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 > 
 >Down with King George! 
 > 
 > 
 >A July 4th Quiz 
 >by Stephen R. Shalom 
 > 
 > 
 >The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, 
 > 
 > 
 >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. 
 > 
 > 
 >1. 
 >How has the current King George shown his "decent respect for the 
 >opinions of mankind"? 
 > 
 > 
 >a. 
 >He went to war against Iraq despite overwhelming popular opposition 
 >around the world and despite the absence of any UN authorization. 
 >(The percentage of the population supporting unilateral war by the United 
 States 
 >and its allies was 3% in Argentina, 10% in Britain, 5% in Bulgaria, 8% in 
 India, 
 >3% in Malaysia, 9% in South Africa, 4% in Spain, 5% in Switzerland, and so 
 on.) 
 > 
 > 
 >b. 
 >He has pursued policies that have led huge majorities in many countries 
 >to have a negative opinion of him (in March 2004, 85% unfavorable in Germany 
 >and France, 55% in Britain, 90% in Morocco, and 96% in Jordan). 
 > 
 > 
 >c. 
 >He dismissed the largest protests in world history in which many millions 
 >of people opposed his Iraq war plans, declaring, "You know, the size of 
 >protests is like deciding, well, I'm going to decide policy based upon a 
 focus 
 >group." 
 > 
 > 
 >d. 
 >He ignored the United Nations' refusal to authorize war against Iraq by 
 >proclaiming that "America will never seek a permission slip to defend the 
 >security of our people." 
 > 
 > 
 >e. 
 >All of the above. 
 > 
 > 
 > 
 >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, 
 > 
 > 
 >2. 
 >How has the current King George shown his belief in the consent of the 
 governed? 
 > 
 > 
 >a. 
 >He took office after his cronies in Florida disenfranchised tens of 
 thousands 
 of 
 >African Americans who were legally entitled to vote in the 2000 election. 
 > 
 > 
 >b. 
 >He handpicked an Iraqi leader -- who had worked for the CIA and had engaged 
 >in terrorism on its behalf in Iraq in the 1990s -- even though that leader 
 was 
 >disapproved of by 61% of the Iraqi population. 
 > 
 > 
 >c. 
 >After a failed coup attempt backed by Washington against Venezuela's 
 >president, Hugo Chavez, an administration official stated that, although 
 >Chavez had been "democratically elected," one had to bear in mind that 
 >"legitimacy is something that is conferred not just by a majority of the 
 voters." 
 > 
 > 
 >d. 
 >Bush extended long-standing U.S.-Israeli opposition to self-determination 
 >for the Palestinian people by endorsing for the first time Israel's 
 permanent 
 >retention of major illegal settlement blocs on the West Bank. 
 > 
 > 
 >e. 
 >All of the above. 
 > 
 > 
 > 
 >--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. 
 > 
 > 
 >3. How has the current King George furthered our safety and happiness? 
 > 
 > 
 >a. 
 >In the two years since September 11, 2001, less potential nuclear weapons 
 >material that might fall into the hands of terrorists has been secured than 
 >was secured in the two years prior to the attacks. 
 > 
 > 
 >b. 
 >Significant terrorist attacks were at a 20-year high in 2003 and there were 
 >more than twice as many terrorist attacks attributed to al Qaeda-linked or 
 >identified groups since 9/11 as in their entire pre-9/11 history. 
 > 
 > 
 >c. 
 >Former CIA director George J. Tenet said in February 2004 that the world 
 >was at least as ''fraught with dangers for American interests'' as it was 
 before 
 >the Iraq war began. 
 > 
 > 
 >d. 
 >The Bush administration is planning to deploy a national missile defense 
 >system later this year, a multi-billion dollar boondoggle that will fuel the 
 >global arms race, does not work (the system has been put through only 8 
 >unrealistic tests, and failed 3 of them), ignores real threats (like port 
 >security), and, in the words of 31 former government officials, is a "sham" 
 >that "will provide no real defense." 
 > 
 > 
 >e. 
 >All of the above. 
 > 
 > 
 > 
 >... He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the 
 >Consent of our legislatures. 
 > 
 > 
 >4. 
 >In the United States there is supposed to be a "volunteer" military. 
 >How has the current King George dealt with this force? 
 > 
 > 
 >a. 
 >He has ordered some soldiers' tours of duty to be involuntarily extended 
 >by as much as 18 months. 
 > 
 > 
 >b. 
 >His White House budget office issued a memo calling for more than $900 
 >million in cuts from veterans programs after the election. 
 > 
 > 
 >c. 
 >His "No Child Left Behind" education law requires high schools to provide 
 >military recruiters with the names, addresses, and phone numbers of their 
 >students -- which the military hopes will "boost" recruitment. 
 > 
 > 
 >d. 
 >Rather than withdrawing troops from Iraq and saving lives, both U.S. and 
 >Iraqi, he has ordered that the media may not show pictures of the flag- 
 draped 
 >caskets of dead soldiers. 
 > 
 > 
 >e. 
 >All of the above. 
 > 
 > 
 > 
 >...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: 
 > 
 > 
 >5. 
 >How has the current King George tried to protect soldiers who commit crimes? 
 > 
 > 
 >a. 
 >He has refused to permit the United States to adhere to the International 
 >Criminal Court and has successfully pressured large numbers of allied 
 countries 
 >to agree never to invoke its provisions against US troops. 
 > 
 > 
 >b. 
 >After failing to get his third consecutive Security Council grant of 
 immunity 
 for 
 >U.S. troops, he had his top official in Iraq, L. Paul Bremer III, 
 >unilaterally extend Order 17, which immunizes U.S. and other coalition 
 forces 
 >from Iraqi legal process. 
 > 
 > 
 >c. 
 >He has blamed "a few bad apples" for the torture and murders that have taken 
 >place in our offshore prison system, rather than acknowledging that, as 
 Human 
 >Rights Watch has stated, "This pattern of abuse did not result from the acts 
 of 
 >individual soldiers who broke the rules. It resulted from decisions made by 
 >the Bush administration to bend, ignore, or cast rules aside." 
 > 
 > 
 >d. 
 >He has refused to declassify many relevant documents on the subject of 
  
 [continued in next message] 
  
 --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05 
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