Chuck Baldwin Campaign Video

More at Baldwin08.com.

Obama Talks Reparations

Addressing a gathering of minority journalists this past Sunday, the Democratic presidential candidate said, "I consistently believe that when it comes to whether it's Native Americans or African-American issues or reparations, the most important thing for the U.S. government to do is not just offer words, but offer deeds."

Hold onto your wallets, America. The candidates are already plotting how to spend your money.

Now Showing at Liberty Theater: "Money as Debt"

Click here to watch Paul Grignon's video, "Money as Debt." This 47-minute animated feature presents in clear and simple terms exactly what money is, how it is created, and why it is so problematic. I'm not sure I agree with Grignon's solution, but this video is incredibly valuable in understanding just how the current system functions.

Save the Planet? How about Saving the Republic?

From Chuck Baldwin:

Our public servants are not charged with saving the snail darter or the Spotted Owl, or saving the profits of the international bankers, or saving Wall Street in general, or saving the perks of corporate lobbyists, or saving Freddie and Fannie, or saving the peoples of the world from all the bogeymen, or even saving humankind or the planet itself. What our public servants are charged with, however, is preserving (saving) our constitutional republic.

Of course, the problem is, the people who are charged with the preservation of our republic are the ones who are the most responsible for its destruction. The American people have far more to fear from Nancy Pelosi, Barack Obama, and John McCain than they do from any foreign adversary, because our leaders have proven that they have absolutely no fidelity to the principles of constitutional government. They have no compunction about eviscerating the protection of our freedoms, or about abolishing the vanguard of our liberties. They are Machiavellian, making King George of old look like a mere amateur.

No, I take that back. It is not our civil magistrates who are most responsible for the destruction of our republican form of government: it is "We the people."

At the end of the day, it is the responsibility of the people to govern themselves. We must be willing to hold our civil magistrates accountable to the contract they made with us, which is to uphold constitutional government. It is our duty to "throw off" any system of government that does not secure our liberties and protect our Constitution. And this we have not done.

Just something to keep in mind this November.

Slaves Fought for the South

This is the kind of story you won't learn from a government school textbook:

At first glance, it's an unlikely combination. A black family seated under a tent facing a line of Civil War re-enactors, proudly holding Confederate flags and gripping their weapons.

But what lies between these two groups is what brought them together: An unmarked grave about to get its due, belonging to a slave who fought for the Confederacy.

Weary Clyburn was best friends with his master's son, Frank. When Frank left the plantation to fight in the Civil War, Clyburn followed him.

He fought alongside Frank and even saved his life on two occasions.

On July 18, the city of Monroe proclaimed Weary Clyburn Day; an event that coincided with the Sons of Confederate Veterans convention in Concord.

The N.C. Division of Sons of Confederate Veterans (James Miller Camp 2116) honored Clyburn, who died March 30, 1930, with a memorial program at Hillcrest Cemetery in Monroe and unveiled a new headstone for his unmarked grave.

Read the full story from the Charlotte Post here.

Tomato, Tomahto

When our enemies gun down innocent civilians, it's called an act of terrorism. When we do it, it's called "an extremely unfortunate and tragic incident" -- because we're better than everyone else.

Handguns in D.C.? Good Luck Trying to Get One

Mark Segraves of WTOP radio is on a quest to register for a gun license and purchase a firearm in Washington, D.C. You can follow his exploits here:

Despite the fact that they're now legal to own, getting a handgun in the District is going to be impossible -- at least for a while. But this reporter is going to try.

At 7 a.m. Thursday, the Metropolitan Police Department will open its doors at Headquarters and begin taking applications for permits. If you already own an illegal handgun, you're in luck. Because of the 90 day amnesty program, you can bring your gun (unloaded and wrapped up) to the police and apply for a permit. If, like most people, you don't have a gun, you can begin the permit process, but good luck getting a gun. Without a gun store, or someone to transfer the gun, it won't happen legally.

But I'm going to try.

Ticket Bomb Set to Go Off in 10...9...8...

