It is time for a New Declaration of Independence.
Do you worry about the future that your children and grandchildren will inherit?
Do you fear your government as it shows increasing disregard for the Constitution and for basic human rights and civil liberties?
Do you become angry at your powerlessness to change the course of your own government, motivated as it is by greed and lust for power in its quest for world domination?
Do you wish you could alter or abolish that government, through the ballot box or by non-violent resistance to its tyranny?
Do you view the government as separate from yourself and your values, and wish to withhold your consent from its actions?
This is exactly how many people felt in 1776, and how many feel today.
Reread the Declaration of Independence. The grievances suffered under King George III bear an uncanny resemblance to those under our own George W. The following document draws directly from the words of the Declaration, written 230 years ago.
Fortunately for the Founding Fathers, the government from which they wanted to separate was rooted across the Atlantic Ocean, and they were only one colony in its vast empire.
The government today, that is acting in opposition to our basic moral beliefs, is our own and is rooted in Washington, DC.
It seems impossible for “One people to dissolve the political bands that have connected them with another,” when we all live on the same continent, and when we the people still hold a democratic hope of being able to change the actions of our government. We are not yet strong enough to declare independence, nor are we exactly sure what that would mean in the present context, but perhaps that time will come.
Today, we may only be able to declare our moral separation from the actions of the federal government.
These actions have created a moral and Constitutional crisis that demands a response from the people. I humbly offer the following as the first draft of a new declaration, which I call the “Declaration of Moral Separation.”
Declaration of Moral Separation
When in the course of Human Events it becomes necessary to separate Ourselves from the Evil being perpetuated by our Federal Government, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Humankind requires that we should declare the Causes which impel us to the Separation.
We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Humans are created equal, that we are endowed with certain Unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, that to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it.
The History of the present President of the United States is a History of repeated Injuries and Usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these United States and all the Nations of the Earth. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid World:
The President and his Inner Circle have refused to assent to Laws the most wholesome and necessary for the Public Good.
They base their Power on Elections that did not represent the Will of the People.
They seek to make the Executive supreme over the Legislative and Judicial branches of Government.
They have affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.
They have invaded and occupied Sovereign Nations in violation of our Constitution, and of all Principles of International Law, Diplomacy, and Human Ethics.
They have lied about the Threats posed by these Nations, in order to gain Support for the Invasions.
They have killed countless innocent Civilians in their pursuit of those they call “Terrorists.”
They have held Prisoners without due process, for extended periods, with no opportunity to prove their Innocence.
They have tortured Prisoners, and subjected them to Inhumane Conditions, with the Approval of our Highest Officials.
They have drained the National Treasury to fund Senseless Wars.
They have failed to respond to Domestic Emergencies brought about by Natural Forces.
They have personally profiteered from their Policy Decisions.
They have supported the Wealthy and abandoned the Poor of our Nation.
They have cruelly lured our Sons and Daughters to kill and die in their Senseless Wars.
They have erected a multitude of new Offices under the PATRIOT Act and the Homeland Security Act, and, in the names of the FBI, and CIA, and NSA, have sent hither Swarms of Officers to harass our People, and eat out our Substance, in violation of our Constitution, our Bill of Rights, and Common Decency.
They have damaged our Reputation and Standing among the Nations and People of the World, lacking a decent Respect for the Opinions of Humankind..
They have made us fear to travel the World because so many hate our Government.
They have impugned the Patriotism of those who oppose their Brutal Policies.
A Government whose Character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant is unfit to be the Ruler of a Free People.
We, therefore, as a Community assembled, declare that our Consent is withdrawn from the Government of the United States of America for all of its Actions that violate our Constitution, Federal and International Law, and the Shared Moral Beliefs of Humankind.
We further declare that that the President and his Inner Circle must be prosecuted for their Crimes.
And for support of this Declaration, We mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our Sacred Honor.
Will you support this document in principle and work with others on revising and expanding its scope, and on adopting a unique draft within your own community?
Please visit New Declaration of Independence to read the original Declaration of Independence, to compare it to the new Declaration, and to get involved in the movement.
{Dave Meserve is a home designer and builder, who serves on the Arcata, CA City Council.}
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