When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for people to resist the usurpation of their rights that threatens their liberty, their power, and the very foundation of democracy, they should state the causes which impel them to take action to safeguard those rights.
Our Founding Fathers declared “these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed … with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.… That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People’’ to take such action and establish the safeguards to maintain a free and democratic republic.
The current administration’s record is one of unchecked abuses of power, which are aimed at establishing a corrupt, autocratic government that threatens our rights and overthrows our democracy.
Let the facts be stated candidly:
ª The president of the United States, in violation of congressional mandates, has set out to dismantle longstanding federal agencies that have been established to serve the American people, turning them instead into instruments of personal power.
ª He has systematically replaced nonpartisan, dedicated public servants with loyalists, eroding the independence of federal agencies.
ª He has dismissed inspectors general and other officials who investigated fraud, thus inviting unchecked corruption.
ª He has made a mockery of the process of selecting qualified and dedicated leaders to fill Cabinet positions to oversee the affairs of state by selecting unqualified sycophants who serve his own interests and not the interests of the American people.
ª He has wielded executive power to issue broad pardons to corrupt political friends and business associates as well as those convicted of attempts to violently overturn the democratic process, thereby encouraging future lawlessness.
ª He has declared a state of emergency at the nation’s border to expand his power beyond its lawful bounds and to engage in the questionable use of the military in immigration enforcement.
ª He has sanctioned retaliatory investigations against political opponents and members of the press, chilling free expression and deterring dissent.
ª He has attempted to redefine the fundamental principles of citizenship, seeking to eliminate birthright citizenship in violation of the Constitution.
ª He has forsaken long-standing democratic allies in favor of siding with an authoritarian regime.
ª He has disregarded international norms, withdrawing foreign aid and medicine from vulnerable countries and support for global institutions that uphold democratic values and human rights.
ª He has undermined environmental protections, reversing measures designed to safeguard the public and future generations from the effects of global warming.
ª He tried to overturn the results of an election to remain in power and still makes baseless claims of election fraud that incite attacks on the very people and institutions that work to ensure free elections.
At every stage, open opposition and attempted resistance to these injustices have been met with further retaliatory punishment.
Therefore, it is incumbent on all of us, regardless of party, to wait no longer to reject such tyranny and uphold the principles upon which this republic was founded.
Accordingly, We the People shall challenge unconstitutional overreach through legal action, strengthen support for civil rights organizations to safeguard fundamental liberties, and amplify the truth through grass-roots advocacy and independent journalism.
Democratic action groups and the media must intensify efforts to monitor and expose government abuses. We shall apply economic pressure through targeted boycotts of companies that promote the president’s illegal and immoral actions. We shall escalate demonstrations in every state capital. We shall press politicians and diplomats not to retreat but to advance relations, independent of the federal government, with other nations and international organizations to defend democratic norms. We shall mobilize voters at every level — local, state, and federal — to support candidates who uphold democracy and demand lawmakers restore constitutional checks and balances.
Out of love for our country and in defiance of tyranny, we must act decisively, lawfully, and persistently to preserve our democratic republic for generations to come.
David E. Stein is an entrepreneur and activist in Boston.