Tickets for September 2nd's Rally for the Republic at the Target Center in Minneapolis go on sale at 10:00 am Central time. You can order them through Ticket Master.


Be sure to check out the full schedule of events here.

The State Will Watch What You Eat...

...because it thinks you're too stupid to make choices for yourself. From the LA Times:

A proposal that would place at least a one-year moratorium on new fast-food restaurants in a broad swath of neighborhoods, mostly in South Los Angeles, won unanimous support from a Los Angeles City Council committee Tuesday. ...

... [Councilwoman Jan] Perry said she has been attempting to address the health issues associated with fast food, such as diabetes and obesity. She is trying to persuade supermarket chains and sit-down restaurants to open in her district, which has been especially hard hit with such health problems.

The Revolution Is Still Growing

The latest news from the Star Tribune:

Supporters of Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul have ramped up plans for a local counterweight to the GOP's national convention in September.

Not content with a planned rally at the University of Minnesota's Williams Arena on Sept. 2, the Paul forces now plan a three-day "Rally for the Republic" that will climax in a 10-hour extravaganza at Target Center in Minneapolis.

The Revolution Is Growing

While supporters of the welfare/warfare state are gathered at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul for the Republican National Convention, Ron Paul will be hosting a convention of his own. Originally set to be held at Williams Arena on the U of M campus, it has since been moved to the 18,000-seat Target Center in Minneapolis.

Podcasting for Liberty

Lew Rockwell now has a daily podcast. Check it out here.

It All Depends on Who's Doing the Killing

You've made a name for yourself by killing thousands of Muslims. What are the chances you will be held responsible for your actions?

Well, if you're a Serb, you'll probably be arrested and tried as a war criminal. But if you're an American, you'll most likely be worshiped and celebrated as a war hero.

Go figure.

In Government We Trust

Ron Paul on our faith-based currency:

[Fiat money] is not based on production or earnings, and not backed by any commodity. It is solely based on trusting the government. Fiat money is exchanged in the economy as long as there is faith in the government that issues it. ...

... Hard currencies, on the other hand, force governments to remain in check, strictly limited to the revenues they can raise from the country’s economic health. This is also an incentive for government to stay out of the way of productivity. The hyper-regulation in today's economy demonstrates that this is no longer the case. What does it matter if the economy is crippled and the tax-base eroded, if government can create whatever dollars they need to keep the special interests happy?

We have been building economic castles on the sand, and the tide is coming in. The answer is not to bring in more sand, but to move to more solid foundation.

Obama's "Civilian National Security Force"

"We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded."

- Barack Obama (July 2, 2008)

The preceding quote doesn't appear in the official transcript. But you can hear it from Obama himself at about 16:42 into the speech:

Lights Out for Freedom

With the signing into law of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 on December 19, 2007, the federal government once again exceeded its constitutional limitations by dictating how Americans should light their homes. The bill effectively bans most incandescent light bulbs in favor of costlier (and uglier) compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs.

The reasoning (for lack of a better term) behind the legislation is to force Americans to save energy. It is also intended to encourage the U.S. to become more energy independent, which is a joke because all CFL bulbs are made in China and will have to be imported.

Of course, there is the inherent problem of owning CFL bulbs. They contain mercury and can pose certain health risks if they happen to break. And you can't just sweep it up and throw it away. The EPA has outlined the following government-approved safety procedure:

Before Clean-up: Air Out the Room

• Have people and pets leave the room, and don't let anyone walk through the breakage area on their way out.
  
• Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.
  
• Shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system, if you have one.
  
  Clean-Up Steps for Hard Surfaces
  
• Carefully scoop up glass pieces and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
  
• Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
  
• Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place towels in the glass jar or plastic bag.
  
• Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.
  
  Clean-up Steps for Carpeting or Rug
  
• Carefully pick up glass fragments and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
  
• Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
  
• If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken.
  
• Remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister), and put the bag or vacuum debris in a sealed plastic bag.
  
