IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America
hen 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.
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, — 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. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
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While it may be an accident of history that the storming of the Stonewall occurred in the month directly preceding Independence Day leading to the designation of June as LGBT Pride Month, it is eminently appropriate that in the run-up to Independence Weekend, here and in other countries as noted in an earlier post, Secretary Clinton began last week with her wrap-up of Pride Month hosting a GLIFAA event.
One could argue that there are no coincidences; that nothing happens by accident. Given the preponderance of independence days at this time of year, one could lay the casting off of fetters to the same conditions that today have military leaders worried about troop drawbacks in Afghanistan on the cusp of the Taliban fighting season.
It could easily have been fears of a long, hot summer of gay uprisings that caused the police to storm the Stonewall, although the concept causes me to smile. What kind of NYPD force would admit being scared of guys who just want to dance with each other? Well, whatever the reason might have been, the upshot has been a Pride Month that this year attained critical mass with the New York State Senate passing a gay marriage bill that resounded around the country and the world.
The LGBT community built up a lot of momentum in the past 10 days. It should come as no surprise to that community nor to candidates for and occupants of public office that this is a voting bloc. It is richer and more powerful than anyone can really speculate due to huge numbers of professionals of every stripe who remain closeted even now for very good and well-considered reasons of their own.
As a new general election season commences, the LGBT community does well to assess its own power, and candidates do well to consider the consequences of alienating this bloc.
A kind reader who attended Secretary Clinton's GLIFAA event on Monday, Derek Brown, was generous enough to share the photos he took.
Here, in celebration of Independence Weekend, is a slideshow of some of his pictures. Our lovely Mme. Secretary has long been on the right side of history on this issue. It is not new to her.
Thank you so much, Derek!
