public:cb_mirror:february_march_newsletter_txt_pages_28180
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February-March Newsletter
| |  | ====== Passed State #6 ====== | ====== 71,935 INDIANA STRONG! ====== | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| STATE NEWS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| COS INDIANA EVENTS CALENDAR | Click on the Event Calendars to go directly to Teamup for more details. |  |  |  |  | Events & Festivals | Visit Indiana A great resource to schedule and host a COS booth! | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| MARENGO MIKE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | SURGE DAY AT THE STATE CAPITOL Marengo Mike is created by COS Indiana State Comms Director Ken Kashuba | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| COMING EVENTS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SURGE DAY AT THE STATE CAPITOL IMPORTANT: WE NEED YOU AT SURGE DAY! Date: February 19, 2025 Time: from 9 am to 3 pm Eastern Time Speakers commence at 10AM to include COS Regional Director Catherine Zemanek, COS State Director Dale Tipton, COS Legislative Liaison Dan Stock, State Senators Liz Brown and Travis Holdman. Location: Indiana Statehouse, North Atrium – 2nd Floor 200 W. Washington Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204 We ask that you contact your House and Senate representatives – get on their calendar NOW. Meet with them and ask them to visit our booth on February 19th or arrange to meet with them in their offices. Please wear your COS gear and be prepared to discuss our Article V progress (19 States and growing) and bills or issues your representatives are involved in or have authored. You can find your representatives at: Find Your Legislators. You can search for the bills they have authored at: Bills Sponsored By Your Legislator. Search standing committees at: Legislator Committee Assignments. Enter through security on the Capitol Avenue side at the top of the main stairway, or enter through security on the west, N. Senate Avenue side lower level. Be prepared for hard surface walking, but seating areas are available inside as needed and elevator access is available once past security. Statehouse floor maps and other information can be found at: Statehouse Maps PARKING OPTIONS $5-$25 Parking Garage on N. Capitol Avenue, directly across from the Statehouse. Parking at the Circle Centre Mail, enter off Washington Street east of Illinois Street. Street Metered Parking – meters take a credit card and parking space number can be paid at any pay station. Add your phone number at the end of pay process to receive a receipt and a reminder that your time is about to expire. Time can then be extended using your phone if necessary. The first 4 hours is about $7.00. FOOD OPTIONS – $10-$20 per person Lower level of the Statehouse – basic grilled items and drinks. Indiana Government Center west of the Statehouse – cafeteria options. Local dining options within two blocks of the Statehouse. PLEASE PLAN TO ATTEND. The more folks that come, the more positive impact COS can make as a force to be reckoned with. MAKE THIS A CALENDAR PRIORITY! I sincerely hope to see you there as Indiana patriots join together to learn more about how Indiana government works for them. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| COS TODAY – LIVE BROADCASTS With Host Dale Parrish and Co-Host Ken Kashuba   Dale's broadcast is live-streamed on Facebook and Youtube Every Monday at 7:00 PM Eastern Time TUNE IN FOR ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS! (4th Mondays – Special Topics) February 24, 2025 and March 24, 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PAST EVENT HIGHLIGHTS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
CROWN POINT GUN SHOW Huge congratulations to the team who worked hard at the Region 1 Crown Point Gun Show on January 25-26, 2025! Robert Aronson shared a fantastic photo and expressed his gratitude to Mary, Gary, and Vivian for their incredible help. Together, they managed to get 59 petitions signed, showcasing their dedication and teamwork. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PROMOTE YOUR EVENTS HERE! Be sure to post dates/times/details of your event on the Teamup Calendar, and after the event please share your pictures in the Events channel on ZULIP. Include some details about your event, like how many petitions signed, and the great volunteers who helped to make it a success. You just might be featured in the next newsletter! