The New Declaration of Independence

[Guest guest]

" S "

Sun, 24 Jul 2005 08:47:30 -0700

Fw: The New Declaration of Independence

 

 

Saturday, July 23, 2005 8:53 PM

The New Declaration of Independence

 

 

 

 

 

In Santa Fe, New Mexico we celebrated the Fourth of July this year

with issuing a new " Declaration of Independence " from our energy

companies. It is a formal statement of necessity that every American

should read, and is attached to another position paper that may

surprise you about the corporations which have held us hostage and

thrust us into the global War on Terrorism. Read on about how we

have been duped…..

 

ENERGY INDEPENDENCE

 

The Goals for Energy Action workshops are intended to get a dialogue

going on how to move this country forward towards real energy

independence.

 

A talk on " Energy Independence " you would expect to be given by a

scientist, talking about all the latest scientific means of making

our energy go further. But I am not a scientist. And we have most

of the science we need to get us energy independent. We have the

hydrogen car and the 80 miles per gallon gas carburetor, ethanol; we

even have a used vegetable oil Volkswagen that David Bacon drove in

the Governor's race. But sadly, he lost that race because he smelled

too much like French fries. No one could remember to vote for him,

all they could do is think about eating.

 

But seriously, the biggest problem is that we have an administration

and culture in Washington that is afraid of science and they actually

despise science. They will not look to science for solutions, even

if this country could make a lot of money doing that. The real

problem is politics. So this speech is really going to talk about

politics.

 

It is no secret that all Americans are angry about gas and home

heating oil prices. Leaders that fail to recognize this will be

turned out in the 2006 and 2008 elections at all levels. All an

opposition candidate has to do is gently remind the general public

that we have been through this before: in the gas rationing of World

War Two, and the Oil Crisis of 1973; so that the strategies to get us

through this exist in the history books. All it takes is a strong-

willed leader to enact these plans.

 

In testimony before Congress in March 2003, Deputy Secretary of

Defense Paul Wolfowitz said that the " oil revenues of Iraq could

bring between $50 and $100 billion over the course of the next two or

three years, " he was basing this on the assumption that although

Iraq's oil infrastructure was in poor condition, production could

quickly be restored to the pre-1990 level of about 3 million barrels

per day (mbd). It was also thought that—assuming minimal damage to

the oil fields during the war and a stable political situation

thereafter—Iraq might be able to ramp up its production to as much as

6 mbd by 2010 and 7-8 mbd by 2020.

 

In other words, the war would cost nothing and our energy needs would

be met indefinitely and very cheaply by the second largest reserves

in the world. Even people who morally opposed and physically

demonstrated against the war, thought in the back of their minds

that: " well, at least gas will be cheap. " WRONG. What the war

actually did was shut down Iraqi production completely and expanded

terrorism worldwide, which jeopardizes the oil and coal supplies

worldwide for all nations.

 

Vice President Gore said in the 2000 campaign that he would get the

hydrogen car in every household by 2005, if he was elected. Does

anyone remember Gore – the guy that invented the Internet ? He

promised a whole wave of building these cars that would put Detroit

back on the map and that would bring billions of dollars into the

American economy, all while making skies cleaner. George Bush

promised in 2003 to get the hydrogen car in every household by 2018

in his energy plan-thus guaranteeing fossil fuels another 15 years of

prosperity and holding back clean air until 2018. We made a

conscious choice to go backwards.

 

But how did we get here to this total and foolish dependence on oil

and coal ? I say foolish because if it happened to you in 1941 to

1945 and 1950 to 1953 and 1973 and 1981-82, and 2000; why would you

ever fall for it again ?

 

Oil and Coal Companies take a special place in United States history

and in the economics of this country. Although these resources

brought consistent heat and light into homes, and won two World Wars

for the nation; their tale has a very dark side to it. It is a

shadowy and unpleasant chronicle that talks about union busting and

monopolies, and unbridled wealth and corruption. It is a generally

untold story relatively unknown to the majority of Americans. A

story that would repulse even the most immoral and greedy of men.

This tale runs from the sinister side of John D. Rockefeller to the

Teapot Dome Scandal of the 1920's.

 

>From the 1800's, coal provided heat for homes in England, Germany and

the United States. The development of mines in search of " King Coal "

did more to fuel mankind's greed than maybe the mineral was actually

worth. Coal companies killed more miners in mine collapses and

strike-busting than died of all other natural causes when in their

employment. Without company towns and mine bosses paying off

politicians and the police, there may not have been a huge Union

movement in this country. As mining continued in the 20th Century

many miners started dieing of Black Lung Disease, and huge permanent

coal fires were started, which burn for 40 or 50 years underground

and undermine houses that fall into the collapsing tunnels left

behind. The whole town of Centralia, Pennsylvania was lost at a cost

of billions of dollars to federal, state and local taxpayers after a

fire stated in 1962 that still burns today contributing to global

climate change.

