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NEW DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
Two
hundred years ago our ancestors signed a document which forever
changed the course of history: the Declaration of Independence. That
document severed the bonds of Colonial America to a tyrannical king
and parliament in England, and established for the first time a
society based on the principle of the rule of law and limited
government.
The result was a glorious 200+
years which witnessed the greatest achievements, the highest
standard of living, and the greatest levels of individual freedom in
human history. But, bit by bit, the principles which made this
country great have been forgotten – to the point where the
uncontrolled growth of government now threatens to totally destroy
our liberty and our prosperity.
Thomas Jefferson, George Mason, and
the other signers of the original Declaration of Independence were
well aware of that danger. That's why they made these observations
about the nature of man and government, which are as valid today as
the day they were written:
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
Man-kind 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. (emphasis
added)
Now, over two hundred years after the statement of these eternal
truths, it's time for us to proclaim a new Declaration of
Independence.
WE THE PEOPLE OF THESE 50
States have patiently suffered mounting government outrages against
us - lies, corruption, legal plunder and terror. We have waited in
despair for reforms and redress, but the outrages have only gotten
worse. We can now wait no longer. The fundamental rights of "We the
People" must be restored now. Government's role must be limited to
protection of our lives, liberty and property. When government
ceases to be our protector and instead becomes our master, it
becomes an abomination. These are the crimes of the modern American
State against its citizens:
- They have "erected a Multitude of new Offices, and sent hither
Swarms of Officers to harass our People, and eat our their
Substance." The IRS, Justice Department, police, State and local
revenue authorities and a multitude of other government agencies
have engaged in an escalating orgy of terror, legalized looting
and wholesale seizure of private property to feed the appetite of
arrogant and rapacious bureaucracies.
- They have multiplied laws and regulations beyond reason or
humanity, subverting both the words and intent of our Constitution
and Bill of Rights to the point where there is not a single
American who could not be arrested, imprisoned and impoverished
for violating one of the millions of arbitrary and
incomprehensible government laws and edicts now in force.
- They have instituted oppressive and destructive taxes; stolen
over half of our incomes year after year; compelled us to testify
against ourselves by filling out endless compulsory reports; made
us into unpaid government spies and tax collectors; and destroyed
our peace, security, and freedom in order to finance their
oppressive bureaucracies, failed social programs, and wars of
aggression.
- They have seized control of our economy and have dictated and
controlled every aspect of how our businesses must be operated.
They have issued edict upon edict, issued regulation on top of
regulation, instituted fine after fine, treated us as common
criminals, imprisoned us, and seized our property.
- They have destroyed our financial security. They have
debauched the currency, substituting worthless paper for gold and
silver. They have clandestinely seized our banking system -
inflating currency and credit and looting the real wealth of the
people.
- They have burdened us with enormous waste and government debt
which have brought our nation to the brink of bankruptcy. They
have destroyed jobs and stifled private initiative with
suffocating regulations and oppressive bureaucracies.
- They have subverted the electoral process through unjust and
exclusionary ballot access and campaign finance laws. Vast sums of
tax-extorted monies have been used to create a Congressional
Monopoly and an Imperial Presidency which have crushed dissent and
excluded any serious challenge to their power.
- They have hobbled and corrupted our system of justice by
creating endless numbers of technical crimes against the State,
and crimes without victims - making vices into crimes, dissent
into treason, and sensuality into perversion. They have seized
billions of dollars worth of property without due process of law,
imprisoned countless thousands without indictment or trial, and
have made equal justice under law impossible by manipulating
courts and juries, terrorizing our attorneys and seizing their
fees.
- They have kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies.
In direct violation of the Constitution, US troops have repeatedly
invaded and reduced foreign countries to ruin without declaration
of war by Congress. They have used force to compel our children to
fight and die in foreign wars far removed from their homes. In the
name of the War on Drugs they have declared open war on the people
of the United States, invading farm and field, village and home,
and spreading terror across the land.
- They have perverted our relations with other nations, using
their power to support foreign despotisms. They have bribed other
nations with foreign aid, restricted foreign trade, and exported
massive quantities of weapons of death and destruction - fomenting
discord, repression and war throughout the world.
- In the name of "peacekeeping" and assisting other nations,
they have illegally waged war on many nations and innocent
peoples, committing mass murder in the name of peace, making the
US hated throughout the world, and US citizens the victims and
targets of terrorism.
WE SUBMIT that the government
of the United States of America has abrogated its sacred covenant to
protect the life, liberty and property of the people of this nation
so that now, with the collapse of major foreign threats, our own
government has emerged as the greatest menace to freedom, prosperity
and peace, both here and throughout the world.
