July 4, 2018

by Groff Schroeder

On July 2, 1776, America's Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence, which Americans have celebrated on July 4th ever since. Thirteen years and one Revolutionary War later, the ratification of the United States Constitution established America's Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branches, which defend the Rule of Law through "Checks and Balances" and the threat of removal from office upon Impeachment and conviction for "Bribery" and "high Crimes and Misdemeanors." The 1791 "Bill of Rights" amended the Constitution to define the rights and freedoms of the People, establishing religious freedom, a free press, the right to assemble, Due Process of Law, Equality Under the Law, privacy, and numerous other human and civil rights. Countless human beings have died to "defend the Constitution and laws of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic."

The Founders designed American government to protect the life, liberty, and happiness of living, breathing human beings - not to deprive people of freedom, facilitate corruption, and protect business entities from prosecution. Yet the 2010 "Citizens United" Supreme Court Decision redefines monumental, systematic bribery as "free speech," allowing corporations, organizations, and even foreign governments to make unlimited secret campaign "donations" - which are neither, free, nor speech. The 2014 "Hobby Lobby" Decision redefines workplace reproductive coercion as "religious freedom," allowing business entities to force employees to choose between keeping their jobs, or surrendering their privacy and personal religious practices (if any) to comply with the religious and sexual mandates of their employers. Before 2017, no President of the United States could have created - and no Congress or Supreme Court would have authorized - a self-described "Muslim Ban" that establishes global religious discrimination. No previous president in history could implement a "zero tolerance" immigration policy that summarily confiscates the children of people merely accused of a crime, and places the all but orphaned children into corporate operated, for profit "camps" without Due Process of Law.

Seventeen years after Vice President Cheney announced the Bush Administration's embrace of "the dark side," unethical and immoral politics, the "stacking" of the Supreme Court, legalized bribery, and enemy cyberwarfare have placed a deeply dishonest president with authoritarian tendencies in complete control over all three branches of United States Government. Weaponized international propaganda appears to have convinced many American citizens to join numerous (compromised and/or "paid off") elected Representatives of the American People in abandoning their responsibility to prevent the abuse of power by the president and his allies - who increasingly "chip away," ignore, reject, and violate not only Rule of Law, but also countless founding American ideals of honest government, freedom, equality, due process, and civil and human rights.

Will the People of the United States surrender legendary principles of freedom and democracy for a new "gilded age" of pseudo-conscious servitude under governmental, law enforcement, and corporate governance of their sex partners, reproductive practices, and pregnancies - while simultaneously enduring corporate-controlled internet access, exploding corruption, increasingly dictatorial government, and unrelenting illegal robocalls? Fortunately, the Founders provided interlocking mechanisms through which the People can oppose tyranny - including access to firearms. Unfortunately, dishonesty, propaganda, and other tactics of the "dark side" are designed to make the destroyers of freedom and democracy appear as their defenders.

How can the American People differentiate between the enemies of freedom and those working "defend the Constitution and laws of the United States?" Read the Constitution.

Published July 4, 2018 in the Freethinkers of Colorado Springs Freethought Views "advertorial" column in the Colorado Springs Independent with the quotation below.

"All war is based on deception."

Sun Tzu

------------------------------------ The original version appears below and the edited version of April 30, 2019 appears above. --------------------

July 4, 2018

by Groff Schroeder

On July 2, 1776, America's Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence, which Americans have celebrated on July 4th ever since. Thirteen years and one Revolutionary War later, the ratification of the United States Constitution established America's Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branches, which defend the Rule of Law through "Checks and Balances" and the threat of removal from office upon Impeachment and conviction for "Bribery" and "high Crimes and Misdemeanors." The 1791 "Bill of Rights" amended the Constitution to define the rights and freedoms of the People, establishing religious freedom, a free press, the right to assemble, Due Process of Law, Equality Under the Law, privacy, and numerous other human and civil rights. Countless human beings have died to "defend the Constitution and laws of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic."

The Founders designed American government to protect the life, liberty, and happiness of living, breathing human beings - not to deprive people of freedom, facilitate corruption, and protect business entities from prosecution. Yet the 2010 "Citizens United" Supreme Court Decision redefines monumental, systematic bribery as "free speech," allowing corporations, organizations, and even foreign governments to make unlimited secret campaign "donations" - which are neither, free, nor speech. The 2014 "Hobby Lobby" Decision redefines workplace reproductive coercion as "religious freedom," allowing business entities to force employees to choose between keeping their jobs, or surrendering their privacy and personal religious practices (if any) to comply with the religious and sexual mandates of their employers. Before 2017, no President of the United States could have created - and no Congress or Supreme Court would have authorized - a self-described "Muslim Ban" that establishes global religious discrimination. No previous president in history could implement a "zero tolerance" immigration policy that summarily confiscates the children of people merely accused of a crime, and places the all but orphaned children into corporate operated, for profit "camps" without Due Process of Law.

Seventeen years after Vice President Cheney announced the Bush Administration's embrace of "the dark side," unethical and immoral politics, the "stacking" of the Supreme Court, legalized bribery, and enemy cyberwarfare have placed a deeply dishonest president with authoritarian tendencies in complete control over all three branches of United States Government. Weaponized international propaganda appears to have convinced many American citizens to join numerous (compromised and/or "paid off") elected Representatives of the American People in abandoning their responsibility to prevent the

abuse of power by the president and his allies - who increasingly "chip away," ignore, reject, and violate not only Rule of Law, but also countless founding American ideals of honest government, freedom, equality, due process, and civil and human rights.

Will the People of the United States surrender legendary principles of freedom and democracy for a new "gilded age" of pseudo-conscious servitude under governmental, law enforcement, and corporate governance of their sex partners, reproductive practices, and pregnancies - while simultaneously enduring corporate-controlled internet access, exploding corruption, increasingly dictatorial government, and unrelenting illegal robocalls? Fortunately, the Founders provided interlocking mechanisms through which the People can oppose tyranny - including access to firearms. Unfortunately, dishonesty, propaganda, and other tactics of the "dark side" are designed to make the destroyers of freedom and democracy appear as their defenders.

How can the American People differentiate between the enemies of freedom and those working "defend the Constitution and laws of the United States?" Read the Constitution.

Published July 4, 2018 in the Freethinkers of Colorado Springs Freethought Views "advertorial" column with the quotation below.

"All war is based on deception."

Sun Tzu