- According to the United States Constitution, all citizens
have the rights to free speech, free assembly, the right to bear arms,
the right to choose one's own religion and many more things that are now
being trampled under the feet of Bush and his allies. Now that Bush believes
he has a "mandate", and he feels his views are backed up by his
God, he doesn't care that we feel unrepresented by his policies and administration.
-
- But what about the Constitution? The Constitution is
a contract between the People and the government, and the government has
broken this contract by creating laws and executive powers that destroy
our constitutional rights. The US government has handed over the powers
and the moneys of the people to Corporations and their advocates (such
as the World Trade Organization, and its predecessor NAFTA) at the direct
expense of the People, our health, and our kids' futures. The US government
has committed genocide, tortured and illegally incarcerated people (including
US citizens) proving the "Land of the Free" to be the "Land
of Hypocrisy". We demand the right to alter or abolish our relationship
with the government, because this is our inherent right. We demand self-government,
because without a say in what governs our lives, we are slaves to the political
and economic interests that can buy the most power.
-
- Imagine democracy, where everyone has a say in his or
her own life and in the workings of their communities. Although this may
seem like a huge responsibility for individuals to take on, this responsibility
already lies squarely on our shoulders. If we shirk it, fascism has a field
day. It's time to get to work to determine our own futures.
-
- Human Rights for All! A World without Imperialist Genocide!
-
- In the recent presidential election, voters were given
a choice that had nothing to do with our actual vision for our society,
communities and lives. Instead, the political debate was cast as "Bush
and anyone but Bush" and "the spoilers ruining it for the Democrats"
and "Compassionate Conservatives vs. Neo-Liberals". All this
typecasting is only useful to try to control and rebalance a teetering
façade of a government. How much of what politicians say is just
for the effect it has on voters? How many promises are ever kept? Much
is being taken from the People- our families for war, our money in taxes,
and our time and good health in the desperate search to make a living in
a time when the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.
And all these resources that are being extracted from us are being used
to conquer and grab the resources of other parts of the world.
-
- All of this is going on, while many people in this country
are legally or socially disenfranchised, and the rest of us are given the
choice between two puppets as potential Presidents. If this nation's regime
does not represent you, it is time to let the rest of the world and the
rest of the nation know it. The stakes are too high for people both inside
and outside the United States, and to stay silent is complicity.
-
- How Are We Going to Get There?
-
- People all over the nation, most visibly in Cascadia
and New England, are beginning to form movements for secession. Because
we supposedly have the inherent right to alter or abolish our government,
this movement has many different tactics that can be employed. To reach
the goals of legal secession, material independence from the United States,
having functional direct democracy, and beginning the work of laying a
foundation for the long-term survival of our independence- we must have
a broad and diverse movement. We must be capable of adapting to changing
conditions, and defending our movement's successes. It's time to talk strategy,
and brainstorm tactics.
-
- It is very important that our movement is not isolated
from other places and peoples that are trying to secede, because we will
only have enough resilience and people power to make headway if we work
together and support one another. We must defend one another, share resources,
and make sure that we are not isolated and boxed into a corner by the crushing
weight of the US and its corporate media.
-
- Though it is a scary time to try to make change, I am
proud to witness my community standing up and acting from the strength
of its desire for a humane society. I am looking forward to our successful
secession.
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- http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2004/11/303305.shtml
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