What Is Christmas?

                We each have our own favorite ways to celebrate Christmas – or not.   There is something special about the Christmas season, something that is different than any other time of year; it is the Christmas spirit.  I believe this special feeling is the spirit of Christ; I believe it is His love shedding forth on earth through those who love Him and follow Him.

                This time of year is “simple in origin, deep in meaning, beautiful in tradition and custom, rich in memories, and charitable in spirit.”  We are attracted to this wonderful time of year, and we receive a “measure of happiness that corresponds to the degree in which we have turned our mind, feelings, and actions to the spirit of Christmas.”  Even though Christmas is a large part of who we are, do we really know what Christmas is?

                President Thomas S. Monson, while serving as a counselor in the First Presidency, shared his thoughts about what Christmas is.  He said that Christmas is 1) children, 2) remembering, 3) giving, 4) prophecy fulfilled.  (“What Is Christmas? Ensign, Dec. 1998).  

                What would Christmas be without children, memories, and giving?  I would miss those three ingredients in Christmas, but the most important part of Christmas is that it fulfills prophecy.  President Monson is a master story teller, and he tells this story so well that I will use his words to do so.

                “On the eve of His birth, the voice of the Lord came unto Nephi, saying, `Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfil all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets’ (Book of Mormon – Another Testament of Jesus Christ, 3 Nephi 1:13).

                “What did the holy prophets of old declare?  Isaiah, more than 700 years before the birth of Christ, prophesied, `Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).

                “On the American continent, King Benjamin said, `For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent … shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay.  … He shall suffer temptations, and pain.  … And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary” (Book of Mormon, Mosiah 3:5, 7-8).

                “Then came that night of nights when the shepherds were abiding in the fields and the angel of the Lord appeared to them, announcing:  `Fear not:  for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy.  … For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord’ (Luke 2:10-11).

                “The shepherds with haste went to the manger to pay honor to Christ the Lord.  Later, wise men journeyed from the East to Jerusalem, saying, `Where is he that is born King of the Jews?  For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.  … When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.  And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him:  and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts:  gold, and frankincense, and myrrh’ (Matthew 2:2, 10-11).

                “Since that time, the spirit of giving gifts has been present in the mind of each Christian as he or she commemorates the Christmas season.  Our Heavenly Father gave to us His Son, Jesus Christ.  That precious Son gave to us His life, the Atonement, and victory over the grave.  What will you and I give for Christmas this year?  Let us in our lives give to our Lord and Savior the gift of gratitude by living His teachings and following in His footsteps.  It was said of Him that He `went about doing good’ (Acts 10:38).  As we do likewise, the Christmas spirit will be ours.”

                We gain from the Christmas season the measure of happiness that fits the degree to which we have the spirit of Christmas.  This Christmas spirit can be found in children, in our memories, in giving to others, and in studying the original Christmas story, a story of prophecy fulfilled.  I hope we can all remember to be grateful to the Lord for all that He does for us and to show our gratitude by living His teachings, following in His footsteps, and doing good. 

Be Prepared

                Families, communities, and nations are strengthened when each of us practice preparedness.  When we practice preparedness, we prepare our homes and our families to be self-reliant in any emergency.  True self-reliance involves preparedness physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and financially.  We can prepare for emergencies – whether personal, community, or national.

                This site lists ten ways to be prepared for a total breakdown of society.  I am not sure I support all the suggestions but will list them.  1) Build a surplus of food that will sustain life and that you will rotate regularly; store at least enough food to last three months, preferably longer.  2) Build a support group of neighbors, church members, and other people in your neighborhood.  We are more apt to survive a disaster if we are surrounded by like-minded people.  3) Build an electric fence about fifteen feet tall around your property.  4) Learn to hunt by buying a gun, learning correct safety measures; learn how to shoot a moose (or whatever), gut it, skin it, and process the meat.  Having accompanied hunters on numerous hunting expeditions, I know that all this takes great skill in order not to waste the flesh.  5) Gain some life skills, such as gardening, sewing, carpentry, mechanical, etc.  These skills could be used to barter for items you do not have.  6) Make your own bio diesel.  7) Build a greenhouse.  A greenhouse is helpful in starting seeds and lengthening the growing season.  8) Learn how to garden and practice growing food on your own property – backyard garden, pots on a deck, etc.  I have a large raspberry patch but stopped gardening until last summer.  All of a sudden, I realized that I needed to know how to sprout seeds and grow plants.  I am particularly interested in having plants in my yard that will come back each spring such as raspberries and rhubarb, but I am also learning how to grow annual plants also.  I really enjoyed having fresh lettuce and tomatoes from my own “garden.”  9) Store some water.  We need to store one gallon of water per person per day.  It may be a good thing to prepare to collect rain water and purify it.  10) Get solar power panels for your roof.

