Large numbers of people have reached these conclusions by varying paths:

• The national government’s legislature has lost its ability to function effectively.
• The national government has lost its ability to promote the general welfare.
• The national government has violated our nation’s laws – therefore it has no legitimate authority over us.
• The national government has violated international law as well – therefore it has no moral authority as a guarantor of national security.

Moreover, the national government has been so consistently dishonest and secretive that it has no claim on citizens’ trust – therefore citizens ought to withhold from it their money, their loyalty, and every other kind of support, whether moral, legal, or material.

Some would claim that withholding support from one’s government is a disloyal act, akin to treason. But withholding support from an illegitimate government is not disloyal or treasonous: the government itself has already committed treason by overturning the laws that made it legitimate. Once the government has done that, citizens are obligated to resist it.

When a government has become unconstitutional, citizens must act with all haste to replace it. If they do not replace their government immediately after it overturns the constitution, they forego their ability to impose a remedy. Raw power flows in to replace constitutional authority. As a result, citizens find they no longer have means to govern themselves. That’s why measures required to replace bad government become so urgent. Citizens must act quickly, or become helpless.