Do the following complaints sound familiar? See what you think:
- He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
- He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance...
- He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people...
- He has endeavoured to [obstruct] the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither...
- He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
- He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone...
- He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
- He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
- He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power... Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us...
- [He has attempted to cut] off our Trade with all parts of the world...
- [He has transported] us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences...
That's King George, III at the top of this blog posting, for anyone who doesn't immediately recognize him. The complaints I list are all direct quotations from our Declaration of Independence, which initiated the American Revolution two hundred and fifty years ago. Ellipses are noted.
Below, I am providing a picture of our current president, and let me provide the following link, too, to an article in The New York Times about Tom Paine. His 47-page pamphlet, Common Sense, played a significant role in stimulating Americans to take effective action to deal with their complaints.
It never hurts, I think, to consider historical parallels as we decide what actions we might take - and perhaps should take - as we deal with our legitimate grievances, today.
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