On this July 4th, remember Taiwan

We Americans have forgotten that the Declaration of Independence was not merely a document for the colonies — it was a document for the world.

It was a declaration of human rights: a declaration that all people, when confronted with oppression against their God-given rights, have the right to assert their independence from such tyranny. They have the moral authority to establish their own government so long as it is, “deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

Nowhere is this more relevant than in democratic Taiwan. Taiwan is a nation that holds these unalienable rights to be self-evident. It stands in opposition to an oppressive regime that is antithetical to these natural rights. Communist China has openly declared its intent to invade and assimilate Taiwan — seeking to replace its democratic, freedom-loving institutions with loyalty to the Communist Party.

Yet, somehow, America refuses to officially recognize that Taiwan is an independent country. It refuses to acknowledge that Taiwan is not the property of Communist China.

Congress must fulfill its duty and pass H. Con. Res. 8. We, the American people, must honor July 4th by honoring the words of the Declaration of Independence. Let Congress know that the people of Taiwan have the right to declare themselves free.

Andrew Calkins

Naperville