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| THE DIRECTOR'S CUT | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | DALE TIPTON – COS Indiana Director | The State Director's Summary Report: This is the summary report for COS Indiana for the months of December 2024 and January 2025. –In January, action reports totaled 218 (+93). Our past high was recorded in March 2023 (309). Vickie Moring’s Region 5 continued to lead the way statistically for both months. –Individual volunteer standouts across the state for January include David Nally, Diane Jones, Gary Speelman, Michael Gibson, and Tim Heidenreich. –In December action reports totaled 125 (-42) and individual volunteer standouts across the state included David Nally, Diane Jones, and Robert Aronson. –We currently list 67,984 petition signers (+298). We have 71,935 total supporters (+288). Active district captains’ number 15 (-1). Active region captains’ number 8 (NC). –We are pleased to welcome Robert Aronson as the new RC for District 1. –Lisa Phillips has accepted the role of state events coordinator back in December. We thank Lisa and look forward to working with her. –DC John Berry has made the decision to step down in January and we extend our sincere thanks for his service. –SB143 – The COS Indiana team is supporting this bill promoting parental rights in schools along with Alliance Defending Freedom. This will be the first parental rights bill in Indiana if passed. –SB450 – This is our new 34 Ready or commissioner and penalty bill (guiding commissioner behavior) which will provide guidance for an upcoming Article V convention when called. The Indiana team is supporting this bill which has now passed through the committee during the first vote. –Social media efforts are built around Dale Parrish and Ken Kashuba’s production of Convention of States Today with short videos then being produced by Charlie Myers and distributed on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok. Our social media hits for this month are 238,407 (+111,924). Our current record on all these platforms is a combined total of 502,105 occurring in November 2024. Social media followers and subscribers are:17,883 (+358). –I have asked Paul Phillips to conduct a new Servant Leader class for the state of Indiana volunteers to begin on February 3rd. This course will use the newly developed workbooks which are more specific to Convention of States team members. I am pleased to report that the class is full. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| IDEALS OF SELF-GOVERNANCE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 JUSTICE AND FAIRNESS Jesus taught the dangers and illustrated the unfairness of sitting in personal judgment upon one’s fellows. Discipline must be maintained, justice must be administered, but in all these matters the wisdom of the brotherhood should prevail. Jesus invested legislative and judicial authority in the group, not in the individual. Even this investment of authority in the group must not be exercised as personal authority. There is always danger that the verdict of an individual may be warped by prejudice or distorted by passion. Group judgment is more likely to remove the dangers and eliminate the unfairness of personal bias. Jesus sought always to minimize the elements of unfairness, retaliation, and vengeance. The status of any civilization may be very accurately determined by the thoroughness and equity of its courts and by the integrity of its judges. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PATRIOT VOLUNTEERS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| COS Indiana Vision: To build a strong, engaged army of self-governing activists. | CITIZEN ACTIVISTS NEEDED “Let us, then, be up and doing, With a heart for any fate; Still achieving, still pursuing, Learn to labor and to wait.” –Henry Wadsworth Longfellow | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| COS INDIANA GOALS 2025 GRASSROOTS Increase Indiana supporters to 73,000 (Currently 71,935) Information table at Indiana State Fair (In process) 300 action reports documenting Attended a COS Training Session (Currently 100) LEGISLATIVE Pass new 34 Ready legislation in 2025 session (In process SB450) Identify 4 COS champions (Currently 2) 175 action reports documenting Legislator Contact. (Currently 65) COMMS Increase social media followers to 16,000 (Currently 17,883) Increase social content writers to 6 (Currently 5) Increase COS Today contributors to 7 (Currently 9) 1,000,000 COS Today social media views (Currently 238,407, record of 502,105) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SHARE THE PETITION These are critical times! 2025 will be historic! We are just getting started! THIS ISN'T THE FINISH LINE, IT'S JUST THE BEGINNING! Share the COS Project with everyone you know! Get them to sign the petition. It's the least you can do!  OUR GOAL: 73,000 SUPPORTERS www.conventionofstates.com | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ONE NATION UNDER GOD | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Aspirational Goal: To bring a Political and Spiritual Awakening to America. