How America Can Become a Truly Good Example to the World
(Revised 6-22-2009)
America is at a crossroads, and Americans have a very big and crucial choice to make, because their choice will affect the whole world. They’ve already made a good choice in electing President Obama, and it’s a step in the right direction. But I’m talking about a much greater choice and a much greater change.
First, I need to point out how Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, John Adams, Abraham Lincoln and other founding fathers felt about equality and religion. As I discussed on the page titled Little Known American History, the founding fathers wanted no laws respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, thus building a wall of separation between church and State. That was not only to establish freedom of religion, but also to establish freedom from religious bigotry and theocratic imposition.
In other words, it was not meant to give license to the clergy of any religion or religious sect so they could influence federal or state laws or public school curriculum according to political agendas based on their own religious beliefs. That's exactly what the founding fathers wanted to avoid and prevent.
Unfortunately, we have increasingly been subjected to religious bigotry and theocratic imposition, and the founding fathers would be appalled at what has happened to America. They would be shocked at the extent to which religious bigotry has affected the political process, and they would be alarmed that the former wall of separation between church and state has been so badly eroded since 1980, and particularly since 2000, to the point where it was practically torn down in 2008 during the presidential campaigns when being a Christian became a litmus test for becoming president.
That is one of the reasons why I urge Americans to not allow themselves to be pushed backwards by those who still wish to virtually rule the world in the name of Christianity and/or patriotism and/or "global free market economy." Why? Because that is the ostensible, misleading, self-serving rationale that has been used for the last sixteen centuries by rich "Christian" emperors, kings, heads of state, and their very wealthy loyalist supporters.
They too claimed to be Christians and believed or claimed they were doing the "right thing," but they lived by the sword, gun and bomb and killed many innocent peoples all over the world, mainly to gain and maintain material power, wealth and domain, plunder natural resources, and rule the world, while ostensibly claiming it was their "divine right and duty" and all in the name of "civilizing the heathen and saving souls."
That is certainly not to say that all Christians have been wrong and harmful. In fact, most Christians are good and conscientious. They understand the golden rule and universal divine imperative, like the good and conscientious people of other faiths. They are the "sheep of the good shepherd." But it should be understood that during the last sixteen hundred years there have been many leaders of churches and nation-states who have justified themselves by claiming to be Christians even though they were not. They have been and are now the "goats" that Jesus talked about, the bigots and hypocrites who boastfully claim that they have done "many wonderful works in the name of the Lord." And that has been especially true in the U.S. between 1981 and 1989, under the influence of the Reaganites and the so-called "Moral Majority," in the 1990s when right-wing Republicans dominated Congress, and between 2000 and 2008 under the Bush Regime and the so-called "Christian Coalition" and "Christian Right."
I urge Americans to instead progress forward now, toward the day when ALL human beings, all nations, all religions, all races and all cultures are respected equally, and enjoy truly equal rights under the laws of our lands and our world.
It is the choice of the people, and I hope the people choose wisely.
But, as I said, I’m not talking merely about the choice of a good democratic leader for U.S. President. In fact, as I discuss on the page titled Partisan Politics, even though that will certainly be far better than what we have had, it will not really fix everything, and it may not fix anything for very long. Any improvements may only be temporary, because if we perpetuate this partisan political-economic system, it would keep the partisan political pendulum swinging. It would perpetuate the partisan political conflict, division, polarization and instability, and it would perpetuate the corruption that it inevitably produces.
No, I’m talking about a much bigger choice, a choice that will actually change and improve our nation, establish government that is really of, by and for the people, and make the U.S. a truly good example to the whole world.
Even though our fathers or grandfathers paid dearly for the peace and freedom they fought and died for during World War II, we have been denied peace, and freedom has been eroding due to the greed and folly of spiritually blind men who deceptively claimed to serve God and Country. That’s the hard reality. But, fighting and killing in war is not now the way to establish lasting peace and freedom. In fact, it is now ours to achieve and establish peacefully, together. All we need is the wisdom to acknowledge the way to save and improve our world, and the courage and faith to make it so, in America, and by good example, in every other country.
You see, whether evil masquerades as good in the public eye, or whether evil is cowardly and sneaky in its murderous ways, it has been and still is very powerful in its ability to denigrate or even kill those who would deny it power to rule over the people. That is the main problem in the world today, and it’s why there is so much conflict, division and violence. But, there is a way that we can finally prevent them from dividing us and ruling over us ever again, and it is a way that will enable us to peacefully establish government that is truly of, by and for the people.
