By Arthur Christopher Schaper ——Bio and Archives--December 24, 2014
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When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men 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, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.One again, this passage refers to mankind not just men, and that governments are formed by "the consent of the governed." "Governed" does not discriminate, except to identify those who are not in power. In other words, this charter established a clear distinction, but not based on one's birth, or intrinsic, individual merit. The dichotomy between governed and government posits the power and respect on the governed first, who may change one form of government to create another. These "governed" operate from "all men are created equal." Why would the governed -- men, women, rich, poor -- then decide to discriminate against themselves? Even if they wanted to, the fact remains that the governed remain the primary seat of power and influence, which the government must obey. Just reading the Founding Charter of the United States of America, just paying attention to the word of the document, one finds that the Declaration of Independence does not discriminate against anyone, nor does it limit the recognition of God-given rights to one class of people. The right of all men, of mankind, are endowed to us by our Creator, and no government can take them away. Why else would Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. have referenced the Declaration of Independence in his "I Have a Dream" speech, if not to point out that the contents of the document do indeed apply to all men, to all mankind, black as well as white, male as well as female? Indeed, the modern progressive critics are wrong, both on the facts, the history, as well as the contents of the Declaration o Independence. The rights recognized in that charter belong to all men, to all people, to all mankind, and there is no limited to their existence, regardless of race, gender, ethnic background, or behavioral dispositions.
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Arthur Christopher Schaper is a teacher-turned-writer on topics both timeless and timely; political, cultural, and eternal. A life-long Southern California resident, Arthur currently lives in Torrance.
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