  Clean-up Steps for Clothing, Bedding and Other Soft Materials
  
• If clothing or bedding materials come in direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from inside the bulb that may stick to the fabric, the clothing or bedding should be thrown away. Do not wash such clothing or bedding because mercury fragments in the clothing may contaminate the machine and/or pollute sewage.
  
• You can, however, wash clothing or other materials that have been exposed to the mercury vapor from a broken CFL, such as the clothing you are wearing when you cleaned up the broken CFL, as long as that clothing has not come into direct contact with the materials from the broken bulb.
  
• If shoes come into direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from the bulb, wipe them off with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place the towels or wipes in a glass jar or plastic bag for disposal.
  
  Disposal of Clean-up Materials
  
• Immediately place all clean-up materials outdoors in a trash container or protected area for the next normal trash pickup.
  
• Wash your hands after disposing of the jars or plastic bags containing clean-up materials.
  
• Check with your local or state government about disposal requirements in your specific area. Some states do not allow such trash disposal. Instead, they require that broken and unbroken mercury-containing bulbs be taken to a local recycling center.
  
  Future Cleaning of Carpeting or Rug: Air Out the Room During and After Vacuuming
  
• The next several times you vacuum, shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system and open a window before vacuuming.
  
• Keep the central heating/air conditioning system shut off and the window open for at least 15 minutes after vacuuming is completed.

Call me lazy, but I just think freedom is so much easier.

Happy Cost of Government Day!

From the Americans for Tax Reform:

Definition
Cost of Government Day (COGD) is the date of the calendar year on which the average American worker has earned enough gross income to pay off his or her share of spending and regulatory burdens imposed by government on the federal, state and local levels.

Cost of Government Day 2008
Cost of Government Day for 2008 is July 16. Working people must toil on average 197 days out of the year just to meet all costs imposed by government. In other words, the cost of government consumes 53.9 percent of national income.

People used to start revolutions over things like this.

Chuck Baldwin Introduces Ron Paul

Constitution Party presidential candidate Chuck Baldwin delivers the opening remarks at Ron Paul's Freedom March in Washington, D.C., this past Saturday:

You can view other videos from this event here.

The Fringe Benefits of Being a Cop

One of the perks that come with being an agent of the state is that you can break with impunity virtually every law you are supposed to enforce. Traditionally, that has included small infractions like speeding, running red lights, and making illegal U-turns, as well as more serious crimes like conducting warrantless raids and gunning down unarmed men.

So, why should it surprise anyone that beating handcuffed, 60-year-old men in wheelchairs has been added to the list? Such is life in a society that holds its public "servants" to a lower standard than its citizens.

Shades of Depression

1933 Bank Run
2008 Bank Run
"The net effect of all this new funding has been to pump hundreds of billions of dollars into the financial system and bail out banks whose poor decision making should have caused them to go out of business. Instead of being forced to learn their lesson, these poor-performing banks are being rewarded for their financial mismanagement, and the ultimate cost of this bailout will fall on the American taxpayers." ( Ron Paul on the bail-out of American banks.)

Getting Out of Iraq

Every condition upon which the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq depended has been met. And yet our troops remain.

Ron Paul writes:

The overwhelming will of the people, in both countries, can't seem to get them out. Things going well can't get them out. Things going badly can't get them out. Iraqis telling us to leave can't get them out. Perhaps not even the UN can get them out. My hope is that it does not take the complete collapse of our financial system, but if we don't leave under any other circumstances, economic chaos is inevitable, and will make it impossible to fund the war, even through debt and inflation.

One Step Closer to National Socialism

The Bush administration may not be moving just yet to assume control of the nation's largest mortgage companies, but that option is clearly not off the table. From the New York Times:

Shares of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the beleaguered mortgage finance companies, plummeted again on Friday as the Bush administration sought to allay market fears.

Following a report that the administration was considering a plan to take over one or both of the companies and place them in a conservatorship if their problems grow, Fannie Mae stock was down 25 percent in midday trading compared with Thursday's closing price; Freddie Mac stock was down 21 percent.