First we must recognize how and why we have been misled and deceived, because we cannot progress forward unless and until we understand how and why we got into this mess. That's why the message on this site discusses the past and present, to explain and clarify what the future will be. It turns the key and opens the door, so we can go through.
Now we should hold these truths to be self-evident: that all human beings are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are the rights to: life; liberty; equal rights; equal opportunity; justice; safety; universal health care; complete public education from universal preschool-child care to post-graduate school; fair and adequate compensation for your labor; adequate social security income if and when needed, so that no one suffers from hunger, poverty, or homelessness; real freedom of religion, with freedom from religious theocracy or imposition or persecution by any particular religion or religious group or coalition; freedom from even the presidential form of monarchy; and real freedom in the pursuit of happiness.
We do not have any of those rights now. Not really. In fact, our rights have been diminishing, and there is no politician in our country right now who will establish those rights. Even Barack Obama cannot, because that would actually be impossible as long as we perpetuate the present partisan political-economic system. We would only continue to be either winners or losers in the partisan competition for power and control, and the conflict, division and instability would continue. And power in the hands of the wrong people would continue to corrupt.
I believe that to establish and secure our God-given universal rights, even while ensuring that government is secular with a wall of separation between religion and government, the people should adopt a revised Declaration of Independence to re-state our rights, and demand a Constitutional Convention to adopt constitutional amendments that will ensure those rights.
After all, Article V of the Constitution of the United States provides that "on the application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, Congress shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments..."
The Founding Fathers of the nation recognized the importance of providing this means by which We, The People, could initiate amendments to change and/or clarify the Constitution, the Supreme Law of the Land.
For a long time most politicians have felt they would not profit from doing that, because they like the status quo whether they are Republicans or Democrats. And they apparently still feel that way, even though the Constitution has been ignored and essentially brushed aside in certain instances by the Bush Regime, and even though political and corporate corruption has become rampant and very damaging to our national well being and our reputation in the world. No Republican or Democrat has even mentioned the need for amendments to the Constitution to correct the situation.
But, many good politicians in the past have favored a Constitutional Convention, including such notables as Republican Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Dwight D. Eisenhower.
In his first inaugural address, March 4, 1861, Lincoln said: "Continue to execute all the express provisions of our National Constitution, and the Union will endure forever, it being impossible to destroy it except by some action not provided for in the instrument itself..." "This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing Government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it or their revolutionary right to dismember or overthrow it." And Lincoln added that "to me the convention mode seems preferable, in that it allows amendments to originate with the people themselves, instead of only permitting them to take or reject propositions originated by others..."
President Dwight D. Eisenhower also supported an Article V Convention saying: "Through their state legislatures and without regard to the federal government, the people can demand a convention to propose amendments that can and will reverse any trends they see as fatal to true representative government."
President Eisenhower warned against the growing power of the Military-Industrial Complex when he left office. But, as I have said on the page titled Little Known American History, Eisenhower’s warning was not heeded. In fact, the Military-Industrial Complex not only grew and became more corrupt, it became the Religious-Military-Industrial Complex in 1980, and has become even more so in the last eight years. But it is religious in name only, and has not served God or humanity. It has served Mammon and the wealthiest few, and it has proven fatal to truly representative government.
Even if Barack Obama is able to make significant improvements as president, as long as we perpetuate this system, another right-wing demagogue could rise to power waving the flag, thumping the bible, and rattling his sword.
Even as it is now, with Barack Obama as president, the U.S. Religious Military Industrial Complex continues to grow at an amazing pace.
In the private sector, huge industrial corporations are essentially indoctrinating people with propaganda, using the power of their money through television ads to create the impression that they are our beneficent friends and should be free to operate with business as usual. But, unfortunately, as has been proven time and time again, some of them are not our friends. Some of them merely want to continue raking in incredibly huge profits at our expense — especially oil companies, military contractors, banks, predatory lending companies, other financial institutions, pharmaceutical companies, HMOs, other insurance companies, credit card companies, forest products companies, etc.
In the public sector, with complicity by the Pentagon, much of the US. Military has been and even now is being taken over by proud, militant right-wing "Christian Evangelicals." The Air Force Academy is practically run by them. The military chaplain corps in all branches of the service is being taken over by them for the purpose of proselytizing, in spite of the fact that chaplains should respect and serve members of all religions. And the military is moving into our public schools. All across America the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines are recruiting more than ever, and even opening new schools where every student wears a uniform, participates in Junior ROTC and takes military classes. And, not surprisingly, they are targeting the poor and minority communities in the inner-cities, which have declining tax bases and growing unemployment. The exploitation is shameful.
