Sally Forth ...

Jay Carroll

Pie Town, NM

Sally Forth is not a woman. Sally Forth isn’t even a person. To sally forth, means to get off your

posterior and take action. Dictionary.com defines sally as: a sudden charge out of a besieged

place, a brief or sudden start into activity.

That is precisely what we must do—take action! Thomas Jefferson took action—He wrote the

Declaration of Independence. Winston Churchill took action—He led the resistance against Nazi

Germany. Rosa Parks took action—She refused to sit in the back of the bus.

And in May of 1787, fifty-five delegates selected from 12 states assembled in Philadelphia to take

action to solidify the experiment in self-governance by creating the Constitution. Those men

sallied forth to forge the document, which has inspired and guided the direction of the greatest,

most advanced and most prosperous country in the history of civilization.

In the final two days of the Convention, Colonel George Mason sallied forth to voice his concern

that the [proposed] Federal government had [still] too much power where it came to the

amending process of the constitution; and that there must be a provision which gives the states

[the people] adequate recourse to propose amendments…should there ever be an oppressive or

unresponsive Federal government.

The remedy, which was presciently adopted and included in the Constitution is Article V.

“The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose

Amendments to this Constitution, or, 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 three fourths

of the several states…”

And there, you have it. “…or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several

States…”. Article V is our safety valve. It occurred to Colonel Mason [and others agreed] that

someone must have the Constitutional authority to take action to restrain such a federal

government. The final check and balance lies with the people through their State Legislatures.

Our founders understood that a centralized government would eventually grow corrupt. The

framers in their wisdom anticipated the potential for exactly what is happening today in

Washington, an arrogant, all-powerful, self-serving federal government.

Career politicians, unelected bureaucrats and activist judges are dictating social, financial and

political mandates to a disenchanted and frustrated electorate.

It is time to re-engage. It is time to sally forth toward self-governance; not socialism.

The clear and Constitutional course of action is for us to require our State Legislators to call for

an Article V Convention of States. The tool is provided to us in Article V. The plan, infrastructure,

vision and scholarship to bring about a Convention of States, can be thoroughly researched at

ConventionofStates.com. And by signing the petition at COSaction.com, each of your state

legislators will be sent a hard copy letter expressing your support for a Convention of States and

asking them to do the same.

It’s time for us to tell our State Legislators it is their duty to return the power back to the people.