Lyssa E. Moon: Treasonous Words...

bpilgrim writes:

Author's Note: As I began writing this, I intended merely to express the parallels between the conditions under which the American colonies declared their independence from the British Empire nearly 227 years ago.

After re-reading the list of offenses committed by King George of England against the colonists, I shifted gears, and the second half of this essay became something of an open letter to George W. Bush.

After I'd finished writing the letter portion of it, I re-read it and realized that I fear for my personal safety if I were to actually forward it to Mr. Bush himself. The fact that an American citizen can be made afraid to express her views to the government speaks volumes about the climate of fear under the current administration - far more than terrorist threats, belligerent posturing for war, or even the world of duct tape and plastic, ever could. I have decided NOT to forward the letter contained herein directly to the White House, but instead have published it here, and will be submitting it for publication in various other media.

The following words may sound familiar, as they are the words of one of the leaders of one of the most notorious bands of traitors, guerillas, and terrorists in the history of the world. They flew directly in the face of every principle of government being restricted to a ruling class of socioeconomic elite that prevailed in their time -- insisting instead that the privilege of government is granted only with the consent of the governed, rather than by Might of Arms, Divine Right, or Noble Birth. Further, it asserts that the People, not the government, are to be the ultimate judges of whether their government is fit to rule. Indeed, I speak of the writing of Thomas Jefferson, in the Declaration of Independence. The following excerpts seem as timely today as they were in 1776 when the document was written:

...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.
...
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 erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
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.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
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 imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
...
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers
...
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 Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

No, Mr. Bush. The People are not a special-interest 'focus group' - We are the guardians of the liberty of American People; We are those to whom you, as president (despite the majority of the People having voted against you) are accountable at the end of the day. While we recognize the potential threat posed by Saddam Hussein, we also recognize the clear and present danger to our own liberties here at home that any suspension of Constitutional principles, for any reason - even one as compelling as a third-world warlord dictator calling for our destruction - bring about. The most imminent threat to the American People is not Saddam Hussein in Iraq, nor is it the development of nuclear weapons by North Korea, nor is it even a pack of religious fanatics that YOUR administration allowed to reside here in this country and kill thousands of our people, destroying national landmarks in New York, and costing our economy billions of dollars; the most imminent threat to the American people is the slow and steady erosion to our Constitutional Bill of Rights in pursuit of pre-emptive strikes against those who may someday turn against us. After all, everyone has the potential, given the right set of circumstances, to commit criminal acts of aggression, invading a sovereign nation, destroying its infrastructure, and killing its civilian citizens - perhaps even deposing (or assassinating) its head of state, and arguing for the imposition of a military rule there - even yourself. If pre-emption is the doctrine of the day, would not Iraq be justified in sending forces into our own country, based on your threats to do to them exactly what they have been accused of doing - especially in light of your demonstration that your threats are to be taken seriously, based on your father's actions of twelve years ago, and your own actions in Afghanistan just over one year ago?

No, Mr. Bush. It is not we, the People, who oppose your policy of pre-emptive invasion of Iraq, who are the traitors against America - It is you. Furthermore, we are neither calling for your execution, nor imprisonment, nor even removal from office for these offenses; we are merely calling for you to re-evaluate what this great nation stands for, and take action accordingly. We understand that this nation was founded upon the principles of freedom of opinions, ideas, and expression; as such, we acknowledge your right to hold an opposing point of view. HOWEVER, when the holding of such opinions turns to espousing, and even ORDERING, the cold-blooded mass-murder of the people of a foreign and sovereign land, you have stepped from freedom of expression, into the commission of crimes, and must be held accountable for such. Being the president does not exempt you from the laws of this great nation, of which the Constitution (and, by its own mandates, "all treaties made... under the Authority of the United States" - including international law - to which this nation is signatory) is Supreme - in fact, as the president, you are expected to hold yourself to a higher standard, as one to whom the People of this great nation can look with respect, as a role model to emulate. If the people of Afghanistan or Iraq were to follow your example, they would not be ousting their own leaders, but, instead, attacking us, the people whose government has committed acts of war and aggression against them.

These are some points to consider, Mr. Bush. Heed them, and you may go down in history as one of the great American presidents; fail to heed them, and history will remember you as the imperial tyrant that you have shown yourself to be - alongside such Great Leaders as Genghis Khan, Joseph Stalin, Benito Mussolini, Adolph Hitler, and, yes, Saddam Hussein.

Patriotically,
Lyssa E. Moon

P.S. God Bless America - we certainly need it now, as nothing less will help.

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