                The items on the above list that I would prioritize are 1) food storage, including foods that do not need to be heated or cooked, 2) water storage, 3) skills of all types, and 4) tools for gardening, building, repairing, etc.  I would add a source of heat and cooking and an emergency supply of cash in smaller bills.

                I believe the above physical preparations are very important for survival, but I also believe that being prepared emotionally, mentally, and spiritually are also important.  Are you tough enough mentally or emotionally to go through hard times?  Are you spiritually strong enough to keep your spirits alive and maybe strengthening other people?  When the Mormon pioneers were crossing the plains to the Salt Lake Valley, particularly the Willie and Martin handcart companies, many people died along the way.  Some of the people that died simply gave up – quit.  Do you have the stamina to keep going when faced with hard things?

                With a little effort, we can practice preparedness and be prepared for whatever life throws at us.  By planning ahead and preparing for emergencies, we can strengthen our families, communities, and nations.

Mentors Help

                We can bring the greatest of all liberties into our individual lives by living true and correct principles.  This liberty comes to us as we learn to live as though Jesus Christ were walking beside us.  We gain this freedom when we invite the Holy Ghost into our lives.

                The liberty principle for today is the ninth in a series of true principles suggested by Elder Richard G. Scott in his book 21 Principles – Divine Truths to Help You Live by the Spirit.  I will merely introduce the principle and suggest that you obtain Elder Scott’s book in order to truly understand this principle.  Elder Scott explained that principles “are concentrated truth, packaged for application to a wide variety of circumstances.  A true principle makes decisions clear even under the most confusing and challenging circumstances.”  You can see principle #1 “True Principles of Freedom” here, principle #2 “Trust the Holy Ghost” here,  principle #3 “Try New Things” here,  principle #4 “Accept Promptings” here, principle #5 “Decisions Determine Destiny” here, principle #6 “Accept God’s Will” here, principle #7 “Power Limited” here, and principle #8 “Discerning Answers” here.  

                Principle #9 is the simple counsel that our answers to prayer sometimes comes through inspired counsel from mentors.  Elder Scott taught, “One of the great sources of help we can receive as we make our way through mortality comes from the presence in our lives of mentors, people who want to help us, who are interested in our well-being, who may have had greater experience than we have.  Such a person needs not be older that we are, but should be someone who is willing to give counsel that is founded in principle and doctrine.

                “Some of the greatest lessons I have learned in my life have been taught to me by those brethren and sisters who have mentored me, given me counsel, seen me struggling with an issue and taken the time to share their experience and provide tremendous encouragement….

                “Sometimes just the way a person lives provides a mentoring experience for others…” (pp. 45-46).

                My life has been blessed by the experiences of many mentors.  My parents and siblings have been very helpful to me in numerous situations; my children have also helped me with their knowledge and experiences.  I am always willing to listen to someone who I know cares about me and wants to help me.  I received life-changing counsel by listening to a song in sacrament meeting.  I do not know or remember the title of the song but the following words continue to ring in my mind:  “How many drops of blood did the Savior shed for me?”  Since I heard those words, I have tried to live my life in such a way that I would not cause Him to shed any more drops for me.

                Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles also spoke about mentoring:  “Each of us, from time to time, is mentored and has chances to mentor.  In my experience, truthful and caring one-liners that occur within such nurturing relationships have a long shelf life!  You can probably recount three or four examples of how people have said something – probably a sentence or clause – and you remember it still.  It moves and touches you still.  Such has been the case with me….

                “Thurs, giving encouragement and perspective to each other – including spiritual one-liners – occurs in life so often, as in the well-known case of the young man who accompanied Elisha on the mount that was surrounded with hostile horses and chariots.  The anxious young man asked, `How shall we do?’ (2 Kings 6:15).  His eyes were then opened so that he too saw the reassuring horses and chariots of fire.  Elisha counseled the young man, `They that be with us are more than they that be with them’ (2 Kings 6:16).  How vital that same truth is for all of us, especially when we may seem outnumbered or overwhelmed in life’s varied circumstances.”

