Dear Mr. VP,

Happy Fourth! 

As I’ve said previously, this is my favorite holiday. It isn’t without complicated feelings; I think anyone with any awareness of privilege or history HAS to have complicated feelings about today. There’s no way around it. 

But I’m just going to say it: the Declaration of Independence is one of my favorite historical documents ever. It’s worth a return to every year. And I do: I read it every year. This year I read part of it out loud to G, until he decided he wanted a snack instead. Oh well; he’ll come around eventually. 

This year, I was struck in particular by this sentences: In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.”

All I can think today is that our Founding Fathers must be rolling in their graves. 

D