Declaration of Independence – 2008
Declaration of Independence
2008
(All comments in italics are direct quotes from the United States Declaration of Independence penned in 1776)
“When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.…”
The opening paragraph of the United States Declaration of Independence, penned in 1776, is appropriate to 2008. We live in a time when it has become necessary for the people to ‘dissolve the political bands’ with ‘politics as usual.’
“….That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.…”
The safety and happiness of Americans have been directly and measurably threatened by a radical right wing. “...But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.…”
“…To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.…”
“...He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good…” George W. Bush has ignored the Bill of Rights and Laws passed by Congress – When a law reaches his desk he merely changes the intention with a few strokes of his pen.
“…He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only...” George W. Bush directs his administration to execute only the laws that are convenient to his purpose…
“…He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures…” George W. Bush attempts to fatigue the Iraqi Government, and any other opposition government, including our own.
“…He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.…” The radical right would obstruct the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners – the Declaration is clear on migration and immigration, these ideas should be encouraged, not discouraged.
“…He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers….” George W. Bush ignores judiciary powers by declaring ‘enemy combatants.’ In our anger over 911 we the people have tolerated violations of core principles of this country – but no longer.
“…He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries….”
George W. Bush would flagrantly fire U. S. Attorneys who do not use the laws of the land to do his political bidding.
“…He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance....” George W. Bush has expanded the role of Government with his Department of Homeland Security – and used the excess of power to ‘harass our people.’
“…He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures....”
“…He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.…” George W. Bush ignores the will of the people in the use of our Military Power. Acting with the tyranny of a Monarch, he endangers all Americans.
“…He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:…
“…For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:…” George W. Bush has guaranteed trade agreements that favor our trading partners by neglecting NAFTA and other trade agreements.”…For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:…” George W. Bush would have the power to declare anyone an enemy – thus depriving them of any rights of Trial.
“…For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:...”
“…For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province” (Guantanamo)“, establishing therein an Arbitrary government…”
“…He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people...” George W. Bush ignores the impact of Global Warming and when Katrina struck – he ignored the ‘lives of our people.’
“…He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation....” George W. Bush has hired the mercenary forces of companies such as Blackwater to brutalize other peoples and nations in the name of the United States of America.
“…In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people….”
The Declaration of 2008 is not restricted to an individual – George W. Bush. The 2008 Declaration of Independence is directed at all government representatives that abuse the power of their office. These abuses include catering to special interests, ignoring the health and well being of the populace, misappropriation of funds, ignoring efficiency, and ignoring the petition for change…
2008 will be a year of change in America. The people are rejecting the politics of the few, the politics that protect the wealthy, the politics that ignore the health of our children, the politics that ignore the education of our children, the politics that would have us suffer in a legalized form of indentured servitude by offering low wages and protecting predatory lenders.
The people will sign this Declaration at the ballot box.
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Comment by RadRightRules on 5 March 2008:
Sorry folks but the right will rule. HilBoma will go down to defeat and we will seize even more control. You think your rights and freedoms are in danger? You are so right and we are coming for you!
Comment by Common Sense on 6 March 2008:
Seems a bit uneven there. The article flames Bush yet tries to balance it by saying “all government representatives that abuse the power of their office.” If you are in government long enough, you are going to do something that someone will view as abuse, usually because they just have a personal problem with the politician and are looking for an excuse to vocalize it.
Now Bush has done some things which irk people off, primarily those who have been against him since the 2000 election. However, most of the items detailed above are all legal within the scope of power which were created before Bush took office. Executive orders, for example, is not a new power. Bush just happens to use it more often than any other. The same is true about enforcement of legislation. Congress can pass anything, but unless it is funded and/or enforced, it just sits idle. This has gone on since day one of our nation. We “fatigue” governments all across the globe, and have been doing so for over 100 years, in order to push across our views and desires. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Is it right? That is a matter of opinion. We have a right to call for and place embargoes on other nations as well as refuse to offer support without something in return.
Those are just a few examples as to how uneven the article is, and should be taken into account when reading it. Similar articles could be written about Clinton, Bust the first, Reagan, Carter, Ford, Nixon, Johnson, Kennedy, …
Comment by A Watts on 7 March 2008:
Bush derangement syndrome has been more destructive to the peace and good will of people all across the country. It serves no purpose but to incite and inflame.
