Restore the Fourth

This Fourth of July, I stand by the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and against mass, warrantless spying on the American people by the NSA.

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

I join with Restore the Fourth, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and StopWatching.us in support of their open letter to Congress, calling on them to to immediately and publicly:

1. Enact reform this Congress to Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act, the state secrets privilege, and the FISA Amendments Act to make clear that blanket surveillance of the Internet activity and phone records of any person residing in the U.S. is prohibited by law and that violations can be reviewed in adversarial proceedings before a public court;
2. Create a special committee to investigate, report, and reveal to the public the extent of this domestic spying. This committee should create specific recommendations for legal and regulatory reform to end unconstitutional surveillance;
3. Hold accountable those public officials who are found to be responsible for this unconstitutional surveillance.

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." - Benjamin Franklin

July Fourth Parody Video

Here we are, on the Fourth of July. For those who've followed this blog a while, you know that I love this day, and what it stands for, and yet in recent years it has also made me sad to see where we appear to be heading.

This year on the Fourth, I've prepared a little video for you in which I get to have a little fun with one of my heroes, Thomas Jefferson, as he puts the finishing touches on the Declaration of Independence...



Enjoy the holiday, and remember the true meaning of the day as we enter the final phases of this upcoming presidential election.

For your holiday weekend reading enjoyment, I've posted a new article in my column at Suite101.com:

Some Thoughts on July 4, 2005 - "On this July Fourth I will be celebrating the radical ideas that shaped our constitution and the founding of our nation, not the current actions of our government. What do I think the true patriot should be doing for the next year? Read and see."

"Is it the Fourth?" (Thomas Jefferson's last words, July 4, 1826).

Really. Is it? I love this holiday, but it gets harder and harder each year to admit it, or to celebrate it publicly. We have no idea yet what our plans for the day are. There's a community pot-luck b-b-q, but we haven't decided yet whether or not we're going.

How about something to make us proud to be Americans again? How about a New Declaration of Independence? I hereby declare myself independent of the propoganda and nationalistic jingoism that permeats our nation today. I hereby declare my brain a spin-free zone of independent thinking. I hereby declare myself independent of the mass media and pollsters. I hereby declare myself an adult, and able to make own decisions and still respect other independent adults with whom I disagree. I hereby declare myself independent of your opinion of me, whether positive or negative, particularly if you choose to question my love of this country just because I acknowledge that the president is a moron.

Of course, we'll also need a New Declaration of Dependence to go along with that. We hereby declare that we are a community of individuals who are dependent upon one another for security, comfort, entertainment, commerce, and a healthy debate on the future of our country. We depend on each other to help raise our families, and take care of us when we're no longer able to do so ourselves. We depend on each other to respect our diverse opinions and realize that vigorous, open, public debate is the base upon which our democracy was built.

To give you some time to think about the above, I've added a new page on my site for your quiet contemplation.

The Fourth of July has always been my favorite holiday. Not for the ham-fisted pseudo patriotism of flag waving politicians that always ends up being more about them, than about the reasons behind the holiday. But for what the Independence Day actually represents. For thinking about Thomas Jefferson and Samuel Adams and Tom Paine. For the ability to stand up for abstract ideas that hold in them the magic to make the world a better place.

Each year it gets harder and harder for me to remember that as this magic day approaches. With an idiot like W in charge, and his bionic side-kick, Dick ("We can rebuild his heart. We have the technology"), it's almost embarrassing to be waxing poetic about love of this country. But again, it's not about W, it's about my being able to publicly say that he's a fool, and still enjoy the fact that life is pretty good here, and can get even better if we give ourselves a chance.

Thomas Jefferson died on July 4, 1826 - the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. He had been very ill, but was determined to hold on. He opened his eyes on Independence Day and spoke his last words, "Is it the Fourth?"

A few hundred miles away, John Adams also died on July 4, 1826. Adams and Jefferson had been rivals during the early days of independence, but had grown to friends in their later years. Adams was supposed to have delivered a toast to a reception honoring the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration, but due to his illness he couldn't make it. He sent his toast to be read, as it turned out, after his death. The toast was, "Jefferson lives. Liberty forever."

I love that story.

For a look at the materialism that's destroying us, see "THE CONSUMING AMERICAN DREAM by M. W. Guzy" from TomPaine.com.