INDEPENDENCE DAY
July 4, 1776 - 2008

When in the course of human events the government becomes destructive of the ends for which it was established, it is the Right of the People to alter it and demand restoration of those Constitutional Principles that have so long assured their Liberty, Safety, and Happiness. Therefore, on the anniversary of our Independence, we offer this new declaration for our times.

The history of this president is one of arbitrary usurpations of power, the effect of which is to establish tyranny through false promises of gerater security.

He has created a multitude of secret programs and sent swarms of petty officers to spy on Americans in a misguided effort to combat foreign terrorism. He has invested these agents with sweeping new powers to monitor our conversations and ransack our personal papers and effects without judicial supervision or any reason to believe -- as the Constitution requires -- that a crime has been committed.

He has further claimed the power to disregard legislation that Congress has passed.

He has suspended the laws and treaties against torture, authorized the kidnapping of mere suspects, and transported hundreds of prisoners beyond seas so that no independent judiciary could question the legality of their mistreatment.

He and his supporters in Congress have granted amnesty to the officials who unleashed torture and humiliation upon helpless prisoners, to the disgrace of our nation.

He has denied these prisoners access to attorneys, family, and friends and has claimed the right to try them before military tribunals specifically designed to disregard the most basic principles of law.

He has imprisoned thousands of lawful immigrants for months without charges, under brutal conditions, until his agents, rather than independent courts, decide that they posed no threat.

He has wrapped his usurpations of power and his deprivations of liberty in thick cloaks of secrecy, thereby showing contempt for the rule of law and the proper functions of Congress, the courts, and the press.

At every stage of these oppressions we have sought redress, but our petitions have been answered only by repeated injury.

We, therefore, resolve to resist these usurpations by all lawful means at our disposal. We insist that the powers of our national government be shared by all branches of that government and not concentrated in one alone. And we call upon Congress, the courts, and the press to reassert their constitutional functions and restore the promise that is America.

To these ends, we mutually pledge our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor

What Makes You Proud of America?

by Steven D
Fri Jul 4th, 2008 at 09:39:38 AM EST

There are many things I would list as things which make me proud of my country. I'm proud, for example that the first non-white candidate for the Presidency will be nominated to head the ticket of one of our two major parties. I'm proud that we have the freedom of speech to say what we want, including expressing our opinions on our blogs. However, one of the things of which our Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice claims she is most proud, would not be on my list.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she's "proud'' of the U.S. decision to wage the Iraq war and insisted that the world is not more dangerous than it was when George W. Bush took office.

"We're now beginning to see that perhaps it's not so popular to be a suicide bomber. We're beginning to see that perhaps people are questioning whether Osama Bin Laden ought to really be the face of Islam,'' Rice, 53, said in an interview to be broadcast this weekend on Bloomberg Television's "Conversations with Judy Woodruff."

"And I am proud of the decision of this administration to overthrow Saddam Hussein," said Rice, who was Bush's national security adviser at the time of the March 2003 invasion. As of yesterday, 4,107 U.S. soldiers died in Iraq and more than 30,000 were wounded. She said the Iraq war has been "tougher than any of us really dreamed."

Well, I guess some people have no shame. They don't mind being proud that they lied us into an unnecessary war of aggression in violation of the UN Charter against a foe who was no threat to our security. An illegal war which led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people, and made millions more refugees. A war in which we have tortured and abused prisoners, burned to death innocent women and children with napalm and white phosphorus weapons, poisoned others with depleted uranium, destroyed the infrastructure of an entire country leaving lakes of sewage visible from space, and committed war crimes on a regular basis. Not what I'd be proud about. But then I'm not a lying sycophant who licks George Bush's boots, and considers him my surrogate husband, either.

One day, if there is any justice in the world Madam Secretary, you will be tried for your crimes against humanity. If not, I can only hope that, if there is a God, he, she or it will provide you with a suitable and eternal punishment for your many terrible sins.

Oh, and Happy Independence Day to you, too.

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