The SECOND Declaration of Independence

The following is my desire...a DECLARATION of INDEPENDENCE from the chains of what has developed as a two-party-one-goal system of governance that has lost sight of their oath of office and of whom raised them to the positions they now find themselves.

Below is the SECOND Declaration.  Much of it has been left the same...w hy?  Because it was PERFECT to begin with, the only thing I did was suggest changes and expand on explanations where history repeats itself.  I proudly planted the first signature...my only question is, who else will "mutually pledge" their "Lives...Fortunes and...sacred Honor" with me?

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The unanimous Declaration of the fifty united States of America,

"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. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their DUTY, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these" States; "and such is now the necessity which constrains them to" REESTABLISH "their former Systems of Government. The history of the" past and present Presidents of the United States along with several past sessions and the current session of Congress "is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world."

• He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.  (Congress and the President has prevented laws that would assist in TRUE recovery from the current many fiscal crises that have arisen through previous and present administration's decisions)

• He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.  (The President through the Department of Justice has asserted their powers to prevent laws passed by a sovereign state from being able to be enforced.  See Arizona Immigration Laws and Mississippi Voter ID Law.) 

• He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures. (Whether it be "back room deals", meetings on the golf course, late/all night special sessions during which times they would be at recess, political decisions should be made in the eye of the people, in the people's House, since the government's power is derived FROM the people.) 

• He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people. (Through abusive practices of the Internal Revenue Service, which operates by the authority of the Executive Branch, many groups were prevented from operating as they should due to excessive delays and breaches of privacy where certain groups that happen to oppose the current administration are concerned.) 

• He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries. (all Presidents have posted Justices that are aligned with their own ideals, but with recent revelations of blackmail scandal involving the Obama admin and Justice Roberts makes me think how this could happen.)

• He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance. (Department of Homeland Security, the adding of 16,000 new IRS officers to uphold the Obamacare regulations, along with new regulations in all departments that go against many laws including the Constitution.)

• He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures. (We haven't ever been "at peace", but we also have not DECLARED war in decades, but also maintain a presence in multiple "conflicts")

• He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power. (The military must follow Geneva Convention rules of engagement during times of war against opponents who do not.  Above that, the military has acted as police in several occassions throughout our history where they should have been there to protect the people not the government.)

• 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: (encroaching Sharia Law, UN agreements, Geneva Convention regulations, The Federal Reserve)

• For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us: For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States: (crimes committed by members of the military, whether against another military member or a civilian, are tried in military courts, often protecting the military rather than the civilians.)

• For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: (Obamacare, Bailouts, and general increased spending with out of control debt)

• For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury: (NDAA and Patriot Act, along with the typical practice of rendition)

• For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences (while Obama has not directly done this, he did engage in an apology tour after getting into office, effectively weakening our position in the eyes of the world.)

• For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments: (Amnesty bill, and most other bills in Congress, as well as Executive Orders that infringe upon Constitutional rights)

• For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever. (Legislating by Executive Order)

• He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us. (opponents of the current administration have been treated with hostility during the normal operation of business, all because they oppose his views.)

• He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. (Prevented businesses from practicing while allowing foreign businesses to be funded to do the very thing American businesses wanted to do.  It also seems that any business that Obama visited was doomed to fail as if he had the touch of death.  He, along with Congress, has caused the destruction of American lives by increased regulations and taxation on businesses causing them to close or fire employees, effectively increasing not only the unemployment rate but also the amount of people on Welfare [currently over 50 MILLION out of 300 MILLION citizens in the country])

• He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation. (while spying on the American people, those with ties to our enemies have been exempted from scrutiny.  A woman in a burkha is allowed to pass unchecked through a security point while a cancer-ridden man in a wheelchair has his urostomy bag questioned or a toddler is strip searched)

• He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands. (Military men and women are faced with a decision, if the President gives the orders to fire upon American citizens who are fighting for the cause of liberty...will they obey or change sides?)

• He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless radical Muslims and Mexican drug cartel, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions. (suggested change says it all)

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A President 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 American brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. 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 interrupt our connections and correspondence. 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, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United States are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the current Administration and Congress, and that all political connection between them and the those like them, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

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Adam Avis

Sustainable Development and Gentrification in Small Town Mississippi

I remember reading something a few months back with regards to the City of Ocean Springs and Sustainable Development.  At that time I knew nothing of Sustainable Development or, as the original letter writer called it, "Agenda 21."  Then I noticed that a particularly outspoken radio show commentator has a new book out by the same name...and I read it.  While the story is fiction, the reasons behind it is not.  Sustainable Development exists and is alive on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

While many people might say that Sustainable Development is just "getting back to the roots" of a community, I disagree.  Sure, back "in the day" Biloxi's Point Cadet area used to be a thriving community where you could walk to whatever you needed, seafood market, butcher, baker, dentist, school, etc.  Slowly, over the years, cities began to get more congested and people enjoyed their space.  Thus started the era of suburbia and the developments of sub-divisions.  Larger houses, two cars per family when there used to be only one.  Well, some people got it in their mind that this wasn't good...people were STRIVING for success and wanting to get a bigger piece of the proverbial American Pie....and "they" couldn't have it.  Thus began Urban Renewal.

