1776
After watching the play Hamilton, I realized the similarity between 1776 and today under Adolph Trump. I reread the Declaration of Independence which spells out the reasons for declaring independence: to resolve the conflict between freedom and tyranny.
The Declaration was written because the colonies rebelled against the tyrannical control of King George II. Colonists were afraid of losing their freedom of Speech, Press, Assembly, Religion and Petition. The document states that all men are created equal and have “inalienable rights of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” We have a civic duty to defend these rights. The Declaration repeats the fear of despotism: “We the People will throw off government of despots.”
Trumpism results in the destruction of equality. Billionaires put Trump and the Republican Party into power and control them and benefit from that control. Our justice system has been broken; we see pardons for convicted criminals like Roger Stone and the withholding of funds if Trump doesn’t get what he wants.
There are four basic principles in the Declaration:
The Government derives its powers from the consent of the governed. Trump doesn’t hear anyone; only himself. Moscow Mitch, the Puppet Republican Senators and Republican Governors have only ears for Trump. They have forgotten that they took an oath to protect our Constitution, not Trump. Moscow Mitch won’t bring up any bill that was passed by the House if it doesn’t benefit Trump and have his approval.
All people are endowed with inalienable rights of “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Due to Trump’s incompetent leadership and mishandling of the Covid 19 pandemic, we see the destruction of life. His behavior, as a leader, has resulted in more than 70,000 deaths, more than half of the total number of American dead. And there will be more. In attempting to open the economy, Trump demonstrates a complete disregard for American lives. Liberty is synonymous with freedom. I laughed when Trump said he was for freedom of speech in defending his statement about the Confederate flag. He’s fired attorneys general because they were defending cases he disapproved of and that implicated him. Individuals who spoke at the impeachment hearings lost their positions (freedom of speech). He’s trying to shut down CNN because of their viewpoint. He is now chipping away at the efficacy of the CDC, speaking against the scientists because they will not alter what they say about the virus. He has defunded CDC and now wants all information that goes to CDC - which is used to make intelligent decisions - to go to his agency in order to withhold information from the public. He has done it before when he ordered hospitals to not accurately report the number of cases and deaths. Trump has sent the National Guard to hospitals to enforce his ruling.
Despots are unfit to rule free people. Trump and his accomplices conduct the
government as a private club for the rich and powerful. Attorney General Barr has fired the Attorneys General in Washington, DC and New York and is making the judicial system an extension of Trumpism. Trump behaves as if laws don’t apply to him. He withheld and redacted the Mueller report even though legally it should have been given directly to the House of Representatives. He was impeached because he broke laws involving Ukraine, the Emolument clause, the withholding of legal documents, and his refusal to allow members of his administration to testify. He helps create a dangerous environment by abolishing regulations that protect our air and water.
Governments are created to protect the rights of people. Jefferson wrote, “whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the People to alter or abolish it.” Some of the rights that were fought for: To have honest information that will enable people to make intelligent decisions. To have an administration that adheres to the Constitution and consequences when they are broken. To have a leader who doesn’t destroy but builds. Trump broke the nuclear treaty with Iran and made the world less safe. Russia is getting away with paying to have our soldiers killed. To have a country that has clean air and water and food for all. He has cut food stamps for needy families. To have a just, fair border policy—Trump instituted cruel, tyrannical policies unworthy of the head of a civilized nation To have a country for the people and by the people and fight against despotism.
We are living in very trying times with a leader who doesn’t care for his people (their lives), is destroying our civil liberties and justice system and making us fear for our lives (pursuit of happiness). It is imperative that we the people vote him out. We do not take up arms but we have a voice.