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 PRAYERS FOR OUR ENEMIES Tim Heidenreich – COS Indiana Prayer Contact Many people, including my wife and I, have been praying regularly for safety and wisdom for President Trump and his Administration… that is easy to do. But here is what Jesus said about prayer that is not so easy to do: “You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you… Matthew 5:43-44 ESV This is the way and the will of God. Consider praying for leaders of both parties whom you think are doing or promoting bad policies. Please pray for God to bless them with more understanding about whatever they are doing and to confirm to them whether He approves or condemns it. Many of our government leaders talk about the importance of faith in their lives. We can't know if that is true or not, but if they are praying and asking God for guidance, we know that whatever He says is true. I pray that they will hear from Him, and it will affect their actions and decision making. If our leaders can decide to unify for the goals they agree on, we will have a much more effective government and will be more pleasing to our Father in Heaven. We ask that you remember the victims of natural disasters and their friends and families. Hurricanes, fires, war, terrorism, and the accidents of time such as plane crashes and violent crimes have had such a devastating effect on so many Americans. Thank you for partnering with us in prayer. We know the Lord hears us and will answer according to His perfect will. ❊ ❊ ❊ Please feel free to email Tim with your prayer requests… SUBMIT PRAYER REQUESTS Spiritual battles cannot be fought without prayer… THE PRESIDENTIAL PRAYER TEAM  | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| OPINION / EDITORIALS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opinions expressed in the following articles are solely the expressed views of the authors. |  ARE WE FINISHED YET? By An Ordinary Citizen| | January 2025 November 5, 2024. Big day! Common sense crossed the finish line and a nearly palpable, collective exhale of relief was felt all over this country. November 6, 2024. The A-Team hits the ground running, with most of the team trying valiantly to keep up with the President Elect. January 20, 2025. Bigger day! Survivor in Chief, Donald Trump, is sworn in as President of the United States. True to his word, in a flurry of executive orders, 47 formally sets in motion the fulfillment of promises made to the American electorate. The plug is being pulled on the swamp. Washington D.C. is not used to this. Back to Business As Usual? So, our job is finished. We voted for the guy, right? Now it’s his job…or their job. The point is that we can go back to our jobs, our lives, confident that the President and his very qualified team of honchos will right this wobbly ship we call “government”. The deed is done. But maybe not. There are some uncomfortable questions to answer first. • How did we get here? • How did the collection of checks and balances, of powers and rights, so carefully laid out in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights get upstaged by an antithetical ideology? The Leftist theology of identity politics. • What Orwellian mind virus convinced so many people to so quickly accept “truth” that was not truth, but hoaxes populated and supported by lies? The simple answer? We take our rights and our country for granted. And we let our children do the same thing so that every generation gets farther and farther from the base. We see no need to pay attention to our rights. No need to protect them. Like access to running water, they are just there! There’s little, if any, gratitude for the blessings that come with our unique birthright. And, like a slowly leaking faucet, this lack of gratitude and awareness has dripped into our collective consciousness for decades and corroded the culture. We allow the busyness of our daily lives to supersede any deeper thought about who we are as a nation, and why this nation is a good thing. And the result of our inattention is loss. Because, when we do not take time to contemplate and appreciate what we have, then what we have can disappear because we don’t think we have to protect it. Thankfully, we just suffered through the agony of a 4-year-long wake-up call. So, no. It’s not business as usual. If we are going to take back the country, we must each contribute to the effort. First Steps As I see at what looks like a mountain-sized task, it seems to break down in 3 ways. At base, turning the ship around requires that we reclaim our roots, pass it on, and think critically. Let’s look briefly at each. Reclaim Our Roots What we have to do first, as adults, is regrow and reclaim our roots…our identity. This is not the vapid landscape of identity politics, but true, gut-level American identity. The cultural erosion of the past several decades has kicked the American heart and spirit out of our citizenry and each of us must now work to regain it for ourselves. This is individual work we have to do before we can help anyone else. In other words, we must know, model, and live what we espouse or the country will not change. This grand experiment in self-governance will become nothing more than a dusty book in the also-ran library of history. Pass it on Next, we have to engender in our children and grandchildren the same return to those roots. It cannot be said loud enough or often enough. This dedication to the American ideal begins in the home. Make sure that our families know what is in the Constitution and the amendments. Do they see the connection between what is in that document and their life right now? If not, why not? How can any of us recognize and stand strong against tyranny if we don’t know