Investors, meanwhile, snapped up debt issued by those companies, and the insurance premiums on those securities dropped sharply on the view that they would be protected by a government takeover.

President Bush, after meeting with his team of economic advisers Friday morning, said he was briefed on the situation by Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr.

"He assured me that he and Ben Bernanke will be working this issue very hard," Mr. Bush told reporters after the meeting.

If things are so bad that our leaders in Washington are willing to consider dismantling what's left of our free market economy, why not just nationalize all industry now and be done with it?

What's Wrong with This Picture? III

What's wrong with this picture?:

Senate Grills 'Wiretapping' Ad Firm

The U.S. government has never seemed sure whether it views data collection by online advertisers as a healthy business driver for the Internet, or a looming privacy threat needing regulation. But despite hauling Web ad giants like Google, Microsoft, and Facebook before a Senate Commerce Committee hearing Wednesday, the Senator chairing the hearing seemed to have only made up his mind about one lesser-known online ad firm: Redwood, Calif.-based NebuAd.

In the first minute of questioning, Senator Byron Dorgan D-N.D., immediately took issue with NebuAd's controversial new approach to targeting ads: The small firm, founded in 2006, partners with Internet service providers (ISPs) to track all of a user's activities on the Web and feeds parts of that information to its advertising network.

Tapping ISP data holds the promise of a lucrative new method for making Web ads more effective. But Dorgan seemed less than pleased with the prospect. "The stories I've seen say that Internet service providers allow NebuAd to come in, and when anyone does anything on [their] system, [they] shovel all the information over to you," Dorgan said. "Isn't that just wiretapping?"

(Rules)

Transparency in Government

If your tax dollars are confiscated under penalty of law and redistributed in the form of paychecks to government employees, don't you think you're at least entitled to know where that money is going? The Houston Chronicle has set wonderful precedent by making the salaries of city and county employees available through an online database. Check it out here.

Transparency in government is vital to the survival of a free society. We can't count on politicians and bureaucrats to be forthcoming, so it's up to private citizens to take the initiative. This is exactly the kind of thing the watchdog press should be doing.

You Don't Have Anything to Hide, Do You?

It's official. We finally got rid of that pesky Fourth Amendment that was hampering our war of...er, war on terror. Not only can the government monitor our e-mails and phone conversations, but they can enlist the help of private companies.

Thinking of suing? Forget about it. Those companies have been given legal immunity. As Senator Kit Bond (R-Missouri) said, "It is not right to punish patriotic Americans who stepped forward to help our government by subjecting them to the harassment of lawsuits." Yes, it's all part of the domestic spying bill passed earlier today.

Senator Bond tried to console those who might be worried about having their liberties trampled, saying, "Unless you have Al Qaeda on speed dial, you're not going to be [monitored]." Straight from the horse's ass. Nothing to worry about.

What, not good enough? You don't have anything to hide, do you?

What Change?

I've been saying all along that Barack Obama's platform of "change" was a sham. He's just another tool of the establishment.

Well, I hate to say I told you so, but...:

The Democratic-led Congress this afternoon voted to put an end to the NSA spying scandal, as the Senate approved a bill -- approved last week by the House -- to immunize lawbreaking telecoms, terminate all pending lawsuits against them, and vest whole new warrantless eavesdropping powers in the President. The vote in favor of the new FISA bill was 69-28. Barack Obama joined every Senate Republican (and every House Republican other than one) by voting in favor of it, while his now-vanquished primary rival, Sen. Hillary Clinton, voted against it. John McCain wasn't present for any of the votes, but shared Obama's support for the bill. The bill will now be sent to an extremely happy George Bush, who already announced that he enthusiastically supports it, and he will sign it into law very shortly.

OK, all you Obama fans. Is this your definition of change? It seems you've all been duped.

Hey, It Could Happen!

More here.

Abortion: Weeding out the Undesirables

Eugenics is the study of the possibility that the quality of the human race can be improved by encouraging people with "desirable" traits to reproduce while at the same time discouraging reproduction among those with "undesirable" traits. It was practiced by the Nazis in the 1930s and 1940s and continues to this day.

