The US Declaration of Independence is one of the finest documents ever created by man. It was motivated by excessive tax, tariff & trade tyranny, & states that no man has a mandate to rule over anyone else & all men have equal rights. It formally announced & set forth the rationale for American secession from the British govt. Its simple, yet profound, pronouncement of freedom & liberty is the reason former east bloc nations chose it as their model charter when throwing off the yoke of Soviet oppression.

Llewellyn Rockwell, Jr. does a great job of interpreting the Declaration’s meaning: “Govt’s powers are only just when the people institute the govt & continue to consent to those powers. When govt becomes the enemy of rights, it can be tossed out. Rights are permanent, intrinsic features of men (all men); govts are expedients that can come & go according to the people’s wish. Rights cannot be altered or abolished; govts can. We find that throwing off govt is not only an option; it can also be a positive moral duty.”

Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers of the USA, & author of the Declaration of Independence, thought govts should be abolished every so often just for good measure. Prior to ratification of the US Constitution, Jefferson said “The spirit of resistance to govt is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive.” And during Shay’s rebellion, he said “God forbid we should ever be 20 years without such a rebellion.” 

It’s ironic that the Declaration of Independence broke America free from the shackles of a powerful central govt, but 11 years later the US Constitution created a new central govt to replace it. The Constitution was written in Jefferson’s absence & he only agreed to it on the assumption states could secede if they chose, & that it could be amended if the new govt threatened to become tyrannical. If Jefferson were alive today, he’d probably start a new revolution. 

It’s reassuring to see the spirit of Thomas Jefferson & the US Declaration of Independence is still alive, though in great danger of suffocation by those who are pushing for a one-world-govt. In Feb 2000, an Arizona House of Representatives legislative committee passed HRC 2034, a bill to dissolve the federal govt & set up sovereign states if the federal govt turns tyrannical. It’s author, Rep. Karen Johnson (R-Mesa), says the bill, which must be passed by the House & approved by voters in Nov elections, is an insurance policy against a federal govt running increasingly out-of-control. Secession would be triggered if the federal govt imposed martial law or tried to confiscate guns. 

There is a precedent established by Article VII of the Constitution, in which 9 of the existing 13 states dissolved the existing Union under the Articles of Confederation & automatically superceded them. If approved by Arizona voters, the bill would then need to be approved by 2/3 of all states. If approved by those states, it would become law, & the federal govt would suddenly find it would face a penalty for its unbridled assertion of non-mandated power—it would cease to exist. 

HRC 2034 is a response to the US Administration’s recent, unannounced, million-acre Arizona land grab (without state approval) creating 3 new national monuments. HRC 2034 also cites other violations of the US Constitution by an arrogant federal govt, usurping states’ jurisdiction in matters such as abortion & firearms rights. 

Utah, Hawaii, Alaska, New England, Texas & parts of the Northwest all have secessionist movements underway. 60% of Louisiana voters recently passed a state sovereignty amendment declaring their “sole & exclusive right of governing themselves as a free & sovereign state.” Polls show that in the southern US, 25% of voters would seek independence by peaceful means. 

The US federal govt is dead set against devolution & secession, not only in the US, but elsewhere. The US tried to keep the USSR together, & supports Russia against Chechnya independence. It backs Italy against Lombardian independence, Spain against Catalan independence, Turkey against Kurd independence, etc. The US perennially betrays the spirit of its very own Declaration of Independence, & has become the monster against which its founding fathers launched a revolution. Our book, On Re-Making the World, presents many arguments favoring secession & devolution for more efficient govts worldwide. But govts the world over—Red China, Indonesia, Cuba, Russia, US, etc—fear losing turf. Their reasons are mere fig leafs for imperialism & Big Brother control. Long live the spirit of Thomas Jefferson … and secession!