Why a New Constitution is Our Best Hope

and Marijuana/Hemp Legalization is our Second

by Roger Copple

Part 1: Why a New Constitution is Our Best Hope

Having the longest-lasting constitution that is the hardest to change is a negative, not a positive.  Personally I advocate radical egalitarianism, democratic world government, and nuclear disarmament.  The constitutional convention process that I propose maximizes democracy, and it will completely level the playing field by removing the influence of money.  But what can people like me do if the American people under a new constitution desire laissez-faire capitalism, a flat tax, and a neo-conservative foreign policy?  We can try a new approach in popularizing our preferences, but our plight will be less dismal than it is now because future constitutions will  be easier to amend and easier to abolish.   

In my ideal constitution, I would empower the 7 largest national political parties, create proportional representation in a unicameral national legislature, and abolish the US Senate and the Electoral College.  I also would advocate single payer health insurance, with the government as the single payer, and a public banking system that abolishes the Federal Reserve.  For some types of elections, I would recommend instant runoff voting. 

Since I am still listing my personal preferences, I would change state governments as well: I would empower them from the bottom-up, from the neighborhood block club, to the precinct, township, county, and ultimately to the state legislative council that would make judicial and executive branch appointments, as the lower levels would also be able to do.    

Regarding the public schools (as a retired teacher), I would let the residents, who live within the geographical districts of every elementary, middle, and high school, use public funds to develop their own educational philosophy and curriculum—with neither federal, state, county, nor township school superintendent hierarchical control.  This feature can bring back neighborhood togetherness and community solidarity, as neighbors get to know one another better and form common dreams. 

But why is a new constitution needed?  The world and the nation have changed since the constitution was written in 1787 and since the current government was first implemented with the presidency of George Washington in 1789.  There have been 27 amendments to the constitution for repairs and updates from time to time, but an entirely new supreme civil document is now long overdue.  Dialogue and careful consideration is needed with full participation from every citizen. 

Some libertarians and original constitutionalists believe it was wrong to allow average citizens, rather than state legislators, to elect the US Senate (Amendment 17).  Others oppose the income tax altogether or the unfair way that the wealthy and poor are now taxed (Amendment 16).  Both conservatives and liberals would like to clarify the wording of the Second Amendment regarding the “right to bear arms”  and whether the Federal Reserve, a private organization, should have been formed in 1913 when the constitution says that Congress shall “coin money, [and] regulate the power thereof” (Article I, Section 8).  

Many people resent the fact that our supreme document makes reference to how slaves are counted (Article I, Section 2) and how slavery is to be allowed until 1808 (Article V).  Article V tells how the constitution can be amended, and it is more difficult to amend than any other constitution on earth.  Moreover, there is absolutely no place in the constitution that tells how it can be totally abolished, which Jefferson recommended doing with every new generation. 

Article I, Section 8 says that Congress has the ability to declare war, but current presidents start wars too freely.  It would also seem that the National Security Administration (NSA), the Pentagon, the CIA, FBI, and Homeland Security together represent a Shadow Government, the military-industrial complex, that pretty much does whatever it wants.  If voting could change anything significantly, it would be abolished or ignored by this Shadow Government.  As John Perkins, author of the book Confessions of an Economic Hitman says, “We cannot have homeland security until the whole earth is our homeland.” 

In a world that is changing fast, any new constitution must show how it can be amended and also abolished easily in a fair, orderly, and nonviolent way.  To make it easier to amend and to abolish our current constitution in a fair, orderly, and democratic way-- a constitutional amendment must be passed. 

Constitutional amendments are difficult to pass when the issues are polarized.  The Twenty-Sixth Amendment, which reduced the voting age to 18, was passed in a few months.  But if a new Twenty-Eighth Amendment proposal could show how a constitutional convention could be held that totally levels the playing field among Republicans, Democrats, and the 5 major political third parties, this idea could pick up momentum.  Here is one way the proposal could be written: 

Proposal for a Twenty-Eighth Amendment to Revise Article V: How to Amend and to Abolish the Constitution More Easily

The United States government can be changed through new amendments added to the constitution.  It can also be modified when Congress passes new federal laws or statutes.  But to change the federal government completely by abolishing the constitution, there has to be a Constitutional Convention to rewrite a new constitution. 

How to Add Amendments to the Current Constitution More Easily

To change or modify the federal government by merely adding amendments to the Constitution, the United States Congress (including both the House and the Senate) must pass any proposed amendment to the Constitution with at least a 67% majority in both Houses.  Additional ratification by 2/3 of the state legislatures is no longer required.

