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Protecting the Declaration of Independence in our 250th year
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July Fourth marked 249 years since the 13 American colonies rejected a British monarch and embraced freedom. But as we enter the first days of our 250th year on this Earth, it feels like we’re moving in the wrong direction.
The Declaration of Independence was a bold (though clearly never fully realized) assertion of equality and democratic ideals. Thomas Jefferson wrote that governments derive “their just powers from the consent of the governed” – the people of the United States would decide our own fate, not be anyone’s subjects.
But in the past six months all three branches of government have done serious damage to those ideals. And in just the last few weeks we’ve seen our government repudiating the core values of the Declaration of Independence.
“For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.”
An elaborate poster collage features a printed profile of Donald Trump’s face with a crown painted on top of his head, flanked by two images of the Statue of Liberty’s face and the phrase “No King” during a demonstration in New York City on June 14, 2025. (John Senter/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The animating idea behind the American Revolution and the Constitution that eventually emerged was that people were in charge through representatives. President Donald Trump has not suspended our legislatures, but he has moved to sideline them and assume the power to legislate for himself.
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Last week alone saw the final endgame for USAID, dismantled by the president despite congressional authorization. The Department of Education is refusing to distribute billions of congressionally appropriated dollars to state schools. And the administration sued Los Angeles for refusing to use its own resources to aid ICE’s violent deportation arrests.
In just the last few weeks, the Department of Justice charged a member of Congress after an oversight visit to an immigration detention facility and federal agents handcuffed Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., for asking Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem questions at a press conference.
“He has obstructed the Administration of Justice… He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone…”
We have no rights if the president is not bound to follow the law, which is why the founders recognized the importance of an independent judiciary.
Yet President Trump has brazenly broken laws and violated the Constitution. Numerous lower court judges, including those appointed by the president himself, have excoriated DOJ lawyers for stonewalling their orders and violating the basic due process protections guaranteed by the Constitution. In some cases, the administration has appeared to openly defy the courts, like when they refused to stop deportations to a torture prison in El Salvador.
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More alarming, Congress and the Supreme Court majority seem eager to help. Two weeks ago, President Trump’s former defense attorney and current senior DOJ official, Emil Bove, received a friendly hearing from the Senate Judiciary Committee considering his nomination to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. This despite a whistleblower describing him openly contemplating telling courts “f— you.”
“For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences.”
The founders were aggrieved by Britain hauling people away from their communities on specious charges. Yet here we are again.
Although the Supreme Court prevented the administration from sending more people to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison under the Alien Enemies Act, they have allowed 238 Venezuelans, three-quarters with no criminal record, to languish there since March. And just two weeks ago, the court blessed the deportation of others to countries they’ve never set foot in without a chance to challenge that action.
“He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.”
Freedom is hard to come by when those in power can sic the military on the people. The colonists kicked out the British for this offense, yet President Trump federalized the California National Guard without the consent of the California government, then brought in active-duty U.S. Marines, and then even more Marines after the questionable justification of civil unrest was over.
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“He has… sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.”
The singular hallmark of this administration’s first six months has been the use of government power to harass the president’s perceived enemies.
The administration escalated its war on Harvard University. It forced the resignation of the president of the University of Virginia under threat of federal funding cuts. President Trump called for legal action against the New York Times and CNN for their reporting on the Iran bombing campaign that contradicted the president’s preferred story. Secretary Noem called for an investigation into CNN for reporting on a public ICE-tracking app. And by withholding approval of a merger, the administration got Paramount to pony up $16 million to his interests to settle a thoroughly meritless lawsuit over “60 Minutes” editorial decisions.
All that was in just one week.
If President Trump and his allies are going to repudiate the Declaration of Independence, then we need to use the 250th year of our country to peacefully but fiercely embrace the revolutionary spirit.
We would hardly be the first to take those values of equality and freedom and challenge America to do better. At Seneca Falls, the delegates calling for women’s equality modeled their Declaration of Sentiments on the Declaration of Independence.
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Dr. Martin Luther King’s most famous speech, delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, lodged its dream in the words of the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal.”
The government rang in this July 4th by testing our commitment to our nation’s founding ideals of equality and government of, by and for the people. But that ideal is still worth fighting for peacefully – in the courts, at the ballot box and in the streets. Not to restore any of the flawed institutions that came before and during this administration, but to build a more just version of America that is truer to its ideals.
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A California man was arrested on suspicion of committing lewd acts and exploiting minors through online platforms.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect as Edward “Eddie” Alessandro Zarate, 20, of Santa Maria.
On May 28, authorities began investigating Zarate over allegations that he was communicating with underage girls online and exchanging sexually explicit material with them.
