Our Country is Teetering on the Edge of an Abyss

Personal decisions about life and death, the separation of church and state, wars at whim, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, the ability to declare bankruptcy, spitting on international treaties, torture: These are just a few of the many issues on which the maniacs currently running our country are taking us over a cliff.

Forget about opposition from the Democrats. Too many of them threw their votes in with the Republicans on the Schiavo insanity.

Bush/Delay/Cheney/Rove/Frisk/Rumsfeld et al, have told us to screw off. What we think, believe, or historically stand for means nothing to them. They are playing to fundies and other wingnuts, knowing that they will not lose one vote to these brain-dead creatures.

Let's face it. The Constitution is no longer a living document. These people have used it as toilet paper. And the most infuriating part is that there's not one goddamn thing we can do about it.

Oh yeah, the congressional elections are coming up next year. What makes anyone think that their vote will count, given the past two elections?

In the past, refugees came to America for safety. So where do we go? And what do we do now?

The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies
In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --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 to 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. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, 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 invariably 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. —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. The history of the present King of Great Britain 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 refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

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 kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

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 offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat 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 our fellow 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 endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by the Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they 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. 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.

The signers of the Declaration represented the new states as follows:
New Hampshire

Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton
Massachusetts

John Hancock, Samual Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island

Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery
Connecticut

Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott
New York

William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris
New Jersey

Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark
Pennsylvania

Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross
Delaware

Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean
Maryland

Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia

George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton
North Carolina

William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn
South Carolina

Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton
Georgia

Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

For additional information about the Declaration of Independence, see these sites:

* National Archives and Records Administration: Declaration of Independence
* Library of Congress: About the Declaration of Independenc

The Declaration of Independence sparked a revolution. And such a revolution isn't practical today. The "enemy" will not oblige us by wearing red coats.

The world is a lot more gray than it used to be. And drop any thoughts of "taking to the streets." Remember what happened at Kent State? These swine make Nixon look like a moderate.

thuogh none has involved shooting..... or at least losts of shooting

the 1880s was one... the 1800 was another one. Did I forget the 1960s? Yes there is Kent State but overall that was not a revolution that involved much violence, compared to OTHER revolutions across the world and history, and this is why the Pukes HATE the 60s... and something like this may be very well in the offing.

Other alternatives.....

Civil War, which I fear this nation will not survive, or a violent revolution and IF they press enough they will get it. (for the record the shiavo case may be a Fort Sumter moment)

Moreover, things were not that clear cut in 1776 either.

One third wanted to revolt, One third ended up in Canada because they were for remaining Colonials and one third found itself in the middle. The American Revolution was as much an open revolt as it was a Civil War.

As much as I hate Gibson Movies, the general brush strokes with Gibson's character (based on three historical characters) and his initial reluctance to get involved, is pretty close to the truth.

:thumbsup:

What a wonderful document.

We should have him in a safe place.

You know, a 2005 version? I think we may.

The fat and the happy and the patriotic and the deluded
who gave these criminals this extra four years need to be
*itch-slapped out of their bread and circuses coma.

Only by breaking the status quo into a million pieces
will these criminals ever be brought to justice.

KaityKaity......my sentiments EXACTLY!

the French Revolution led to the Reign of Terror, and eventually, Napoleon. The Russian revolution led to Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin. Virtually every revolution in the history of the world (with the exception of our own against the British) has lead to decades of bloodshed and disaster.

"Let it fall" isn't a satisfactory answer. We would probably end up at the mercy of a small organized minority. And as Democrats and liberals, we are the farthest thing from "organized" that anyone could imagine.

You remember that story about the frog in the cold water?
If you put a frog in cold water and slowly heat it up, the
frog doesn't know it's being boiled to death until it's
too late.

By the time the majority of Americans wake up to the
true nature of these criminals, they're already being
boiled alive.

I know the metaphor breaks down after that, but I have to
believe that there are enough of us who have been thrown into
the boiling water and jumped out again to be able to get our
hands around the aftermath.

Hey, there's civil war breaking out in LBN now, you know.
We'll see where this leads.

Were our society to come crashing down as a result of the maniacs in power, I would hope we would end up as a country such as Italy or Greece. They once ran the world, but are now decent, civilized, humane places in which to live.

My biggest fear is that the crazies who control the most powerful weapons of destruction in the history of the world might just use them if they saw their power threatened.

the United States to descend into the tyranny
you fear.

Once the election was over, that was it for me.
I wished that all of the deluded to lose their jobs
and lose their houses and lose their health insurance
and have their kid go and die in Iraq and all of it.
I wanted the people who gave Bush another four years
to feel a lot, a lot of pain, pain that the rest of us
have been feeling for such a long time.

I beleved then and believe now that things would have
to get very, very bad indeed for the frogs to jump
out of that pan.

But on a scale? Unleashing our arsenal and bringing
about their Armaggeddon? I just think that there's no
way the military would follow that order. I just don't
think they'd do it.

You said, "Hey, there's civil war breaking out in LBN now, you know." I understand LBN means latest breaking news--but what do you mean there is a civil war breaking out? Where? Which thread? What are you referring to? Informed DUers would like to know.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=1335795&mesg_id=1336404

Somebody posted that Jeb's DCF had tried to take Schaivo
and been rebuffed, and I wondered how long it would be before
Jeb called out the National Guard and shots were fired between
them and law enforcement.

