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.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
On July 4, May Egypt's New Government Remember What Morsi Forgot
On this holiday, may Egypt's new rulers keep firmly in mind what I fear President Morsi forgot: and may we remember here in the US that Jefferson did not intend his words just to apply to Americans; and especially the last part of this passage:
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In drafting the Declaration, Jefferson did not have to deal with the complication of a freely elected government that behaves badly. I think that even Jefferson would be troubled by the idea that the people's will can be determined by which party gets the most supporters into the streets for a protest. I guess the issue could have arisen here if Nixon had succeeded in deploying some military units to prevent the Senate from considering the motion of his impeachment. I remember thinking that I would join a street demonstration in protest rather than reporting docilely to work at the State Department, but I did not consider taking up arms. Fortunately, Nixon chose to follow the constitutional process, at least when he was finally cornered.
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