My list of grievances against Trump in 2026 eerily resemble those lists in the Declaration of Independence from the KIng in 1776

 July 4 this year is not for me a celebration with joy and pride, but trepidation that we are on the verge of restoring the kind of tyranny we revolted against in 1776.  In 1776, the reasons for the Declaration were laid out in a list of grievances against the King in that historic document.  Many of those reasons are similar to the deeds and actions of President Trump, who has amassed  such power and wealth even our founders could never have envisioned.  I wrote the following exactly one year ago: I could have written it today.    

July 4, 2025

My Declaration of Independence from King Trump and a List of Grievances.

As we celebrate the Declaration of Independence from a king in 1776, we also decry the re-establishment of one who thinks and acts like one in 2025. In the Declaration of Independence of 1776, a list of grievances against the King (a bill of particulars) was presented as the reasons for declaring independence.

Here are mine (in no particular order of importance.

• He claims his executive orders are the law of the land and acts accordingly.
• He accumulates vast wealth from enterprises that include customers who are foreigners..
• He uses "his" active army to repress protestors and put fear into the hearts of those who would show their anger toward his policies
• He forces by threat and fear his parliament to pass legislation that does not reflect the will of each member's own constituents
• He sets up prisons to contain those who have no chance to protest and builds concentration camps which deprive persons of their rights or send them to foreign, harsh prisons, without any evidence that they committed crimes other than having documents of status violations.
• His masked, unmarked, street-clothed federal agents snatch those off the street to arrest targets or those who look like they are from south of our border without warrants, sometimes using excessive force...
• He threatens to delist media that do not toe his line and calls all media that criticize him liars
• He threatens to remove federal funding from education that does not reflect his ideology or the ideology of his core supporters in his political party, while his legislative initiatives are approved by around 30% of those polled who know what is in it, the contents about which he lies on the favored media outlets he owns or approves.
• He abuses his power by using "his" Department of Justice to investigate opponents without any probable cause as a tool to threaten opponents to his reign or make examples of them to frighten others into silence.
• He reverses the rights of minorities, religious or love preferences, and non-whites by removing all references to diversity, equity, and inclusion in any federal documents he controls... reinstating the ability of the federal government to discriminate against them again. He wants to imprison those he plans to expel from this country without the right of habeas corpus.
• He adopts all policies of white Christian nationalists written in a document as a blueprint for the takeover of the federal government and institutes them by installing their authors in key positions
• He refuses to confirm whether he would honor treaties or come to the defense of allies who are attacked and have signed such a treaty...NATO
• He ignores court orders of any court lower than the Supreme Court if he does not like the ruling..
• He tries to sell off public lands, institutes tariffs, deprives the poor of health care and nutrition programs to compensate for the loss of income to the treasury due to tax favors and reductions granted to the very rich. 
• He pardons criminals who were found guilty by jury trial or had already confessed to crimes because they were his supporters, contributors, or friends of his. In so doing, he encourages those to commit crimes on his behalf in the future, believing they, too, would be pardoned..

Declaration of Independence: A Transcription | National Archives

Governor Gavin Newsom delivers a bill of particulars against Donald Trump..Links to video/transcript

Update 6 20 2025 https://www.npr.org/2025/06/19/g-s1-73050/trump-national-guard-california-immigration      Appeals court approves federal use of national guard, even though the governor did not approve. 

In another case, Trump attempted to deny transportation funding to coerce states into complying with Trump's ICE actions. The district court ruled against the Trump administration, but expect appeals. https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-judge-blocks-trump-plan-tie-states-transportation-funds-immigration-2025-06-20/#:~:text=June%2019%20(Reuters)%20%2D%20A,their%20government%20subdivisions%2C%20like%20cities.

Governor Newsom Delivers Major Address to Californians 

Please hear it., please read it. . It contains a bill of particulars, a list of grievances, reminding me of the list of grievances against a King those in 1776 called a tyrant and included them in the Declaration of Independence. When I can get the text of Newsom's address, I will post it here. Fittingly June 14 is no Kings Day across America.

(the list in the Declaration of Independence of grievances. Grievances of the United States Declaration of Independence - Wikipedia)  for background. AI summary is helpful: AI Overview

The "27 Grievances" listed in the Declaration of Independence are a list of complaints against King George III and the British Parliament, outlining the reasons why the American colonists believed they had the right to declare independence. These grievances cover a range of issues, from taxation without representation to the quartering of British troops in colonial homes. 

