Capitalism - Feudalism without the Kings

Tax the Rich

Website Wednesday

It's July 4th in the US which is a reason for going to parades and parties and swimming and eating too much, perhaps drinking too much, and completely pushing from our minds just what the 4th symbolizes.

So, I'll give you the US Declaration of Independence:

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html

It really is a beautifully written document, a worthy representative of the Age of Enlightenment. Mrs. Jefferson should be proud of its author, her boy, Thomas. I know we couldn't produce such a document in the US of today; what a pity.

For while we may justly condemn the US Constitution as a rich-propertied-white-man-only guide to beneficial law and government (don't forget that the Bill of Rights was a paste-on which was later attached to the constitution), the Declaration of Independence still stands as a document which could be translated with pride throughout the world.

Just the logic of Jefferson's arguments is amazing. Of course, in the age in which it was written, the level of logical thinking among the intelligentsia was probably so high that this work might have been dismissed with a faint praise of: Nice work, Thomas. But, I just plugged a chunk of it into the Flesch-Kincaid scale and came up with a Grade 19.7. That's doc/post-doc level!

So I guess I'm pretty proud about this document which was used to present grievances against English rule in 1776. Especially proud since I'm also royally pissed about so many, many things this new country would do and is still doing to its citizens and the world. It's like the tiny glimpse of sun Sam points out to Frodo in The Return of the King: there is always hope.

OK, off the soap box. Here's a fun pick, I hope:

http://www.loc.gov/poetry/

This is the US Library of Congress' poetry site. If you scroll down, you will see a Project 180 link which will lead you to 180 poems for high school students. I'm working this summer to get the girl to speak more confidently in public forums so I'm having her and her brother read one of these poems aloud every few days. I hope it's a fun project for both of them (yeah, I know, kids love studying in the summer) and these poems can lead to some really interesting discussions.

Be sure to scroll all around this page. Check out the Favorite Poem Project. You get to read the text of the poem and see a video of its recitation.

This is not a summer fun and frolic site but no one can have too much poetry in his soul. Enjoy. And for those in the US, Happy 4th!