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NEW DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
by Vincent H. Miller & Jarret B. Wollstein
Two hundred years ago our ancestors signed a document which forever
changed the course of history: the Declaration of Independence. That document severed the bonds of
Colonial America to a tyrannical king and parliament in England, and established for the first time a
society based on the principle of the rule of law and limited government.
The result was a glorious 200+ years which witnessed the greatest
achievements, the highest standard of living, and the greatest levels of individual freedom in human
history. But, bit by bit, the principles which made this country great have been forgotten – to
the point where the uncontrolled growth of government now threatens to totally destroy our liberty
and our prosperity.
Thomas Jefferson, George Mason, and the other signers of the original
Declaration of Independence were well aware of that danger. That's why they made these observations
about the nature of man and government, which are as valid today as the day they were 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. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments
long established should not be changed for light and transient Causes; and accordingly all Experience
hath shewn, that Man-kind 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. (emphasis added)
Now, over two hundred years after the statement of these eternal truths, it's time for us to
proclaim a new Declaration of Independence.
We the People of these 50 States have patiently suffered
mounting government outrages against us – lies, corruption, legal plunder and terror. We have
waited in despair for reforms and redress, but the outrages have only gotten worse. We can now wait no
longer. The fundamental rights of "We the People" must be restored now. Government's role must be
limited to protection of our lives, liberty and property. When government ceases to be our protector
and instead becomes our master, it becomes an abomination. These are the crimes of the modern American
State against its citizens:
- They have "erected a Multitude of new Offices, and sent hither Swarms of Officers to harass our
People, and eat our their Substance." The IRS, Justice Department, police, State and local revenue
authorities and a multitude of other government agencies have engaged in an escalating orgy of terror,
legalized looting and wholesale seizure of private property to feed the appetite of arrogant and
rapacious bureaucracies.
- They have multiplied laws and regulations beyond reason or humanity, subverting both the words
and intent of our Constitution and Bill of Rights to the point where there is not a single American
who could not be arrested, imprisoned and impoverished for violating one of the millions of arbitrary
and incomprehensible government laws and edicts now in force.
- They have instituted oppressive and destructive taxes; stolen over half of our incomes year
after year; compelled us to testify against ourselves by filling out endless compulsory reports; made
us into unpaid government spies and tax collectors; and destroyed our peace, security, and freedom in
order to finance their oppressive bureaucracies, failed social programs, and wars of aggression.
- They have seized control of our economy and have dictated and controlled every aspect of how
our businesses must be operated. They have issued edict upon edict, issued regulation on top of
regulation, instituted fine after fine, treated us as common criminals, imprisoned us, and seized our
property.
- They have destroyed our financial security. They have debauched the currency, substituting
worthless paper for gold and silver. They have clandestinely seized our banking system – inflating
currency and credit and looting the real wealth of the people.
- They have burdened us with enormous waste and government debt which have brought our nation to
the brink of bankruptcy. They have destroyed jobs and stifled private initiative with suffocating
regulations and oppressive bureaucracies.
- They have subverted the electoral process through unjust and exclusionary ballot access and
campaign finance laws. Vast sums of tax-extorted monies have been used to create a Congressional
Monopoly and an Imperial Presidency which have crushed dissent and excluded any serious challenge to
their power.
- They have hobbled and corrupted our system of justice by creating endless numbers of technical
crimes against the State, and crimes without victims – making vices into crimes, dissent into
treason, and sensuality into perversion. They have seized billions of dollars worth of property
without due process of law, imprisoned countless thousands without indictment or trial, and have made
equal justice under law impossible by manipulating courts and juries, terrorizing our attorneys and
seizing their fees.
- They have kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies. In direct violation of the
Constitution, US troops have repeatedly invaded and reduced foreign countries to ruin without
declaration of war by Congress. They have used force to compel our children to fight and die in foreign
wars far removed from their homes. In the name of the War on Drugs they have declared open war on the
people of the United States, invading farm and field, village and home, and spreading terror across
the land.
- They have perverted our relations with other nations, using their power to support foreign
despotisms. They have bribed other nations with foreign aid, restricted foreign trade, and exported
massive quantities of weapons of death and destruction - fomenting discord, repression and war
throughout the world.
- In the name of "peacekeeping" and assisting other nations, they have illegally waged war on
many nations and innocent peoples, committing mass murder in the name of peace, making the US hated
throughout the world, and US citizens the victims and targets of terrorism.
We submit that the government of the United States of America
has abrogated its sacred covenant to protect the life, liberty and property of the people of this
nation so that now, with the collapse of major foreign threats, our own government has emerged as the
greatest menace to freedom, prosperity and peace, both here and throughout the world.