Now, don’t get me wrong, because I love my country. I am an American. In fact, I am a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served in the 1960s (in my early twenties) and put myself in harms way for my country when John F. Kennedy was president. But now, even though I would certainly not compare America to a fascist state, I must ask you to please remember that in Adolph Hitler’s Nazi Germany, the children and youth were indoctrinated in his concept of "Christian religion" and in the ways of the military. Most of the German people never questioned Hitler's youth movement as a vehicle for evil Nazi indoctrination in the 1930s. It all seemed fine to them at the time, and they in fact liked hearing that Germany was superior and good, and deserved to be the dominant force in the world.
Does that ring a bell? It does for me, because in my view a similar thing began happening in 1981 with the rise of the Reaganites and the Christian Right, and increased again during the eight years the Bush Regime reigned. After all, Bush claimed he was "doing God’s will" by living by the "sword" (gun and bomb), waging an ill-advised war, and pursuing a military agenda seeking world dominance with their planned Project for the New American Century (PNAC). And that could happen again unless we make needed changes.
Again, don’t get me wrong. I’m merely making the point that it is through religious and military indoctrination, with a doctrine of preeminence and superiority, that fascist states come into being and military empires are forged by the fire of war and force of arms. We must become aware of that, because the U.S. Religious-Military-Industrial Complex is militarizing the culture of our nation to prepare for endless war. And it would be endless if we continue this madness.
I tell you that lasting peace cannot and will not be "won" by waging war. It cannot be done, especially not today or in the future. We will have lasting peace when truth overcomes falsehood, when love overcomes hate, and when good overcomes evil that masquerades as good. We will have lasting peace by making peace by making amends and reconciling our differences.
Therefore, I advocate a Constitutional Convention, and I advocate this Updated Declaration of Independence, which is a revised update of Thomas Jefferson's work.
An Updated Declaration of Independence
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all human beings are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are the rights to: life; liberty; equal rights; equal opportunity; justice; safety; universal health care; complete public education from universal preschool-child care to post-graduate school; fair and adequate compensation for your labor; adequate social security income (if and when needed, so that no one suffers from hunger, poverty, or homelessness); real freedom of religion (with respect for all religions to prevent religious bigotry, domination, theocracy and persecution); freedom from even the presidential form of monarchy; and real freedom in the pursuit of happiness.
We declare that
to secure these rights, governments are instituted among peoples, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government becomes obstructive to or destructive of these ends, it is the right and duty of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new or reformed government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form as to ensure and protect the collective equality, education, prosperity, well being, health, tranquility, and happiness of the people.Now granted, governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes. Therefore, the people have been more willing to suffer, while abuses and offenses seem bearable, than to free themselves by abolishing the government to which they are accustomed. However, when a long series of deceptions, offenses, betrayals, and abuses of power, invariably pursuing the interests and the favor of the wealthiest few at the expense of the many, creates conditions which reduce the majority to subservient, dispensable subjects, it is the absolute right and duty of the people to throw off such government, to institute new or better government, and to provide new safeguards for their future security, equality, prosperity, and well being.
Such has been the patient sufferance of the majority of the people; and such is now the necessity to alter their system of government. The history of this government is a history of repeated deceptions, offenses, betrayals, injustices, failings, injuries, and abuses of power, resulting in the establishment and perpetuation of an unjust, corrupt, inequitable political-economic system and society in which a wealthy, privileged few disproportionately enjoy the fruits of the labor of the majority, while the lot of the majority diminishes and growing numbers of good, hard working people are reduced to conditions of poverty, to the extent that tens of millions of innocent children in this nation suffer from its devastating effects.
Furthermore, since this inequitable political-economic system of government functions by partisan political contest for sovereign presidential power and congressional dominance, the people are repeatedly divided and polarized by a foolish and juvenile partisan rivalry for the throne of political power. The wealthy and powerful from the right and the left fight amongst themselves to maintain and even gain more wealth and more power, soliciting support not only from their wealthy peers but from the average people who generate that wealth and power but cannot sufficiently benefit from it themselves. Thus the wealthy few keep the people divided and weak, unable to stand united because they are misled and pulled in opposite directions. A partisan king (president) sits on the throne, serving the interests of his winning party and supporters, while the majority of the people and the losing party suffer the consequences.
