Tyranny over these States

By Patti O'Neill, Chair, Maricopa County Democratic Party

"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." As we prepare for 4th of July celebrations, let us remember that our Founders understood the consequences of having a tyrant at the head of government. Many of the grievances they addressed in the Declaration of Independence have an unsettling relevance to the present state of our nation:

• He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good: The President has demonstrated a complete disregard for the Constitution or the rule of law.
  

• He has endeavored to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners: In the wake of the Supreme Court’s recent decision on injunctions, the President and the Justice Department have prioritized cases revoking citizenship.
  

• He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices and the amount and payment of their salaries: The President has gone to war with the judicial system, harassed judges, and outright ignored court orders.
  

• He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance: The President’s DOGE program gutted the civil service and forcibly raided independent offices.
  

• He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures: Hundreds of Marines are still in the streets of Los Angeles.
  

• He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power:The President unnecessarily deployed the National Guard, and indications suggest plans to invoke the Insurrection Act.
  

• For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: The President’s reckless trade policies have damaged global relations and risk economic stability.
  

• For imposing taxes on us without our consent: The President’s spending bill is expected to raise taxes and costs on the middle class. It will cause severe damage to the lives of millions of Americans.
  

• For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury: The President has attacked due process and ignored habeas corpus protections.
  

• For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offenses: This administration is removing people from the country under false allegations with no evidence of a crime and imprisoning them in foreign countries.
  

• For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province... to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies: The President has made no secret of his desire to annex Canada and Greenland, to expand his warped perception of the Presidency.
  

• He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us: On January 6th, 2021, the President incited an insurrection against the United States. Upon retaking office in 2025, the President swiftly pardoned some of the worst offenders from that terrible day.

To echo our Founding Fathers, the history of the present Commander in Chief is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States.