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IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

A Declaration by the Representatives of the United States of America, In General Congress Assembled.

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 shewn, 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 for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations 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 harrass 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 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 attentions 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 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.

The endless miles of copper spanned,
beside steel tracks across the land.

While walking the dog today I picked up two aqua-green "Hemmingray 42" telegraph insulators and a "slice" of railroad track (1-1/2" thick.) Not exactly sure what I will do with these but they seemed way too cool to leave laying in the rocks.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Hound of the Baskervilles

Shared By: Sully Sidhe

Image: JDHancock

Throughout everyone's life there are certain events that - for the individual at least - are remembered as being "A Brush With Greatness." I have had a few such times in my life that I remember fondly and imagine that If I do not chronicle them perhaps some day I may well forget. As they occur to me I will share them with you from BlogDogIt.

One of my earliest brushes with greatness - one I share with a multitude of people - occurred seated in front of the television set; witnessing those famous first steps by Man upon the Moon [See BlogDogIt: That "One Small Step..." 43 Years Ago.] Although the action was occurring - literally - "A World Away", I was there and saw it live. It was greatness; even at the tender age of ten I knew it to be so.

A little over seven months later I was to find myself standing in the cold February sun with my Mother, Sister and Brother at a rally in downtown Indianapolis where I saw President Richard Nixon deliver the following remarks: [Click To Read Transcript]

While I did not get to shake his hand (or even get very close) I saw the man, I heard his speech, he was my President, it was very awesome indeed.

And so... The World turned... several years later - as a Professional/Commercial photographer - I would occasionally share the same air with some big-name local politicians; each great men in their own right: Richard Lugar, Otis Bowen, Robert Orr, Evan Bayh, William Hudnut, Stephen Goldsmith. All of these folks have been viewed by yours truly - in uncompromising detail - on the ground-glass of assorted Yashica and Nikon cameras - in my quest to pay the rent. (For the record I did actually shake hands and speak with three of these gentlemen.)

Once upon a time... I attended (worked) a private luncheon at which Hillary Clinton was seated at a table (among the commoners.) I was floating around the room photographing the event and made a point to pass close enough to Mrs. Clinton to tug her tresses - but of course this was not a playground and I was not a brat. I remember thinking at the time: "How cool is this?"

Well, that about covers it for the political scene... I have had several other brushes with greatness that I look forward to sharing with you as time allows.

Of course none of these compare with how great it is that you took the time to visit BlogDogIt - I appreciate that!

Following The Oatmeal for all these years has been one of those activities that could arguably be called a "good use the internet." The unique talents and clever wit of Matthew Inman has earned him a loyal following. The way I see it there are a good many followers who love to hate him and a fair amount that hate that they love him. Probably most never gave it much thought and merely chuckle right along.

The RSS Feed from TheOatmeal.com is among some of the earliest content to be offered on BlogDogIt. Ever since I turned to TheOatmeal for assistance with the Semi-colon that fateful day so many years ago I have never missed a single post from this prolific (if sporadic - thankfully) arteest. Through the years Matthew Inman has used TheOatmeal as a voice to the World. Loyal followers of his comic genius have gotten to know a bit about the man as a result of his ability to share deeply rooted sentiments in the guise of the funny pages that are TheOatmeal.com

Today I wanted to feature TheOatmeal so as to draw attention to his latest offering. It is a rather lengthy strip entitled "When your house is burning down you should brush your teeth." A spectacular flashback into Inman's childhood for the reader/viewer as can only be delivered in TheOatmeal. Share and Enjoy!

[Don't Stop Now - Click Image to Continue Reading]

Source: TheOatmeal.com

-Zaphod Beeblebrox in The Hitch-Hikers's Guide to the Galaxy
Douglas Noel Adams, writer, 1952-2001

It happened again today. For the better part of my adult life, I have been haunted by a vision from my past and there is little (if anything) I can do other than welcome this specter from days gone by. The apparition takes the form of a face. With skin of yellow and eyes of oxidized copper. The vision always comes without warning although it is obvious what has summoned it. A smell through the portals of time.

[ please continue... ]

My Side

I have always held the position that this blog should strive to avoid controversy and present a non-political, non-denominational face to the world. However, in light of the horrifying atrocity that has befallen our kindred in Mother Earth I feel the need to lift the vail and editorialize in this instance.

I have never been a gung-ho Facebook guy but I do use RSSGraffiti to keep my "time-line" busy with BlogDogIts and I am not without my "friends." Over this past weekend I was alerted to the following friend status messages and (against my better judgement) entered the fray. I have omited the comments of the others involved feeling that my statements stand on their own but you may infer the remarks to which I address.

Please understand that I am not reproducing these comments here to incite debate. I am posting simply because I think these qualify as masodo's musings and I do have the freedom to express my opinion so express I shall...