 

The term " Black Gold " is a good descriptor of the tremendous wealth

that oil has brought to its exploiters and it's lure to nations.

Yet, this exploration and lust for this precious commodity has driven

mankind to some unspeakable extremes:

 

* U.S. Senator Prescott Bush, the President's Grandfather, had his

assets in oil and coal companies seized under the Trading with the

Enemy Act, when he funneled monies to the Nazi Party. Without the

money that he, Rockefeller and Rothschild gave to Hitler, the Nazi

movement could have never gotten to the threat it was.

 

* The Japanese attacks on Indochina and ultimately Pearl Harbor, were

a result of the United States policy to not sell oil and coal to

Japan.

 

* The pursuit and exploitation of oil has created more " Global

Terrorism " and made the United States less safe, more so than any

other commodity or business practice of the United States. The rise

of the term " the Ugly American " comes from that exploration and

extraction of resources from other counties where the local workers

make pennies on the dollars.

 

The last time oil companies really did anything in the public

interest is when they were nationalized and they supplied oil to the

U.S. Military during the Second World War at reasonable prices

 

When the 1986 Tax Reform Act package was passed, all the deductions

and exceptions of most of the people in this room were discontinued,

in order to make a fairer and simpler tax system. This was a great

thing for the country and a wonderful philosophy for tax reform. But

it was really lip service to you and I, because it exempted and

allowed only the major oil companies to continue their write offs

from the Tax Acts of 1923 and 1941. No other entity received as much

privilege from the federal government.

 

This is probably the true history of oil and coal in the United

States, the fact that these industries have received preferential

treatment from all levels of government based on their ability to

dominate and intimidate American politics. In a sense, it is an

American tragedy that continues to happen today. With two oil men in

the White House, we become the favorite target of anti-oil

terrorists. The recent trip of Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia

on April 26th was reduced to a sound byte of George W. Bush saying he

was asking Saudi Arabia to increase production to reduce the price

increases forced by demand. Sounds like leadership. But what wasn't

reported was what the Prince said. He said that " we had enough

production and he was willing to increase it again, but what the real

problem was, the older refineries that the United States has and the

price gouging by transporters and domestic oil companies to get the

oil to the consumer. " In other words, he was saying that American

firms were unfairly profiting from the phony shortage.

 

Now this in and of itself should demand an investigation but then our

entire energy policy developed by energy companies is a U.S. Court of

Appeals-sealed secret. With the lawsuit against Dick Cheney not

being heard the energy policy of this country is by and for the oil

companies and not by and for the people.

 

But this isn't the worst thing the government is doing for the

American people while in the total grasp of the energy companies:

 

Since the 1950's up until 2001, the Internal Revenue Service had a

luxury tax on expensive vehicles including Sports Utility Vehicles

(SUVs). If the vehicle was bought for your business you could only

depreciate the first $25,000.00 of its cost and you were somewhat

penalized for using a vehicle that did not get reasonable mileage.

So that a $100,000.00 Hummer getting 6 Miles Per Gallon was extremely

impractical to buy for a business. Now because of a $25,000.00 to

$50,000.00 rebate and the ability to fully deduct the costs, the

Hummer can practically be driven for free each year.

 

Because of the last four years of tax cuts to special interests, the

reduction of the $5.6 trillion dollar surplus to a $3 trillion dollar

deficit, the Federal Reserve's money policies to keep the economy

afloat, the fact that the U.S. Dollar has dropped by 70% in value to

the EURO, and the deliberate devaluing of the U.S. Dollar; oil and

gasoline prices have more than doubled because of Bush.

 

Because of the CIA interference in the last two Venezuela national

elections, President Hugo Chavez has raised the price of gas to the

United States.

 

Because of souring relations with Russia, President Putin has raised

the price of gas to the United States. The same thing is true of

Iran.

 

Because of the active U.S. military on the ground combat operations

in Columbia, Ecuador and the Philippines; these countries have raised

the price of gas to the United States.

 

Because of expanded Islamic terrorism in Indonesia, this country has

had to raise the price of gas to the United States.

 

The repeal of tax credits and rebates to individuals and businesses

for solar, wind and geothermal energy have reduced consumerism for

these products. Additionally, the first generation of solar

collectors highly popularized by the President Carter Administration

have fallen into disrepair and nonuse, and have not been replaced.

Energy conservation standards were repealed by Reagan and public

buildings are just now trying to conserve because of costs.

 

Our leaders have generally put us into this " locked box " of higher

prices and dwindling supplies because it made a profit for them and

their campaign contributor friends. The key to release us from this

bondage, is in our ability to work together today.

 

The administration and politicians, and energy companies; all have

abdicated their role by default, in making this energy plan for the

future by lack of action, backward thinking and their conflicts of

interest.

 

So what can we do at this meeting ?

