Finding
Hope In A Dismal World
By Joel S. Hirschhorn
10 May, 2007
Countercurrents.org
For
so many, hope is down the drain. Hard to fault them. Abundant evidence
shows our insane world sliding down a global cheese grater.
Fish are dying in the Great
Lakes. Bees have disappeared. Polar ice caps and glaciers worldwide
are melting faster than ever. A global pandemic of a drug-resistant
strain of TB is coming at us. Much of the U.S. food supply is highly
vulnerable because of imports and totally inadequate government scrutiny.
Politicians keep lying. Americans keep dying. Too many senselessly in
the insane Iraq war that our delusional president cherishes and our
cowardly Congress refuses to stop. Others die because of lax gun laws.
Even more because they can’t get quality medical care. And the
icing on the fungus-infested cake: the richest one percent of Americans
captures 19 percent of the nation’s income. As the rich become
super-rich, economic injustice and inequality punish most debt-loaded
Americans, with millions facing bankruptcy and home foreclosure.
Our crisis-filled, threatening
world offers these existential choices.
Distraction: Pay little attention
to bad news. Escapism prevents pain, such as compulsive consumerism,
Internet surfing, gambling, drugs, cell phone and iPod oblivion, religion,
etc. Stay politically disinterested and disengaged. Selfishness prevails.
Denial: Psychologically block
out awful, disturbing information. Stay focused on personal needs and
pleasures in a socially and politically disconnected world. Why bother
voting? Why think about a world tumbling into the toilet? Why keep up
with all the shitty news? Better to watch American Idol. Don’t
pay attention to doomsayers.
Devotion: Actively stay informed.
Eat up the bad news and suffer despair, depression, cynicism. Cope by
finding some basis for hope – something that just might stop some
of the madness. Devote time, energy and commitment to it. Something
worth fighting for is the noble way to remain sane in a crazy world.
These days, hope often lies
with the successful climb to the presidency for whoever is believed
will turn things around, take us in a new, better direction. Such is
mainstream delusional political hope. Why delusional? Because only a
fool trusts politicians. None of the Democrat’s promised major
legislative priorities for the new Congress have been enacted. Not one!
Impeachment of President Bush has not been pursued. Transgressions of
Republicans in Congress and the Executive Branch – criminal, legislative
and ethical – are so commonplace they barely get attention anymore.
Our delusional democracy thrives on lesser-evil voting that sustains
the two-party stranglehold.
Others make a commitment
to some cause or movement: like fighting global warming, stopping the
Iraq war, finding a cure to some terrible disease, supporting a third
party, etc.
Here is the hope I have discovered.
It is not mainstream. It goes against the grain. It is not politically
correct. It rejects historical precedence. And yet it is the epitome
of true patriotism for Americans that trust the U.S. Constitution, and
for those who see all three branches of government unable and unwilling
to work in the interest of “we the people.”
My hope is that we can successfully
pressure Congress and state legislatures to give us what our prescient
Founders and Framers gave us in Article V of the Constitution: a national
convention to consider proposals for amending the Constitution. An Article
V convention would operate outside the control of Congress, the White
House and the Supreme Court. The wise Framers foresaw that ultimately
Americans would confront a government that was not serving them effectively.
So they created two routes to propose constitutional amendments, the
highest level of lawmaking.
For over 200 years only one
method has been used: Congress has proposed all of our constitutional
amendments. No Article V convention has ever been allowed. The one flaw
in Article V was that only Congress can call a convention when two-thirds
of state legislatures ask for one. The word “shall” made
clear Congress’ constitutional mandate to call a convention when
that one and only constitutional requirement was met. Have 34 state
legislatures asked for an Article V convention? You bet. In fact, there
have been over 500 state applications from all 50 states over our nation’s
history. Unsurprisingly, Congress has never wanted to share power and
allow an Article V convention to operate independently, even though
whatever proposals for amendments resulted would face exactly the same
constitutional requirement for ratification by states that proposals
made by Congress face.
Have Americans risen up in
rage and rebellion over the stubborn refusal by Congress to obey the
Constitution? Hell no. Has the Supreme Court made Congress obey the
Constitution? Hell no. In fact, a miniscule number of Americans even
know about our right to an Article V convention, even among the most
politically engaged.
Have there been many organized
attempts to get an Article V convention? You bet. And not one has succeeded.
They all failed for two reasons. First, they all were associated with
efforts to get a specific constitutional amendment. This always mobilized
groups that opposed the amendment. ANY amendment will bring out opposition,
and when it emerges it produces fierce opposition to an Article V convention.
Second, a wide array of organized
interests, on the political left and right, have forcefully opposed
the Article V convention. Those with influence over the political system
do not want an independent convention to propose ways to fix the many
political, government and social problems plaguing the nation. They
would rather use their muscle and money to corrupt politicians. They
have employed the scare tactic that an Article V convention would be
a “runaway” convention that would threaten national stability.
They lie that an Article V convention could by itself create a new constitution
– ignoring the ratification requirement and all the public and
media scrutiny that would inevitably envelope America’s first
Article V convention and prevent delegates from pursuing nutty objectives.
They also ignore countless state conventions that have changed constitutions
without disastrous effects.
Sadly, no presidential candidate
has come out in favor of an Article V convention, not even the mavericks.
Nor have any of the cuttingly honest political commentators of our age,
including Gore Vidal, Bill Maher, Jon Stewart and Lou Dobbs.
I believe a convention is
the best way to restore the quality of American government, politics
and society. And also inspire a new era of political engagement among
much of the public so fed up with politics as usual. Conventions do
not threaten democracy – they strengthen it. My hope rests with
the new national group – Friends of the Article V Convention.
It can succeed in creating the forces necessary to give us what the
Framers said we have a right to. FOAVC will not back any specific amendment.
Like members of Congress, convention delegates have the right to consider
whatever they deem necessary. FOAVC will also fight the lies of anti-conventionists.
You too can find hope. It
is located at www.foavc.org.
Then let that hope channel your moral energy by becoming a member. The
Friends of the Article V Convention need you. America needs you. Now.
[Joel S. Hirschhorn co-founded
Friends of the Article V Convention; his latest book is described at
www.delusionaldemocaracy.com.]
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