New Declaration, Part 2

Prefacing today's post, I want to share something that occurred to me as I listened to NPR this morning: They talked about Mobutu in the Congo, who took the name Mobutu Sese Seko and changed the name of his country to Zaire. They said he took one of the richest nations in Africa and sent it down the tubes. I realized that any time too much power is vested in the executive the same thing happens. Look at North Korea. No need to say more there. Look at Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union under Stalin, Spain under Franco, and the list goes on and on. With history screaming this at us, why do we want to vest more power in our executive?

Now, on with today's post:

The Declaration of Independence has eerie parallels with today's world. Continuing with the previous post:

Jefferson:

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:

Blanton: Even though the Bush Administration has cut support for the upkeep of the troops and slashed the budget for maintenance on their bases, he still refers to himself as Commander-in-Chief more than he does as the civilian President. The military is superior to the civilian in American life now thanks to the saber-rattling and fear-mongering of the Cheney-Rove Administration.

Having taken office on a pledge of smaller government, he has increased government intrusion on American lives. He has ignored the Constitution and even Constitutionally questionable laws (FISA), to snoop as he pleases into the private affairs even when it would have been absolutely convenient to be legal and get a warrant.

When war crimes have been committed, blame falls on a few low-ranking soldiers while the real war criminals in the Pentagon and the Administration go scot-free.

Jefferson:

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.

Blanton: George W. has signed treaties that weaken environmental and labor protections to the end that Americans have lost their jobs to underpaid, even slave, workers overseas.

He has increased the taxes on working Americans while cutting those on the rich to then end that our economy is in decline, and even coming out of a recession there are fewer jobs than there were before his tax cuts on the rich triggered the recession.

He has ignored laws as his whim dictated, and even when signing laws has declared a right to ignore them in 750 instances. For declaring himself above the law and giving "national security" as an excuse, George W. has shown himself to be no better than George III.

More later.