the basis of our original stand against it? Think Critically Finally, we must all become critical thinkers, not just occasionally but all the time, every day. It is admittedly tiring to take that approach. But it’s necessary if we are to remain free. And we must teach our children to do that as well. Teach them the need to carefully evaluate varying points of view. Do those views bring people together, or separate and set groups against each other. Teach them the true meaning of e pluribus unum. Targeting the Enemy So, once we are each armed with knowledge of our history and resolve to preserve it, who are we fighting? We are not fighting a political party, not even Leftism in its lesser forms. We are up against Marxism, an evil social experiment that sees no value in human life except as a means to an end. And the Marxists take an incredibly long view, with the United States solidly in the cross-hairs. Going Forward So no, it is not now, nor can it ever be again, business as usual. Our task ahead is clear. Our individual American identity must be in our blood, bone deep, factual, ideological, and generational. We must learn to think critically and practice doing so. Our very lives depend on it because on November 5, 2024, common sense did not cross the finish line. It burst through the starting gate. ❊ ❊ ❊ An Ordinary Citizen is a regular content writer and contributor to the COS Indiana newsletter, The Finish Line, recently wrote: I think we have a huge job in front of us…all of us. We have to reignite the spirit of America, and that means we all have to know the Constitution, our real history, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence. Also, it doesn't hurt to know the Gettysburg Address, and Patrick Henry's speech that ends in “Give me liberty or give me death.” I think we all need to take that as a responsibility, however and wherever we can do it. Our kids need to know the basis for our belief that America is exceptional. That doesn't mean we are better than other countries (a fake kind of moral superiority). It is that a country formed on an idea, rather than on a location or on a nationality, is unique. Similarly, a country that values individual freedom, and one where the government exists with the consent of the governed is also unique. But we base our right to do that on our governing documents and the rule of law. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Illegal Immigrants and Birthright Citizenship By Larry Hutson | January 2025 We have witnessed, over the last four years, an unbridled invasion of our country by illegal aliens from every corner of the globe. The number of illegal border crossings is staggering and we actually have no idea of how many individuals are in our country illegally. Now consider how many additional persons we might expect to see as a result of so-called “birthright citizenship” that will be conferred on children born to these illegal aliens over the next twenty years and beyond. At the center of this birthright citizenship issue is a phrase, underlined below, in Section 1. of the Fourteenth Amendment to our Constitution. 14th Amendment (Ratified July 9, 1868) Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. On taking office, President Trump issued an Executive Order addressing Birthright Citizenship entitled “Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship.” In Section 1. of that order, the President argues that the provision rightly repudiated the Supreme Court of the United States’ shameful decision in Dred Scott v. Sandford, (1857), which misinterpreted the Constitution as permanently excluding people of African descent from eligibility for United States citizenship solely based on their race. He goes on to argue that the Fourteenth Amendment has never been interpreted to extend citizenship universally to everyone born within the United States, excluding those persons, who were born in the United States but not “subject to the jurisdiction thereof.” Critics claim, however, that anyone born in the United States is automatically a U.S. citizen, even if their parents are here illegally. In reading the text for yourself, it should be apparent that it doesn’t say that all persons born in the U.S. are citizens rather; it says that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof are citizens. That very crucial qualifying phrase is conveniently ignored by those promoting “birthright” citizenship. Even a cursory read of the oft-cited U.S. v. Wong Kim Ark case by those “birthright” supporters, the court only affirmed that children born of “lawful” permanent residents were U.S. citizens. It is important to remember that this amendment was ratified shortly after the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and it was specifically intended to extend citizenship to freed slaves and their offspring and no one else. Consider, too, that American Indians and their children did not become citizens until Congress passed the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924. Why would that legislation be necessary if the 14th Amendment extended citizenship to every person born in