A New Declaration of Independence

(Revised 4-18-2008)

America is at a crossroads, and Americans can either continue to be pushed backwards by those who like the political-economic status quo and still wish to virtually rule the world in the name of religion and/or patriotism, or they can progress forward toward the day when ALL human beings, nations, religions, races and cultures are respected and treated as equal. It is the choice of the people, and I pray the people choose wisely.

I believe 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, equality, justice, safety, health care, education, fair and adequate compensation for their labor, and freedom in the pursuit of happiness.

I believe that to secure these rights, the people should adopt a New Declaration of Independence based on those truths, 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 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 wants any 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 seven years. But it is religious in name only, and does not serve God or humanity. It serves Mammon and the wealthiest few, and it has proven fatal to truly representative government.

Therefore, I advocate a Constitutional Convention, and I advocate this New Declaration or Independence, which is a revised update of Thomas Jefferson's work, which I last revised on March 25, 2008.

A New 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, equality, justice, safety, health care, education, fair and adequate compensation for their labor, and freedom in the pursuit of happiness; 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, the people are repeatedly divided and polarized by a foolish and juvenile partisan rivalry for the throne. 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 as equal joint heirs;

2) We shall at long last live by government of the people, for the people, and by the people, under God only (in Spirit);

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 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 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 their 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 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 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 only, and may all nations in the world follow suit and be liberated.

© 2006 - 2008 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 Greek democracy matured, the great Greek philosopher, Aristotle, wrote that "all citizens must be equal, and in a democracy the poor 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 Aristotle’s 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."

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 Aristotle 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.)

Have courage and faith. We shall overcome.