by A.X. Perez
[email protected]

Attribute to L. Neil Smith's The Libertarian Enterprise

Our current government is broken. It was broken at least as far back as when the Nixonian "War on Crime " was declared as an excuse to trample the Constitution and Trickie Dick formally repudiated the gold standard. Every overseas military adventure that was not a declared war, every treating of political dissidents as criminals and blurring of the line between criminal and enemy soldiers sine the Sixties and Seventies, every bit of fiscal irresponsibility was a stress leading to and then exacerbating this breakage. The current impasse cannot be justly laid on the shoulders of one man, even the current resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. At most he is simply completing a logical progression begun by the Radical Republicans of the post Civil War era. Some of the steps down this path may have been necessary acts to protect the physical survival of this nation. Others may have been the result of people acting in what they thought was the nations best interest. More than a few were naked exercises of a Nietzschean will to power and/or the efforts to improperly grab money and power.

Our government is broken, too much garbage has built up over the last 230 some years. It's time to go back to square one, start with a clean slate, act out the appropriate cliche. I propose that it is time for the several state legislatures to call for a National Convention to write a new constitution and create a new Federal Government. Even perhaps, especially if our current misleaders can resolve their current impasse.

Some might claim that such a convention might lead to a more rather than less tyrannical government. This is a reasonable objection. However, allow me to suggest that if we don't have a convention and reset the clock (another cliche) we will slide into tyranny anyhow.

Having said my piece I will leave others to propose what actions such a Convention carry out. However, If I might be allowed three suggestions (and one is a two parter):

A. If this Convention meets and writes a new Constitution and it is ratified by the states the Congress and President in office at the time be automatically removed from office.

B. The bill of rights in such a constitution (which will definitely include the clearly stated rights to self defense, of individuals to keep and bear arms, and a reiteration of the Ninth and Tenth Amendments) be Article One of the new constitution and that it be clearly stated that the existence of the government so created is contingent on its efficacy on protecting/enforcing these natural born rights.

C. Part one: That this constitution go into effect when two thirds of the states adopt it and that any state or union of states failing to adopt it be treated as foreign, independent nations free to go their way in peace.

     Part two: That if eighty percent of the inhabitants of a state over the age of eighteen vote in favor of secession that state will become an independent nation.

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