I urge you to oppose ACR 31, SCR 15, and SCR 35, which would apply to Congress to call a convention to propose amendments, under Article V of the Constitution, otherwise known as a constitutional convention (Con-Con). I urge you to read the following op-ed by former Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird warning of the perils convening a convention: jbs.org/assets/pdf/Melvin-Laird-Con-Con-1984-Original.pdf I don't care what specific changes to our Constitution these resolutions call for -- a Con-Con is a dangerous idea that could lead to unintended and harmful consequences. The solution is to enforce the Constitution through Article VI and the 10th Amendment, not to change it. Just because the Constitution isn't being enforced now, doesn't mean we should throw it away. Please oppose, and vote against, ACR 31, SCR 15, and SCR 35.

I urge you to vote against ACR 31, SCR 15, and SCR 35, along with every other Article V convention application, regardless of topic. Please read this article by former Defense Secretary Melvin Laird explaining why a convention would be dangerous for our country for national security reasons: jbs.org/assets/pdf/Melvin-Laird-Con-Con-1984-Original.pdf There are many reasons why an Article V convention would be harmful to our country. It could lead to an "out-of-control" convention, special interests and other unsavory groups will inevitably take advantage of it, it will lead to unrest, and it falsely assumes that changing the Constitution will solve our country's problems. All-in-all, an Article V convention is unnecessary, unwelcome, and could severely harm our nation. Please work to stop it, including by defeating ACR 31, SCR 15, and SCR 35.

I strongly request that you oppose ACR 31, SCR 15, SCR 35, and any other resolution that applies for an Article V convention, regardless of the subject. I encourage you to read an editorial from Melvin Laird, the former U.S. Secretary of Defense. He recognized serious national-security risks that a convention would pose: jbs.org/assets/pdf/Melvin-Laird-Con-Con-1984-Original.pdf An Article V convention (or "Con-Con") is unnecessary and will do harm to the U.S. Constitution. It is unnecessary because almost every problem or issue these applications seek to solve actually exist because we haven't been properly abiding by the Constitution -- not because of problems with the Constitution itself. A Con-Con is harmful because they could lead to multiple special-interest changes to the Constitution that Con-Con proponents do not intend for. Not only could a Con-Con benefit special interests, but it could lead to amendments that limit our freedoms. The risk of an "out-of-control" convention has historical precedent. The 1787 constitutional convention was actually begun as a "limited" convention to amend the Articles of Confederation. While that convention produced a high-quality document, we live in too divided a time to draft a constitution equal to or superior to our current one, at least not without major social unrest. A Con-Con is unnecessary and dangerous. Oppose ACR 31, SCR 15, SCR 35, and every other resolution applying for one.

Please oppose ACR 31, SCR 15, SCR 35, and every other resolution applying for an Article V convention. Please read this article by former DoD Secretary Melvin Laird warning of the national security dangers of an Article V Convention: jbs.org/assets/pdf/Melvin-Laird-Con-Con-1984-Original.pdf Our Constitution is one of the few things that unites us as a country. After all, it's been the law of the land longer than the constitutions of every other country. Changing it in any way will cause significant unrest. Our founding fathers, including George Washington (in a 1788 letter to Richard Peters) and James Madison (in a 1788 letter to George Lee Turberville) opposed a second constitutional convention as it would divide the country and cause instability. More recently, figures including the late Justice Antonin Scalia (in 2014 and 2015 interviews) expressed opposition. Just as importantly, we don't even need an Article V convention to solve the problems facing our country. For example, many problems aren't because of "flaws" with our 230+-year-old constitution, but rather the fact that we haven't been following it consistently. In this case, please take a look at Article VI, which provides for the nullification of unconstitutional laws, rather than Article V. Please oppose ACR 31, SCR 15, SCR 35, and every other resolution applying for an Article V convention.

I implore you to oppose ACR 31, SCR 15, SCR 35, and every other resolution applying for an Article V constitutional convention. I encourage you to read the following op-ed by former Defense Secretary Melvin Laird warning of the national-security consequences of a Con-Con: jbs.org/assets/pdf/Melvin-Laird-Con-Con-1984-Original.pdf A Con-Con could have damaging effects on our country, irrespective of the specific policy issue it would raise. Our country is severely divided, and changing our most important national document could lead to massive unrest. James Madison made this same point in a 1788 letter to George Lee Turberville. Among other noteworthy statements that I encourage you to read, he stated: "[A] General Convention ... would consequently give greater agitation to the public mind; an election into it would be courted by the most violent partizans [sic] on both sides." If the U.S. was divided then, it's much more so now. There's a reason why our Constitution has been our fundamental law longer than any other country in the world. It is one of the greatest documents, and we won't achieve anything superior to it through a constitutional convention. Despite the resolution's claim of seeking only a "limited" convention, it doesn't offer specific amendment text, meaning that a Con-Con could still do in many different directions. Because of all this, please work to stop a Con-Con, including ACR 31, SCR 15, and SCR 35, and oppose all resolutions that apply for one.