                Elder Maxwell continued by explaining that “Jesus’ mentoring and tutoring arose out of His divinity, of which I testify, and often occurred in the form of searching questions, sometimes even wrenching questions.  For example, the tender, thrice-put query to Peter:  `Simon Peter, … lovest thou me?’ (John 21:15; see also John 21:16-17).

                “Unlike some of our questions to others, Jesus’ questions were not flippant, nor were they mere rejoinders.  Instead, they were true invitations, though only the meek may actually respond.  Nevertheless, deep insights are embedded in Christ’s questions!

                “Lesson-laden, Jesus’ questions are relevant for us too.  Some are multidispensational, such as the question to the returning and healed leper about the forgetful ingratitude of his peers.  Jesus asked the question, `Where are the [other] nine?’ (Luke 17:17).

                “Some of the Master’s queries require an entire shift in one’s frame of reference.  Consider the question asked the brilliant but as yet spiritually untamed Saul on the road to Damascus:  `Saul, Saul, why persecutes thou me?’ (Acts 9:4).  An entire frame of reference was changed by an inspired question.

                “There are tactical advantages as well as spiritual advantages that can accompany inspired questions….

                “Moreover, we soon find in this process of tutoring and mentoring that chastening may be involved in both the Lord’s questions and in His training of us.  The Lord tells us that He chastens those whom He loves.  In fact, the chastened may be the only individuals willing so to learn (see Mosiah 23:21).  After all, where could one get more profound, personal insights than from the Lord – and in the context of divine charity?”

                Elder Maxwell’s talk has many more profound and interesting thoughts about mentoring.  I encourage you to read the entire talk here.  (“Jesus, the Perfect Mentor,” Ensign, February 200).  I am grateful for mentoring given by Elder Maxwell and sorely miss him since his death.  I am however blessed with many other mentors who continue to give me greater understanding in various areas of my life.  I hope that I have been of help to other people!

Abortions and Breast Cancer

                A group of researchers in China published a meta-analysis (a study of studies that combines the results of many studies) of the association between induced abortion and the risk of breast cancer among Chinese females.  They searched six databases (three English and three Chinese) for studies up to December 2012.  The review included a total of 36 articles.  Induced abortion “(IA) is significantly associated with an increased risk of breast cancer among Chinese females, and the risk of breast cancer increases as the number of IA increases.  If IA were to be confirmed as a risk factor for breast cancer, high rates of IA in China may contribute to increasing breast cancer rates.”  This means that women who had one induced abortion had a greater risk of having breast cancer than women who had no induced abortions, women with two induced abortions had greater risk than women with one, and women with three induced abortions had greater risk than women with two.

                Joel Brind, PhD, called the Chinese meta-analysis “a real game changer.  Not only does it validate the earlier findings from 1996, but its findings are even stronger, for several reasons….”

                Dr. Brind, a biology professor at New York City’s Baruch College, published a review in the British Medical Association’s epidemiology journal with colleagues from Penn State Medical Center in 1996, reporting “an overall significant 30% increased risk of breast cancer in worldwide studies.”  Many medical experts and researchers denied the possible link between the two for decades.  Now the Chinese meta-analysis is claiming a connection also and shows an even stronger link between abortions and breast cancer, a significant 44%.

                “Finally, the new Chinese meta-analysis follows on the heels of the recent decisions of the US 10^th Circuit Court of Appeals which upheld the religious freedom rights of companies wanting to opt out of Obamacare, since Obamacare insurance funds contraceptive steroids and abortions.  The Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer and the Breast Cancer Prevention Institute filed amicus curiae briefs for these cases, briefs which were specifically cited in the 10^th Circuit’s decision with respect to the cancer-causing effects of these steroid drugs (innocuously referred to as `the pill’, in common parlance).  At least two of these cases have just been accepted by the US Supreme Court for review in their next session.”  

                This information tells us that our tax money, through Obamacare, may be used indirectly to cause breast cancer.  I do not want my tax money used for abortions, and I definitely do not want to pay for cancer-causing abortions!

