Friday, May 12, 2006

American History 101

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

"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness…that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principals, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness".
Action of the Second Continental Congress, July 4, 1776 The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America

Wow, I still love reading those words! Men, openly declaring ideas of national separation from the British Empire based on the notion of natural law, unalienable rights and self-evident truths. They espouse with clear-cut equanimity that the nature and source of governments true power to govern, comes only from the consent of the governed. These are powerful words, carefully written in the Declaration of Independence and subsequently in the United States Constitution, which carefully outlined the framework for what has become the oldest enduring republic in the history of the world.

When is the last time that you read either document? Be honest with yourself.

Now ask yourself this question: could any of us stand in front of the White House or on the steps of the Nations Capital and espouse for all to hear, these revolutionary words of our founding fathers? The first Amendment to the Constitution clearly gives us the right to peaceably assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Government or law enforcement officials will tell you (after you are removed) that you can peaceably assemble or protest if you follow the law, rules and regulations put in place to neutralize the impact of your protests. However, those laws are contrary to the rights guaranteed to us in the first amendment. It goes like this:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances”.
First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America

When is the last time you read the United States Bill of Rights? Be honest with yourself.

Look, I apologize for the history lesson but as I stated in my remarks yesterday, I feel that political ignorance (ambivalence) is running rampant in this country and that it constitutes a very real, very clear and very present danger to our Republic. The first Ten Amendments to the Constitution, often referred to as the Bill of Rights, were adopted on December 15, 1791 and were added specifically to limit the power of the Federal Government, protecting the rights of the people from a Congress, which may seek to abridge our freedoms of speech, religion, press, assembly, worship, unreasonable search and seizure, as well as the right to due process (there are others obviously, but we will save that for another day).

However, before we go further with our discussion, I first recommend that you look these documents up on the web or purchase the small booklet from your local bookstore...and then read them! If you are looking for answers as to why things are the way they are, you must go back to point where it all began. To critically analyze the current situation you must understand what the founding fathers of our country intended for this republic. To understand that, you must read the actual unfiltered content of the documents for yourself and apply what you read to what you actually see. I promise you it will be interesting. Will you see a government operating inside or outside of the boundaries set forth in our constitution? Will you see a government that protects and values your rights or tramples upon them with impunity? Will you see a government that derives its power from the consent of the governed, or one that is empowered by default because a majority of its populace is misinformed, uninformed or apathetic? What will you see? What will you really see? Be honest.

Anyway, that's it for now. Stay safe, be happy and become informed. I look forward to chatting with you again.

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