By the simplest definition, sovereignty means outsiders should leave us alone and defer to what we, as a nation, or even a state determine, call it self-government.
Another example....."a group or body of persons or a state having sovereign authority"
Our sovereignty as a nation is threatened as our government has willfully deferred to international bodies and laws they demand we adhere to rather than one we should be subject to.
But, more concerning and which occurs more frequently is when the Federal government oversteps, although legally, it boundaries with regulations and laws superseding the sovereignty of states.
occurs with the relationship between states and the Federal government.
As our Federal government grows, adding new departments with ever expanding responsibilities much of what was the responsibility of the states has been transferred (a polite word) to our national government. This is
achieved through legislation written and approved by the very people in OUR employ, members of Congress!
Just about anything we can think of is touched and often controlled by the Federal government.
Have you noticed brick by brick the wall protecting individuals and state
from impositions of the Federal government have been coming down. Worse,
the people doing this are the very men and women we elect to protect
individual and states rights. members of Congress.
This is done with tax policies, legislation, prejudicial spending of
spending, overbearing regulations and simply dictates. And with the
election of our new president and a like-minded Congress things will
get much, much worse, as a nation, once founded on basic freedom
and individual rights has been neutered, allowing government to truly
control our lives, our opportunities and our fortunes, no matter how small.
The stimulus bill about to be passed is the latest move towards the total
"elimination" of an individual's rights. Most may not notice, or see how
regulations or policies effect them, but they do, no matter how far removed
they are.
The laundry list of what government has done, in the name of improving the
quality of life of all Americans, continues to grow, often never providing
the benefits cited upon becoming law.
Very often, government will enact laws to bring in revenue from an out of
favor entity such as alcohol or tobacco to fund another, such as health care
or education. Yet, this merely masked the problem of not funding by the
people directly benefiting.
Also, money received often gets spent as the original legislation stated.
Taxes received from airline tickets and gasoline sales are not usually spent
as they should be, are often "hoarded" by government agencies, never being
spent as intended. Then we are told more money is needed.
Warmest Regards,
Anthony Bruno
What is a manifesto?
The Merriam-Webster dictionary states it is:
"a written statement that describes the policies, goals, and opinions of a person or group
Another definition found on Wikipedia states:
"a manifesto is a public declaration of principles and intentions, often political in nature."
Dictionary.com defines as:
"a public declaration of intentions, opinions, objectives, or motives, as one issued by a government, sovereign, or organization"
So, these definitions will lay the foundation for an "American Manifesto" which is long overdo as our country has gone off course from being the nation our Founders envisioned, defined and constructed from their brilliance which includes beliefs written by Thomas Paine in "Common Sense".
www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/milestones/commonsense/
An American Manifesto needs to reaffirm what Thomas Jefferson stated in the Declaration of Independence, "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."
Can anyone honestly say two-hundred and thirty-odd years after our founding, this remains to be true? Citizens are no longer equal in the eyes of the law as Congress has weaved complex legislation to shackle the American people to ITs will rather than the will of the people they were elected to represent.
And unless the American people take back the country we will continue to be subservient to whatever legislation is passed and regulations imposed.
So where do we begin.? Well, if you have not noticed many Americans have already begun. They have formed small, non-political groups across the country, with a common, single word cry, "ENOUGH!"
These groups are becoming pro-active in the political arena. They are not part of the familiar ones who goal is to seek political favors such as organized labor, key industries, or social, educational and environmental groups. But, these people can also be counted among the millions attending town hall meetings of their representatives demanding they be more responsive to the demand for reducing national debt, and accountability for what is being done.
To begin....
Back to "Common Sense" If you read or are familiar with this extraordinary work you'll note that Paine mentions the "long and violent abuse of power" and goes on to state "the good people of this country are grievously oppressed".
He warns against government, even good government, referring to it as "wicked" and a "necessary evil". Yet, here we are, more than two-hundred years looking TO government rather than being wary as Paine warned.
What has changed? Through the ages people do not change, human nature does not vary. Most have little difficulty being subservient and dependent. Rulers have know that for eons, and take advantage when they have the chance.
Only extraordinary occurrences lead to extra-ordinary efforts; something our Founders displayed when the opposed the oppression by the British. And, today over 300 million Americans and more than one billion others scattered around the world have been the beneficiaries.
Our nation's founders hit the point where they questioned the legitimacy of their governance, especially being rule by a King. Paine and others asked why a King, or any monarch rule a nation? This was quite a change from a history of acceptance in which most people complied with the will of a ruling class.
Paine simply understood only God has dominion over people, not any one central authority. The challenge by Paine was the seed which grew in less than a decade to a nation less than two hundred years later would become the greatest in human history.
Some may have trouble seeing a parallel to what the first Americans faced and what we face today. But, "abuse of power" and "oppression" can come in different forms. It can be as subtle as government providing more and more services allowing citizens to not be concerned and worse captive.
However, this is done at a cost, and equally, without a citizen's right to refuse. Over the decades we have willingly accepted government's eagerness to educate our children with little if any involvement with the type of education they will receive.
What has occurred during our short history has been the growth of government at all levels, Federal, state and local demanding more and more adherence and compliance to laws and regulations. all in the "best interests of the people".
Even the tax code, which was originally instituted to bring in a flow of revenue to support the Federal government now seeks to do more. At more than 60,000 pages, the tax code has deliberately been
changed to mold behavior to benefit or penalize.
Examples of notable manifestos:
- The United States Declaration of Independence (1776)
- The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen (1789) during the French Revolution
- The Humanist Manifesto I, II and III
- The Fascist manifesto (1919), by Fasci di Combattimento
- Mein Kampf (My Struggle) (1925), by Adolf Hitler
- The Oxford Manifesto (1947) describing the basic principles of Liberal International
- The Southern Manifesto (1956), opposing the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education
- The Sharon Statement (1960), by M. Stanton Evans et al. (Young Americans for Freedom)
- For a New Liberty: The Libertarian Manifesto (1973), by Murray Rothbard
- New Libertarian Manifesto (1980), by Samuel Edward Konkin III
- A Christian Manifesto (1982), by Francis Schaeffer
- The Contract with America (1994), by the Republican candidates for the House of Representatives
- The Revolution: A Manifesto (2008), by Ron Paul
- A manifesto by Cho Seung-hui (2007)
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