Signs of the Times

                Are we seeing signs of the last days before the return of Jesus Christ to earth?  The Apostles of Jesus Christ desired to know “what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”  (See Matthew 24:3.)  Christ listed several signs for the discerning believers to know when His coming was near: the gathering of the “elect” (v. 27), wars and rumors of wars (v. 28), famines, pestilences, and earthquakes

(v. 29), great iniquity and love waxing cold (v. 30), the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ in all the world (v. 31), and the “abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, [will] be fulfilled” (v. 32).  Immediately following this tribulation the sun and moon will be darkened and the stars will fall from the sky (v. 33).  Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and He will return to earth “with power and great glory” (v. 36).

                The late Elder Bruce R. McConkie, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, described fifty-one signs of the times in his book Mormon Doctrine.  Before doing so, he explained why the Lord sends signs:  “In every age the Lord sends forth clearly discernible signs and warnings so that those who are spiritually inclined can know of his hand-dealings with men.  In the meridian of time, when Jewish tempters, members of `a wicked and adulterous generation,’ came desiring that `he would shew them a sign from heaven,’ he rebuked and derided them by asking, `Can ye not discern the signs of the times?’ (Matthew 16:1-4.)  To the faithful elders carrying the message of salvation to the world in this dispensation, the Lord has given this promise:  `Unto you it shall be given to know the signs of the times, and the signs of the coming of the Son of Man.’ (Doctrine and Covenants 68:11.)

                “As used in these scriptures, signs are the recognizable events or occurrences which identify present and which portend future events.  They are omens, prodigies, wonders, and marvels of abnormal occurrence.  Times means the age, era, period, or dispensation involved.  Thus the signs of the times for our age or dispensation are the marvelous events – differing in kind, extent, or magnitude from events of past times – which identify the dispensation of the fulness of times and presage the Second Advent of our Lord.  (Joseph Fielding Smith, Signs of the Times; Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 3, pp. 19-37.)

                “By the power of the Holy Ghost the faithful saints are able to discern the signs of the times, signs preparatory to and part of this final great dispensation….” 

                Elder McConkie then began his list with descriptions of fifty-one signs, many of which have already occurred or are in the process.  His list includes the following:  1) Spirit to be poured out on all flesh; 2) Discovery and use of printing; 3) Protestant Reformation and Age of Renaissance; 4) Discovery and colonization of America; 5) Establishment of the American nation; 6) Translation and printing of the Bible; 7) Establishment of the U.S. Constitution; 8) Latter-day revelation; 9) Coming forth of the Book of Mormon; 10) Opposition to the Book of Mormon;

                11) Restoration of keys and priesthood; 12) Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ; 13) Messenger to precede the Second Coming (“Both John the Baptist and the Prophet Joseph Smith have ministered in our day in fulfilment of this ancient prediction.”); 14) Church and Kingdom set up again (“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the kingdom of God on earth.”) 15) Growth of the Church (now with 15 million members); 16) Gathering of Israel (“The drawing power of the Church from all nations is one of the marvels of the ages.”) 17) Ten Tribes to return; 18) Times of Gentiles being fulfilled; 19) Return of Judah to Jerusalem; 20) Jews begin to believe in Christ (“Much of the old Jewish bitterness against Christ has ceased; many now accept him as a great Rabbi, though not the Son of God.  A few have accepted him in the full sense, coming into the true Church…. But the great conversion of the Jews, their return to the truth as a nation, is destined to follow the Second Coming of their Messiah….”)

                21) Building of latter-day temples; 22) Lord to come suddenly to temple (“Malachi preserved for us the promise that the Lord would suddenly come to his temple in the last days prior to the great and dreadful day of the Lord, an event which actually took place … on the 3^rd of April in 1836.  [Malachi 3:1; Doctrine and Covenants 110:1-10.]  This is one of those prophetic utterances destined for dual fulfillment, however, and the Lord yet again shall come suddenly to others of his temples, including the great temple to be erected in Jackson County.”)  22) Spirit of Elijah and genealogical research; 24) Persecution of the Saints (“Where the gospel is, there will be opposition and persecution, for Lucifer will not stand idly by while the work of God rolls forward….”  25) Persecution of the Jews; 26) True gospel to be preached in all the world; 27) Worldly knowledge to increase; 28) Scientific and inventive progress; 29) Disease, plague, pestilence to sweep earth; 30) Elements in commotion;

                31) Disasters and calamities to abound; 32) Strikes, anarchy, violence to increase; 33) Latter-day wickedness; 34) Spirit ceasing to strive with wicked; 35) Peace taken from the earth; 36) Angels now reaping the earth; 37) Wars and rumors of wars; 38) Famines, depressions, and economic turmoil; 39) Apostate darkness covers the earth; 40) Many false churches in latter-days;

