MANIFESTO OF INDEPENDENCE:
A FAST FOR LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
The purpose of my life is to acquire wisdom and attain
moral perfection.
I live as a penniless wanderer and a pilgrim.
Wisdom compels me to recognize that moral perfection is
impossible for a member of an amoral nation-state.
In the course of wandering the world I discovered the role
the United States plays in destroying the Earth and exploiting
its inhabitants. I learned I could not attain moral perfection
while availing myself of benefits gained through the sufferings
of others. So I exercised the freedom to personally determine
what I would be: I ceased to be an American citizen and destroyed
my American passport.
Consequently, I was "deported" from England to
this country against my will and in violation of law. On October
2, 1980 I was forcefully removed from an airplane at the JFK International
Airport and compelled to enter the United States despite my vigorous
objection.
I now demand that the United States government return me
to Great Britain so I can resume my pilgrimage.
I intend to fast until the American government recognizes
the ideals from which it draws its authority and allows me to
live my life as I see fit. This is not an act of self destruction
but an effort to persuade this nation to return to the principles
of the Declaration of Independence upon which it was founded.
Given the option of living my life in decadent luxury at
the expense of my fellow creatures, or voluntarily laying it down
in the service of Truth, Justice and Freedom, I would choose the
latter. I entreat those who understand my words to confront the
evils of the nation-state by gathering at the White House to pray
for Reason and Sanity and an End to War in illustration of the
ideals of non-violence.