Declaration of Independence - Draft 3

[Caleb]

Alright, here is another version of the Declaration.  Let me know if you have any suggestions, or which draft you prefer.  For simplicity sake, I'll put draft 2 under this one:

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE:  DRAFT THREE

Since the dawn of time, mankind has been involved in an epic struggle for freedom:  On the one hand, he finds his nature to be unaccustomed to change, so that even when faced with tyranny, he will bear such burdens as he finds tolerable rather than to disrupt his security by effecting change.  On the other hand, men have periodically been compelled to cast aside their usual compunction and embrace a change in their accustomed forms of government when that government has outraged their morality and devastated their liberties.  When compelled to such momentous change, men feel impelled to express the reasons which have forced their actions, both to satisfy the curiosity of others, and to serve as a message for posterity.

If there were a principle more noble, more honorable, more American than any other, is it not that we men and women are all equal, and entitled to equal treatment before the law?  We suffer no King, no despot, no tyrant.   All men, from President to pauper, hold the same precious liberty, and are accountable to the same measure of justice.  It is the government that serves the people, not the people who serve the government.  Thus, when any government fails to serve these ends, it is incumbent upon the people to change that form of government and adopt such government as they believe will serve them adequately.

Sanity and reason compel us to admit that imperfect men cannot be expected to form perfect governments, and thus we would be foolish indeed to dispose of our governments for trivial causes.  But when any people are subjected to a series of authoritarian and repressive measures, which continue unabated throughout successive generations and successive administrations, it is folly to hold out continued hope for reform, for the evil finds its root in the institutions themselves, and is not the heinous work of a single administrator.  And men living under such a regime find themselves in the unenviable position of accepting the necessity of change, which is so naturally repulsive to the human soul.  Yet, that is the present situation of the citizens of New Hampshire.  The history of the present Federal Government is a history of despotism, tyranny, and oppression, which threatens to forever destroy our liberties and, worse yet, implicates us in morally reprehensible crimes against humanity.

To prove this, let the facts be submitted to a candid world:

The Federal Government has held persons indefinitely, both foreigners and citizens, without charging them of crimes, in violation of the writ of habeas corpus.

The Federal Government, in direct contravention of our Law and Constitution, has engaged in spying on American citizens, using advanced technology to monitor our every move. Nothing that we say, do, read, or write is safe from their surveillance.

The Federal Government has inflicted cruel and unusual punishment upon us, contrary to our Law.

The Federal Government has deported friendly foreign nationals to severe places, to experience the most inhumane of treatment at the hands of supposed allies.

The Federal Government has rounded up masses of people, based solely on ethnicity, and subjected them to the loss of their property and dignity.

The Federal Government has engaged in a policy of near-Genocide towards the original inhabitants of this land.

The Federal Government, in contravention of all law and practice, has set forward plans for implementing martial law in the case of declared emergencies, threatening to suspend our Constitutions and impose upon us a law contrary to our consent.

In anticipation of the above emergency powers, the federal government has devised and implemented plans for creating emergencies, intending to implement their nefarious schemes upon the peaceful people of New Hampshire.

The Federal Government has conspired, through executive edict, legislative law, and judicial rulings, to annihilate due process and institute the despicable principle of guilt by association and innuendo.

The Federal Government has repeatedly used the military and other federal forces to crush dissent and free speech.

The Federal Government has authorized the use of deadly force by the military against those who are engaged in such dissent, men who are merely asserting their Right to Petition for Redress of Grievances.

The Federal Government has restricted the right to travel, based merely upon suspicion of misconduct through such outrages as the no-fly list.

The Federal Government, contrary to the natural law, has extended the rights of persons to corporations, which have used these rights to deny and disparage the inherent rights received by mankind from his Creator.

Where powerful governments are controlled by business, the shadow of fascism trails not far behind. Where powerful businesses are controlled by governments, the echos of socialism and communism ring. The unnatural rights and alliances formed between our Federal Government and corporations have combined these political Tyrannies into nearly unbreakable manacles, by which our people are stripped and flogged.

Even more dangerously, the Federal Government has endangered our security and implicated us in morally reprehensible crimes by arrogantly presuming, on behalf of American Corporations, to wage warfare, economic, political, and military, on other nations which do not permit us free access to their economies. A few examples suffice:

The Federal Government has presumed to assassinate leaders of foreign nations.

The Federal Government has presumed to stage military coups in foreign nations, installing puppet dictators for the purpose of securing American interests.

The Federal Government has resorted to the most immoral of methods in these foreign countries, including torture, death camps, and mass slaughter. It has maintained the School of the Americas, based in Georgia, USA, for the purpose of training foreign governments to institute such brutal measures to maintain control.

The Federal Congress has issued a report alleging that the CIA commits over 100,000 serious crimes per year, crimes which are never brought to justice. These intelligence agencies engage in drug trafficking, carry out assassinations, disseminate false propaganda, and commit economic espionage and sabotage.

Furthermore, in the waging of warfare, the federal government has engaged in immoral behavior, which is universally condemned throughout the civilized world: It lays land mines, tortures prisoners of war, and intentionally inflicts massive civilian casualties, contrary to international treaty. Moreover, countries which fail to obey the orders given by the federal government have been the victims of devastating embargoes, embargoes which target the civilian populace.

Throughout these crimes and injustices, we have never ceased to hold out hope for change; and yet, our constant pleadings have only been met with greater outrages.  Our choice has thus been clearly submitted to us:  Submit to the federal yoke of slavery, or dispose of the federal government and be free men and women.

We, the undersigned, thus hereby request that the legislature of New Hampshire make the following Resolution: That the State of New Hampshire is, and of Right ought to be, a Free and Independent State; that she is Absolved from all Allegiance to the Federal Union, and that all political connection between we and the United States of America, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as a Free and Independent State, we have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do.

