Dear Johnwk and Bripat:
Yes and no, of course it can go both ways.
Even when our Constitution was written, there was a split between
federalists and anti-federalists.
The difference was back then, the founders did join in prayer and agreement for the sake of the nation before convening and writing the laws.
You are right, if we do not join in unity first, then this could spell disaster.
What we can do as individuals is to ask all church/religious and state/political leaders
to join in unity, in prayer and agreement in Christ Jesus -- the spirit of Restorative Justice which fulfills both the sacred laws of the church and natural laws of the state.
All people will be called to focus and join in the spirit of the laws, of truth and justice,
for all people inclusively.
In this spirit, two things will continue to happen which are already happening in preparation:
1. the universal inclusive leadership will come forth to serve all people.
the people who are not divisive by fear and not defensive by putting their biases or conflicts of interest above others, EVEN OPPONENTS, but are unifying by commitment to universal truth and equal justice.
You can tell who these leaders/servants are because they do not discriminate against anyone, not even the people or parties they disagree with, but welcome and work with all people of all views.
The truly neutral and objective facilitators will need to remain detached from the process in order to include everyone else and manage it without putting any one group of people or interest above others.
2. the fears and conflicts people have preventing us from being united "more perfectly"
will also come forward to be redressed and resolved.
The key is not to let the fears and conflicts divide us, but to work with those
as a natural and necessary part of the process itself.
So it will take special leadership to mediate these issues, organize people by party belief and interest, and manage to include all such interests equally without threat of bullying by exclusion or dominance.
Anyone who rules by objection and overriding others will need to be represented by group and cannot be in charge of the decision making process or it will fall apart.
And let the decisions be facilitated by consensus, making sure all groups are represented, all objections/input included, and conflicts corrected so there is no political gameplaying.
By working INCLUSIVELY we can make sure we are not excluded.
Only if we seek to exclude or override others, do we risk having this done to us.
That is how we can tell if we are setting up the process correctly and enforcing the right spirit -- when this is done properly, there is no threat to override or exclude anyone else.
If we don't arrive at a consensus by free choice, but there is coercion and unresolved conflict to force or divide people, then that isn't the spirit of "consent of the governed."
If people or parties have differences, there should be a free choice to separate and not be forced under each other's beliefs or interpretation/mandates.
Where decisions are made civilly, by agreement, there should be no need for any of the political co-opting that otherwise destroys the democratic process.
It's coming folks: The article V convention to propose new amendments to the Constitution. Lbiturds, your reign of terror is over:
bripat,
With all due respect, you seem to forget that the states and federal government are acting in concert to confiscate the wealth created by America’s productive citizens. An Article V convention would be totally controlled by the very state and federal actors who are now causing the people’s sufferings, and give them the opportunity to make constitutional that which is now unconstitutional!
It defies human logic to believe delegates chosen to attend a convention who are appointed by State Legislatures and Governors who engage in the same types of tyranny our federal government engages in would act in the Taxpayer’s best interests if a convention were called to amend our federal Constitution. And judging from the overwhelming financial dependency upon the federal government that every Governor and State Legislature has submitted themselves to, not to mention how almost every State has an enormous deficit and an underfunded state pension fund which is a ticking time bomb, that they would not be motivated to select delegates to a convention who would act in concert with the federal government to further tighten the iron fist of government around the necks of America’s hard working citizens and business owners, and find new ways to legally confiscate the wealth they create in order to “redistribute” it in a manner which keeps these federal and State tyrants in power. See
Article V Group Ignores States' Complicity in Federal Power Grab
" Of all the misrepresentations often repeated by the pro-Article V constitutional convention proponents, one of the most important is the “states as victims” mantra … the claim that the federal government is “seizing power from the states” cannot be stipulated to without falsely portraying states as victims rather than as accomplices to these crimes against the Constitution."
If a solution to the tyranny which is carried out at both the federal and state level is to be found, it certainly will not come from those who carry out the tyranny. I know of not one tyrannical government which has willingly released its iron fist from the necks of its citizens.
Regards,
JWK
If the America People do not rise up and defend their existing Constitution and the intentions and beliefs under which it was adopted, who is left to do so but the very people it was designed to control and regulate?