I think that you are right. We do not need an "improved" Constitution. We need to improve our governments' obedience to it. Ultimately it always boils down to the quality of the electorate. Looking at the results through two centuries plus of history, that deterioration is pretty palpable to me. And yet, we are so proud of our "progress". Wait! I heard once upon a time that pride is a sin. I AM worried.

before the 17th amendment, about 100 years ago, Senators were not elected. Old windbags like McCain and McConnell didn't exists. We had Senators, we just didn't elect them. They were appointed by the legislatures of the separate states. They were sen to Washington expressly to protect States rights in this experimental form of government. It really meant that if McCain got too far out on that hawkish limb that he loves so, his boss in Arizona could call him down, or call him back home and replace him with someone looking out for Arizona. Just think how refreshing it would be if the Senate Majority leader was under the controlling influence of his bosses in Nevada, instead of the White House.

The drift away from state's right began when congress amended the constitution and negated the check that was in place to preserve state's rights. Part of the issue is deciding which Constitution you want to follow. The one written by the founders is my choice. There are many others, after many amendments. We are following the one we have today. It is a living and breathing one and if it won't yield the President had created precedent for the executive order/fiat government we no enjoy.

I'm saying of course it would get hijacked. A constitutional convention is just another group of representatives. It will get hijacked the same way that other group of representatives called the Congress have been hijacked.

The problem isn't needed changes to the Constitution. The problem is that the Constitution is no longer followed.

The basis of your position is we are not smart enough to govern ourselves, therefore we should leave this to our representatives. We'd better not try the Constitutional convention thing, it could get hi-jacked. If you look around, that is exactly how we got where we are. The convention wouldn't be hi-jacked because of the super majority it takes to affirm an amendment.

You're say if we reached 37 states required to start the process, once open a simple majority would allow additions and changes. That's not the case. Harry Reid would be able to pull some special rule he just made up to get a vote from a partial body the night before Christmas, call it a finance vote and pass an amendment.

To ratify takes 2/3 at the convention then it has to make the circuit through the states. You're probably right. We'd better leave this in the hands of Nancy and Harry.

Constitutional Convention = Really REALLY Bad Idea!

You do realize that if you call a Constitutional Convention - they can rewrite anything they want?

Babylon 5 was the best science fiction TV series. The "gift" was a Drakh (alien) keeper, to pop out and enslave David's mind when he was a teenager.

This was resolved in "Out of the Darkness", the last book in the "Legions of Fire" trilogy by Peter David. This outstanding trilogy chronicles the enslavement of Centauri by the Drakh, the resistance movement led by Vir Cotto, and the eventual defeat of the Drakh.

[Spoiler alert]

Vir confronts the Drakh master of Londo -- Shiv'kala, who spawned David's keeper (and shares a link to it). Then Garibaldi (played by Jerry Doyle on the TV series) pops out of hiding and shoots Shiv'kala, wounding him. Then Vir takes the PPG and blasts Shiv'kala's head off. All links are broken to his keepers, which frees David Sheridan instantly as the keeper dies.

I have watched or listened to most of the personalities mention in the thread. Few of them have a plan of action. Fewer still, a call to action. All are very good at illumination the issue from every possible point of view. Rush is extremely smooth at providing information that sounds like it came from his lips, only to listen closely to the next day explanation that those weren't his thoughts, he was quoting from ...

Without a call to action, it is just entertainment. For the most part that's what radio is and always has been, entertainment. Still, we listen. We realize they are only preaching to the choir and that really doesn't change the polls.

My choice is Mark Levin. Yes he rants and raves, that's his schtick. "GET OFF OF MY PHONE, YOU IDIOT!" He also writes and teaches. Once in a while he meets a candidate that he's impressed with. I think the clearest path to a constitutional government are the steps outlined in Levin's book, "The Liberty Amendments". After reading, I was moved enough to write the Governor and Attorney General of Ohio to urge them to start a Constitutional Convention. I found Kasich already has one going, it focuses on one of Levin's points, it is unclear if he is willing to broaden it.

If you want to force change, you have to put pressure in a place they can't get away from it. That is what Levin is recommending in his book. I'm not selling books, but I'm not giving away the ending either. It's worth the journey to read it yourself.

Does "Broadcast News" mean any local news channel? All I can think of is the movie with Holly Hunter and Albert Brooks: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092699/

After Fox's lack of coverage of Ron Paul's campaign, I no longer trust them. They just offer a different flavor of propaganda, and further the Republican vs. Democrat divide-and-conquer strategy. I get my news from independent sources, like The Corbett Report. His website got a makeover, and looks very professional now: http://www.corbettreport.com/

Your memory is remarkable, JohnRobert2.

Thanks, Jan and JohnRobert

It is available online - eBay and Amazon both sell the B5 collection. I have almost worn one of the DVD's out (had to buy individual episodes on Amazon Video when they would no longer play on the disk). I did not know one could 'wear out' a dvd...

Jan
(But skip season 5. Watch up through the next-to-last episode of season 4, then go to the very last episode on season 5 - this is the sequence the episodes were actually filmed in.)

That would be Michael Ansara in one of the Season 4 or Season 5 episodes (I can't tell you right now as they are packed away for our coming move.). The technomages were leaving human space because of the coming war with the Shadows.

Part is VCR and part is DVD. Seasons 1-2 are on VCR, 3-5 are DVD. Looking to get 1-2 on DVD and cut down shelf space use.

Where did you get that collection? That might be worth getting on DVD.

One of the characters referred to himself as a technomage, saying that it looked like magic to other people but that is was clever use of technology to him. I see myself that way.

I have the entire B5 collection. Last episode was great tearjerker, though I never saw a resolution of Molari's "gift" to the infant, David Sheridan.

Wow, the charts in the article show why many liberals and democrats don't have the facts. And, if the democratic party concentrates on immigration reform and climate change we should see some landslide elections coming.

I think "Broadcast News" and "Public Television" score as high in the poll as they do simply because many respondents don't have cable television. If this were not the case, Fox and the other cable channels would probably score higher.

Jerry Doyle is pretty entertaining, but our local radio station dropped him, too. I miss his Babylon 5 days as chief security officer.

Levin has been ranting and leaping to conclusions a bit more than he used to, but he is still pretty good. Rush is entertaining. I like Dennis Miller and Jerry Doyle. Jerry started Epic News, which has interesting articles but terrible, left wing, interpretive headline writers. Though, I can't find Jerry anymore except rebroadcasts late at night.