As we celebrate the 237th anniversary of our Independence Day, it is good to examine the document that began it all. During this first week of July, I have heard many organizations encourage Americans to read the Declaration of Independence this year. This would be a good activity as many Americans who were educated in public schools know very little about the Declaration. In the last five days, I asked several people including university students what they know about the Declaration. I receive only basic facts such as July 4, 1776, Philadelphia, and taxation without representation. A few were able to quote the opening line, “When in the course of Human Events…” but no one could go farther. This is the result of a public education and university system that wishes to deny their students the ideas that lead to the founding of our nation, the principles that lead to our growth and prosperity, and the essential freedom the citizens of our nation enjoyed. The motivation of our founders was to sever ties with an oppressive government. This Independence Day, it might not only be a good idea to read the Declaration, but to also compare it to our present government. I am not going to compare and contrast the whole of the Declaration to modern day. Instead I will examine one section where the Continental Congress enumerated 27 charges against George III in his administration of the colonies.

Charge #1: He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

Our current administration dropped criminal charges against the New Black Panther party who were caught on tape intimidating voters on election day 2008. They dropped the charges despite video evidence and the defendants lack of a defense which is the equivalent of an admission of guilt. This is but one example.

Charge #7: He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States, for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither,…

For many years the United States had strict immigration laws for the protection of this nation. These laws were passed by a Congress and signed into law by a President. At some point these laws have been ignored by leadership in both parties leading to the problems we have now. Political correctness condemns the use of the word “illegal” to describe aliens who did enter this nation in violation of standing immigration laws. The current administration has made no effort to enforce present immigration laws while pressing a new enactment that would favor illegal immigrants over those who arrived here legally in obedience to the laws on the books and even over current U.S. citizens. The current administration has even stopped the states like Arizona from enforcing immigration laws despite Arizonans having suffered from the consequences of this invasion.

Charge #10: He has made Judges dependent of His will alone, for the tenures of their offices, …

The appointments of Sotomayor and Kagen before the Affordable Care Act reached the Supreme Court and the refusal of Kagen to recuse herself from the case despite her earlier involvement with the law on behalf of the administration is a perfect example on this charge. Does anybody want to guess how Sotomayor or Kagen would be treated if they ever ruled against the will of the current administration?

Charge #11: He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, …

Even though the subject has not been in the news recently, the current administration still employs unaccountable czars, not confirmed by the Senate or examined by oversight of Congressional committees.

Charge #14: He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their acts of pretended Legislation.

Administrations from both parties have negated the Constitution by engaging in foreign treaties ratified by our Senate. There have even been attempts by this administration to enforce segments of treaties that have not been ratified by the Senate such as the Kyoto accords or the Law of the Sea treaty.

Charge #16: For protecting…from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States.

This administration conducted an operation called “Fast and Furious” which, in essence, armed drug cartels who flood our nation with illegal narcotics and related violence. This operation lead to the murder of two agents of our government as well as hundreds of civilians in our neighboring country. They have refused to submit to authorized Congressional oversight to the point where the attorney general was cited for contempt of Congress for the first time in our nation’s history. Despite this citation for contempt, no attempt has ever been made to make this government official pay for his dereliction and no one who participated in the operation has ever been charged in a court of law.

Charge #22: For…abolishing our most valuable laws…

Our current administration has openly refused to enforce or defend laws it simply does not agree with despite being enacted by previous Congress’ and signed into law by previous presidents. Examples of this selective enforcement include immigration laws and the Defense of Marriage Act. A law not enforced or defended in court is equivalent to abolishing it by fiat.

Charge #23: … and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

When this administration could not get gun control passed in Congress, our current president resorted to executive orders to make laws that violate a basic protection in our Constitution.

Charge #27: He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us,…

While the current administration has not directly incited protests, it knows it has many willing accomplices who will do so without direct instruction. If a person or group in opposition this administration becomes vocal against such topics as homosexual marriage, jihad or climate change can expect a rent-a-mob protesting their very existence. Also, would anybody care to guess what kind of uprising would have occurred if our current president loss a close reelection bid in 2012?

Could I have written more comparing the actions by George III in the 1770s as cited by our founders to our current administration? Yes I can. These are but a few of the lowlights. How much farther do we have to sink until an opposition party develops a backbone to take a stand against this current tyranny? I pray we are able to wake up this nation in a manner in which it was awakened before our first Declaration. The longer the populace is asleep, the more freedom we are going to lose.