Day 13 : Odessa-Caribou

I was driving through Northfield the other day with my head out the window on an empty tank of gas. As I tried to keep my eyes on the road through gusts of blinding wind I realized that I've never really taken any time to appreciate the work of our founding fathers. I have never, to my knowledge, considered myself patriotic. After all, I was raised predominately by a genuine A-rab and I do carry a green card around in my wallet. Frequent holds at border crossings and customs, interrogations by immigrations officers, and Grandpa Rasheed's "random" selection for airport security checks at every boarding hardly make me feel comfortable calling myself an American. Still, as I drove, hair blowing, blinking through the elements I thought; 'I'm nearly an old man myself, it's probably about time I thought about these guys before its too late.' They fought for independence and wrote a declaration. That's actually pretty cool when you think about it, in a non elementary-school-civics-project kind of way. It made me wish I could fight for independence and write a declaration of my own. A Declaration of the Rights of Robots perhaps. Or, The Declaration and Anthology of Wizarding Rights, though I assume the Ministry of Magic has that covered. No, it must be a thing of quality, of legitimacy and of authenticity. A Declaration of Independence of an aspiring, albeit at times species-confused, young woman.

IN C O N G R E S S. June 10, 2010.

BY THE R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S OF THE

HONORABLE CALEIGH KIMBERLEY

IN G E N E R A L C O N G R E S S A S S E M B L E D

WHEN in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one woman to assert her independence from The Man, The Establishment, and occasionally The Police, knowing full and well that only half of the reason she attempts to fight the power is because she legitimately dislikes authority and the other half because she knows it’s bad ass, a decent respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that she should declare the causes which impel her to the separation.

He, The Man, has refused to accept the innovation of the youth.

He has made it a point to destroy creative recklessness.

He has discouraged wildness and impulsivity.

He has handed out scarlet letters for jollification and merrymaking.

He has put out a warrant for the arrest of the undomesticated maestros of society.

At this time I reserve my right to self-determination. I do declare, now and forever more to be a self-governed agent. As an autonomous operative I recognize the legality of this document and under the constitutive theory of recognition I claim complete and total sovereignty over myself.

Caleigh Maureen Kimberley

Song of the Day: If you don't listen to this song I'll be sorry. Odessa by Caribou

"--yet, sadly, accidental rudeness occurs alarmingly often. Best to say nothing at all, my dear man." APWBD