[Caleb]

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE - DRAFT TWO

It has been a long-established fact of history that mankind is unaccustomed to change; that, even when faced with tyranny, man will bear such burdens as he finds tolerable, rather than disrupt his stability by effecting change.

It has likewise been a long-established fact of history that periodically men must of necessity change their accustomed forms of government when such government has outraged their morality and devastated their liberties. In the face of such tyranny, men feel compelled to express the reasons which have forced their actions, both to satisfy the curiosity of others, and to serve as a message for posterity.

If there were any principle more noble, more honorable, and more American than any other, is it not the principle that we men and women are all equal, and entitled to equal treatment before the law?  We suffer no King, no despot, no tyrant.   All men, from President to pauper, hold the same precious liberty, and are accountable to the same measure of justice.  It is the government that serves the people, not the people who serve the government.  Thus, when any government fails to serve these ends, it is incumbent upon the people to change that form of government and adopt such government as they believe will serve them adequately.

Sanity and reason compel us to admit that imperfect men cannot be expected to form perfect governments, and thus we would be foolish indeed to dispose of our governments for trivial causes.  But when any people are subjected to a series of authoritarian and repressive measures, which continue unabated throughout successive generations and successive administrations, it is folly indeed to hold out continued hope for reform.  In such cases, it is evident that the evil comes from the institutions themselves, and is not due merely to the evil of a particular administrator.  And men under such a regime find themselves in the unenviable position of accepting the necessity of change, which is so naturally repulsive to the human soul.  Yet, that is the present situation of the citizens of New Hampshire.  The history of the present Federal Government is a history of despotism, tyranny, and oppression, which threatens to forever destroy our liberties and, worse yet, implicates us in morally reprehensible crimes against humanity.

To prove this, let the facts be submitted to a candid world:

The Federal Government has held persons indefinitely, both foreigners and citizens, without charging them of crimes, in violation of the writ of habeas corpus.

The Federal Government, in direct contravention of our Law and Constitution, has engaged in spying on American citizens, using advanced technology to monitor our every move. Nothing that we say, do, read, or write is safe from their surveillance.

The Federal Government has inflicted cruel and unusual punishment upon us, contrary to our Law.

The Federal Government has deported friendly foreign nationals to severe places, to experience the most inhumane of treatment at the hands of supposed allies.

The Federal Government has rounded up masses of people, based solely on ethnicity, and subjected them to the loss of their property and dignity.

The Federal Government has engaged in a policy of near-Genocide towards the original inhabitants of this land.

The Federal Government, in contravention of all law and practice, has set forward plans for implementing martial law in the case of declared emergencies, threatening to suspend our Constitutions and impose upon us a law contrary to our consent.

In anticipation of the above emergency powers, the federal government has devised and implemented plans for creating emergencies, intending to implement their nefarious schemes upon the peaceful people of New Hampshire.

The Federal Government has conspired, through executive edict, legislative law, and judicial rulings, to annihilate due process and institute the despicable principle of guilt by association and innuendo.

The Federal Government has repeatedly used the military and other federal forces to crush dissent and free speech.

The Federal Government has authorized the use of deadly force by the military against those who are engaged in such dissent, men who are merely asserting their Right to Petition for Redress of Grievances.

The Federal Government has restricted the right to travel, based merely upon suspicion of misconduct through such outrages as the no-fly list.

The Federal Government, contrary to the natural law, has extended the rights of persons to corporations, which have used these rights to deny and disparage the inherent rights received by mankind from his Creator.

Where powerful governments are controlled by business, the shadow of fascism trails not far behind. Where powerful businesses are controlled by governments, the echos of socialism and communism ring. The unnatural rights and alliances formed between our Federal Government and corporations have combined these political Tyrannies into nearly unbreakable manacles, by which our people are stripped and flogged.

Even more dangerously, the Federal Government has endangered our security and implicated us in morally reprehensible crimes by arrogantly presuming, on behalf of American Corporations, to wage warfare, economic, political, and military, on other nations which do not permit us free access to their economies. A few examples suffice:

The Federal Government has presumed to assassinate leaders of foreign nations.

The Federal Government has presumed to stage military coups in foreign nations, installing puppet dictators for the purpose of securing American interests.

The Federal Government has resorted to the most immoral of methods in these foreign countries, including torture, death camps, and mass slaughter. It has maintained the School of the Americas, based in Georgia, USA, for the purpose of training foreign governments to institute such brutal measures to maintain control.

The Federal Congress has issued a report alleging that the CIA commits over 100,000 serious crimes per year, crimes which are never brought to justice. These intelligence agencies engage in drug trafficking, carry out assassinations, disseminate false propaganda, and commit economic espionage and sabotage.

Furthermore, in the waging of warfare, the federal government has engaged in immoral behavior, which is universally condemned throughout the civilized world: It lays land mines, tortures prisoners of war, and intentionally inflicts massive civilian casualties, contrary to international treaty. Moreover, countries which fail to obey the orders given by the federal government have been the victims of devastating embargoes, embargoes which target the civilian populace.

Throughout these crimes and injustices, we have never ceased to hold out hope for change; and yet, our constant pleadings have only been met with greater outrages.  Our choice has thus been clearly submitted to us:  Submit to the federal yoke of slavery, or dispose of the federal government and be free men and women.

We, the undersigned, thus hereby request that the legislature of New Hampshire make the following Resolution: That the State of New Hampshire is, and of Right ought to be, a Free and Independent State; that she is Absolved from all Allegiance to the Federal Union, and that all political connection between we and the United States of America, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as a Free and Independent State, we have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do.