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The Declaration of Independence

dcr — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 20:23:12 +0000

Many Americans are only familiar with one part of the Declaration of Independence, that being: “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.”

How many have read it in its entirety, even in history class back in school?

Well, here’s your chance. If you’ve never read it before, or haven’t read it in a long, long time, take this as your refresher course.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen 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 shown, 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 Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain 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.

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.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

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.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws of Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our People, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

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:

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:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with Power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

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 of the Head of a civilized nation.

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.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

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 Prince, 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 attention to our Brittish 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 the Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, 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.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Follow this link to learn more about the Declaration of Independence.

If you want to post the Declaration of Independence on your own site today, you can copy it from here:

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen 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 shown, 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 Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain 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.
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.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
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.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws of Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.
He has made judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our People, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.
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:
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:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with Power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
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 of the Head of a civilized nation.
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.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
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 Prince, 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 attention to our Brittish 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 the Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, 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.

Here are some other bloggers who have posted the Declaration of Independence today:
Pink Sheep of the Family: Declaration of Independence
jr deputy accountant: happy independence day, america!!!

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Fourth of July Weekend

dcr — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 02:07:41 +0000

Have a happy and safe fourth of July weekend, everyone!

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See My Hot Photo!

dcr — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:19:14 +0000

What? Were you expecting something else?

You know, one thing in life that you cannot control is how others act. You cannot control what they do or say. You cannot control how they act or behave. You cannot control whether they are kind or less than kind to you.

What you can control is how you act, what you say, and how you treat others.

The Golden Rule has always been to treat others the way you would like to be treated yourself.

But, many people fall into the trap of treating others the way others treat them.

If you do that, you are letting others dictate how you will behave. You’re putting them in charge of you.

And, that’s not a situation you want to be in!

You want to be in charge of yourself, of your own life, of your own actions. You cannot do that if you are being controlled by the actions of others.

Even more worrisome is that some people don’t realize they are even being controlled!

You see, if someone can predict how you will react or respond to something, they have control over you! All they need do is treat you in such a way as to achieve their desired reaction from you.

Don’t be reactive! Be proactive. Treat people the way you would like to be treated, even if they don’t return the favor.

Of course, that doesn’t mean being a doormat, but what it does mean is taking control of your own actions and feelings and not letting others control them for you.

The benefit to you is that you can move forward. Anger, greed, hate, a desire for vengeance… These are things that can hold you back. They distract you from being productive, from doing useful and meaningful things. In other words, as Mark Twain said, “”Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.”

So, when you let others drive you to anger, to hate, to greed and so on, you allow them to slowly poison you from the inside out.

Don’t let that happen to you! You cannot take control of others but you can, and should, take control of you!

As always,
Believe. Act. Achieve!

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Change Won’t Come Out of Washington

dcr — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 01:54:55 +0000

When the Republicans were in control in Washington, D.C., they let the power go to their heads. They ran wild and spent money like there was no tomorrow. Americans wanted change, so now the Democrats are in control. Just a few months into the Democratic-controlled government, they’re running wild and spending money like there’s no tomorrow. Maybe you’ll get some change out of it, but it won’t be the change most people were seeking.

Don’t worry. This isn’t a political post. Mostly. The point is that you cannot rely on outside forces to bring you the change you want. You want a better economy? You want more stability in your life? You want more freedom? You want the world to be a better place?

Don’t rely on politicians to do it for you!

Don’t allow the politicians to make decisions for you!

Don’t permit the politicians to determine what is best for you!

Take charge of your own life. You might have to start small. You may have to start locally. Very locally. You may not be able to change the world around you. Not yet anyway. You may not be able to change your circumstances just yet. You may not be able to secure the changes in your life that you want right now.

But you can change your attitude. You can change your outlook on life. You can change the way you look at the world.

It may not change the world around you. It may not provide you with security or the month’s rent. It may not change your circumstances right away.

But, it’s a start.

As always,
Believe. Act. Achieve!

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Speeding Ahead!

dcr — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:44:52 +0000

Still busy.

Plus, I’ve discovered I like playing with Adobe Photoshop’s radial blur tool. Make things move fast! Or look like it anyway.

Pretty simple. Just a matter of choosing the percentage of blur and moving the center around. Too bad it doesn’t let you move the center around over the actual image or at least a thumbnail of it. That would make things much easier! As it is, you have to approximate and guess. If you’re wrong, undo and try again!

There are ways around it, of course. Ways to cheat a bit and make it easier, but still it would be nice if Photoshop incorporated a preview into the radial blur filter as they do with other filters.

Full Speed Ahead!

dcr — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 02:46:33 +0000

Full speed ahead!

No time to stop!

By the way, if you have a chihuahua or are considering getting one, please check out my review of The Ultimate Chihuahua Care Handbook.

It’s too bad about Billy Mays too. After watching The Pitchmen, he looked like he was a really cool guy. Here’s a video of him ordering from the McDonald’s drive-thru. I like how he starts his order, “Hi! Billy Mays here…”

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Busy, Busy Day

dcr — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 02:20:43 +0000

Been working on a client’s web site as well as my eBook today.

I’ve written about 5,000 words for my eBook today. If you count the wee hours of the morning before I went to bed, I’ve written more than that.

The Twitter section alone, which I finally finished today, could probably be its own eBook! And, who knows, I may still add to it! (Probably not, unless I remember something I meant to include!)

Technically, I’m down to two sections and some miscellaneous parts. But, there are some sections I have finished that I’m going to be expanding. So, much more work to do!