Therefore, in the name and by the authority of the good people of this nation, it is now solemnly declared that:
1) As soon as possible and from thereon, we the people shall share the throne of a reformed government, as equal joint heirs;
2) We shall at long last live by secular government of the people, for the people, and by the people, with a wall of separation between government and religion, and with equality of all religions under the Spirit of Divinity by whatever name;
3) We shall no longer allow one individual person to play god or act as a king or queen or presidential head of state;
4) We shall no longer be divided by a competitive partisan rivalry for the throne;
5) We shall freely choose, nominate and elect, by secret write-in ballot, an executive council of six men and six women to serve and represent us in the executive branch of our government;
6) Political advocacy will be confined to brief, positive, free public service messages through the print and broadcast media;
7) There shall be no paid commercial political advertisements; and
8) The news media shall print and broadcast the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and lose the privilege to operate if it is proven that they knowingly violate the public trust.
It is also solemnly declared that the government thus produced shall have full power to levy taxes fairly and equitably, without any loopholes or shelters, and without any deductions for charitable contributions; provide for the common defense; keep the peace; contract alliances; regulate commerce and the economy to ensure equity, fairness and stability; provide for the health, education and welfare of all the people; use the common wealth to serve the common good; be good stewards of our environment; protect the environment, correct the mistakes and clean up the mess that greed, corruption and folly have created; and do all other acts and things which independent states have the right and the duty to do.
For the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, We the People mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.
May God truly bless our nation. May it abide by the new covenant with God and finally become known in truth as the land of the free and the home of the brave, under God or the Spirit of Divinity only, and may all nations in the world follow suit and be liberated.
© 2006 - 2009 Joseph James Adamson
Commentary Regarding Democracy
Some scholars are of the opinion that the early Greeks established a pretty good form of democracy 400 years before the birth of the Christ Jesus. And that’s probably true, since one of them wrote that "power should be in the hands of the whole people," rather than in the hands of one monarchial chief executive or an oligarchy of a relative few. They had the right idea, and a study of that era is worthwhile.
As the ancient Greek democracy matured, the idea was that all citizens must be equal and have an equal voice, and there was recognition that in a true democracy the poor actually have more power than the rich, because there are more of them.
Unfortunately, over time that has turned out to be more theory than substance, and in fact the idea about the poor having more political power than the rich died out pretty quickly. Throughout history ever since then power has been in the hands of the richest few who have been able to impose their will by hiring paid armed guards and even armies and police forces. And most nations and states have been ruled by the richest few who have considered themselves royalty, nobility, aristocracy, or, more recently, "servants and representatives" of the people, and the "upper class." (Americans talk a lot about the "middle class," but don't like to mention the upper and lower classes because it doesn't sound good.)
Of course, Thomas Jefferson, no doubt influenced by the Englishman John Locke, helped to plant the seed of democracy in America in 1776, believing like the ancient Greeks that government should exist only by the consent of the governed, and that all citizens are equal. And that started to get people back on the right track.
But it didn’t take hold. Not really. The wealthiest few, regardless of Jeffersonian ideals, still ruled even in America. In fact, sporadically and at various times, and especially during the last 27 years, they have increasingly become like aristocracy once again. The rich keep getting richer, the poor and the working poor keep getting poorer, and the middle class gets smaller and smaller as more and more people fall into the working poor population. (See the pages on Poverty in America, and Little Known American History.)
Most people in most nations are in the same boat. But, while some people think partisan party politics will do the trick if only they can achieve victory over the opposing party; while some other people think the only answer is in some form of Communism (which Karl Marx came up with in the mid-1800s); and while still other people think that Religious Theocracy will establish good and righteous government, they are ALL wrong.
First, partisan party politics only perpetuates conflict, division, and instability. Secondly, while Marx was justifiably angered at the European capitalistic nobility and aristocracy, he was wrong in calling for violent revolution to overthrow and destroy the capitalists, and most subsequent Communists have been even more wrong in advocating and perpetuating totalitarian rule. And thirdly, "good theocracy" is an oxymoron, because true servants of God do not seek to rule the people, but to liberate and empower them.
Now is the time for all good, conscientious people to come together, to stand up and demonstrate your will and be counted, to bring about a peaceful, nonviolent revolution and reformation and establish government that is truly of, for and by the people. For I tell you that the average people who are the humble and meek of this world shall indeed inherit the earth. But it will not happen unless and until you make it happen. (And that is spelled out on the page titled How the Meek Shall inherit the Earth.)
We cannot and will not have true democracy until we prevent money from fueling political campaigns, as well as prevent money from being used to influence politicians, law-makers and policy makers.
