NASH, Texas -- Members of Bowie County Patriots gathered Thursday night to hear speaker Heather Hobbs, a regional coordinator for the John Birch Society. She led a discussion on the concept of the Convention of States, an idea being bandied about in various circles, especially among some politically conservative groups. That is the process that must be activated to amend the Constitution of the United States.
Hobbs does not believe that this is the best way to approach dealing with perceived federal government overreach.
"The problem with calling a constitutional convention, is that it puts everything on the table," Hobbs said. "Every bit of the Constitution is in play at that point, subject to alterations imparted by the process as orchestrated by the delegates attending."
Some believe that alterations and amendments, the worst elements, can be curtailed by the right delegates.
"Are you sure about that?," she asked. "You cannot control directly the selection of those delegates, never mind what those delegates do, never mind delegates from the other states."
Her point was that a constitutional convention is too much of a wildcard. She recommended nullification, the process of which was arranged by the federalist structure of the United States. If a state objects to a move by the federal government, a state government can declare the illegitimacy of said move and refuse to honor it.
"Yes, this can cause a reprisal from the federal authorities, such as withholding funds or similar penalties, but that is a small price to pay, compared to what the federal may want to do," she said.
A lively discussion unfolded around the room, discussing both nullification and a convention of states to use to address federal overreach.
Joe Crews, one of the attendees, said the problem is that the election of delegates cannot be trusted.
"The swamp chooses the delegates in a convention of states," he said. "On the other hand, nullification, a state can tell the federal government it is out of bounds. Feds may restrict federal money. That may hurt momentarily, but it would cut the strings of federal dependence away."
Hobbs talked a bit about her own background, growing up in a culturally left family, but finding Christianity later in her life, which she credits in large part to the arrival of her first child, a child conceived in a rape that she was encouraged to abort.
"This is part of why I fight for conservative values," she said. "Planned Parenthood was in my school when I was a kid. When I chose to keep my first child under those circumstances, seeing my daughter soften my heart and opened me to Jesus."
She is the mother of four children today.
"The great evils in our country are connected," said Hobbs. "Those in our community wondering whether to become more involved in issues in our community, I say do it ... we must become more involved. And so must (our children) when they become of age. If we don't, we may lose the country we had when we were children."
She added, "We The People are the ones who can stop the ills that threaten our community, our nation. We don't do that by giving the federal government more power through a Convention of States. We have to be willing to teach everyone. If we don't, we will lose our country."
Hobbs called Texas a beacon of light for the nation.
"Everyone in the world knows where Texas is," she said. "We must be active. Nullification is one of the best ways to protect our freedom."
(You can find Bowie County Patriots on Facebook. They meet every Thursday at 6 p.m., at Jake's Barbecue on New Boston Road in Nash, Texas.)