Do we need another American War of Independence?

The American Revolutionary War was the culmination of the civil and political American Revolution resulting from the American Enlightenment. Brought to a head over the lack of American representation in Parliament, which was seen as a denial of their rights as Englishmen and often popularly focused on direct taxes levied by Parliament on the colonies without their consent, the colonists resisted the imposition of direct rule after the Boston Tea Party. Creating self-governing provinces, they circumvented the British ruling apparatus in each colony by 1774. Armed conflict between British regulars and colonial militiamen broke out at the Battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775. After petitions to the Crown for intervention with Parliament were ignored, the rebel leaders were declared traitors by the Crown and a year of fighting ensued. The colonies declared their independence in July 1776, listing grievances against the British king and legislature while asking the support of the populace. Among George's other offences, the Declaration charged, "He has abdicated Government here ... He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people." The gilded equestrian statue of George III in New York was pulled down. The British captured the city in 1776, but lost Boston, and the grand strategic plan of invading from Canada and cutting off New England failed with the surrender of the British Lieutenant-General John Burgoyne at the Battle of Saratogs.

 

When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. When the government fears the people, there is liberty.
Thomas Jefferson
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/t/thomas_jefferson.html#utwzexBkohq1vluu.99

When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. When the government fears the people, there is liberty.
Thomas Jefferson
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/t/thomas_jefferson.html#utwzexBkohq1vluu.99



When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. When the government fears the people, there is liberty.

Thomas Jefferson

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/t/thomasjeff412712.html#y6HjHcLbfWGDxG3o.99

"When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. When the government fears the people, there is liberty."
-Thomas Jefferson

Today Harry Reid made history and for the first time since King George III ruled America, the rules of the Senate have been changed to benefit a political party and their ideology rather than the Americans who elected those Senators to represent them.

For the record, the Senate voted on and passed - a purely partisan vote by the way (like the Affordable Care Act) - a procedural rule change which allows the majority party to silence the minority by reducing the votes required to break a filibuster from 60 to 51. Interestingly those same Senators who (are currently in the majority) decided it was the right and just thing to do, vehemently opposed the idea when they were in the minority: Barack Obama, Harry Reid, Joseph Biden. In fact just minutes after the vote occurred, President Obama praised Harry Reid for his actions. Is Barack admitting that his hold on power is now more important to him than the fairness to American citizens which he so often cites? Harry must have changed his mind about our founding fathers and apparently Joe didn't pray hard enough... The bottom line in all of this is the facilitation of political divisiveness which is already at unprecedented levels under the actions of the Obama administration.

Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny.

Thomas Jefferson

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/t/thomasjeff125003.html#m9Y13wbX1fv9EKM8.99

"Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny."
- Thomas Jefferson

So let's consider the points highlighted above:

Lack of American representation -
Today the Democrat majority in the Senate, on a party line vote, approved a rule change effectively silencing the minority party for the first time in over 200 years, rendering the 48 Republican votes - representing half of the country - irrelevant...

Denial of rights -
Since we had to "pass the bill to know what is in it" (thanks Nancy) we are now finding out. We do not have the right to choose our doctor, we do not have the right to choose a health care plan tailored to our individual needs and if we are in the minority we do not have the right to prevent our government from taking action to which we oppose; our voice is no longer relevant...

Taxes levied without consent -
The penalty in the Affordable Care Act became a tax thanks to Chief Justice John Roberts and in that change to the law, illegal according to our constitution, Americans will soon be taxed rather than penalized for not participating in a law that half of our country disapproved of at the time it was passed and over 61% disapprove of now!

With a president who has at times acted like a king through his abuse of executive orders and seems to be doing everything he can to divide rather than unite our country, are the reasons for demanding independence from tyranny in 1775 really that much different from today?

"To compel a man to furnish funds for the propagation of ideas he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical."
-Thomas Jefferson