Now or When …?
By WJ Anthony
Since the days when we were school kids, reciting the pledge of allegiance to the flag with other classmates, we have been told about the Declaration of Independence, that it was the document that proclaimed to the world why a revolutionary war was fought against the King of England. We were told that we were Americans who hold certain truths to be self-evident, meaning that we don’t need to look in a dictionary to know what those truths are – like the part that says all men are created equal, that means I am as good as you are, and we are as good as everyone else - plain and simple!
By the time we graduated from high school, we probably had read that second paragraph in social studies class and, even today, as adults, may remember those unalienable truths – mentioned ever so often by some leader or writer who is upset that the government violates those rights “as guaranteed in the Constitution.”
Then, if you are like me, you might think, Constitution? I don’t recall any mention of unalienable rights in the Constitution! I don’t recall rights mentioned in any way except in the Bill of Rights, but they were added at the last minute to avoid having the Constitution rejected by most of the delegates who attended the convention. Unalienable rights, endowed by our Creator, were never mentioned in the Bill of Rights. Unalienable means they can’t be taken away, by kings or government or anybody.
The Declaration says they are given to every person by their Creator when they are born. The Creator can’t take away those rights, because the Creator gave those Rights in an unalienable way to each person.
The Declaration’s second paragraph tells us that the sole purpose of any government must be to secure the unalienable Rights for each person, who consents to be a member of that government. Each such member has the responsibility to behave in harmony with the purpose of securing those rights and accept the duty to serve those rights with everyone.
The purpose that a nation chooses to follow determines the behavior of the people of that nation. The people will need to perform the responsibilities that will enable the nation to secure that purpose.
We call America a nation of people, who believe in the purpose of the Declaration of Independence and especially the self-evident truths of the second paragraph - the endowment of unalienable rights to all people.
We believe the Declaration, when it says:
“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 principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
We also believe “Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing 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.”
Remember, the second paragraph that we have just read, tells us that people create government to secure their unalienable Rights. The paragraph speaks about the purpose of government and change of government and the rights of people to alter or abolish destructive government; and it speaks of the right and duty to throw off abusive government that usurps power to invariably pursue a design to reduce the people under absolute Despotism.
Following that part of the second paragraph, we come to a very significant sentence for Americans to consider at this time.
“Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies, and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government.”
If we replace some words, the sentence becomes meaningful for our time:
“Such has been our patient sufferance, and such is now the necessity which constrains us to alter our former Systems of Government.”
If we believe that our Creator endowed each person with certain unalienable Rights and believe the purpose of government is to secure those unalienable Rights, do we also believe that our form of government has become destructive of the unalienable Rights of persons?
Is it our right to alter or abolish our government and institute new government that derives its just powers from the consent of the governed?
On what principles is our nation founded?
Is our nation’s powers organized in a form that to us will seen most likely to effect our safety and happiness?
As the Declaration listed its grievances against king George, should we also charge our government with the destruction of the rights which government should secure?
Let’s look at a paraphrase of the remaining part of the second paragraph, keeping in mind that many similar grievances and more could be charged against the administrations and Congresses during the current and previous four presidencies.
“The history of the present government is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.”
“He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.
“He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
“He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
“He has kept among us in times of peace, Standing armies without the Consent of our Legislature.
“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 Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us.
“For protecting them, by a mock trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States.
“For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world.
“For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent.
“For depriving us in many cases of the benefits of Trial by Jury.
“For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offenses.
“For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Government.
“For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with powers to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
“He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
“He has constrained foreign citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
“He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers.
“A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which defines a Tyrant is unfit to be a ruler of a free people.”
“We, therefore, the people of the united States of America, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions,” …
… ask that the good People of America will solemnly publish and declare their authority as a free people to dissolve all allegiance to the illegal and unjust past and current political violations of the responsibility of several Congresses and Presidents who denied the unalienable Rights of many people, as expressed in the Declaration of Independence.
“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”