The link between eugenics and the modern abortion movement is no conincidence. Margaret Sanger, founder of the American Birth Control League (which eventually became Planned Parenthood), was a huge fan of eugenics. In 1932, she wrote an essay entitled "A Plan for Peace," in which she called on Congress to create a Parliament of Population. The objective would be to "direct and control the population through birth rates and immigration, and to direct its distribution over the country according to national needs consistent with taste, fitness and interest of the individuals." One of the methods for accomplishing this goal was "to apply a stern and rigid policy of sterilization and segregation to that grade of population whose progeny is tainted, or whose inheritance is such that objectionable traits may be transmitted to offspring."

Today, eugenics carries with it such a negative connotation. We're more enlightened, so we call it "reproductive freedom."

Abortion is already being used to "filter out" undesirable kids. Last year, the LA Times ran an opinion piece entitled "The Abortion Debate Brought Home." The author, Dan Neil, boasts about the decision he and his wife made to selectively murder two of their four children. They did so because the in-vitro fertilization process resulted in four babies: two girls and two boys. And since no one in the history of civilization has ever given birth to more than two children at once, they concluded that two of them had to go.

So, they did what any concerned parent would do: they had genetic testing done to see which of their kids would be less of a hassle to raise. In the end, they decided to off the boys. As Neil explains, "Some studies show offspring of older fathers (I'm 47) run a higher risk of autism, and males are four times as likely to be autistic." What a brave and loving father!

Oh, but the decision wasn't all that easy. Neil "had reservations about bringing girls into the world now, when forces seemed to be aligning to disenfranchise them (nine of 10 GOP presidential candidates favor reversing Roe vs. Wade)." He wasn't too keen on the idea that his daughters would "have to fight the battles their mothers and grandmothers fought." (Come on. I'm sure Mom would be more than happy to teach them how to burn their training bras.)

Neil wishes there were more doctors out there willing to murder children and that those of us who have a problem with infanticide should just lighten up. He goes on to express his gratitude to the Hippocratic Oath-breaker who butchered his two sons -- withholding her name, of course, "for fear that she might be terrorized by some gun-toting antiabortion extremist." He concludes, "For our part, we are grateful that she was out there. Without her, we wouldn't have been able to have a family. When Roz and Viv grow up, I hope one day I can introduce them to her. I think she'd be proud."

You're quite a guy, Mr. Neil. I suppose the rest of us should be on our knees, thanking you for not bringing two potential freaks into the world. Who knows? Those boys could have turned out to be just as sick and twisted as their father. I don't know about your anonymous "doctor" friend, but I am certain that Margaret Sanger would be proud.

Electronically Tagging the Sheep

Coming soon to an airport near you, courtesy of Lamperd Less Lethal Inc.:

Just remember that one person's "small inconvenience" is another person's tyranny.

Defend Your Home, Go to Jail

From the L.A. Times:

As flames swirled toward their family homestead, the Curtis brothers figured they'd get no help and had no choice: The only way to hold on to their 55-acre compound would be to fight fire with fire.

In the end, the controlled burn they set helped save the homes on their beloved Apple Pie Ridge -- but not without major consequences.

Outraged authorities arrested Ross Curtis, 48, on Friday on suspicion of illegally setting a backfire after disobeying official orders to stop.

These brave private citizens started a controlled burn close to the major blaze, steering it away from their homes and establishing a broader line of defense that helped state and federal fire crews protect the village below. So, the real crime committed was embarrassing authorities by daring to defend property that had been written off as a lost cause. Imprisonment is the typical response in such cases.

Selling Your Vote Is a Crime

If you're a politician, you can bribe voters with cash hand-outs, "free" education, "cheap" health care, and any number of other welfare programs at taxpayer expense. But offer to sell your vote as a private citizen and you'll be charged with a felony.