Amendments can also be added to the constitution if 2/3 of the state legislatures approve.  Congress, the President, and the Supreme Court are not authorized to interfere with this method.     

How to Abolish the 226-Year Old Constitution

The Constitution is the supreme civil law of the land.  A radically new constitution and government can be formed through a Constitutional Convention.  It can be achieved in a fair, orderly, and nonviolent way.  A new constitution would not need to throw out the best of the old.  The American people have a right to choose whether they want a new constitution.  Through their chosen representatives, an entirely new constitution can be made.  For now on, the decision to create a new supreme document will be considered by the American people at every presidential election.  Congress, under these new guidelines, will not be allowed to pass any amendment that cancels this method for abolishing the constitution. 

Every 4 years when Americans vote for a president, they can vote for or against having a Constitutional Convention.  If 51% or more of the voters say yes, then 100 delegates, chosen through proportional representation, will be sent to the Constitutional Convention to create a new constitution.  Then if 51% or more of the Constitutional Convention delegates approve any new document, the new government will be implemented 4 months later.  This orderly process will take 23 months.  

Here is how Proportional Representation can work in the selection of  constitutional convention delegates: American voters will study and evaluate the platforms and constitutions of the 7 largest national political parties.  Each voter will choose one of 7 political parties that he or she most identifies with for this purpose only.   Let us pretend that based on the latest national election, the 100 Constitutional Convention delegates will have these numbers or percentages: 20% Republican, 20% Democratic, 15% Libertarian, 15% Constitution Party, 15% Green Party, 10% Socialist, and 5% Communist. 

A National Elections Committee, whose executive directors will represent the 7 largest national political parties, will be established beforehand to guarantee impartial election officials.  Local election administrators will be professionalized.  The National Elections Committee may use a voter-verified, paper audit trail produced by standardized voting equipment, or it may decide to use paper ballots to prevent corruption.   The National Elections Committee will also be responsible for counting and verifying the membership of national political parties.    

The 23-Month Timeline for Creating the New Constitution and Implementing the New Government

If at presidential election time, the American people decide they want a Constitutional Convention, then they will have almost 5 months, from November through April, to officially register with a national political party for this purpose only. Websites such as www.politics1.com describe all the known national political parties.  Then during the month of May, no switches can be made as the official count is reported by the National Elections Committee.  

Any national political party that represents at least 1% or more of the nation’s eligible voters will participate in national public speeches and debates, held from June through August.  The political parties will also share their party platforms and their own proposed constitutions in writing. 

Then from September through December, the representative political parties will be narrowed down to the top 7 political parties only , as determined 4 months earlier in May, and these 7 parties will share their party platforms and proposed constitutions in writing, and they will engage in public speeches and debates. 

Then during the second week of January, voters will choose just one of the top 7 national political parties to identify with, if they want their vote to count.  

Let us pretend for pedagogical purposes that the 100 delegates from the top 7 national political parties will be comprised of the following numbers at the Constitutional Convention:  Republican Party, 20; Democratic Party, 20; Libertarian Party, 15; Green Party, 15; Constitution Party, 15; Socialist Party, 10; and Communist Party, 5.

On March 1, the Constitutional Convention delegates will meet at the Capitol building in Washington D.C.  The delegates will work from March through May to create a new constitution that 51% or more of the delegates approve. Each party will choose one of its delegates to be the potential chairman.  The 100 delegates as a group will then choose one delegate to be the chairman of the Convention using Instant Runoff Voting with 7 candidates (one from each party) on the slate. 

If the delegates agree on a new constitution with a 51% majority before the 3 months elapse, they must use the remaining days to hear dissenting voices in the constant effort to revise their document through consensus decision-making in order to get an even higher percentage of approval. If only 50% or less of the delegates approves the new constitution after working on it for 3 months, then the proposed document becomes void, and the current constitution remains official. 

However, if the new constitution is approved with a 51% majority or higher by the end of May, then the Constitutional Convention delegates will determine the specifics as to when and how the new government, based on the new constitution, will be implemented in a safe, orderly, and smooth way on October 1.

Summary of 23-Month Timeline for Creating the new Constitution and Implementing the New Government

November thru April—Each American voter chooses a national political party 

Month of May--Official count of voters in each political party is reported by the National Election Committee 

June thru August—Public speeches, forums, and written responses from all parties that captured at least 1% of the vote

September thru December—Speeches, debates, and written responses from the top 7 political parties only

Second week of January—Each American voter chooses just one of the top 7 national political parties to identify with for this purpose only

March thru May—The 3-month duration of the Constitutional Convention

October 1—The new government under the new constitution will be implemented  

(End of 23-Month Timeline and Timeline Summary) 

 The spoken and written words of the delegates must be publicized, and citizens will be allowed to voice their own opinions in the process.   

