We all know the first paragraph or so of the Declaration, but who among us has read the whole document? I just did, and it lists 27 “injuries and usurpations” the writers believed were grounds for the 13 colonies to separate from Great Britain.
Among these 27 grievances, I was amazed to find at least 14 still appropriate to today’s situation, i.e., the attempted usurpation of power by Trump. Among these are, in whole or in part:
- “He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.”
- “He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.”
- “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.”
- “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.”
- “For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world.”
- “For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offenses.”
I encourage everyone, in this year of our 250th anniversary, to read the whole document and see why we need to resist any attempts to dismantle our republic by another “King George.”
Tulli Kerstetter
Mancos
