1. For a video of the same with narrations, please visit:
https://youtu.be/qf577oKrQHk
2. Know your rights before you establish a new government
You, as human beings, have a set of rights that are born with you
You own those rights, as you own your bodies
Your rights are not given to you by your government, your leaders, your parents, or any other entity
Your rights are yours, and you are responsible for protecting them
Your rights cannot be voted away by the majority
This responsibility obligates you to establish a government whose only job is the protection of your rights
So what are your rights?
Iranian citizens
3. Freedom of expression
The freedom to exercise individual autonomy in making choices related to
relationship, lifestyle, physical appearance, art and music, language, thoughts and
viewpoints, articulation of facts and opinions, and consumption and dissemination of
information must be guaranteed.
4. Right to own and bear arms
You have the right to own and bear arms for the purpose of defending your life,
liberty and property, and those of your loved ones. This right is an “insurance” that
protects your other rights against tyranny, and therefore, must be guaranteed.
5. Freedom of association
You have the right to associate with anyone or any group for the purpose of
expressing, promoting, and pursuing any shared ideas, and engaging in any collective
actions. You also have the right to voluntarily leave any group without fear of
negative consequences.
6. Right to own and use property
You have the right to own property for the purpose of using, selling, producing
income, transferring to others, or altering, for your sole benefit, and the benefit of
those you designate.
More on this later
7. Right to privacy
Your right to control your privacy, including the privacy of your physical body, home
and property, thoughts, feelings, secrets and identity, against all modes of
unreasonable access and search must be guaranteed.
8. Freedom of, and from religion
Your freedom to practice the observance, or rejection of any religion or sect, belief,
acts of worship or other rituals must be guaranteed. Any religion whose tenets
oppose the freedoms enumerated here, is not recognized, and therefore is not
protected.
9. Right of minor children
Minor children possess all the rights and freedoms expressed here, some of which
are obtained indirectly through their parents or guardians. Parents or guardians
don’t “own” their children. Instead, they are responsible and obligated for providing
their children with physical and mental protection, and an environment that
promotes a healthy growth.
10. Freedom from obligation to others
You are free from non-consensual obligation to others, and your government must
not enact any law to the contrary. The government must not be allowed to forcibly
take resources, including tangible or intangible properties, from any citizen without
just and fair compensation.
11. Your constitution
Your constitution is a contract between you and your
government, stating that the power you grant your
government is to only be used to protect your rights and
freedoms. But how do you ensure that your government
uses this power for your protection and not against you?
Along with other safeguards, the United States
government, for example, ensures "Checks and Balances"
through the establishment of three equal branches,
namely the executive branch, the judicial branch, and the
legislative branch. These provisions can also be
implemented in your constitution. However, these
safeguards are not sufficient for keeping the power of your
government in check.
12. Suggestion – Small Government
Limit the power you grant to your government to a minimum. Your government must not
be allowed to own and operate any businesses, including manufacturing, mining, drilling,
the media, or any service oriented ventures. Your government must not be permitted to
generate any revenue, other than those it levies in taxes. Remember that your
government is managed by a group of people. Therefore, the power you grant your
government is granted to that group. Any product or service you can produce and provide
privately, you should keep private.
13. Suggestion – Method of Taxation
Governments, even in advanced countries use taxation as not only for generating revenue, but
also conducting in “social engineering”, granting favors to some groups over others, and
increasing the government’s power. These reasons should entice you to prescribe a specific
formula for taxation in your constitution. One of the best methods of taxation is that of a Retail
Sales Tax, where taxes are levied based on a certain percentage set by the government on
activities between businesses and individuals. Business to business, and individual to individual
transactions are excluded from any taxes. This method of taxation promotes savings and
investments in that it allows individuals to minimize their taxes by refraining from unnecessary
expenditure. This method of taxation also keeps the government spending in check, since any
increase in the sales tax rate may negatively affect the rate of business activities, and by
extension, the government’s revenue.
14. Suggestion – Your money
Money that is not backed by a globally valuable commodity is worthless. Some countries back
their currency with the trust the world has in their government, but eventually, that trust will wane
and their money will lose value. Invariably, those governments will “print” more and more money
to pay for projects that are beyond their mandate. Printing money without having the assets to
back it, will lead to inflation, causing wealth from the majority to be directed toward a small group
of elites. Ultimately over-printing of money causes hyperinflation and soon, the destruction of the
entire nation follows.
To keep your country’s economy stable, you must prescribe the exact method by which your
government mints currency. You must specify the commodity that backs your currency, and the
exact amount needed to represent one unit of currency. Don’t back your money by the currency
of any other nation. If you do, you’ll be at the mercy of that nation’s economic conditions.
15. Right to own and use property - Revisited
As was established earlier, you have the right to own and use property. Without this right you cannot be
free. But who owns your nation and its natural resources? In some countries, the property laws entitle
land owners to own all the natural resources found within the borders of their properties. But this level
of ownership cannot be fair and equitable. If so, what would stop someone or a private entity, for
example, to own all the oil fields in your country, and by extension, control its entire oil industry?
Certainly, such right goes far beyond an individual’s natural right to own property. We must recognize
that although property right is foundational, a nation’s natural resources are owned in equal proportion
by all its citizens. This ownership is literal, and not symbolic, meaning that each citizen must directly
benefit from this ownership. One way to achieve this, is to separate the value of the natural resources in
a property from the value created by the human endeavor, and then require the property owner to pay a
“usage fee” for the natural resource portion of the property directly to the other citizens. Although this
requires a complicated bookkeeping, today’s technology allows for such an advanced accounting. More
importantly, this framework not only recognizes the nation’s ownership by every citizen, but it also
provides a basic minimum income for all individuals, contributing to their prosperity and happiness.
16. Final words
Iranian citizens. The world is watching your revolution with much
anticipation and hope in your toppling of the tyrannical government
that has been ruling over you for the past many decades. There is no
doubt that you’ll be successful in demolishing this decaying house
and cleaning your sacred ground from its infested debris. We hope
that on this same ground, you will build a solid castle in which
freedom seekers can find refuge and safety. If you do this, your ways
will be emulated by people the world over, and you will once again
find yourself in the place of leadership your advanced culture so
richly deserves.
