Declaration of Interdependence: Advocate Poetically! is a poetic compilation of talking points on timely challenging subject matter. It is altogether expressions of Alternate History, Dark Humor and art. Declarations ... Advocate Poetically! can also be viewed as proverbial reflections on topics which may be too difficult to discuss otherwise. It steps around political correctness straight into what "Plotters" and “Insiders" do. Declarations of Interdependence; Advocate Poetically! is in places set against the dystopian backdrop of a pandemic, election year and the worldwide social justice unrest pertaining thereto. Declarations' voices wax poetic while everyone else shouts. Voices vary toward same goals of Unity and for civility to reign over discord. Fictitious scenarios with public domain photos are woven together to enhance some expressions. None are intended to imply endorsement; just bring art to life. Subjects range from the complexities of political protests to the more light hearted “Chocolate for President”. Declaration steps into the fray of divisive topics giving proverbial poetic script for dialogue. It states sides - without taking sides. While the poetic voices are fictitious, the subjects may ring true for many in the reading audience. Or not. A wide range of voices are heard in Declarations; mostly human. The Declarations compilation is divided into six books by topics; Unity, Schools, Mental 'Wealth', Enforcement, Veterans and Love. Most voices are human. In Book III an obscured tree appreciates ”Quin-tree-esential” acknowledgement while disgruntled “Furniture” join a protest. The people, animals and inanimates excluded were not purposely left out. BLM “Resolution” depiction is not intended as an affront to whomever is their equal and opposite. “Chosen Outfits” in Book IV Enforcement likely agree with voice of "Comply". Viewpoints dapple in alternate history topics like education injustices and hate crimes in “Carlsbad Decree Lament”. Plights of Native Americans are expressed in “Nothing New for Sioux” . The final Declarations are for love; from the romantic and detailed "Making Love" to "Love 4 Country". Declaration speaks to an interdependently diverse audience by poetically looking through lenses of both the observer and observed. “Just in Case” and “Swimming Lessons” cry out for educational accountability. While the “Hearty Farmer” simply could care less. In agreement or not, we are interdependently bound together in the United States of America. Declaration of Interdependence; Advocate Poetically! provides poetic encounters we may not have the opportunity to experience otherwise. Declaration... gives audiences voices of reflective experiences. It offers empathetic insight along its poetic way from Unity to Love. Enjoy!

Pauline Maier shows us the Declaration as both the defining statement of our national identity and the moral standard by which we live as a nation. It is truly "American Scripture," and Maier tells us how it came to be -- from the Declaration's birth in the hard and tortuous struggle by which Americans arrived at Independence to the ways in which, in the nineteenth century, the document itself became sanctified. Maier describes the transformation of the Second Continental Congress into a national government, unlike anything that preceded or followed it, and with more authority than the colonists would ever have conceded to the British Parliament; the great difficulty in making the decision for Independence; the influence of Paine's []Common Sense[], which shifted the terms of debate; and the political maneuvers that allowed Congress to make the momentous decision. In Maier's hands, the Declaration of Independence is brought close to us. She lets us hear the voice of the people as revealed in the other "declarations" of 1776: the local resolutions -- most of which have gone unnoticed over the past two centuries -- that explained, advocated, and justified Independence and undergirded Congress's work. Detective-like, she discloses the origins of key ideas and phrases in the Declaration and unravels the complex story of its drafting and of the group-editing job which angered Thomas Jefferson. Maier also reveals what happened to the Declaration after the signing and celebration: how it was largely forgotten and then revived to buttress political arguments of the nineteenth century; and, most important, how Abraham Lincoln ensured its persistence as a living force in American society. Finally, she shows how by the very act of venerating the Declaration as we do -- by holding it as sacrosanct, akin to holy writ -- we may actually be betraying its purpose and its power.

In this long essay Becker analyzed the structure, drafting, and philosophy of the Declaration. He recognizes that it was not intended as an objective historical statement of the causes of the Revolution, but merely furnished a moral and legal justification for rebellion. Step by step, the colonists modified their theory to suit their needs. Whenever men become sufficiently dissatisfied with the existing regime of positive law and custom, they will be found reaching out beyond it for the rational basis of what they conceive ought to be. This is what the Americans did in their controversy with Great Britain.

The Global Citizenship Commission was convened, under the leadership of former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the auspices of NYU’s Global Institute for Advanced Study, to re-examine the spirit and stirring words of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The result – this volume – offers a 21st-century commentary on the original document, furthering the work of human rights and illuminating the ideal of global citizenship. What does it mean for each of us to be members of a global community? Since 1948, the Declaration has stood as a beacon and a standard for a better world. Yet the work of making its ideals real is far from over. Hideous and systemic human rights abuses continue to be perpetrated at an alarming rate around the world. Too many people, particularly those in power, are hostile to human rights or indifferent to their claims. Meanwhile, our global interdependence deepens. Bringing together world leaders and thinkers in the fields of politics, ethics, and philosophy, the Commission set out to develop a common understanding of the meaning of global citizenship – one that arises from basic human rights and empowers every individual in the world. This landmark report affirms the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and seeks to renew the 1948 enterprise, and the very ideal of the human family, for our day and generation.