The United States Constitution and the Declaration of Independence clearly state that all citizens of the United States retain certain enumerated inalienable rights that the Government is not the source of, and cannot take away. The human rights and freedoms set forth in these documents are necessary and help guarantee a civilized life in a humane and democratic society by preventing government or other entities from abusing the natural rights of citizens. Unfortunately, for far too long in the United States, these basic rights have been ignored by the Government and are now largely relegated to theory in historical documents and a policy perspective frozen in the past instead of anchored in the spirit of American progress.

The right to freedom of expression has become merely the right to express the views of the Government or corporations, no matter how untrue those views may be. Persons who state contrary views are subject to retaliation, opprobrium, blacklisting, ridicule, harassment and arrest, even though consequences for peaceful speech and ideas are an anathema to true freedom. Moreover, the Government has been secretly engaged in the payoff of loyal journalists to espouse its propaganda to an unwitting public, while tolerating and fostering a lack of civility, discourse and respect for diverse points of view in the media. These actions have combined to generate a cynicism that is incapable of challenging power or the status quo, and created a dangerous climate of fear for legitimate journalists and millions of citizens who would otherwise prefer to voice their own opinions, and to hear other opinions on all issues and debates fairly reflected in the media such that citizens may make informed choices about their affairs.

The right to freedom of religion has been abridged by the takeover of the Government by a cynical political exploitation of a fundamentalist branch of religion. Those who espouse this ideology from within the corridors of political power believe only in one particular religious view and they ridicule, attack and suppress all other religious opinions, spiritual experience and much of scientific fact and theory. They believe that they have the God-given duty to spread their gospel throughout the world by use of the U.S. Government and its military, ignoring the opinions of citizens and humankind. They do not support religious tolerance or pluralism, and they relish foisting their religious values on others, by force, violence and coercion, if necessary.

The right to a fair judiciary is under constant attack. The religious fundamentalists and opportunists in power have demanded that only candidates who support their views be appointed to the federal judiciary. Judges who rule contrary to Government positions are routinely subject to ridicule, attacks on their character, and threats of bodily harm and impeachment. Politicians also use loyal judges to decide elections that they did not fairly win, or create and support election systems that withhold information desirable or necessary for proving irregularities or fraud, and then make misleading claims against those who challenge such conduct.

The rights to security and privacy have been set aside on the ground that the Government knows best, and if citizens have nothing to hide, they should not complain that their phones and computers are bugged, their homes and cars secretly searched, their mail opened, and their movements followed. Such activity unjustly chills freedom, and is often conducted without even the pretense of a neutral judicial authority. Judges, even when consulted about these misadventures, routinely rule that the will of the Government is superior to the rights of the citizens, even though it is clear that it is "We the People" who created the Government and retain all rights not expressly granted to it.

The right against disenfranchisement has become the right to disenfranchise those who oppose the Government. The Government's war on drugs is tantamount to a strategy to disenfranchise literally millions of felons who would not generally vote for the party in power. The Federal Government has taken over control of the elections in key states and used loyal state officials to purchase voting machines which wholly lack sufficient safeguards, transparency and the ability to observe and verify the vote, has purged unfriendly voters through exclusions lists, and has limited the number of polling places in areas where citizens are opposed to the Government or the interests of those in power. The Government routinely gerrymanders congressional districts and then uses loyal judges to uphold those districts to favor its candidates.

The right to life is now the right to live only if the Government does not wish a citizen to die, which is a sign of tyranny. The death penalty is arbitrarily and unequally used by the Government. Medical choices made by citizens are outlawed on the basis of religion or economics rather than sound science, and democratic decisions are overruled by overreaching federal legislation.

The right to liberty has been supplanted by the Government's policy of unfairly imprisoning citizens who violate any of the thousands of laws it has on the books. Most of those imprisoned are not threats to society, but rather perceived threats to the Government because they do not toe the line or are perceived to oppose the Government. The treatment of those persons in prison is an affront to human dignity and a menace to their health, and it is routinely aimed at breaking down their morale and humanity.

The right to travel is consistently violated, under weak national security grounds, to both citizens and foreign nationals. Thousands of people are denied the right to fly in the United States simply because of their name or nationality. Also, the granting of visas is handled arbitrarily, in part because the Government wants to prevent professional and personal contacts with citizens holding disfavored views or who are otherwise subject to discrimination.

The right to petition for redress is simply not meaningful anymore. When citizens complain to or about the Government, either publicly or otherwise, they are largely ignored or subject to ridicule or police investigation. The press is retaliated against for printing facts or perspectives that are not supportive of those in power or their supporters. Moreover, court decisions routinely favor the Government and Corporate Interests over the citizen.

In light of the above, CHARTER 05 provides the basis for VelvetRevolution.us, a free and open coalition of organizations and citizens of different convictions, different faiths, different political parties and different professions united by the will to secure the respect of civil and human rights in the United States and throughout the world, and anchored in a commitment to support the progress of all. This Charter arises from the solidarity and friendship of people everywhere who share our concern for the rights we are entitled to as human beings and citizens under the U.S. Constitution in America.

VR is a citizens brigade open to everyone who agrees with the rights of humanity and the U.S. Constitution and who promote the general public interest and pursuit of community. VR aims to support broad political and social reform and secure, through peaceful and legal means, the natural rights affirmed and guaranteed by our Constitution. CHARTER 05 provides the basis for all American citizens to reassert the primacy of the people through the fundamental principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution so that all citizens can work and live in a free, democratic and pluralistic society, committed to continued material, spiritual and just progress for all, as freely chosen by all.

For more on VR, please see:

• About VR...
• VR's Charter 05 Manifesto...
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