We have challenged the federal government over a natural gas pipeline in our backyards. Vermont has challenged our government over an antiquated nuclear power plant that should have closed years ago.
If you read the Cape Cod Times, you would see the same battles being fought in Plymouth that were fought in Vernon, Vt. Both nuclear plants are owned by Entergy.
We currently have Native Americans fighting a battle over a gas pipeline in North Dakota. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is composed of four political appointees by the president. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is comprised of five presidential appointees, and it has, by the way, been operating for some time now with only three people.
Both of these commissions have been given the power by the federal government to tell the states and its citizens what we can and cannot do.
What do these conflicts all have in common? Our federal government stepping on the rights of the states and its citizens: 545 versus 300,000,000 people.
We can discuss all the reasons this imbalance has occurred. What we need to do is correct this imbalance. The answer can be found in Article Five of our Constitution. The Founding Fathers drafted this article for just the reasons we see existing today. It is called a Convention of States. James Madison penned this article after George Mason disagreed with Alexander Hamilton, who wished for the federal government to have total control over amending our Constitution.
Watch the Constitution come alive during Constitution Week. Now through Friday, a historic event is taking place in Williamsburg, Va., that is going to demonstrate to the nation that we the people, through our state legislatures, have the power to stop the overreach of the federal government. The Convention of States Project is conducting a simulated Article 5 convention for proposing amendments. Commissioners from all 50 states will be drafting, debating and voting on amendments that will impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government and place term limits on federal officials and members of Congress.
The Constitution provides two methods of proposing amendments, either by two-thirds of both houses of Congress or by two-thirds of the states (34) submitting applications to Congress for a Convention of States.
Regardless of how an amendment is proposed, it still must be ratified by three-fourths of the states (38) to become part of the Constitution. The convention allows the states to propose amendments to restore the balance between the national and state governments without the consent of the Congress, the executive branch or the Supreme Court.
This movement has been ongoing for some time and is gaining momentum exponentially. Currently, there are eight states that have applied for a convention to stop our runaway government. We are hoping for an actual convention to take place in the summer of 2017.
You can watch it live on Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. by registering at www.conventionofstates.com/livestreamrsvp or text ARTICLEV to 68398. This will be a great opportunity for schools to show our children how the framers intended us to use the Constitution to correct the problems we face as a nation.
You can help the cause by volunteering to support the Convention of States Project and by contacting your state legislatures to gain their support. You can also contact information@COSAction.com.
Fred Perret lives in Montague and has volunteered as district captain for the Convention of States. He can be reached at 413-575-4091.