From: bam@bnlux1.bnl.gov (Bruce A. Martin)
Subject: DECLARATION
Summary: Declaration of Anti-Incumbency & Contempt for 102nd Congress
Organization: (none)
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1992 20:58:03 GMT

The following draft is offered for your amusement and advice.
I would prefer that it not be widely distributed at this time,
and would appreciate any comments sent via email to bam@bnlux1.bnl.gov.
(I will be out of reach for the next 2 weeks.)

What follows is merely the text of the document (4 pages, Ctrl-L between).  
It looks really great in Lucida Blackface, Script, and other fonts.
I'd like to make the formatted result available (perhaps thru LP)
and would also appreciate any advice on how to do that.

Just before the 4th of July, my 9-year old son got very enthusiastic 
about the Declaration of Independence and set about making a duplicate
(using some very nice TrueType fonts and my new HP 500C printer).
While helping him to enter the text, I became re-inspired by it
and got the idea of paraphrasing it to apply to current circumstances.
The paraphrase is meant with the greatest of respect for the original,
and attempts to parallel its philosophy as well as its phraseology.


bam@bnlux1.bnl.gov  (B.A.Martin)  /|\Master of the Tripods of Hephaestus./|\  
[My opinions are my property, belong to me only, and represent no one else!]
# include discaimers.h            /***** Marrou/Lord in '92 *****/
# delete BUSHLIPS                 /***** CALL 800-682-1776  *****/


		A DECLARATION 

		by the voters of the
		United States of America,
		in contempt for Congress, 1992


    When in the course of American politics, 
it becomes necessary for one electorate to dismiss the entire cadre 
of politicians who purport to represent them, a decent respect for the
opinions of Mankind requires that they declare the causes which impel
them to such drastic action.

    We hold these truths to be self-evident, 
that all individuals are created equal (regardless of how often
elected); that they are endowed by their creator with certain
inalienable rights (despite attempts to to curtail them); that among
these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (as defined by
the individual, rather than by Congress) -- That to secure these
rights, governments are instituted, deriving their just Powers from the
Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Branch of Government, House
of Congress, or set of Incumbents becomes destructive of these ends, it
is the Right of the People to dismiss and replace them all with
citizens not tainted with the shame and stench of the sort exemplified
by the 102nd Congress.
								...continued... 
PRELIMINARY DRAFT #1
Copyright 1992 by Tripodics  - Permission is granted to reproduce this declaration in its entirety without modification.

    The History of the present Congress is a History of repeated Injuries 
and Usurpations, all having in direct object the Establishment of an
absolute Tyranny over the States and people, and a lucrative hegemony
over personal fiefdoms.  To prove this, let the Facts be submitted to a
candid World.

  - They have refused to limit their spending to revenues collected, 
and have obstructed all attempts to require a balanced budget; 
  - They have pilfered Millions of dollars from the National Treasury 
to provide themselves with all manner of Comforts and Perquisites, 
which ordinary working citizens must purchase from their own incomes; 
  - They have plundered Billions from the National Treasury on Pork-Barrel
projects whose principal purpose is to ensure their own re-election; 
  - They have squandered the National Treasury on grandiose schemes and
programs of social engineering and foreign intervention; 
  - They have usurped Powers never delegated by the Constitution; 
  - They have refused to apply the Laws they concoct to their own offices, 
staffs, and financial activities; 
  - They have corrupted the Commerce with Regulations designed to protect 
the powerful and entrenched Corporations & Special Interests (and other 
contributors) while denying market entry to new products and competitors; 
  - They have betrayed the Public Trust to maximize their incumbency; 
  - And, they have disgraced the Institution of Congress with scandal 
after scandal, involving corruption, thievery, drugs, and debauchery;
										...continued...
PRELIMINARY DRAFT #1
Copyright 1992 by Tripodics  - Permission is granted to reproduce this declaration in its entirety without modification.

    We, therefore, voters of America, united in general contempt of the
102nd Congress and other Incumbent bodies, solemnly publish and declare
that these Incumbents must and of right ought to be dismissed from
office and returned to the ranks of the honest, hard-working Citizens
whom they have so poorly represented.

    In the election of 1992, we pledge to vote against any person who 
has spent all of the past ten years in elective office.  We also pledge
to promote for term limitations, early adjournment, and other measures
that will restore the citizen Legislatures which served the Nation
well, in the past.  Professional politicians have distorted the concept
of "Public Service", by changing it from a noble sacrifice into a
lucrative boondoggle, from an interruption into a career.  A person who
has never worked outside of government should be considered unfit for
Elective Office.

    In particular, we each seek the removal of our own Representative 
in the Congress, since all members of the 102nd Congress must share in
the shame and blame to some degree.  We recognize that for each dollar
of Federal spending our own Representative or Senator has "brought back
to our district", he has agreed to spend over
Four-Hundred-and-Thirty-Four additional dollars for other districts!
												...continued...
PRELIMINARY DRAFT #1
Copyright 1992 by Tripodics  - Permission is granted to reproduce this declaration in its entirety without modification.

Whereas we cannot vote directly against the other 434 members  (or the
other 98 Senators), we intend to show our displeasure with the system
of "log-rolling", "pork-barrel", and "maximization of incumbency" by
voting against any incumbents in our own district.

    With a firm reliance on the power of the people, 
we the undersigned pledge to THROW THE BUMS OUT!



    Date	Signature		Print Name		State & C.D.
								(if known)




















NOTE:  If the list of candidates allowed on the ballot consists entirely of
career politicians and recycled office-holders, don't pick "the lesser evil" 
--  just say NO!  Don't stay home -- open the WRITE-IN slot and write your 
own name, or somebody else's name, or simply write the word "NO".  
(By law, write-ins & void votes must be counted.)

PRELIMINARY DRAFT #1
Copyright 1992 by Tripodics  - Permission is granted to reproduce this declaration in its entirety without modification.
Courtesy of TRIPODICS Computing Services, POB 456, Middle Island, NY 11953-0456



Xref: sparky talk.politics.misc:34930 alt.censorship:6072