Oh America, happy birthday. Happy remembering how we declared our independence from the world's most powerful rule.
Happy remembering how we proclaimed our freedom from the very idea of empire, when we declared, "all humans are equal," when we pronounced that governments get their powers from the consent of the governed, when we deemed it our right and duty to overthrow any rulers who impose on us empire and the ideas of empire.
Today, on this your birthday, we declare again our independence from empire and from the notions of empire;

from the idea that the need to control requires that some dominate others,
we declare our independence,
from the belief that the rulers may use us to achieve their goals,
we declare our independence,
from the prejudice that nature equips men better than women to dominate, and some races and classes to dominate,
we declare our independence,
from the dogma that violence is redemptive, that violence is the only language enemies understand,
we declare our independence.
from the doctrine that those with weapons, technology, wealth and the largest markets are the ones who deserve to survive,
we declare our independence,
from the idolatry that money is the most important value,
we declare our independence, from the conviction that property is sacred, and property ownership is an absolute right,
we declare our independence,
from the opinion that institutions are more important than people,
we declare our independence,
from the pomposity that there is no higher value or being or power than the state, that if there is a God, God is the protector and patron of the state,
we declare our independence,

Happy birthday America
and here is to the day when we will enjoy independence from our own empire.

* Adapted from The Powers that Be by Walter Wink.
Tom Keene, July 4, 1994