The Government has surely gotten out of hand, far beyond what the founding fathers would have imagined, that’s for real; but Bush has done little to further those abuses.
Things like the 16th and 17th Amendments to the Constitution are at the core of the governmental excesses of the twentieth and twenty first centuries and they are what needs to be overturned to get the country back to normal.
The 16th Amendment enslaved all citizens by claiming ownership of all we do; all our work, our industry, and even our charity is controlled by that heinous act. Where’s the outrage?
The 17th Amendment eliminated Federalism and ended states’ rights. The individual states no longer have a say in the federal government and the people now have two houses of representatives. What is the point of that beyond ending Stats’ rights?
As to individual abuses, what has Mr. Bush done to compare with Waco, Ruby ridge, or Elian Gonzolas? In the later case the Clinton White House ignored a court order for a hearing and kidnapped a small child in order to demonstrate it’s dictatorial powers.
At Ruby Ridge the Clinton White House showed utter disdain for private property and people’s right to life, to their liberty, and to their pursuit of happiness. The best thing that came of that is the people who were abused, the survivors anyway, were exonerated and monetarily compensated for some of their damages. How can a dead wife and son be compensated?
At Waco the government was so far out of control as to warrant an nation-wide insurrection; but we all sat at home and watched as BATF agents took revenge on peaceful citizens who won their battle against that government agency some years previously. We sat at home while the government changed their story about why they were there at least three times. We watched in fascination while armed squadrons of heavily armed agents invaded private property in order to serve a warrant through a second story window at a place where they knew people would defend themselves. Why didn’t the BATF send one agent to knock on the front door to serve that warrant? Many warrants had been served on those people in that manner peaceably and they were honored. The BATF had done so several years previously; but not this time. This time there was going to be a reckoning.
In the end, after over 90% of those people who sought only to be left alone to explore their religious freedom had been incinerated by the BATF and FBI, men women and children all incinerated, those who survived were exonerated in court, proving again the government was out of control.
And you people hate George W. Bush for fighting a war to protect us (instead of attacking us) that the Congress approved of (as the Constitution demands)? Where are your brains? Don’t you know the difference between abuse and correct usage of power?
Turn your efforts toward ridding the Constitution of the abuses built into it in 1913 and get the 16th and 17th Amendments overturned so the government will no longer have absolute power over us. Do something more worthwhile than vilifying a man who has done a decent job of protecting us from truly evil fanatics who would as soon cut your heads off than listen to you whine.
You talk about right wing abuses while you’d have the liberals turn this nation into a soviet style dictatorship as though that were better? Who are you?
Good day to you all; and God Bless us all, we need it badly.
Comment by L Norris on 8 March 2008:
It’s very easy to sit back and villify the same man everyone else seems to criticize because the war didn’t go as planned. Since when has war ever been easy and predictable. It’s easy to sit back and forget how this war started to begin with and why it’s neccessary. We are a very lucky nation to have been so rarely met with worldly violence on our own soil.
This world is becomming a smaller and smaller place. The acts of violent nations affect us now, and even greater in the future. What George Bush is trying to do is make a statement, that differences cannot be settled by terrorism. Dictators cannot simply decide to torture and abuse half their population based on religious dissent. People cannot choose to walk into public areas and blow themselves up because “their God” says it’s okay.
This nation forgets that when this war started George Bush had a ridiculously high approval rating. Hilary Clinton herself voted to wage war. This wasn’t Bush’s war, this was our nation’s choice. And now, the people want to complain because it hasn’t been easy. The Senate wants to stall funds vital for the success of the military because they want to look popular to the people that have very comfortably forgotten how and why all this started. The people complain that George Bush is causing our soldiers to die, when the Senate controls the purse strings to the financial assistance that would greatly aid our soldiers.
These are not easy times. Many of the issues and problems we, as a people, are having with our government are issues that have been around ages longer than George Bush. Yes, he’s very aware of his rights as President and he takes full advantage of them. I think if you were to really look back at the decisions he’s made, you would find that though you may not like them, not a single one is beyond his power. To have any merit the “2008 Declaration of Independence” should stand on more solid ground than a personal attack of one man. A quick line or two at the end cannot mask the fact that the entire purpose of the piece was to complain about the president.
The Presidency, the government is bigger than just one man.
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