I’m a Canadian, but, on September 11, I become an American and I have this to say.
America has, from its birth, always valued freedom and equality of opportunity in the pursuit of happiness.
These values have been translated into two fundamental agreements, enshrined in the Constitution: (1) that the State protect the basic human rights of the People and (2) that the State offer them due process of law.
In return the People agreed to live peacefully in accordance with that law, under a government of the People, by the People, for the People.
In my opinion, these basic covenants between the People and the State are fundamental to the American experiment in freedom.
When the government deprives, or seeks to deprive, the People of their basic human rights and due process of law, the People have the right to declare their independence of that government. The Founding Fathers told us this in 1776:
“The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States.”
"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."
We face not a foreign king, but a domestic dictator. We are following the Founding Fathers’ tenets. The People of this nation have the right to withdraw their consent to be governed and to demand that this government, in total, resign.
I think the Bush administration was guilty of murder and treason on 9/11 and has since brought death and destruction to the Middle East. I hope that those criminally responsible are brought to justice.
The Bush administration is the only terrorist group we need to worry about. Our national security demands that we unseat them. Support for our troops is not forcing them to make the illegal and immoral choice to destroy millions of innocent people with weapons of mass destruction.
I think we are seeing a nonviolent but total uprising in the U.S.A., a Rainbow Revolution if you like (thank you, Rev. Jackson). Some have called us orange. We are both – the orange of nonviolence and the full spectrum of the rainbow, We the People, of a full spectrum of political backgrounds and religious beliefs, are taking back this country.
On September 11, we will honor the dead. We will see that they are not forgotten. We will establish September 11 as a Memorial Holiday always, a day of deep reflection on events.
We will not be provoked into violence. We will not cooperate further with this government in its criminal designs. Non-violent non-cooperation is our approach to legitimate regime change.
Remaining away from work for a day is meant to send President Bush and his cabinet a clear message, one that cannot be misunderstood.
President Bush, you have tried to take away from us our basic human rights. You have tried to deny us due process of law. You have violated the Constitution and international conventions with painful and tragic results for the world.
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