Hence civil war.

I don't know if it actually happened or not. I think Jebbie
was just talking about it.

"Where are we going, why is it so hot in here,
and what am I doing in this handbasket?"...

we've all become Toto in that damn handbasket on the bicycle (broomstick?).

We are going to need some big patrioting after this, and I don't see any uniters on the horizon.

and Fla and demand they finish the recount that the Supreme Jerks stopped. We lost it all then and we can never get it back.

in Miami/Dade county (although at the time, no one knew they were DeLay's staff members).

Even so, how do you go about overriding a Supreme Court decision short of a revolution? Let's face it. We got raped in 2000 and they've been raping us every day since.

The day that the Supreme court selected George W. Bush was the day democracy died in this country.

... www.missionnotaccomplished.us

More soon.

Peace.

we done gone over the edge

What congressperson, senator, or governor has a 100 year vision? Or even a 20 year vision?

100 Year Vision
By Wes Clark

"Looking ahead 100 years, the United States will be defined by our environment, both our physical environment and our legal, Constitutional environment."

<snip>

Institutionally, our Constitution remains the wellspring of American freedom and prosperity. We must retain a pluralistic democracy, with institutional checks and balances that reflect the will of the majority while safeguarding the rights of the minority. We must seek to maximize the opportunities for private gain, consistent with concern for the public good. And we must institute a culture of transparency and accountability, in which we set the world standard for good government. As new areas of concern arise -- in the areas of intellectual property, bioethics, and other civil areas -- we will assure continued access to the courts, as well as to the other branches of government, and a vibrant competitive media that informs our people and enables their effective participation in civic life. And even more importantly, we will assure in meeting the near term challenges of the day -- whether they be terrorism or something else -- that, we don't compromise the freedoms and rights which are the very essence of the America we are protecting.

http://www.securingamerica.com/vision

20 Year Vison
By Wes Clark

Many have asked me, "How do we get there?" Others have warned half cynically that in American politics you can't talk about 100 year visions - politicians don't think that far ahead. Fair enough, but I'm not a politician. So today, I want to lay the groundwork for us to think about our world a century from now. I want to do that by providing a little of the connective tissue - by focusing on what we'll find in the next twenty years.

<snip>

The world we knew on September 10, 2001 is gone, changed forever by an irrational, hate-fueled attack.

But living in a time of terrorism is not an excuse for failing to live up to our ideals...

http://www.securingamerica.com/?q=speeches/2004-01-10

they have divided themselves...Where does it all end?

The French Revolution produced France as we know it; a proud and self reliant people of bickering, no-nonsense individuals not likely to tolerate anything from their government.

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/modsbook13.html
http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/chap10a.html
http://humanities.uchicago.edu/homes/mark/fr_rev.html
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/2419/1968.html
http://struggle.ws/pdfs/paris68.pdf

It was France that sparked the liberalist revolt in 1968, here's a snippet from Wikipedia:

"In May 1968 a general insurrection broke out across France. It quickly began to reach near-revolutionary proportions before being suppressed by the Government and the French Communist Party. Some philosophers and historians have argued that the rebellion was the single most important revolutionary event of the Twentieth Century because of the fact that it wasn't participated in by a lone demographic, such as workers or racial minorities, but was rather a purely popular uprising, superseding ethnic, cultural, age and class boundaries."

May 1968 poster: Be young and keep quiet

"Many saw the events as an opportunity to shake up the "old society" in many social aspects, including methods of education and sexual freedom."

Posters:
http://membres.lycos.fr/mai68/affiches/affiches.htm

Chronology (in English):
http://www.metropoleparis.com/1998/318/chron318.html





More pics:
http://www.magnumphotos.com/c/htm/CDocT_MAG.aspx?V=CDocT&E=2S5RYDWWYYQ&DT=ALB

The 1968 revolt spilled over to the European countries and to the USA, where it met the feminist movement and Affirmative Action on the upturn--combined with the new 'tune'; rock music--and produced the society we have today.
Here's from Germany:


If you look at France of 2005, it's just the same as in 1968. The power is in the hands of the people, and they take every opportunity to make sure their politicians understand that.

http://pubs.socialistreviewindex.org.uk/sr204/europe1.htm

From the BBC:
History in action - previous French blockades
2000, August: Fishermen block ports in protest at fuel prices
2000, January: Truck drivers block ports over fuel prices and labour laws
1999, October: Farmers blockade ports to check lorries for UK beef
1997, November: Truck drivers wanting higher pay block roads
1997, April: Fishermen angry at fishing laws block Channel ports
1996, November: Truck drivers wanting employment reforms block roads

There's more to the term 'Freedom Fries' than we think.

The Fear of France is very tangible in the Boosh-administration.

And rightly so.

If you look at the sudden turn arounds ** makes-- loving state's rights until they hate them, declaring marriage sanctity, then attempting to sever M. Shiavo's marital rights, declaring themselves moral, while defrauding America repeatedly.

This is not a nation under law. Shiavo alone shows that we are virtually a quasi-theocratic cult of personality. This is the Imperial States of Bush**. I expect Jeb will declare a state of emergency, and take unilateral action based on a quackdimentalist 'doc's' hysterical rantings.

I doubt democracy will be restored, I rather think that the US will divide, and not peacefully.