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Thread: Declaration of Independents

  1. #1
    Yekhefah
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    Lightbulb Declaration of Independents

    I am a political independent, and I'm frequently asked why. The short answer is that I don't see any substantial difference between the two major parties. But I still get pressed for a long answer. Back in December I was stuck in a hotel room by myself and I came up with this adaptation of the Declaration of Independence, to further illuminate why I believe both major parties should be kicked out, overthrown, or otherwise eliminated. Feel free to share or comment. (And it's disturbing how much I didn't have to change.)

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    Declaration of Independents

    When in the Course of American events it becomes necessary for people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with their Parties, and to assume among the powers of the earth the separate and equal station to which the Laws of the Republic and the Constitution entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of the electorate requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

    We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all voters 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.

    — That to secure these rights, Political Parties are instituted by voters, deriving their just powers from the consent of the constituency,
    — That whenever any Party becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Parties long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to sit around and bitch while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when the established Parties have completely deserted their constituency in pursuit of personal wealth, it is the voters’ right, it is their duty, to throw off such Parties, and to devise new outlets for political expression.
    — Such has been the patient sufferance of these voters; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Two-Party System. The history of the present Republican/Democrat Party is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these voters and self-enrichment by lobbyists and unconstitutional tax appropriation. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

    The Republican/Democrat Party leadership have refused to Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

    They have forbidden the few remaining honest legislators to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation until their hearings shall be Attained; and when so suspended, they have utterly neglected to attend to them.

    They have refused to pass other Laws for the protection of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

    They have called together secretive hearings and vacations at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from accountability to the electorate, for the sole purpose of fatiguing the media out of any attempt to keep up with what they do.

    They have dissolved legitimate gatherings repeatedly, for opposing with free speech their invasions on the rights of the people.

    They have refused for a long time to cause better candidates to be elected, whereby the worthy candidates, faced with Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

    They have endeavoured to replace the working population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Immigration and Naturalization, to better their corporate backers who profit from illegal slave labor.

    They have obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing to Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

    They have made Judges dependent on their Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

    They have erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

    They have kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

    They have affected to render the Military impotent and ill-prepared for their multiple illegitimate wars.

    They have combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our Constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving their Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation.

    For quartering large bodies of criminals among us:

    For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

    For restricting our Trade with all parts of the world while shipping our jobs overseas:

    For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

    For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

    For abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

    For crippling our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

    They have abdicated Government here, by declaring us irrelevant.

    They have plundered our incomes, ravaged our homes, used our towns for nothing but fundraising, and destroyed the lives of too many people.

    They are at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy of the Heads of a civilized nation.

    They have excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and have endeavoured to bring on inhabitants from beyond our frontiers, who are committed to our destruction.

    In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: BY VOTING. Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Party Hack, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

    Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Party leaders. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably cost them our votes. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them completely irrelevant to the political process.

    We, therefore, the Voters of the United States of America, appealing to our remaining right to vote for the rectitude of our intentions, do solemnly publish and declare, That these voters are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent Voters, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the Two-Party System, and that all political connection between them and the self-serving Party Hacks, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent Voters, they have full Power to vote for any Independent candidate which they so choose, and to vote self-serving Party Hacks out of every office which they hold.

    — And for the support of this Declaration of Independents, with a hopeful reliance on our few remaining Constitutional freedoms, we mutually pledge to each other our Openness, our Debate, and Active Participation in Our Own Government.

  2. #2
    God/dess leilanicandy's Avatar
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    Default Re: Declaration of Independents

    amen yek
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  3. #3
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    Default Re: Declaration of Independents

    I wish we had a parliamentary system of government; I think that would make other parties more viable.

  4. #4
    Yekhefah
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    Default Re: Declaration of Independents

    Yep, something like the Israeli Knesset would be welcome here.

    At any rate, it hasn't always just been these same two parties. They've done this before, where they agree more than they disagree and none of them represents the constituency, and when that happens one of them dies because people vote in a "third party," which then becomes one of the new major two. We need to do that again. I encourage everyone to vote independent this year - Green, Libertarian, whatever appeals to you. Don't just hold your nose and choose the lesser of two evils.

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    Featured Member Lunarobverse's Avatar
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    Default Re: Declaration of Independents

    As much as I understand the impulse to create a third party, I think my efforts are better spent in pushing the party that more closely represents my views in my direction, by getting involved and making phone calls and pressuring the leadership of the party.

    Pressuring the current elected officials on important issues via email, phone calls, faxes, letters to the editor; and then supporting and electing local officials that share my views; and promoting and supporting primary challengers against recalcitrant electeds... that's the ticket, I think.