Detectives later learned that Zarate allegedly communicated with minor victims through mobile phone apps such as Whipd, Purp, Wizz and Snapchat, along with exchanging text messages.
Zarate’s profiles appeared to portray him as a juvenile.
“Once he established communication with minors, he would often encourage them to move conversations off the platform and continue communicating via text message,” the sheriff’s department said. “During these conversations, Zarate would disclose his true age and identity.”
So far, authorities are aware of two female juveniles who have met with Zarate in person and reportedly engaged in lewd acts.
He is accused of communicating with minors in multiple states including California, Florida and Illinois. In California alone, detectives believe Zarate contacted minors from Los Angeles, Oxnard, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Santa Maria, Lompoc, Paso Robles, Nipomo, Arroyo Grande and San Francisco.
“Based on the scope of the investigation, detectives believe there may be additional survivors who have not yet been identified,” authorities said.
On June 10, Zarate was arrested and booked on multiple felony charges including oral copulation with a person under 18 years of age, unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, sending harmful matter to a minor, and two counts of possession of obscene material depicting a minor.
Anyone who may be a victim, has communicated with Zarate online or through text or has information on the case is asked to call Sheriff’s Detectives at 805-681-4150. Anonymous tips can be provided to the SBSD’s tipline at 805-681-4171 or online at SBSheriff.org.
Colorado
Colorado neighbors lament likely closure of Roxborough library; $22 million regional library breaks ground nearby
For 22 years, the Roxborough library in Roxborough Village has served the entire Roxborough Park community. But that chapter might be coming to a close, as Douglas County Libraries prepares to break ground on a near-$22 million library in a growing master-planned Colorado community nearby.
A new regional library will be built near the intersection of West Titan Road and Taylor River Circle across from the incoming Douglas County School District elementary school in Sterling Ranch. It will also serve communities such as Louviers, Chatfield, Solstice and the greater Roxborough Park community.
“It’s an opportunity for this whole development to centralize a little bit,” said Alex Taylor, president for Sterling Ranch Community Board District No. 2
Taylor was among the first 100 residents to live in Sterling Ranch, and he can’t wait to take his two sons to the library when it opens near their home.
“Having an additional space for the kids to go and find the new set of books,” Taylor said. “Creating a centralized space for everybody in all of the various communities in this region to be able to congregate.”
The 18,000-square-foot library will break ground in Sterling Ranch this summer. But this developing situation does not satisfy everyone in the community.
“Don’t take ours to give them theirs,” community member Denise Martinez said.
Seven minutes away at the Roxborough library, some neighbors don’t want to say goodbye to their longstanding community hub. But the library board has set the lease to terminate next year.
“It would be devastating to this community on so many different levels,” Martinez said.
Martinez says the smaller Roxborough library is one of the only shared amenities in the community and is walkable for many.
“I truly believe that this is the hub of the community,” Martinez said. “This is the gathering spot.”
“Our community has been here for over 40 years, and people have paid into the library system for that amount of time,” said Ephram Glass, president of Roxborough Village Metropolitan District. They’ve been paying their property taxes. The library has been accumulating all this funding, so that they could build a new facility for Roxborough, and now for that money to then go to a brand new community that hasn’t been paying in for decades, I think a lot of people will be very pissed off.”
Glass and Martinez both enjoy taking their children to the library. They say it’s a close walk or bike ride from Roxborough Primary and Intermediate School and worry about children losing accessibility to the library.
“It would take an hour and 16 minutes walking to the new facility from this one, or a 25-minute bike ride. There’s really no shoulder,” Martinez said. “This doesn’t give our kids access at all. I mean, they will ultimately not be able to go to the library unless they have a ride.”
“I imagine some kids will take the e-bikes over. Many will just not go,” Glass said.
Glass is a member of the Roxborough Village HOA, which he says offered to donate a parcel of land near the existing Roxborough library with no strings attached.
“The board chose the Sterling Ranch site as the best site,” said Bob Pasicznyuk, executive director at Douglas County Libraries.
Pasicznyuk says there have long been plans to open a larger library in the area. He says DCL chose the other site, which was donated by the Sterling Ranch developer, partially because it was centrally located in northwest Douglas County.
“Ultimately around 35,000 people will live just in Sterling Ranch alone. The audience base would then go up to say (50,000) or 60,000. Right now it’s about half that many,” Pasicznyuk said.
Pasicznyuk says the all-in cost of the library in Sterling Ranch will be $21.6 million. That includes $250,000 for an outdoor porch, $200,000 for an outdoor children’s play area and $450,000 for other outdoor improvements, including a seating area, trellis and event and trail space.
Martinez is upset those outdoor amenities will come at the cost of the library and not the Sterling Ranch developer.