Urban Renewal was the central planning concept of "revitalizing" a formerly bustling downtown area.  On the surface, not a bad thing...but let's take a look at where this can go wrong.  When you live, work, and play within less than a 15 minute walk from any place that you need to go, why do you need a vehicle?  A bicycle will be sufficient enough for your needs, and if need be, put a basket on the front of that bike to help you carry a few extra items.  If you need to go farther than that, well just simply ride that bike to the closest bus stop, that's why they created the "Bike 'n Bus" program.  You don't NEED a dirty, hydrocarbon burning, pollution machine, just ride the bus...and we have to pay more because of the new Carbon Tax that will be implemented in 2013 (FYI). 

The most humorous thing about the concept of Sustainable Development is that it was developed by Marxists in the 70's to limit the ability for people to over-achieve.  The ironic part is, that in order to fulfill the goal of urban renewal,  either the municipality or a private investor will have to build more buildings for people to live in along with more storefronts in those buildings...and that is just going to allow a small percentage to achieve.  Thus they created "Public-Private Partnerships"(PPP).  Now, when a city needs to build more housing, a public-private partnership is created with a local investor or contractor whereby the city has more control over the program than the private investor has over the project. 

Once cities start implementing this "New Urbanism," they will not be able to reverse the damage. Sustainable Development supporters seek to prevent the development in areas by creating new laws.  So, once urban renewal takes hold, suburban sprawl will not happen again.  The most upsetting thing that I have learned is the implementation of another action: gentrification.

Gentrification, I had heard this word only one time before, I laughed it off as a Ten-Dollar word...but never looked it up. What is gentrification?  Gentrification is when lower income areas are undergoing renovation and restoration and drives the lower income people out of an area.  Gentrification does many things, increases population, increases average incomes, lowers average family size, and decreases the average age of residents.  Okay, now that we're on the same page, let me explain how gentrification is being used in Ocean Springs.

If you've traveled through Ocean Springs recently you may have noticed new buildings being built along the downtown section of Washington Ave and Government St.  Several years ago, the city attempted to re-zone all areas 300 feet from Government St back.  Wait a minute...there's houses within that 300 feet.  Some people were able to appeal and kept their residential zoning.......then "the tax man cometh."  The Jackson County tax assessor began his rounds, and many of the unappealed properties are now being taxed at a COMMERCIAL rate based on the "improvements" to the area.  Which means, in one instance, assessed value for this particular structure went from $1,500 in 2011 to $43,000 in 2012.  All because that property was rezoned to Commercial.  That equates to an increase from roughly $200 in taxes last year to over $1,300.  How is this gentrification?  I'm glad you asked.

The residents between Government St and the railroad tracks are primarily African-Americans...and many of them are low income.  By converting their properties to commercial, unless they are 65 or older, their taxes  will be going up.  Honestly, if I had to pay $1,300, it would cause a significant financial burden...so much so, that I might say it's just easier to move....and that's what they are hoping.  When the resident moves and sells their house, hopefully for a fair price, it will most likely be bought by an investor and/or the city.  Then the waiting game begins until the investors or city buys up enough property for their needs.  And thus, the unwanted people will have been removed.

How does this tie in with Sustainable Development?  The key to Sustainable Development is to redevelop urban areas by removing single-family residences and replace them with mixed-use, multi-story, multi-family buildings.  That is to say, remove a house, replace it with large building 2 to 3 stories where there are apartments on the upper floors and store fronts on the bottom.  Thereby encouraging those people to shop even within their own building...why drive to wal-mart...why even OWN a car or a house when you can rent downtown and have EVERYTHING you want within walking distance.

When this was done in Portland, Oregon, one of the biggest things that changed was the demographics.  Where there were once families, now there are only singles or childless couples.  Where there were once varying incomes and responsible adults, now there are young adults with disposable incomes.  What once was a nice, quiet neighborhood became a busy, loud, urban area where on any given night you can see drunks stumbling out of a bar, on their way to the next.  It's getting that way now...and you think higher taxes and Sustainable Development are good things?