In his letter (April 5), Al Fereshetian claimed Article V of the U.S. Constitution provides for a “convention of states.” In fact, it provides for “a convention for proposing amendments,” defined in Black’s Law Dictionary as a “constitutional convention.”

States do not “call” a convention, they “apply” to Congress.

Reading Article V shows that it does not provide for a limited convention. A 2014 Congressional Research Service report shows that Article V is not clear. At the 1787 Convention, James Madison said, “ … that difficulties might arise as to the form, the quorum, etc., which in constitutional regulations ought to be, as much as possible, avoided.”

Delegates are vested with authority to alter the Constitution, just as the delegates in 1787 did. That precedent comes from the Declaration of Independence: “… whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it.”

We must not wheel the Constitution into the operating room and surrender her to be carved up by wealthy special interests. Politicians who ignore the Constitution won’t follow amendments.

Congress will define a convention, as it has previously asserted (41 times), is its right, leading to years of litigation, diminishing the Constitution’s illuminating light of liberty.

All Americans should tremble at the prospect of states further losing power during a constitutional convention ultimately defined by the Supreme Court.

Shawn Meehan, Minden, Nev.