Forum: We must reaffirm our Declaration of Independence
Published 1:30 am Saturday, June 13, 2026
HERALD FORUM | Nation’s 250th
As we approach our nation’s 250th anniversary, we need to Restate the Declaration of Independence. When in the course of history our Government no longer protects our rights to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, it’s time we look back to what our founding documents had to say.
Over the past several years, government at all levels has been serving the interests of itself. We need to stand and defend the Rights stipulated in the Constitution. “We the People” now have leaders who have perverted the laws and institutions of public service. We need to Re-Dedicate ourselves to our founding values and rights. After all, our Liberties are God given, and were once guaranteed by our Constitution. I fear that is no longer our real situation.
“We The People” have been censored, threatened, and spied on because of our political and religious beliefs. Members of the press have been silenced for challenging both government and corporate authority. Our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms has been, and is being, infringed on by the state. Members of both the Federal House and Senate have become entrenched. They have a ninety six percent re-election rate. This current system, supported by a never ending supply of corporate and dark money, has eroded our representation. We can no longer support, and or trust, the institutions of government.
The now permanent all powerful state, and its activist judges, repeatedly ignore the rule of law by disregarding their sacred sworn oath to support and defend precepts outlined in the constitution. Government’s controls, and financial regulations, have grown so intrusive that it overwhelms the ordinary citizen’s ability to exist independently.
I believe we are now experiencing the future that many warned us would happen. The government is moving ever so shrewdly toward a system of oppression. We need to stand and challenge the self-serving, self-perpetrating political class. We must get back to, and study, our Founding Documents. As citizens, we must again elect honest and moral leaders who will honor the constitution. They should be intelligent people dedicated to serving the citizens who vote them into office. They should also be dedicated to reducing the role of Federal, State and Local governments in our everyday existence. All political decisions need to honor the will of the people being represented. Professional politicians need not apply.
John Branthoover lives in Arlington.