Max Sanders, a 19-year-old college student in Minneapolis who offered to sell his vote to the highest bidder on eBay, was charged under a 1893 Minnesota law that criminalizes the sale and purchase of votes. Sanders now faces the possibility of up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Mike Freeman, a Hennepin County attorney with an ironic name, said, "We're not humorless in the county attorney's office and we're not in the horse-and-buggy age, but we decided it's something we just couldn't blow off. Sometimes in this business we need to make statements." The statement in this case: "You don't own your vote." Or, to put it in today's vernacular: "All your vote are belong to us."

What's sad is that those who are still coming down from their July 4th patriotic high cannot grasp the fact that this is a country in which the ruling elite play by a different set of rules. Land of the Free? Give me a break. Freedom in America is defined by hot dogs, beer, and fireworks.

Our New Declaration of Independence

(Originally drafted on July 3, 2002)

When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another; a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which compel them to make that separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable 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. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations reduces them to 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 patience of these fifty states; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their system of government. The history of the present federal government is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all working toward the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world:

It has refused to abide by the strict guidelines of the United States Constitution, and has instead decided that it alone will decide what is necessary for the public good.

It has forbidden state legislatures to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance, and has allowed the federal judiciary to strike down countless state laws as unconstitutional, in clear violation of the Ninth and Tenth Amendments to the Constitution.

It has refused all states the proper control of land within their respective borders and has instead used its power to confiscate even more property.

It has enacted legislation, on issues ranging from alcohol consumption to the ownership of firearms, for the sole purpose of forcing states and individual citizens into compliance with its wishes.

It has unlawfully persecuted, under various administrations, citizens and organizations for opposing its invasions on the rights of the people.

It has continued to pass laws affecting campaign financing and election procedures that have only served to exclude ordinary citizens from the political process.

It has endeavored to prevent states from taking steps to curb illegal immigration and has refused to protect the sovereign borders of this nation.

It has obstructed the administration of justice by refusing to equally apply the laws it passes to members of the federal government.

It has allowed judges to become dependent upon their own political ideology without any regard for the Constitution.

It has established a multitude of new bureaucracies, and has sent out swarms of officers to harass the people.

It has maintained, in times of peace, standing armies both here on our shores and overseas.

It has effectively rendered the military independent of and superior to the civil authority.

It has subjected us to things foreign to our Constitution, giving its assent to burdensome acts of legislation:

For forcing states to quarter illegal immigrants.

For protecting them and refusing to deport even those convicted of serious crimes.

For implementing protectionist measures that have limited our ability to engage in free trade with all parts of the world.

For imposing taxes, hidden or otherwise, without our consent.

For threatening to deprive us, in times of perceived crisis, of the benefits of trial by jury.

For federalizing offenses that should remain under the jurisdiction of the states.

For implementing a foreign policy that has this nation engaged in costly and unnecessary entanglements overseas.

For taking away state sovereignty, abolishing federalism, and altering fundamentally our entire system of government.

For superseding state legislatures, and investing in Congress the power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever; including areas such as employment, health care, education, and housing, among others.

It has waged war against citizens of the United States by using armed troops to enforce unconstitutional laws.

It has denied states the control over valuable natural resources within their own borders.

It is, at this time, engaged in armed conflict overseas without a formal and constitutional declaration of war.

It has turned businesses into government agencies, forcing workers to report the "suspicious" activities of their fellow citizens to authorities.

It has succeeded, through its interventionist policies, in funding and arming enemies of the United States of America.

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 government, whose character is marked by every act which may define a tyranny, is unfit to be the government of a free people.

We have warned them from time to time of attempts by Congress, the president, and the judiciary to extend an unwarranted jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of the founding of our nation. We have appealed to their sense of justice and fair play, and we have appealed to the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They have been deaf to the voice of justice and of reason. We must, therefore, hold them as we hold the rest of mankind - enemies in war, friends in peace.

We, therefore, the people of the United States of America, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World for the rectitude of our intentions, do solemnly publish and declare, that these states are, and of right ought to be, free and independent; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the existing federal government, and that as free and independent states, they have full authority to reassume those powers guaranteed to the states and the people by the Constitution. 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.