A long train of abuses and usurpations

The day after the Justice Department arrested nine peaceful protesters in Spokane on felony charges, it's now clear that the authoritarian Trump administration is determined to use the institutions of power to crush dissent and silence its opponents.

That the movement for Cascadia independence would be sparked in a sleepy city in eastern Washington was not on my bingo card.

According to the latest from RANGE Media, all nine pleaded innocent in court today.

In the American colonies' 1776 Declaration of Independence, there is a "long train of abuses and usurpations" that Americans listed as a rationale for the thirteen colonies to "alter or abolish" the unjust system they were ruled under.

The United States exists as a contract with the consent of the governed. The foundation of that contract is the Constitution and the rule of law. The Trump administration has repeatedly defied the constitution and the law – and so residents of the states of Oregon and Washington have a right and a duty to demand the federal government honor its contract.

If this administration doesn't change its course, or Congress fails to impeach and remove Trump, then Cascadia is free to leave the United States by a peaceful referendum of the people.

The list of Donald Trump's abuses of power is extensive:

He has frozen $3 trillion in grants to the states that were allocated by Congress

He has nearly or completely dismantled government agencies such as NOAA and USAID, which were funded by Congress.

He has fired Justice Department officials who rightly investigated his actions, as well as firing 17 inspectors general responsible for investigating corruption.

He has, with no legal authority, declared that the 14 amendment does not grant citizenship to those born in the United States.

He has illegally retaliated against law firms and universities that dare oppose him.

He has ignored court orders demanding that he return immigrants illegally abducted by his administration and sent to foreign prisons.

He has placed masked agents among our people to harass and abduct us without warrants and who refuse to identify themselves.

He has activated national guard troops in states to arrest and intimidate people without the consent of their elected representatives.

He has attempted to rule by executive orders that have no legal standing, including imposing tariffs without the consent of Congress.

He has waged war on Iran without the authorization of Congress.

He has illegally fired thousand of federal employees with no cause other than political expediency.

He has threatened political opponents with investigation, arrest, and revocation of citizenship merely because they criticized him or defied his tyranny.

--Andrew Engelson

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