Thomas Jefferson who said: "As to myself, I love peace, and I am anxious that we should give the world still another useful lesson, by showing to them other modes of punishing injuries than by war, which is as much a punishment to the punisher as to the sufferer."

Thomas Jefferson who said: "If there be one principle more deeply rooted than any other in the mind of every American it is that we should have nothing to do with conquest."

Thomas Jefferson who said that to check "the dog of war'' we had to take the war-making power out of the hands of a single person, and give it to Congress.

Thomas Jefferson who said that the people's house of representatives could hold the executive and judicial branches in check only through the power of impeachment.

Thomas Jefferson who authored the Declaration of Independence.

On the first Fourth of July, the members of the Continental Congress signed a declaration of their disloyalty to the third George to rule the empire, denouncing his abuses of power. They complained of harassment by his troops, of his elevating the military above civilian power, of his denying people a fair trial by jury and instead transporting them overseas to be tried on false accusations, and in general of rendering the colonies almost as unpleasant and fearful a place to dwell as occupied Iraq would one day become.

On the last Fourth of July, as this one may be, the third George to rule the new empire had spread his troops across the country and the globe, placed military above civilian power, thrown out the right to a trial by jury and established his right to transport people overseas to be tried on false accusations. In preparation for the great celebration, the Supreme Court symbolically restored the right to a fair trial and King George eliminated the Supreme Court by ignoring it. Congress, in turn, stamped its credentials as a body of loyal Tories and assured its future as a royal court by officially eliminating the Fourth Amendment.

The Fourth Amendment had read: "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

King George III and his court established the right of the king to warrantless searches, as well as to seizure of property and kidnapping of persons. These rights were simply assumed at the start of his reign and later formalized, as were his rights to violate other amendments to the Constitution.

The First Amendment had read: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

Now, Congress no longer makes the laws at all. George makes them, and he makes them to fund and promote a particular religion, he kidnaps and detains and abuses members of other religions, and he eliminates the freedom of speech except in Free Speech Zones, an invention of his that would earlier have been known as Fenced Animal Pens. George has also detained and tortured members of the press, prosecuted them in court, and shot and bombed them. There is no redress of grievances. If George told you it was safe to work at "Ground Zero" and now you're coughing up blood, keep coughing! If you died after George ignored all the warnings prior to September 11, 2001, stay dead!

The Second Amendment had read: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."

Now state militias have been put under control of the national government and sent overseas to kill or be killed committing crimes on behalf of the king.

The Third Amendment had read: "No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law."

Now, many of the people are not even quartered in houses, but are made homeless by the king's policies, including his abject failure to protect the people from hurricanes, floods, and loan sharks. But the soldiers are quartered in over 6,000 military bases in this country and another 1,000 in other people's countries, all paid for by the people, including the homeless.

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