A new federal terror advisory contains a threat assessment that characterizes Americans who "mislead" others into questioning government-approved messages as being on par with terrorists.  That is as anti-American messaging as could be imagined.  America was founded on questioning governments, foreign and domestic.  And that has been her saving grace, the reason for her unique success.

The assessment specifically identifies those who engage in "the proliferation of false or misleading narratives, which sow discord or undermine public trust in U.S. government institutions" as "threat actors."  It also cites "widespread online proliferation of false or misleading narratives regarding unsubstantiated widespread election fraud and COVID-19" as having a deleterious effect on government institutions.

Actually, it's the actions of government institutions that often have a deleterious effect on (people's views of) government institutions...and on the people.  But no matter — our First Amendment rights are out the window.  Nineteen eighty-four is here.  "Wrongthink" has been criminalized.

If not stopped — and reversed — this is the end of the Great Experiment and the Land of Opportunity.

So, fellow threat actors, what are we to do about this?

First off, we must realize that "misinformation" is what has typically been put out by governments since governments were instituted among men.  The larger and more powerful the government in relation to the people, the more preposterous the misinformation, false narratives, outright lies, and other propaganda it will churn out.  And the less it will tolerate dissent and independent thought.  This is a historical fact.  It was true of feudal kings.  Offend the king, and it could be "off with your head."  The Third Reich blamed all Germany's troubles on the Jews.  So it imprisoned and exterminated them.  The Soviet Union killed millions of folks who didn't toe the party line.  Speak out against the government?  Hello, "re-education" camp or gulag.  And today we have Cuba, Venezuela, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Eritrea, North Korea...and, of course, China.  (How's your "social credit score"?  You might be about to find out.)  China graciously exported the pandemic to the West, and it now appears that many Western nations are attempting to appropriate its system of government as well.  Talk about forgiveness and tolerance.  Amazing.  The governments of Australia, New Zealand, and Austria; several other European nations; and even Canada and the United States have quickly and zealously headed down the road to tyranny.

 Leftists in the U.S. are attacking the First and Second Amendments (among others).  These are the essence and guarantor of our freedoms, respectively.  They are marginalizing, canceling, and even incarcerating those who have the effrontery to challenge their narrative — meaning their power.  That is tyranny.  That is terrorism.  They are "threat actors."  And they do this while accusing Trump-supporters, Christians, patriots, rednecks, Rogan listeners, Republicans, rural residents, truck drivers — and anyone else with whom they disagree — of being a "threat to our democracy."

The truth is precisely the opposite.  They are the threat to our democracy.  Demonstrably and inarguably.  They want to squelch free speech and vigorous dialogue.  They wish to take away your right to protect yourself and your family.  They wish to pack the Court.  They wish to end the filibuster.  They wish to eliminate the Electoral College.  We don't wish to do any of those things to them or anybody else.  Oh, and they locked us all down and masked us all up for the past two years.

There has been much talk of a Second Civil War or a Second American Revolution. Either would be tragic, insofar as violence and bloodshed are concerned.  But what we really need, and what might help avoid either of the aforementioned, is a second Declaration of Independence.  If our elite rulers knew — were absolutely convinced — that we will no longer accept their forays into tyranny and despotism, will no longer meekly acquiesce to their every wish and whim no matter how banal, damaging, or evil, perhaps we could start reclaiming and restoring "our democracy."  Peacefully.

I'll even offer to write it.

It might go something like this:

"As Americans, we still hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.  And that legitimate governments are instituted among men to secure these rights, not attempt to repeal them.  We must never forget that just governments derive their powers from the consent of the governed.  These are the defining characteristics of America, the blueprint for this nation, and we will not throw our birthrights away.  As our Founders noted, whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it.  Indeed, when a government is trending toward absolute despotism, it is their duty to do so.  For, as Americans, we owe it to our forefathers, ourselves, and our posterity to reclaim our former freedoms and see to a rebirth of our once blessed and unrivaled republic.

"The following are some of the abuses, injuries, and usurpations compelling us to make this Declaration:

"Our leaders have used a pandemic, that they partially paid for, to tell us that we couldn't leave our houses.  For the first time, they quarantined the healthy.  They told us we must wear a mask over our mouths and noses at all times, even outdoors indoors.  They said we couldn't visit our loved ones in hospitals or in hospice.  Pure, unadulterated evil.  They barred us from attending weddings and funerals.  They informed many of us that our jobs are 'not essential,' even as they paid many not to work.  Preposterous!  They have fomented and excused months-long violent protests and riots by some, which led to numerous deaths and billions of dollars in damage...while incarcerating without charge many who peacefully walked into our Capitol Building.  They have unilaterally instituted a two-tier system of justice, where laws apply utterly differently to different people based on ideology.  They have weaponized the FBI, CIA, DOJ, DHS, and IRS against the American people, and are now even attempting to do the same with our military.  They have, through extreme incompetence or malevolence, given succor to our enemies and created grave doubts in the minds of our friends and allies.  They have decided not to tend to or defend our Southern border, leaving us wide open to criminals, drug- and sex-trafficking, and potential acts of terrorism.  They do this because they wish to replace us legal citizens with those whom they can more easily control — and whom they can count on to vote for them in the future.  Monstrous!  Moreover, they have created conditions mandating that crime rates will surge across the nation, making all of us less safe.  They have disabled our energy industry, making us once again dependent on foreign actors and adversely affecting our national security.  They have mismanaged the economy, driving up inflation and diminishing our quality of life.  They have — in a myriad ways — caused absolutely needless pain and suffering for scores of millions of Americans, as reflected in the skyrocketing rates of substance abuse and suicides.  All these are egregious and frightening acts signaling a descent into tyranny.

"Yet, whenever we have petitioned for redress, we have been summarily rebuffed.  Our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury.  We have been mocked, scorned, canceled.

"Our leaders must know that we will not choose hopelessness and despair.  We will not tolerate their arrogance, scorn, and contempt.  We will, once more, be free.

"Therefore, we the citizens of the United States of America, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the universe for the righteousness of our intentions, do solemnly publish and declare that, to this end, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.