AUGUST 12, 2015
National Convention of States Project Launches Legislator Caucus
The COS Project has recently formed the Convention of States Caucus, a group of state legislators from across the country that will unite and write the suggested rules for the convention. It’s a great tool that will help grease the skids for the convention process. Several hundred have signed up including a number from AZ.
New Arizona Volunteers
The following folks are new volunteers to the AZ COS Leadership team:
Cliff Franks, LD 9: District Captain and Speaker
Jonah Nelson, LD 11: Jonah was a deputy to Dudley Bourne who has to spend more time with his sick wife. He'll continue to write op-eds and video/audio scripts.
Aaron Ellsworth, LD 26: District Captain
Rick McMullen, LD 15: SIA (IT) and NationBuilder helper taking over for Kevin who’s tackling a new job.
John Gordon, LD 23: Speaker and Political Committee
Thank you all for your contribution.
We the People
By Mike Kapic, State Director
A little over a year ago there were just a handful of us. Today there are more than I can list here. Let me explain who is unselfishly working for you. They’re ordinary folks from every walk of life. They’re working on COS part-time, after their jobs and families, to return your government to you, the rightful owners. Folks who are just like you and me that can best be described as “we the people”.
They are volunteers who believe that the current path of our government is wrong for themselves and their progeny. They toil at work every day, take the kids to the doctor, the dog or cat to the vet at lunch time, and then come home and after homework, work on their COS project.
We have a little over five months before the COS legislative sponsor submits our application to the 2016 Arizona legislative session. We have a lot of work to do between now and then. We’re attempting to accomplish a number of projects and our “we the people” need your help. They need help with radio and TV promotions, writing, website content, training, speaking, and scripting video and audio clips, IT, working with legislators, recruiting, youth mentoring, and more. All of these require knowledge of the field but more importantly a passion for employing your skills and talents toward passing the application.
To minimize the sacrifice, reduce incomplete work or burnout, we’re trying to spread the workload over more part-time volunteers. We can't do this alone. Please reach out to help us help you.
Stand Up! Speak Up! And Show Up!
New Education Opportunity Announced
By Gary Zimmermann, Training Director
One of the great things about the Convention of States movement is the readily available information and documentation regarding the history, legality, procedures, etc. of the Article V process. Unfortunately though, the sheer volume of available material can sometimes seem overwhelming, causing confusion and making it difficult to know where to begin.
The Arizona Convention of States has remedied that situation, announcing a brand new training opportunity to acquaint citizens with the high-level information that they seek when first showing an interest in the concept of an Article V amending convention.
The training module, which will soon be available at azconventionofstates.com/education/, will consist of a recorded voiceover presentation playable on all devices. This brief yet informative presentation will explain the reasons, history and procedure of an amending convention, while also offering frequently asked questions and other resources regarding the Article V Convention of States process.
A short quiz will complete the presentation with the option of printing a certificate of completion. All those receiving this newsletter are asked to take few minutes and complete this module, which will be available on the website by August 10. Once completed, please consider sharing the presentation with interested family and friends to help spread the word about this important tool in restoring our nation.
The Amendment Convention
By Ed Goheen
The first goal of the Article V Convention of States project is to have at least 34 States submit resolutions to Congress petitioning for a call (for the States) to hold an Amendment Convention.
In our discussions with the public it is important to use the wording “Amendment Convention” because of some confusing it with a Constitutional Convention. The Article V Convention of States process consists of two parts. First is an Amendment convention to propose amendments to the constitution. Second is the ratification procedure, which—at the discretion of Congress—can be either by the State legislatures, or by a ratification convention held by each State.
When telling someone about how an Article V Amendment Convention can fix our broken Federal government, that person will often say that they don't think a Constitutional Convention to change or rewrite the Constitution would be a good idea. Your reply can be, “No, you didn't hear what I said. I said an Amendment Convention. Congress has amended our Constitution 27 times, the last amendment being ratified in May, 1992. That didn't cause you any pain, did it? Our project is going to do the exact same thing Congress has done 27 times before, except that this time it is going to be done by the States, which have been abused by the very Federal government that they created in the first place.”
We are NOT going to change or rewrite the Constitution; we are simply going to amend it, as has been done many times before!
Endorsements
Several Presidential candidates have expressed support for COS including:
• Dr. Ben Carson
• Bobby Jindal
• Mike Huckabee
• Rand Paul
• Ted Cruz
Additional endorsements have come from:
• Michelle Malkin
• Dr. James Dobson
AZ COS Help Needed
Positions are available for a youth leader, speakers, DCs and deputy DCs, a media leader, and writers. Contact us for more information on how you can help.
AZ COS Leadership & Contact Info:
State Director
Mike Kapic
[email protected]
(775) 846-4948
Legislative Liaison
Tom Sinyard
[email protected]
Education Director
Dustin Romney
[email protected]
(480) 352-5256
Coalitions Director
JB Files
[email protected]
Social Media Director
Dawn Brunson
[email protected]
IT
Rick McMullen
[email protected]
Media Liaison
Tracy Middleton
[email protected]
(623) 850-3188
Skype: tracylea
Gary Zimmermann
Training Director
[email protected]
To submit a short article or make a comment, contact:
Newsletter Editor
Tom Eidukonis
[email protected]
949-230-1710
Convention of States Action • 100 Congress Ave, Suite 2000, Austin, TX 78701, United States
