Ernie and I were wandering through the Internet this morning, and we found some interesting material:

a spoof Power Point Presentation of the Gettysburg Address at:
www.norvig.com

another of the Declaration of Independence at:
www.talk-n-mail.com

and the original Declaration of Independence, for comparison:
www.ushistory.org

Having just read each other a hilarious section of Dog Haiku aloud,
we started reading the Declaration of Independence the same way.

About 2/3 of the way through the list of Tyrannies practiced on the American people by King George, I started to get a sinking feeling like this was all sounding familiar.

Yes, I've heard the comparison before, but I hadn't read the entire Declaration in decades. If ever.
So I thought calling W "King George" was just a cute jab, like comparing him to "Curious George," the monkey. Turns out, it's a frighteningly relevant historical reference.

Please read it.
The Declaration of Independence

After its resounding opening, this document lists the reasons (the published reasons) why the United States revolted from England, and formed a new nation.

How many of these "offences" have also been committed by our current President?
- depriving people of established rights and liberties, including the right to a just trial
- moving state meetings to inconvenient locations (e.g. to remote towns, across the Atlantic, or to a Texas ranch), where it might be a hardship for certain members to attend
- using military forces within our borders (usually in "emergency" or "disaster" situations)
- making it more difficult for foreigners to immigrate and naturalize.

In the original language, King George's actions include:
-He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

(Note: When, as a result of the PATRIOT Act and Homeland Security Administration, you are delayed at the airport, it's annoying.
When your green card or student visa is denied, preventing you from completing the education on which you have mortgaged your good name, or it impossible for you to get a bank account unless you work for the right companies or use a credit card, that's a threat to your substance.)

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

From another section:
-For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit 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

***
I will acknowledge that our current President has not yet:
- disbanded the Legislature, (though the Republicans did cut the session lengths down for a while)
- fomented abuses by the Savage American Indians.

There are a few other things on the list that don't apply. Yet.
But would it surprise you to hear them in the news?

Will we see him achieve the complete list within the next few years? What would we do about it?