 

Call citizens to action

Using the Inter-group approach we can accomplish much more than by

just being individuals

Look at sustainability as a goal

Look at implementing the technology that already exists

Look at conservation

What ideas do you have ?

 

IN DEFIANCE OF CONGRESS, July 4, 2005.

The unanimous Declaration of Independence of the fifty states of the

United States of America,

When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one

people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with

a political party, and to assume among the powers of the earth, to

hold truth and justice above unbridled greed and political

corruption. To hold a decent respect to the opinions of those in

Congress and the Judiciary requires that, We The People, should

declare the causes, which impel us to this separation.

 

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, and that among these are Life, Liberty and the

Pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are

instituted among People, deriving their just powers from the consent

of the governed, and whenever any Form of Government becomes

destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter it

or to abolish it, and to institute a 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 has shown, that society would rather

suffer through bad governance, than change. But when a long train of

corruption, mismanagement, abuses of power and usurpations, reduce

the Government to absolute Despotism, it is the right of the People,

it is their duty, it is their righteous cause, to throw off such

Governance, and to provide new leaders for their future security.

 

Such has been the patient sufferance of these fifty states; and such

is now the necessity which constrains them to alter this System of

Government. The history of the present King George, ally of Britain,

is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in

direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny and arrogance

over these States. To prove this, let the Facts be submitted to a

candid world:

 

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing to

Appoint people of fair-minded character to the Judiciary ; and he has

made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their

offices, through the payment of political contributions. He has

kept Standing Armies in perpetual war, without the Consent of our

federal or state legislatures. He has affected to render the

Military independent of and superior to the Civil power. For cutting

off our Treaties with all parts of the world; For depriving us of

the benefits of Trial by Jury through the PATRIOT Act; For

abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the

Forms of our Governments; He has abdicated Government here, by

declaring us out of his Protection from terrorism by allowing 9-11

to happen and waging War against Iraq and the citizens who oppose

him. He has plundered our jobs, ravaged our retirement accounts,

burnt our dollar, and destroyed the lives of our people. He has

excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to

bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Al Quaeda

Terrorists, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished

destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions. We call upon Congress

to be opposed to the horrid actions of the .crown:

 

1. Defiance and disregard of the U.S. Constitution and International

Law.

2. Tax Cuts to the Wealthy.

3. Widening gap between the rich and poor.

4. Neglect of poverty in America.

5. Destructive and dilapidating economic policies.

6. Instigation of hate producing violence by right-wing extremist

rhetoric.

7. Waging an illegal war in Iraq for that country's oil.

8. Plunging the nation in insurmountable debt.

9. Voter disenfranchisement.

10. Opposition to the minimum wage and forty hour work week.

11. Replacement of the New Deal with Bush's Raw Deal on Social

Security.

12. Anti-environmental policy linked to no Energy Independence.

13. Go it alone foreign policy.

14. Reduced funding to Head Start and no funding associated with No

Child Left Behind.

15. Favoritism of the health industry and drug corporations over the

health needs of poor.

16. Benefits to banks and credit card companies on Bankruptcy

legislation in reward for their $200 million dollar campaign

contributions since 2000.

17. Hijacking a political party to benefit the few.

18. Ignoring the Rule of Law; destruction of the judicial system.

19. Secrecy in government – John Dean's Book ; Worse Than Watergate.

20. Destruction of worker rights (attacking family leave act,

eliminating overtime and ergonomic rules; privatization of federal

government jobs at higher costs, prevention of unionization at the

Homeland Security Department).

 

In every stage of these Oppressions, We have Petitioned for Redress

in the most humble of terms: our repeated Petitions have been

answered only by repeated injury and the rigged election of King

George. A Prince by noble birth whose character is thus marked by

every act which may define a Tyrant, and is wholly unfit to be the

leader of a free people. Nor have We been wanting in attentions to

our RepubliKlan brethren. We have warned them from time to time of

attempts by their Congress to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction

over us through their PATRIOT Act. We have reminded them of the

circumstances of the 2000 Presidential Election in Florida, and of

the appointment of King George by the corrupt Supreme Court. We have

appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and their calls for

the Rule of Law, moral values and the culture of life, and we have

conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these

usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and

communications. They too are deaf to the voice of justice and of

consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which

denounce our Separation from their political party, and hold them, as

we would hold any other member of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace

Friends.

 

We, therefore, the un-elected and disenfranchised representatives of

the United States of America, in General Community, assembled and

without recourse, appealing to the supreme judge of the world for the

rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the

good People of these United States, solemnly publish and declare,

that we are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent; and that

We The People are Absolved from all Allegiance to George W., and

that all political connection between us and his Administration, is

and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent

States, We The People have full Power to call for their ,

resignations, Impeachment, and Conviction and Imprisonment. And for

the support of this Declaration of Independence, with a firm reliance

on the protection of a divine Providence, or an indomitable spirit of

goodwill, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes

and our sacred Honor.