As it has been and is, corporate lobbyists wield all the power that money can buy. For example, the following is a list of corporations, and the amount of money they spend on lobbying to influence politicians in Washington, D.C. And this is just for the first quarter of 2009.
Oil Companies: Exxon Mobil: $9,320,000; Chevron U.S.A. Inc: $6,800,000; Conoco Phillips: $5,980,935; BP America, Inc: $3,610,000; Marathon Oil Corporation: $3,380,000; American Petroleum Institute: $1,810,000
Merchants: Chamber of Commerce of the U.S.A.: $9,996,000; Wal-Mart Stores, Inc: $1,600,000; Business Roundtable: $1,220,000
Health Care, Health Insurance, & Pharmaceutical Companies: Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America: $6,910,000; Pfizer, Inc: $6,140,000; American Medical Association: $4,240,000; American Hospital Association: $3,580,000; Eli Lilly and Company: $3,440,000; Amgen, Inc: $2,750,000; America's Health Insurance Plans, Inc: $2,030,000; CVS Caremark Inc: $2,005,000; Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association: $1,800,000; GlaxoSmithKline: $1,780,000; Merck & Co: $1,500,000; United Health Group, Inc: $1,500,000; Sanofi-Aventis U.S. Inc: $1,460,000; Novartis: $1,347,134; Abbott Laboratories: $1,260,000; Astrazeneca Pharmaceuticals, LP: $1,250,000; Medtronic, Inc: $1,238,000
Defense Contractors 5. Lockheed Martin Corporation: $6,380,000; General Electric Company: $4,540,000; Northrop Grumman Corporation: $2,570,000; Boeing Company: $2,410,00; Honeywell International: $1,760,000; Raytheon Company: $1,360,000
Telecoms: AT&T Services, Inc: $5,134,873; Verizon (excluding Verizon Wireless): $3,760,000; National Cable and Telecommunications Association: $3,370,000; Comcast Corporation: $2,760,000; Motorola, Inc: $1,470,000
Automotive Companies: General Motors: $2,800,000; United Services Automobile Association: $2,590,244; Ford Motor Company: $1,750,000; Toyota Motor North America: $1,290,000; Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers: $1,264,400
Financial Corporations & Interests: Financial Services Roundtable: $2,260,000; Prudential Financial, Inc: $2,180,000; American Bankers Association: $1,890,000; Visa, Inc: $1,540,000; Investment Company Institute: $1,359,917; Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association: $1,350,000; J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A.: $1,310,000; Citigroup Management Corp: $1,250,000; Credit Union National Association: $1,250,000
Biotech: Monsanto: $2,094,000; Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO): $1,920,000; Bayer Corporation: $1,843,672
High Technology: International Business Machines (IBM): $2,030,000; Edison Electric Institute: $2,550,000; General Dynamics Corp: $2,101,945; United Technologies Corporation: $1,860,000; Microsoft Corporation: $1,650,000
Electric Companies: American Electric Power Company: $1,716,913; Duke Energy Corporation: $1,282,770; National Rural Electric Cooperative Association: $1,200,000
Railroad Companies: Association of American Railroads: $2,759,545; Union Pacific Corporation: $1,717,108; BNSF Railway: $1,400,000
Life Insurance Companies: American Council of Life Insurers: $1,867,075; New York Life Insurance Company: $1,840,000; State Farm Insurance: $1,500,000; The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company: $1,237,000
Broadcasters & Communications: National Association of Broadcasters: $2,600,000; CBS Corporation: $1,200,000; L-3 Communications: $1,580,000
Other Commercial and Economic Interests: National Association of Realtors: $5,727,000; U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform: $5,480,000; AARP: $4,090,000; Southern Company: $3,650,000; Altria Client Services Inc: $3,580,000; Fedex Corporation: $2,370,000; Textron, Inc.: $2,140,000; Recording Industry Association of America: $1,810,000; CTIA-The Wireless Association: $1,790,000; Time Warner Inc. $1,780,000; The Dow Chemical Company: $1,735,000; Qualcomm, Incorporated: $1,620,000; Exelon Business Services, LLC: $1,540,000; Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc: $1,530,000; Norfolk Southern Corporation: $1,485,026; Koch Companies Public Sector LLC: $1,480,000; Oracle Corporation: $1,390,000; Disney Worldwide Services, Inc.: $1,330,000; Sepracor, Inc: $1,324,157; National Association of Home Builders: $1,320,000; UPS: $1,316,426; Siemens Corporation: $1,300,000; Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S., Inc: $1,230,000; Wellpoint, Inc: $1,220,000; American Wind Energy Association: $1,212,504; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: $1,206,427
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