                41) Refusal of men to believe signs of times; 42) Signs on earth in heavens; 43) Lamanites to blossom as the rose; 44) The gathering at Adam-ondi-ahman.  45) Final great war to attend second coming; 46) Sorrow and fear precede and accompany second coming; 47) Fall of the great and abominable church; 48) Special mission in Jerusalem of two latter-day prophets; 49) Wicked to be burned as stubble; 50) Final restitution of all things to be completed; 51) Christ to reign personally upon the earth.  (See Mormon Doctrine, pp. 715-734).

                Today I am pondering several of these signs.  Even though much of the commotion does not make the news, sign #30, elements in commotion, is definitely being fulfilled.  Under the date of December 1, 2013, this site has a chart of thirty-three volcanoes currently erupting.  Combine that knowledge with the fact that only a few weeks ago the most powerful typhoon ever recorded destroyed parts of the Philippines.  Haiyan brought devastation that was catastrophic and flattened homes, schools, and hospitals.  It left thousands of people dead and millions without shelter.

                This author blames this typhoon and other meteorological phenomenon on climate change:  “If the Philippines typhoon was an isolated incident, it would be a meteorological phenomenon, but the real worry is that far from being isolated, these events are both frequent and increasingly severe.  This typhoon comes on top of other extraordinary meteorological events that have occurred recently; unprecedented floods caused by a cyclone in Sardinia last week; unprecedented typhoons [tornadoes?] in the United States a few weeks ago; unprecedented rains that caused the Pakistan floods in August and last year.”

                This site has a chart of recent natural disasters and then gives further information.  These are the natural disasters of the past two weeks: 

                Sunday, December 1, 2013:  Flooding and landslides in Indonesia’s Sumatra Island killed at least nine people.  Flooding in Havana, Cuba, killed two people.  A 5.6 earthquake near Iran’s nuclear plant claimed the lives of at least eight people, injured more than two hundred, and destroyed more than two hundred homes.

                Friday, November 29, 2013:  At least 45 sinkholes in Nepal have displaced more than 50 families in a week and swallowed several houses.

                Wednesday, November 27, 2013:  A landslide at an open pit coal mine in China claimed three lives and buried four people.

                Sunday, November 24, 2013:  A winter storm killed 13 people in Oklahoma, Texas, California, Arizona, and New Mexico.  Flooding in Thailand killed at least three people and displaced tens of thousands.  An avalanche in Japan claimed the lives of at least seven people.

                Saturday, November 23, 2013:  Heavy storm in Greece claimed the lives of at least two people and left another person missing.

                Friday, November 22, 2013:  Cyclone Helen hit India and claimed the lives of ate least seven people; it left 20 fishermen missing and severe damage in the flood zone.

                Thursday, November 21, 2013:  Flooding in Baghdad, Iraq, claimed the lives of at least 11 people and sent 50 families to shelter at a tourist resort. 

                Tuesday, November 19, 2013:  A landslide at a goldmine in Guinea claimed at least 12 lives and left 11 other people missing.

                These are the recent weather conditions or elements in commotion that claimed lives.  There are many other weather-related disasters that did not claim lives or make the list.  I think that we can agree that the elements of nature are in commotion.  Does all this commotion constitute a “sign of the times”?

Paul Revere

                Paul Revere is best known for his midnight ride on Tuesday night, April 18, 1775, the night before the Battle of Lexington.  He was born on January 1, 1735, in Boston, Massachusetts, of French ancestry.  He was the oldest son of a silversmith; he learned his father’s trade well and made many copper engravings.

                Revere married Sarah Orne in 1757; the couple became parents of eight children before Sarah passed away in 1773.  He took a second wife, Rachael Walker, and this couple also became parents of eight children.  Revere passed away on May 10, 1818, in Boston, Massachusetts.

                After the Revolutionary War, Revere returned to his silversmith trade and expanded his business to include “iron casting, bronze bell and cannon casting, and the forging of copper bolts and spikes.  Finally in 1800 he became the first American to successfully roll copper into sheets for use as sheathing on naval vessels.”