America, regardless of who their parents were? From a more practical, common sense, point of view, it should be clear to most that citizenship should not be conferred on the offspring born to someone who is not a citizen of this country, particularly someone who has broken federal law to get here. Considering this most recent influx of illegal aliens into our country, it is time for Congress to clarify the law according to the original meaning of the 14th Amendment and reverse this practice. Lacking that, a constitutional amendment would be, perhaps, the most direct means of getting us back to the original meaning and intent of the language used in the amendment. If the Congress lacks the will to make the necessary changes, then the people could initiate the action through an Article V Convention of the several States to rectify the current dilemma! ❊ ❊ ❊ Larry Hutson is a citizen activist, regular content writer and contributor to the COS Indiana newsletter, The Finish Line. He has been a volunteer with Indiana Convention of States Action since 2017 and he currently serves as District Captain of HD39 and Region Caption of Region 8. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
HELP END BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP ABUSE Editor's Note: The question has come up concerning the alleged inhumane separation of families when parent(s) are being deported, even using a beloved animated character to evoke sympathy. Indeed everyone has sympathy for children put in this position, but separation isn't necessary. Someone who comes to this country illegally, who ignores the laws of becoming a naturalized citizen, and refuses to take their children back to their own country with them create this problem of separation, along with those who lure them here with promises of paved streets of gold. That is heaven, not the United States of America. We rob people of the dignity of accomplishing something great in their own culture and country by displacing them from their native land and giving everything to them. Perhaps they will return to us after going through the correct process, by waiting their turn, or perhaps they will remain in their own country, stand up for their own human rights, make changes to create a better life for themselves and their children just like we are forced to do each generation here in America. If anything, we should educate and train them, and then send them back to build a better world for their neighbors. That is the proper way of building civilizations – native teachers and leaders. ❊ ❊ ❊ Activist Brigitte Gabriel writes: House Republicans have introduced H.R. 569, a bill to restrict birthright citizenship, a long-debated hot-button issue. This legislative effort supports President Donald Trump's recent executive order, which seeks to restore constitutional law by ending the automatic granting of citizenship based solely on birthplace. There are 1.8 million USA-born children with two undocumented parents. In just one example, in Orange County, California, there's been a notable abuse of birthright citizenship through what's known as 'birth tourism.' Here, Chinese nationals have been flying into the U.S. with the explicit intent of giving birth, thereby securing U.S. citizenship for their children. Facilitating this practice are 'maternity hotels' or 'birth centers,' which cater specifically to these pregnant women, offering packages that include housing, medical care, and assistance with visa applications. These centers operate discreetly, often in upscale neighborhoods, helping women to navigate the system, sometimes coaching them to hide their pregnancy or lie about the purpose of their visit to obtain tourist visas. This exploitation has led to legal actions against operators of such centers in Orange County, highlighting the tension between the intended protections of the Fourteenth Amendment and its unintended use as a means to secure citizenship for economic or strategic gains. ❊ ❊ ❊ A wise man named Antoine De Saint-Exupéry once wrote: “A civilization is built on what is required of men, not on that which is provided for them.” | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | “A Glimpse Into History” / “Current Hot Topic” Firing Line Debate: The Panama Canal Treaties | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| COS TRAINING | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
WE'VE GOT A COUNTRY TO SAVE! Training matters! Let's make sure we are well-trained! **Convention of States University** | DALE TIPTON COS Indiana State Director   Ken Kashuba – COS Indiana Comms Director Susan Lyon – Editor COS Indiana Newsletter Content Writers: Please submit your articles for review to the <Editor> by the end of each month. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Created: | 2025-02-08 14:45 GMT |
| Updated: | 2025-02-08 14:47 GMT |
| Published: | 2025-02-08 08:00 GMT |
| Converted: | 2025-11-11 12:42 GMT |
| Change Author: | Lawrence Hartmann |
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public/cb_mirror/february_march_newsletter_txt_pages_28180.txt · Last modified: 2025/11/11 12:42 by 127.0.0.1