Battling the Con-Con in Iowa by Educating Legislators
by Tammy Kobza, Regional Field Director
The strength of The John Birch Society is our national presence, the relationships we develop with state legislators, and the quality of the resources we offer them. Every year, we stand up and fight the well-funded propagandists and promoters of Convention of States (COS). We know the battle to stop an Article V convention may never be fully realized until those wanting to bring down our great nation are stopped.
In Iowa this year, Birchers and like-minded patriots worked hard by calling, emailing, lobbying, and educating legislators about the dangers of an Article V convention. No applications passed this session, though some resolutions were placed on the “unfinished business” calendar at the end of the session. Our work continues as we contact and educate legislators during the off-season, and particularly reach out to committees in both the Senate and House.
The upside of this battle is that our state legislators’ knowledge increases with our continued education. This results in legislators becoming more confident in pushing back against COS’s talking points.
We educated our legislators with the numerous JBS interviews of state legislators from across the nation — in Wyoming, Idaho, and other states — as they testified to the dirty tactics of COS (https://gojt.us/cp9w). South Dakota state Senator David Johnson exposed COS’s use of fake petitions and called them out for “public deception and public deceit” (https://gojt.us/27ha). He even received a pro-COS petition allegedly signed by his own wife (see his comments beginning at the 11:13 mark)! This prompts the question: If COS is willing to use such tactics, shouldn’t we pause and consider the end goal they are advocating?
The COS funneled a great deal of money and energy into Iowa. They were often present at the Capitol. Former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum was often met with challenging questions by legislators. Surprised, he would quickly retreat as he had no sound response to their legitimate concerns.
COS held what they marketed as a “town hall.” It seemed more of an “infomercial,” as no questions from the audience were allowed, but only those that were filtered through a pro-COS legislator. Birchers wanted to ask how COS could allow a Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) member, Robert P. George, to sit on its board when the CFR is a globalist entity pushing for a one-world government. Mr. George’s version of a new Constitution has gutted the Second Amendment, among other harmful changes. One attendee, who came wanting to learn more, told COS supporters afterward he was now convinced of the dangers! He also joined the JBS.
Perhaps one of the strongest sledgehammers to the COS movement in Iowa was an interview by Iowa state Representative Helena Hayes that occurred at the end of the session (https://gojt.us/fi4e). JBS HQ’s lightning-fast response to our request to interview Rep. Hayes may have been the final death knell to the 2023 COS resolution. Combining these interviews with Iowa talk-show host Tamara Scott’s interviews of numerous JBS staff added up to another year of success.
The JBS offers solutions: Enforce and adhere to the Constitution, and nullify unconstitutional laws. Please use our Congressional and Legislative Scorecards, at TheFreedomIndex.org, to help achieve these solutions.