Christy Hardin Smith » Friday Sunset

Independence Hall at sunset via DC Digital Photography.

Today’s quote comes, predictably, from the Declaration of Independence:

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

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 mankind 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. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States….

Stop and really think about what was risked to gain our freedom. The enormity of that risk is staggering and humbling.

Pade | Friday July 3, 2009 02:58 pm 1

Hi Christie, I always enjoy your special Friday sunsets(also Muppet Blogging) but don’t often comment. Thom Hartmann did a segment on the prices paid by those people who took those risks. Many lost everything they owned plus their families. Many died. Most people have no idea what was risked and lost by these heroes. Most of them were in there 30’s. Young, brave our forefathers – we should all remember them this weekend. Then we need to go out there like you and Jane and Howie and all the rest and continue to make those forefathers proud.

Many thanks for all you do.

Hugh | Friday July 3, 2009 06:15 pm 2

They were terribly flawed, but they accomplished great things. We live in an age where our leaders have kept all their flaws and none of their greatness.

NMvoiceofreason | Saturday July 4, 2009 12:09 pm 3

Nobody stops to think what we need to do to keep it.

A new bill of rights is in order.

1. No person shall be kept in government custody for more than 72 hours without charges presented before a judge, and where such charges are dropped within 72 hours the judge shall inquire as to whether or not a “Catch and Release” program is operating to attempt to deny Constitutionally guaranteed rights. (Right to a hearing)

2. No person shall be kept in government custody without the ability to contact an attorney, friends and family. (Right to communications).

3. No person shall be subjected before trial to greater punishment than could occur after trial, and in no case shall any person be held by the government or any agent thereof after any such excessive punishment has occurred. (Right to freedom from torture).

4. No person shall be transferred, assigned, renditioned, or otherwise made available to any third party when the government has knowledge or could reasonably be assumed to have knowledge that any of these right have any possibility of being violated by that third party. (Right to freedom from rendition).

5. No law shall be reinterpreted, restated, reformed, or rehabilitated by any act of the Executive, by memoranda, signing statement, or any other act, including treaties of the United States, whose sole option to challenge any phrase of any law or treaty shall be by an action in the courts of the United States disputing the validity of the phrase or act under the Constitution. No rule or other Executive Branch instrument which has the force of law may be promulgated or established in secret, and if any such rule or instrument is promulgated it shall be null and void under the Constitution of the United States. (No secret acts with force of law).

6. No law shall be made by the Congress in secret, and any such law shall be null and void under the Constitution of the United States. (No secret laws).

7. No search or seizure shall be made by the government of the United States or any agent thereof without a valid warrant signed by a court. No use shall be made of any information or objects seized without a valid warrant by the government or any other legal entity. No such warrant may be signed in secret without a fact specific determination made by the judge signing the warrant that such sealing or the record is in the interests of all the people of the United States, and not just the interests of the government officers before him, and shall state the smallest amount of time the information shall be held secret. (No secret warrants)

8. No person shall be kept in government custody for more than 30 days without a trial giving the full and complete panoply of Constitutional rights to the accused. No agent of the government shall withhold any evidence material to the defense of the accused for even a day without loss of all immunity regarding such acts. Willful violation of such a duty shall result in the agent of the government standing trial for the same term of years or penalty as the accused, the sole proof required being the withholding of the evidence. (Right to speedy trial).

9. No matter or information shall remain secret where such matter or information would or could be used to demonstrate a violation of the Constitution or the criminal law by agents of the government, where the government has knowledge or could reasonably be assumed to have knowledge of such violation or criminal act. Intentional failure to disclose such information shall be treason against the United States. (Right to the rule of law).