In Part two of this series of articles, (link here) I suggested that there was little likelihood that reform of the Constitution could be accomplished before the coming economic collapse. My best judgment remains that we have gone past the tipping point, and recovery of the situation short of bloodshed is no longer possible. There are, however, some serious efforts by serious people under way to try to recover the situation short of total economic and societal collapse. Michael Farris argues, here, that a convention of the States with the intent to further constrain Federal over-reach would be relatively safe. Others are deeply concerned about the potential for hi-jacking of the resulting constitutional convention, with good reason.
In that regard, I’ve reflected on what to do about this, what sort of additional constraints need to be imposed on Federal authority, and what added definition is required (see links here, here and here.) Assuming that the appropriate amendments could indeed be drafted and passed, however, what good will it do if none of them are enforced? The biggest single problem we have with the present government and Constitution is just as Lysander Spooner said- Those who would rule us are not obeying the Constitution. None of these additional constraints, however wonderful they are in concept, will have any effect if they continue to be ignored as the present Constitution is. Even an enforcement clause might be ignored.
So why do intelligent people pursue these remedies? Those who seek Constitutional remedies ARE NOT YET PREPARED TO TAKE UP ARMS. They have not yet internalized the implications of various policies, or are not willing to admit to themselves what they are seeing, and are still trying to make changes more or less within the present broken and illegitimate system. As some have asserted, some of the people promoting such ideas may be stooges or stoolies for the forces of tyranny, but most of these folks I have met are honestly trying to find a way to move this country back towards freedom. They are standing up for Liberty, are promoting the ideas of the Enlightenment as they do so and are getting people previously uninvolved in the Liberty Movement to become active supporters. They run the same risk of the gulag or worse as the rest of us, whether they know that yet or not. As such, I count them as allies and am willing to support their efforts.
h/t Hans
