 | ||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| ||||
|
|
|
|
|
To inform the American people about the constant outrages being perpetrated by our governing class today and to create a grassroots movement among dedicated and hardworking Americans to change the tone, direction, and manner in which government currently does business. It is time that the people’s voice is heard!
“… 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.”
Thomas Jefferson in The Declaration of Indepedence
These are ringing and inspirational words from the Declaration of Independence. Unfortunately, the spirit so beautifully encapsulated in the Declaration of Independence is dead and buried with the outrages that are being perpetuated by our government today. It is time for a new Declaration of Independence, where we can declare our independence from the corrupt influences and special interests that are running our government today. This new Declaration of Independence is one which Thomas Jefferson would heartily approve.
Make no mistake: We are NOT advocating the overthrow of the United States government, nor are we proposing violent solutions to what is happening today in our country. We are advocating that all Americans use their First Amendment right to “peacefully petition the government for redress of grievances”. This right was wisely placed in our Constitution by the very enlightened Thomas Jefferson who foresaw what unchecked and unbridled power can do.
We believe the list of grievances of the American people against hardworking and patriotic Americans is getting progressively longer as we read about the latest outrages by lobbyists, politicians, and special interest groups. How to channel the anger over these outrages?
“… 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.”
Thomas Jefferson in The Declaration of Indepedence
It is hard “to think outside the box”. We get used to the way things are done, both good and bad, because we are afraid of change; we “are more disposed to suffer” until things become truly outrageous and intolerable. We have reached that point. The time has come to “[abolish] the forms to which [we] are accustomed” by using our constitutional right to protest until the wrongs have been righted. This happens all over the world; in France, where a politician aptly stated that in France, the government is afraid of the people, while here in the U.S., we are afraid of the government; in tyrannical Iran, where people protested the recent elections; in Argentina, where massive protests made the government back down on proposed economic reforms. Let’s make our voices heard here!
“I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical … It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government.”
Thomas Jefferson in a letter to James Madison
We must act! Silence and muted grumblings will only result in business as usual. We know that the outrage is out there; we hear it all the time in talking to friends and family, when reading the Letters to the Editor, when listening to talk shows and the news. We need to channel this outrage in a productive manner where the government will listen and make some necessary changes for the good of ALL Americans and not just those with the money, power, and influence
“An enlightened people, and an energetic public opinion ... will control and enchain the aristocratic spirit of the government.”
Thomas Jefferson
This is a two stop process. One is to inform people; to let them know of the outrages being perpetuated on the American people. Only an informed people can “control and enchain the aristocratic spirit of government”.
Step two is to express the outrage within the constitutionally protected right to peacefully assemble and to petition the government for redress of these outrages. This is that hard part. We all lead busy lives, working hard, raising families, and struggling to meet the never-ending tide of bills that threaten to engulf us. We tend to become complacent, fatalistic, and apathetic. But we must set aside time to express our outrage. We must make our voices heard because our voices are being increasingly drowned out. Let’s create a grassroots movement that will get the attention of our increasingly “aristocratic … government”. We need to work together on this and we are asking all Americans to contact us with their ideas.
COPYRIGHT ©2009. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPUBLICATION OR REDISTRIBUTION OF THEPEOPLESOUTRAGE.ORG CONTENT, INCLUDING BY FRAMING OR SIMILAR MEANS, IS EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT.