America loses Freedoms on the Fourth of July

America is experiencing an odd Fourth of July. Modern Americans are reliving some of the Founders’ experiences.

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To elaborate, the Founders experienced a slow loss of many of their freedoms as an arrogant and autocratic British colonial regime kept expanding its power. During the period between the end of the Seven Years War in 1763 and the outbreak of the Revolution in 1775, the British government kept expanding its power and restricting colonists’ rights.

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For instance, Parliament gave itself the power to tax colonists without a vote of colonial legislatures in the Stamp Act of 1765. Parliament overturned the Stamp Act?in 1766 but gave itself the power to make law for the American Colonies with the Declaratory Act.

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The Coercive Acts

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The Stamp Act angered Americans because it gave admiralty courts the authority to try colonists without a jury. Additionally, the Stamp Act financed several Army regiments that His Majesty’s Government planned to station in America. Disgustingly, under British law, the Army could force Americans to let soldiers stay in their homes for free.

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Many Americans viewed the Stamp Act?as an effort to bring the British East India Company’s brand of imperialism to America. To elaborate, the East India Company taxed Indians and used the money to pay mercenaries (sepoys) who occupied India.

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Organized resistance to British colonialism grew over the next decade. For instance, in the Boston Tea Party, Massachusetts residents dumped British East India Company tea into Boston harbor as an act of protest.

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In response, on 25 March 1774, Parliament passed the?Boston Port Act, the first of the Coercive Acts. The Boston Port Act?closed the Port of Boston as punishment for the Boston Tea Party.

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Soon afterwards, the?Massachusetts Government Act revoked that colony’s charter and shifted political power from elected councils to colonial administrators. For good measure, King George III appointed General Thomas Gage, the commander of the British Army in North America, governor of Massachusetts.

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History Rhymes

In the 1770s, Americans saw their freedoms curtailed and their society and government radically changed by a distant legislature over which they had no control.

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Today, Americans are seeing their freedoms curtailed and their society and government radically transformed by the US Supreme Court. Or rather, six or seven members of the US Supreme Court.

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In cases such as West Virginia v. EPA,?Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health?Organization, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen, and Carson v. Makin.?The Supremes are radically transforming American society and restricting Americans’ rights.

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Eventually, parliament’s arrogance and high-handedness so angered Americas they revolted against it. Parliament drove Americans to do the unthinkable and break with the British Crown. Today, the Supreme’s Court arrogance could drive Americans to protest and radically transform their government.

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Like the 18th?century Members of Parliament, today’s Supreme Court Justices think they have a God-given right to force their beliefs on ordinary Americans. Absurdly, a small clique of lawyers on one court in Washington, DC, have given themselves the power to rewrite our Constitution.

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An Important Moment

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“A body of men holding themselves accountable to nobody ought not to be trusted by anybody.” - Thomas Paine.

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One of the most important events of the Revolution was the moment Americans realized how absurd it was for them to submit to the British Crown.?Many credit author and philosopher Thomas Paine?for inspiring that moment with his pamphlet Common Sense. Today, Americans are realizing how absurd it is to allow a few Ivy-League educated lawyers and their law clerks to set national policy.

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Similarly, Americans realize the US Supreme Court may not have their best interests, or the nation’s best interests, in mind. Just as 18th?century Americans realized the British parliament was working against them.

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The Beginning of the End?

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Hence, future historians could mark the?Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization?ruling as the beginning of a Second American Revolution or some other upheaval.

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Few people, in 1765, saw the Stamp Act?as the beginning of the end for British colonialism in America. Yet it was. Today, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization?could be the beginning of the end for America’s political order.

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In particular, a US Senate, a US House of Representatives, and US Supreme Court that have become as arrogant, as undemocratic, as unrepresentative, and as corrupt as the 18th?century British parliament. Notably, corrupt individuals such as East India Company General Robert Clive?could buy their way into parliament. Clive made his money by looting India. The website for Britain’s National Army Museum describes Clive as a.

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Today, corrupt individuals such as US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-California), US Senator Mitch McConnell, US Senator Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) fill Congress.

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Notably, CAknowledge?estimates Pelosi has a $135 million personal fortune,?just as Clive had a fortune of ￡33 million. Nobody believes Pelosi made that money with her business or investment expertise. Many Americans will describe Pelosi as a greedy speculator, just as Clive was.

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Is There a Better Way?

Consequently, many Americans will ask the most important question our Founding Fathers asked. That question, “Is There a Better Way?”

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Fortunately, there is a lot of great thinking about politics and government going on out there. Unfortunately, none of that thinking is occurring on Capitol Hill, at the US Supreme Court, or in the White House. Indeed, the residents of those hallowed halls are devising strategies to return America to the 1930s, the 1950s, or the 19th?century.

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One of the most interesting ideas around is sortition or Citizens’ Assemblies. In sortition, a lottery chooses a group of ordinary to serve as a legislature. Those chosen by lottery form a Citizens Assembly. The Citizens Assembly makes political decisions or advises the government.

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For example, a Citizens Assembly of the United States could nominate or appoint US Supreme Court Justices, review the Supreme Court’s performance, and have the power to remove Supreme Court Justices. A Citizens Assembly could form as the third House Of Congress and perform tasks such as writing the budget.

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Sortition is not new. An assembly of citizens chosen by sortition?governed ancient Athens. The Athenian Assembly used sortition to make decisions such as declaring war. Kleroteria machines chose the assembly members from a pool.

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Today, artificial intelligence or algorithms could pick a Citizens Assembly of the United States. The AI or algorithm could pick members an assembly that matches the racial, religious, regional, and sexual diversity of the United States. My suggestion is to choose one Citizens’ Representative for each US House of Representatives district.

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The Assembly members could serve for two to four years. One suggestion I offer is to pay the Citizens Assembly Members $1 million a year while they serve (hey we’re asking people to leave their normal lives and sacrifice for the country) and restrict membership to citizens who make less than $100,000 a year.

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I don’t know if Sortition will work, but we need an alternative to America’s broken government. Like the Founding Fathers, today’s Americans face some tough decisions and steep sacrifices if they want to their freedom.