WE FURTHER SUBMIT that we, the
people, have all but lost control of our political institutions and
that government has ceased to be our servant, and has become instead
a terrible and tyrannical master. To restore the freedom, peace and
prosperity of the people, we therefore demand:
- That the protections of individual rights enumerated in the
Bill of Rights be strictly enforced. That all laws be abolished
which restrict freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly and
enterprise; the right to keep and bear arms and the right to own
and dispose of property. That henceforth political leaders,
legislators or judges violating their oaths to defend the
Constitution and Bill of Rights be tried for treason.
- That Citizen Grand Juries not under the control of
government-appointed judges or prosecutors be convened in each
State with the power to indict government officials and employees
who violate the rights of any citizen, and that all officials and
employees so indicted be promptly brought to trial.
- That a "Citizen Veto" be created at federal, state and local
levels, whereby all citizens can veto any new legislation -
including revenue acts. We also call for the establishment of a
universal Citizen Power of Recall so that unscrupulous politicians
may be removed from power by citizen initiative.
- That the Income Tax and the IRS be abolished and that all
persons jailed for tax evasion be freed.
- That sufficient government property be sold to retire the
national debt. That all government agencies which are not clearly
engaged in the protection of life, liberty and property of the
individual be disbanded.
- That the Federal Reserve, FDIC, FSLIC and currency laws be
abolished, and that banking and insurance systems be left to the
private sector in order to restore security to our banking system
- That all laws creating government monopolies in education,
medicine, utilities, mail delivery and other public services be
abolished.
- That State and Economy be separated, and that federal control
of interstate commerce be confined to prohibition of tariffs and
trade restrictions between States. That freedom of association be
restored to enterprise, including freedom to hire, fire, contract
and negotiate; that all capitalist acts between consenting adults
be legalized.
- That all restrictions upon foreign trade be abolished,
including tariffs, quotas, import duties, license fees, content
laws, and "dumping" laws.
- That all federal laws restricting gun ownership be abolished,
and that a trained, well-armed citizenry be encouraged, as a
defense against domestic criminals, foreign aggression and
domestic tyranny.
- That due process of law and the presumption of innocence be
restored. That RICO statutes and other laws enabling the
government to confiscate property with-out the owners being
convicted of any crime be abolished. That the Seventh Amendment to
the Constitution, preserving the right to trial by jury in civil
disputes be strengthened to include disputes between Citizens and
the State.
- That all Civil Forfeiture laws, and other laws holding
"property" hostage for crimes, shall be immediately and completely
abolished, and that henceforth no citizen shall be deprived of any
property (except as punishment for a real crime against persons or
property) of which they have been convicted.
- That all jury members be explicitly informed of their right to
judge the law as well as the facts in every court case, and to
acquit if they find the law improper or unjust.
- That Sovereign Immunity, which makes government officers and
agents immune from prosecution for their crimes, be abolished.
That presumption in trials in favor of government officials,
police officers and other agents of the State be ended. That
government officials and agents, and citizens be treated as equal
before the law in all cases, both criminal and civil.
- That all victimless crime laws be abolished, including laws
restricting the sale or possession of pornography and controlled
substances. That the War on Drugs be ended, Drug Peace be
declared, and all persons im-prisoned for victimless crimes be
immediately freed and their records cleared.
- That immigration laws and the INS be abolished. Henceforth the
only persons restricted from immigrating to the United States
shall be known criminals or those carrying easily-communicable
diseases. That imprisoned illegal aliens be freed.
- That the function of the military be confined to defense of
the territory of the United States, and that all US troops be
removed from foreign countries. That henceforth, the sole purpose
of the military shall be protection of the lives and property of
US citizens at home.
WE SEEK to create an America in
which the freedom and sovereignty of the people are restored; in
which the functions of government are limited to protecting life,
liberty and property; and in which each and every individual is
again the master of his or her own destiny.
WE SUPPORT this Declaration in
the certainty that our rights are inalienable and innate and not
subject to the whims of government; that the only rights which we
will ultimately retain, are those which we are willing to defend;
and that rapid, yet peaceful, reform is now America's only
alternative to tyranny and mounting social violence.
TO CREATE a new dawn of liberty
for America and to secure a rebirth of liberty, justice, peace, and
prosperity for all, we mutually pledge each other our lives, our
fortunes and our sacred honor. We seek and will settle for nothing
less than freedom in our time.
Vincent H.
Miller is the founder and president of the International
Society for Individual Liberty.
Jarret B. Wollstein is a member
of ISIL's Board of Directors and a founder of the original Society
for Individual Liberty.
This pamphlet was originally published in May 1992 and revised in
January 2000. It is part of ISIL's educational pamphlet series.
Click here for the full
index of pamphlets online.
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