    I know that works because that's what happened in the Republican party over the past 30+ years. And while that will still be a long-term project, it will take less time than creating a brand-new party and infrastructure from scratch.

    Waiting for leadership to start obeying the wishes of the majority means waiting too long. The grassroots needs to do the leading - change will come up from the bottom, not down from the top.

    Just my two cents. Thanks for this thread, Yek.
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  6. #6
    Yekhefah
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    Default Re: Declaration of Independents

    You wouldn't have to create a new party from scratch. The Green Party, the Libertarian Party, and the Constitution Party are all well-established and viable alternatives. And if Bloomberg runs, we may have an independent presidential candidate.

    I don't see any chance of the Republicans or Democrats representing their base anytime soon. The only thing that MIGHT get their attention would be losing mass votes to others who actually do their jobs.

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    Featured Member Lunarobverse's Avatar
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    Default Re: Declaration of Independents

    Quote Originally Posted by Yekhefah View Post
    You wouldn't have to create a new party from scratch. The Green Party, the Libertarian Party, and the Constitution Party are all well-established and viable alternatives. And if Bloomberg runs, we may have an independent presidential candidate.
    The problem is getting those third-party candidates elected on the Federal level in enough numbers to create a third caucus. I see that as taking much longer than just pushing progressive members up through the ranks (my bias is progressive/left and I'm just using that as a example; the process works the same for conservative/right in the Republican party).

    And focusing on the President is short-sighted and narrow thinking, I believe. A strong Congress can greatly limit Presidential power (not that the current Congress is doing much in that direction - or not enough by my lights, anyway).

    I think the actions of the progressive blogosphere have already made an impact on the current Democratic party. Again, not enough, and not soon enough, in my eyes, but there has been a measurable impact. And keeping up the pressure for another decade will, I believe, create greater change than any one third-party candidate will.

    Quote Originally Posted by Yekhefah View Post
    I don't see any chance of the Republicans or Democrats representing their base anytime soon. The only thing that MIGHT get their attention would be losing mass votes to others who actually do their jobs.
    I think history shows that voters not turning out favors the Republicans, actually.

    Compare the effects of low voter turnout vs. the massive flood of letters, emails, phone calls, faxes, and physical protests had on the debate over extending immunity to the telecom companies. If it hadn't been for that pressure from the grassroots, Senator Dodd would never have considered going against his caucus (and Majority) leader Senator Reid and conducted a filibuster, and the several Senators that supported him (including one of mine, Senator Ron Wyden) would never have stood by him in defiance of the Majority Leader.

    Again, I'm just using this as an example of grassroots power to effect a change in the current party (or parties).
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    God/dess Will's Avatar
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    Default Re: Declaration of Independents

    Quote Originally Posted by Yekhefah View Post
    Yep, something like the Israeli Knesset would be welcome here.

    At any rate, it hasn't always just been these same two parties. They've done this before, where they agree more than they disagree and none of them represents the constituency, and when that happens one of them dies because people vote in a "third party," which then becomes one of the new major two. We need to do that again. I encourage everyone to vote independent this year - Green, Libertarian, whatever appeals to you. Don't just hold your nose and choose the lesser of two evils.
    I have always been registered as an Independent and in the last several elections voted Libertarian as they closest to my own beliefs an also refused to vote for the lesser of two evils. They were not "throw away" votes as third party voters did effect the outcomes of the past elections even of their party didn't win and let the two parties in power know there were many people not happy with what they were/are selling. However, in this particular election, the stakes are too high for me personally to do a third party vote as I feel strong enough about some of the candidates to vote in the Dem/Repub elections this time around.
    A cunning linguist...

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    Senior Member Tara_SW's Avatar
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    Default Re: Declaration of Independents

    I think it sucks that in many States registered indy voters aren't allowed to vote in primary elections. I never quite understood the reasoning behind it either.

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    Default Re: Declaration of Independents

    Quote Originally Posted by Tara_SW View Post
    I think it sucks that in many States registered indy voters aren't allowed to vote in primary elections. I never quite understood the reasoning behind it either.
    I always assumed it was to keep people from regeristing as indy and voting in one party when their heart really resides on the other side.

  11. #11
    God/dess hockeybobby's Avatar
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    Default Re: Declaration of Independents

    In Canada, our federal political parties are funded partially by severely controlled private donations, and public payments based on votes received in the previous election. So, even though the party I always vote for (green party) has yet to elect a member of parliament, they get a buck and a half for my vote, and will hopefully be able to build strength over time. We have more than 2 parties though...more like 5. The main 3 represent left, middle, right wing slants.
    hb

  12. #12
    TheSexKitten
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    Default Re: Declaration of Independents

    +1 vote for a parliamentary system!

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