We further submit that we, the people, have all but lost
control of our political institutions and that government has ceased to be our servant, and has become
instead a terrible and tyrannical master. To restore the freedom, peace and prosperity of the people,
we therefore demand:
- That the protections of individual rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights be strictly enforced.
That all laws be abolished which restrict freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly and enterprise;
the right to keep and bear arms and the right to own and dispose of property. That henceforth political
leaders, legislators or judges violating their oaths to defend the Constitution and Bill of Rights be
tried for treason.
- That Citizen Grand Juries not under the control of government-appointed judges or prosecutors
be convened in each State with the power to indict government officials and employees who violate the
rights of any citizen, and that all officials and employees so indicted be promptly brought to trial.
- That a "Citizen Veto" be created at federal, state and local levels, whereby all citizens can
veto any new legislation – including revenue acts. We also call for the establishment of a
universal Citizen Power of Recall so that unscrupulous politicians may be removed from power by
citizen initiative.
- That the Income Tax and the IRS be abolished and that all persons jailed for tax evasion be
freed.
- That sufficient government property be sold to retire the national debt. That all government
agencies which are not clearly engaged in the protection of life, liberty and property of the individual
be disbanded.
- That the Federal Reserve, FDIC, FSLIC and currency laws be abolished, and that banking and
insurance systems be left to the private sector in order to restore security to our banking system
- That all laws creating government monopolies in education, medicine, utilities, mail delivery
and other public services be abolished.
- That State and Economy be separated, and that federal control of interstate commerce be confined
to prohibition of tariffs and trade restrictions between States. That freedom of association be restored
to enterprise, including freedom to hire, fire, contract and negotiate; that all capitalist acts
between consenting adults be legalized.
- That all restrictions upon foreign trade be abolished, including tariffs, quotas, import duties,
license fees, content laws, and "dumping" laws.
- That all federal laws restricting gun ownership be abolished, and that a trained, well-armed
citizenry be encouraged, as a defense against domestic criminals, foreign aggression and domestic
tyranny.
- That due process of law and the presumption of innocence be restored. That RICO statutes and
other laws enabling the government to confiscate property without the owners being convicted of any
crime be abolished. That the Seventh Amendment to the Constitution, preserving the right to trial by
jury in civil disputes be strengthened to include disputes between Citizens and the State.
- That all Civil Forfeiture laws, and other laws holding "property" hostage for crimes, shall be
immediately and completely abolished, and that henceforth no citizen shall be deprived of any property
(except as punishment for a real crime against persons or property) of which they have been convicted.
- That all jury members be explicitly informed of their right to judge the law as well as the
facts in every court case, and to acquit if they find the law improper or unjust.
- That Sovereign Immunity, which makes government officers and agents immune from prosecution for
their crimes, be abolished. That presumption in trials in favor of government officials, police
officers and other agents of the State be ended. That government officials and agents, and citizens be
treated as equal before the law in all cases, both criminal and civil.
- That all victimless crime laws be abolished, including laws restricting the sale or possession
of pornography and controlled substances. That the War on Drugs be ended, Drug Peace be declared, and
all persons imprisoned for victimless crimes be immediately freed and their records cleared.
- That immigration laws and the INS be abolished. Henceforth the only persons restricted from
immigrating to the United States shall be known criminals or those carrying easily-communicable diseases.
That imprisoned illegal aliens be freed.
- That the function of the military be confined to defense of the territory of the United States,
and that all US troops be removed from foreign countries. That henceforth, the sole purpose of the
military shall be protection of the lives and property of US citizens at home.
We seek to create an America in which the freedom and sovereignty
of the people are restored; in which the functions of government are limited to protecting life,
liberty and property; and in which each and every individual is again the master of his or her own
destiny.
We support this Declaration in the certainty that our rights
are inalienable and innate and not subject to the whims of government; that the only rights which we
will ultimately retain, are those which we are willing to defend; and that rapid, yet peaceful, reform
is now America's only alternative to tyranny and mounting social violence.
To create a new dawn of liberty for America and to secure a
rebirth of liberty, justice, peace, and prosperity for all, we mutually pledge each other our lives,
our fortunes and our sacred honor. We seek and will settle for nothing less than freedom in our time.
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Vincent H. Miller is the founder and president of the
International Society for Individual Liberty.
Jarret B. Wollstein is a member of ISIL's Board of
Directors and a founder of the original Society for Individual
Liberty.
This pamphlet was originally published in May 1992 and revised in January
2000. It is part of ISIL's educational pamphlet series. Click here for the full index of pamphlets online.
All ISIL educational pamphlets are available in hard copy for 5¢ each. Click here for the ISIL Store.
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