                Revere passed away on May 10, 1818, in Boston. Massachusetts.  After his death, his oldest surviving son, Joseph Warren Revere, took over the family business.  “The copper works founded in 1801 continues today as the Revere Copper Company, with manufacturing divisions in Rome, New York, and New Bedford, Massachusetts.”

                In 1861, more than 40 years after Paul Revere’s famous midnight ride, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote his poem entitled “Paul Revere’s Ride.”  “Longfellow’s poem is not historically accurate, but the inaccuracies were deliberate.  Longfellow had researched the historical event … but he manipulated the facts for poetic effect.  The poem was one of a series in which he sought to create American legends; ….  Longfellow was successful in creating a legend:  Revere’s stature rose significantly in the years following the poem’s publication.

                “Parts of the ride in Massachusetts are now posted with signs marked `Revere’s Ride”.  The route follows Main Street in Charlestown, Broadway and Main Street in Somerville, Main Street and High Street in Medford, Medford Street to Arlington center, and Massachusetts Avenue the rest of the way through Lexington and into Lincoln.  Revere’s ride is reenacted annually.”

                The first two verses of the poem follow.  For the rest of the long poem, click here.  

                Listen, my children, and you shall hear

                Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,

                On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five:

                Hardly a man is now alive

                Who remembers that famous day and year.

                He said to his friend, “If the British march

                By land or sea from the town to-night,

                Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry-arch

                Of the North-Church-tower, as a signal-light,--

                One if by land, and two if by sea;

                And I on the opposite shore will be,

                Ready to ride and spread the alarm

                Through every Middlesex village and farm,

                For the country-folk to be up and to arm.”

Constitutional Conventions

                The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday comes from Article V, Section 1:  “[If Congress fails to pass an amendment desired by the people] on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress….”  This provision in the Constitution gave the people an alternative route to amend the Constitution if Congress failed to act.

                “This procedure was reserved for a situation in which Congress would not act on a matter which the people strongly desired to have approved.  It simply required two-thirds of the states to petition Congress for a convention where they could independently review the matter and submit any proposed amendment to the state legislatures.  If three-fourths of the state legislatures or state conventions ratified the amendment, it would become part of the Constitution without required approval of either the Congress or the President.

                “The Congress has been anxious to prevent this second method from being used, so whenever nearly two-thirds of the states have petitioned for a convention, the Congress has capitulated and passed the amendment itself.  This is what happened with the Seventeenth Amendment [changing the way Senators are elected].

                “It was the intent of the Founders to provide this second method of amending the Constitution as a protection against a hierarchy of power that might take over Washington and become a self-perpetuating demagoguery which the people could not control.  Such a situation arises when an oligarchy of wealth or a structured power bloc gains control of the following:  1) The leadership of both political parties; 2) The majority of the Supreme Court; 3) The majority of the Congress; 4) The White House; 5) The media; and 6) the major centers of education and intellectual opinion making.

                “This much control over a nation completely debilitates the normal operation of constitutional procedures.  The Founders therefore provided this special safety net in Article V to allow the people to regain control of their affairs without even going through Washington.”  (See W. Cleon Skousen in The Making of America – The Substance and Meaning of the Constitution, pp. 647-648.)

                As I read the six conditions listed above, I realized that our nation now meets every condition to one degree or another.  If the state legislatures have not been compromised, we may be hearing a cry for a constitutional convention soon.

                Trent England and Matthew Spalding of The Heritage Foundation gave additional information about this clause.  “The advantage of the Amendments Clause was immediately apparent.  The lack of a bill of rights … became a rallying cry during the ratification debate.  Partly to head off an attempt to call for another general convention, but mostly to legitimize the Constitution among patriots who were Anti-Federalists, the advocates of the Constitution (led by Madison) agreed to add amendments in the first session of Congress.  North Carolina and Rhode Island acceded to the Constitution, and further disagreements were cabined within the constitutional structure…..

                “Since 1789, over 5,000 bills proposing to amend the Constitution have been introduced in Congress; thirty-three amendments have been sent to the states for ratification [with twenty-seven ratified].  No attempt by the states to call a convention has ever succeeded, though some have come within one or two states of the requisite two-thirds.  The movement favoring direct election of Senators was just one state away from an amending convention when Congress proposed the Seventeenth Amendment….

                “In the end, the Framers believed that the amendment process would protect the Constitution from undue change at the same time that it would strengthen the authority of the Constitution with the people….”  (See Heritage Guide to the Constitution, pp. 285-286.)