"Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages"

Dang! Now ain't that a phrase to grab your attention?

Not that I'm going to bring up torture at this moment, however....


Returning to the Declaration of Independence:

Among the itemized complaints against King George III are these:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

...

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

Hmmm, come to think of it, under a recent George, people were held with neither trial nor hearing to determine the legality of their being held. And some were transported beyond Seas not to be tried for pretended offenses but to be held incommunicado and/or tortured. The mercenaries employed by our government are not foreign, but they are mercenaries.

I would dearly love to see us make somewhat swifter progress away from these heinous policies, policies parallel to some of those that led to the American Revolution.

This is part of an Independence Day weekend series.

--the BB