I wanted to add a special second post today. Someone sent me a link to the Declaration of Independence, and I thought, yeah, ok, it’s the 4th. But then as I skimmed the text, I started noticing some of the reasons our Founding Fathers listed for why they were declaring independence. Some of the King’s offenses were:
– Obstruction of justice (federal judge firings)
– Depriving people of trial by jury (Guantanamo detainnees)
– Declaring for himself the power to legislate all matters for us (the Decider)
– Transporting people “beyond seas” for pretended offenses (extraordinary rendition)
– Plundering our seas, ravaging our coasts, burning our towns, and destroying our lives (repeal/setback of environmental protections, promoting offshore drilling, Katrina failures, destroying the economy, etc, etc, etc.)
And my personal favorite: Erecting a multitude of new offices, and sending hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.
Another July holiday is Bastille Day (July 14th) — the French Independence Day. This is one of my favorite historical moments, because it symbolizes the oppressed masses rising up against their government. Power to the people! (guillotines aside).
So this weekend, as you enjoy your bbq’s, beverages, and fireworks, please take a few minutes to remember the values our country was really founded upon, and consider how far we’ve strayed from them in recent years.
Full text of the Declaration can be found at: http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/index.htm
True. While I often feel government service is unfairly criticized by the American public, we must remember that we do serve the people. We have an important mission and it is important that we do it well, with honesty and integrity.