Putting the index together for this thing will be a real time-consuming challenge too!

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Be Berry Berry Quiet

dcr — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 01:19:29 +0000

Be berry, berry quiet… I’m hunting successful Internet marketers…

During this past week of unofficially filling in for Speedcat’s craziness, and perhaps taking things to the next level, I’ve been getting back on track to working on my eBook.

I had a bit left to do on it, but wanted to wait for feedback from people before finishing it off. Well, here’s how that went…

Before I had the eBook ready for proofing, I had three people lined up to take a look at it. Once the eBook was reading for proofing, I only heard back from two of them. The one, I sent a copy in early to mid April; the other was sent a copy in early May. Didn’t hear back from either of them.

Found another volunteer proofreader in early May and sent a copy. In mid-May, I contacted one of the first two volunteers, who asked me to send it again, which I did. To date, I’ve not heard anything back and have also not heard back on any of my messages to this person. In mid-June, I found out that the third volunteer had unexpectedly passed away. (She had a heart attack at age 37!)

Actually, after learning about her unexpected passing, I started to get back to work on the eBook again. That’s something that really makes you realize that life is short and time’s a-wasting…

So, I’ve been back to work on my eBook. And, you’d think that because I was pretty close to 99% finished before that I’d have it wrapped up in short order, but you’d think wrong. And that is because I’ve been adding more and more content to it. I don’t want people to end up paying sixty bucks for a 25 page report that says, “Hey, go make a website.” I want something that will be useful and that they can put to use right away. So, I’m adding… and adding. I want them to feel like they’re receiving at least twice as much value as they paid for.

And, when I’m done, I’ll proof and test read it myself!

In the meantime, I’m also on the hunt for any successful Internet marketers that don’t mind sharing a success secret or two…

Resistance is Futile Friday

dcr — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 20:26:23 +0000

Designation: 2 of 2

Resistance is futile! Even the spiders will be assimilated!

See Sunday’s blog post on the Daring Jumping Spider to read more about this spider.

Psychedelic Blog Post

dcr — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 02:11:08 +0000

Would you tango for two to hang out at the zoo? Would you sit down and play the wazoo?

Could you have and hold a great silver mold and use it to make something bold?

Would you leech at the beach and get sand in your feech and make foodle wagoogle ga goo?

Oh, I get by with a lil’ help from Google trends. I get by with a lil’ help from steel with the bends.

Would you bloogle a woogle to sooth a noodle if it meant soggy soup for the stew?

Would you be happy for one month or two? Would you take it to the corner wagoo?

Oh, it’s sad to be mad when you’re glad for a lad who had a supper for new.

Would you wear a wooden shoe to make tulips for you if you had a flower factory? Would it be satisfactory to the olfactory or would you close to make a moo?

Hoodles of doodles and goodles of moodles say you cannoo cachoo cachoo. Want to, do you, do you?

Would you get trippy with a hippy to drink from a sippy and act all pippy when you start to feel tippy and start to feel nippy and more than a little mippy when you can’t get a grippy when your friend gets lippy and falls off the shippy and you feel zippy so you run with a wippy and make up a quippy as you unload a frippy bippy doo?

Would you, would you, for two?

Life is like an ol’ box of chocolates, with nothing but wrappers and half-chewed rejected candies and goo. Would you like two? One for me and one for you? But you can have mine. That would be fine, as I don’t need a line in the sand for a moggle of pine.

Could you decipher a cypher concealed in the hide of a heifer or would you need an inspection of a lifer who escaped from the jailer and never paid bail–or would you take the cow’s word as a moo?

Who would go crazy for a bag of lazy if it were maize-y and blue? Would that be a clue to get potluck stew and serve it when you’re feeling hazy and quite like a daisy who fell from a sill to the flue? Please send a SASE if you’d like a raise-y or send the dollar of two, down at the zoo, where penguins are too, woo woo wooey woo.

Do you want to maintain focus or be like a crocus and gone when the summer comes due? If it’s focus you want, begin by putting that focus on something you like, like a lion and a moon bat at the zoo. Or maybe a car or that girl at the bar. Or maybe just the brightest star.

You put that focus, no hocus pocus, on that thing that you like, oh, so-so. Once you can keep that image in mind, hold it for as long as you can. Keep holding, keep holding and keep on trucking, and see how long you can keep that image in mind. But don’t go off the road or you’ll get fined!

Sparklies! Sparklies! Who likes the sparklies?

And once you have the focus and once you’ve lost the focus, keep track of the time. Resolve to do better next time. You just have to keep practicing, as much as you can. Over time, you’ll see that your focus will improve. You’ll be able to keep those images in mind longer and longer. Yes, you can!

And then the health care system will get all screwed over and you’ll wait in line just for an appointment and you’ll never be treated on time. But, it’s okay. You’ll be fine, until they deny the service you need because you’re not worth it. You’re just a number. When you’re gone, there’ll be another in line.

But keep your focus and keep practicing to hold it. Once you’ve achieved satisfactory results, move on to concentrating on things that are less liked by you. Pick things you find boring and uninspiring. Like Mr. Teleprompter. Try to focus on those things and keep practicing.

Through the course of your life, you’ll have many occasions where you’ll need to focus on tasks that are unpleasant or just nauseatingly boring. But, it will be important to focus, so focus you must! So, to be ready when the time is at hand, it’s best to be in practice. So, practice away! Always practice! Keep it up! When ever you have a spare moment, practice! Like, when you’re waiting in line to get some cough medicine and Dr. Gov tells you it’ll be a two week wait.

Oooh, sparklies!

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