The US Congress, the President, and the US Supreme Court will not have the right to control a Constitutional Convention.  They can, however, express their opinions and recommendations in the process. 

(End of this Twenty-Eighth Amendment Proposal)

If the above Twenty-Eighth Amendment proposal is passed, many citizens on the political Right and the Left who have felt helpless, hopeless, and alienated about making any significant political changes, will, maybe for the first time, become animated by citizenship and politics.  If a new constitution can be simplified, shortened, modernized, easily amended, and easily abolished—a lot more people will feel empowered about making political changes that matter. 

Part 2: Why Marijuana/Hemp Legalization is our Second Best Hope

One of the biggest ironies of all time is the fact that the most versatile plant on the planet was made illegal in 1937—the marijuana/hemp plant.  Congress at the time was convinced that individuals go into murderous rampages under the influence of cannabis or pot.  It was made illegal for political reasons—its cultivation and uses cut deeply into the profits of certain corporations eager to sell alternative products. 

Jack Herer, author of  classic book Hemp and the Marijuana Conspiracy : The Emperor Wears No Clothes, argued that hemp could save the planet!  Cars, houses, rope, paper, and about 20,000 other household products could be made from this weed that does not require the artificial chemicals that growing corn and cotton require.  Birds prefer hemp seeds over all others.  When the seeds are made into a food, like porridge, it has more essential amino acids than any other plant.  As a medicine, it is an effective treatment for several diseases and ailments, especially glaucoma. 

During the Vietnam War, the anti-nuclear, anti-war, peace and love, civil rights, and feminists movements were also associated with the marijuana and psychedelic movements.  When a person has the proper mental set in a therapeutic, supportive setting, marijuana and psychedelics like LSD and peyote can cause the person to have a spiritual experience that provides self-understanding, which can lead to self-improvement. 

Graham Hancock gave a recent TED talk about the ayahuasca psychedelic plant blend, which when given to alcoholics and drug addicts in a controlled, therapeutic environment in South America, helped 50% of the patients overcome their addictions and turn their lives around as a result of a spiritual transformation. 

Growing up in a fundamentalist, Pentecostal church-cult setting, I know that alcoholics, drug addicts, and other unfortunates have turned their lives around completely when they have a come-to-Jesus spiritual cleansing or renewal. 

After taking  a course called Introduction to New Testament at a liberal seminary and doing other independent research on my own, I can say that there may not be a   Second Coming or a literal God , separate and distinct from the world, who has infinite love, knowledge, and power.  Furthermore, reincarnation may just be a warm and fuzzy fantasy--not literally true—as described in the Hindu, yoga, and Buddhist scriptures. 

But what is most important is that “the peace that passes all understanding,” agape, or unconditional love, and the shikinah glory mentioned in the Old and New Testaments; the blissful, enlightened states of loving-kindness described in Eastern traditions; and the psychedelic experiences of other truth seekers—all are powerful feelings, sensations, and beliefs that can create spiritual growth and improve a person’s social relationships.       

The US government does not want marijuana and other drugs legalized if the CIA can covertly sabotage democratically elected socialist governments (that are perceived as a threat to US transnational corporations) using illegal drug money.  Drug legalization would make the price go way down, and there is no faster and sure way to get money for illegal political activities, unbeknownst to the average American. 

But there may be another reason.  Individuals who have had mystical or spiritual experiences from marijuana and psychedelics often do not buy into consumerist materialism and the war addiction mentality that the mainstream media and   government promote. 

If the constitution, our supreme civil document, can be amended and abolished more easily; if hemp can be legally cultivated, as it was before 1937, for industrial, medical, and agricultural reasons; and if marijuana can be legalized for private home use and spiritual purposes in every state—we the people can create a new civilization that is ecologically and culturally sustainable. 

Roger Copple is 63 years old. He retired 3 years ago in 2010 from teaching general elementary, mostly 3^rd grade, and high school special education in Indianapolis.  He now lives in the Bradenton/Sarasota area of Florida.  He lives in one of those 55+ communities and misses seeing young people when he looks out the window.  He is deeply grateful that he stuck it out to get a teacher’s pension and started getting his Social Security early at age 62.  He now hopes to make a contribution to society through further study, reflection, and writing.