“I just think that it’s ridiculous to build a park and a veranda and even insist upon those things,” Martinez said. “I just do not understand what that really has to do with literacy or books or the library. I was kind of shocked by that actually.”
Despite terminating the lease, Pasicznyuk says the library board has not voted to close the Roxborough library just yet, but admits they have always consolidated smaller libraries when larger ones open.
“We’ve been 22 years in the second-floor strip mall rental, and while we’ve been glad for the opportunity, it’s going to be an amazing opportunity to move into a freestanding library with all the amenities that we have,” Pasicznyuk said.
“It isn’t good for this community. If you’re here to serve the community, why would you shut this down?” Martinez said.
Martinez started a Change.org petition to “Save Our Roxborough Library.” She now has more than 1,400 signatures.
“We need this. This is vital for our community,” Martinez said. “We just feel like we’re being absorbed.”
“It’s a prized amenity, so it makes sense that they want to keep it,” Pasicznyuk said. “I’ve never seen a reaction other than people love their library. So, even though you’re opening a new library, and I can describe 10 things about it that might be improvements over what we have today, people are going to, because they love their library, wish to keep what they have.”
Meanwhile, Taylor is excited for the library to open in Sterling Ranch next year.
“I’m absolutely empathetic to the fact that somebody might be disappointed that a library would move a few miles away from them versus where it’s historically been,” Taylor said. “The library will be something that everyone can enjoy. It’s going to be a library in Sterling Ranch, but not just for Sterling Ranch.”
Taylor says he’s been working with Sterling Ranch’s developers and the library on a partnership with the nearby Lamb Spring Archaeological Preserve. They are hoping to bring some artifacts or replicas into the library and use a mammoth hunter-gatherer theme for the children’s areas.
“It is a major archeological site in this region that there is evidence of mammoth activity and human activity going back possibly as far as 9,000 years ago,” Taylor said.
Roxborough-area residents say they plan to attend the next library board meeting on June 24 to make their voices heard.
Forecast for Big Island Windward and Southeast
| Shores | Tonight | Saturday | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surf | Surf | |||
| PM | AM | AM | PM | |
| North Facing | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0-2 |
| East Facing | 1-3 | 1-3 | 1-3 | 1-3 |
| South Facing | 4-6 | 3-5 | 4-6 | 5-7 |
| Weather | Sunny until 6 PM, then partly cloudy. Scattered showers. |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low Temperature | In the lower 70s. | |||||
| Winds | Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph, becoming northwest after midnight. |
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| Weather | Mostly sunny. Scattered showers. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Temperature | In the mid 80s. | |||||
| Winds | Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph. | |||||
|
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| Sunrise | 5:42 AM HST. | |||||
| Sunset | 7:02 PM HST. | |||||
Forecast for Big Island Leeward
| Shores | Tonight | Saturday | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surf | Surf | |||
| PM | AM | AM | PM | |
| West Facing | 2-4 | 2-4 | 2-4 | 2-4 |
| South Facing | 4-6 | 3-5 | 3-5 | 4-6 |
| Weather | Mostly sunny until 6 PM, then mostly clear. Isolated showers. |
||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low Temperature | In the upper 60s. | ||||||||
| Winds | Northwest winds around 5 mph, becoming southeast in the evening, then becoming light and variable after midnight. |
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|
|||||||||
| Weather | Sunny. Isolated showers. | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Temperature | In the upper 80s. | ||||||||
| Winds | West winds around 5 mph. | ||||||||
|
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| Sunrise | 5:46 AM HST. | ||||||||
| Sunset | 7:06 PM HST. | ||||||||
A small, medium period south swell will continue to steadily fade into Saturday, allowing surf along south and west-facing shores to drop a notch. A series of small, medium to long period south and southeast swells will fill in Saturday into the first half of next week, which will boost surf heights back near seasonal averages.
Tiny surf will prevail along north-facing shores through most of the coming week as only some limited short-period energy reaches the islands from the north. Trade winds remain lighter than normal through the weekend, keeping surf along east-facing shores below average. East shore surf will begin to trend up early next week as trade winds increase upstream and across the region.
NORTH EAST
am pm
Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.
Conditions: Semi choppy with ESE winds 5-10mph in the morning increasing to 10-15mph in the afternoon.
NORTH WEST
am pm
Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.
Conditions: Clean in the morning with ESE winds less than 5mph. Bumpy/semi bumpy conditions for the afternoon with the winds shifting W 5-10mph.
WEST
am pm
Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.
Conditions: Light sideshore texture in the morning with NNW winds 5-10mph. Bumpy/semi bumpy conditions for the afternoon with the winds shifting to the WNW.
SOUTH EAST
am pm
Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.
Conditions: Sideshore texture/chop with NE winds 10-15mph.
Data Courtesy of NOAA.gov and SwellInfo.com
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