Here's a breakdown of some key grievances:

Taxation and Representation:

• Taxation without representation:

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  Colonists were being taxed by the British Parliament without having any elected representatives to voice their interests. 
• Imposition of taxes without consent:

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  The British government was imposing taxes on the colonies without their consent or approval. 

Governance and Law:

• Refusal to pass laws:

  The King refused to approve laws passed by colonial legislatures. 
• Dissolving colonial legislatures:

  The King dissolved colonial legislatures, hindering the colonies' ability to govern themselves. 
• Quartering of troops:

  Colonists were forced to house and provide for British soldiers in their homes. 
• Impartial justice:

  Colonists were denied fair trials and were subject to British military law. 
• Deprivation of self-government:

  The King and Parliament interfered with colonial self-governance, restricting their ability to make their own laws. 

Military Actions and Actions Against the Colonies: 

• Standing army in peacetime: The King maintained a standing army in the colonies during peacetime without their consent. 
• Waging war against the colonies: The King engaged in acts of war against the colonies, including blockades and attacks. 
• Cutting off trade: The British government restricted colonial trade with other nations. 
• Inciting violence: The King encouraged Native American tribes to attack colonists. 
• Burning towns and destroying property: British forces destroyed colonial property and towns. 

Other Grievances:

• Restricting immigration: The King imposed restrictions on immigration to the colonies. 
• Obstructing naturalization: The King made it difficult for foreigners to become citizens of the colonies. 
• Abolishing colonial charters: The King revoked colonial charters, undermining their established systems of governance. 

These grievances, among others, formed the basis of the colonists' declaration that they were no longer subject to British rule and deserved to be free and independent states. 

Newsom addressed more than the California situation and came up with hs own bill of particulars.  It may be overlooked by some in the media, but it is the best attack against Trump's attempt  to destroy American democracy .  As he delivered a list of how Trump .is against democracy as we have known it, he was also adamant against the resistance using violence. and they "would be prosecuted to the full extent of the law"  That has been ignored by the right wing press as of the morning of 6/11

https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/06/10/governor-newsoms-address-to-california-democracy-at-a-crossroads/

"If some of us can be snatched off the streets without a warrant, based only on suspicion or skin color, then none of us are safe. 

Authoritarian regimes begin by targeting people who are least able to defend themselves. But they do not stop there.

Trump and his loyalists thrive on division because it allows them to take more power and exert even more control. 

By the way, Trump – he’s not opposed to lawlessness and violence, as long as it serves HIM. 

What more evidence do we need than January 6th?

I ask everyone to take the time to reflect on this perilous moment.

A president who wants to be bound by no law or constitution.

Perpetrating a unified assault on American traditions.

This is a President who, in just over 140 days, has fired government watchdogs that could hold him accountable for corruption and fraud.

He’s declared a war on culture, on history, on science – on knowledge itself. Databases, quite literally vanishing.

He’s delegitimizing news organizations and assaulting the First Amendment.

At the threat of defunding them, he’s dictating what universities can teach.

Targeting law firms and the judicial branch that are the foundation of an orderly, civil society.

Calling for a sitting Governor to be arrested for no other reason than – to use his words – “for getting elected.”

And we all know, this Saturday, he’s ordering our American heroes – the United States military – forcing them to put on a vulgar display to celebrate his birthday, just as other failed dictators have done in the past.

Look, this isn’t just about protests in LA. 

When Donald Trump sought blanket authority to commandeer the National Guard, he made that order apply to every state in this nation.

This is about all of us. This is about you.

California may be first – but it clearly won’t end here. Other states are next.

Democracy is next.

Democracy is under assault right before our eyes – the moment we’ve feared has arrived. 

He’s taking a wrecking ball to our founding fathers’ historic project.

Three independent, coequal branches of government. 

There are no longer any checks and balances. Congress is nowhere to be found. Speaker Johnson has completely abdicated that responsibility.

The rule of law has increasingly given way to the rule of Don. "

On violence, Newsom accused the calling in of the National Guard of rekindling a peaceful protest and inciting the violence. He continued:

"several dozen lawbreakers became violent and destructive. They vandalized property. They tried to assault police officers. 

Many of you have seen video clips of cars burning on cable news.  

If you incite violence or destroy our communities, you are going to be held accountable. 

That kind of criminal behavior will not be tolerated. Full stop. 

Already, more than 370 people have been arrested. And we’re reviewing tapes to build additional cases, and people will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."