10-8-17 (Extra Credit)
Name: Sweetheart Alexandra Dixon
Date: October 8, 17 NE
Grade: Upper School, Year 1
Age: 9 (but almost 10!)
Teacher: Ms. Sherry Sherry Bo-berry fee-fi fo-merry SHERRY!
Government
Extra Credit Assignment
Instructions: Please answer the following additional questions to receive extra credit on your recent Government test. You may research your answers.
1. What is currently the minimum age to vote in Jamestown?
16 but it should be 13 b/c we have to work as aprentices for our own rations then!
2. Who is in the Jamestown militia and is expected to defend the town in the event of a breach of our gates?
Every able-bawdy person over 13. Anyone under 13 gets hid if we get attacked. B/c when we're 13 we can fight and die for our town but we can't even vote for our mayor!
3. Which Jamestown citizens are in the Alliance Army Reserves and can be called up by the Alliance Army General in the event of an attack against the Alliance?
All the deputies (like my mama) and the sheriff
All the guards
All the Navy with a rank of Insin or higher
Anyone who volunteers to be on the reserve list, like my daddy
4. When is Founding Day, and why do we call it that?
November 10 b/c Jamestown was founded as a safe-zone that day. That's when the Navy made the first charter for Jamestown in 1 NE.
5. When is Charter Day, and why do we call it that?
June 12, b/c June 12, 7 NE Jamestown adopted the new charter the council rewrote.
6. When were the first free elections held in Jamestown for the Transition Council?
May of 7 NE – after my mama and daddy beat those bad guys
7. When is election day now for Jamestown Council? For the mayor?
July 10 and July 11
8. When is Memorial Day and what does it commemorate?
May 5 – everyone who died keeping Jamestown or the Alliance safe, like Capin David Cummins and Andrew Davies and all them other heroes, or even people who just died getting killed, like Capin John Smith.
9. When is Unity Day and what does it commemorate?
November 17 - sineing the Alliance treaty and we celebrate at the fair with square dancing and I'm going to ask Gary to be in my square this year because he's so dreamy! And RJ and Gracie b/c Gracie told me she thinks RJ is cute. I'll try to get Yona and Hope let VanDaryl be in their square. I bet Hershel will be in Judith's square b/c I heard they kissed under the mistletoe in December!
10. What is the minimum legal age of marriage in Jamestown?
17. But 16 if you get permishon from your parents or the Court. 15 if you get knocked-up and get permishon from the Court. Unless the guy who knocked you up is more than 4 years older, then he's probly getting his ass beat and going to jail. I don't know what happens if you get knocked up at 14 but daddy says I can't have sex until I'm 45 and he's dead but that doesn't make any since b/c if I get married at 20 I have to do the sex and that's when I'm getting married. But I guess I don't have to do it until I want kids and I don't want kids until I'm a Capt. so probably I won't have sex until I'm 25.
11. What's the minimum age to serve on Council?
18.
12. What's the minimum age to be elected mayor?
25
13. Who appoints the sheriff and the managers?
The Council
14. Who appoints assistant managers?
The managers
15. Who appoints the sheriff's lieutenant and deputies?
The sheriff
16. Who appoints the Captain of the Navy in the event the current captain should die or voluntarily retire?
The Council would pick a new captin from the ranks. Usually the Commander, but they could pick someone else.
17. Who promotes and demotes officers in the Navy?
The Capt.
18. List the Jamestown Navy ranks in order from lowest to highest.
Seeman Apprentice – Seeman – Insin– Jr. Lt. – Lt. – Lt.-Commander – Commander – Capt.
Teacher's Notes:
Good job, Sweetheart. This will bring your grade on your Government test up to a B. Please look up the words I've crossed out in the dictionary and correct them for spelling practice. Write out the word "because." Also, watch your language.
You seem to feel passionately about the voting age. There are many arguments against allowing someone to vote at the tender age of thirteen. Thirteen is still very young. You are typically under direct supervision as an apprentice for at least three years. Even though teenagers work for their own rations at 13, their parents or sponsors are still legally responsible for their housing, clothing, and medical care until they turn 17 or legally marry. You can't join the Alliance Army Reserves until the age of 17, and you can't legally marry without permission until the age of 17.
If you want to start a petition to lower the voting age, however, you can. You need to write up a convincing argument and collect 50 signatures of voting-age citizens (16 and up) and submit it to the Council, and then the Council has to consider it and vote it up or down.
[10-9-17]
"Daddy, sign this, pretty please." Sweetheart slides a piece of notebook paper on the kitchen table in front of Daryl as he picks his teeth with a toothpick. She hands him a freshly sharpened pencil, which she pulls out from behind her ear through her thick, wavy brown hair. It's gotten darker as she's gotten older, so that it looks almost black now, though her eyes are still the same light hazel they were when she was a toddler. Carol, who is scrubbing the dirty dishes in a plastic tub on the kitchen bar, glances over. Daryl rolls the toothpick to the side of his mouth and gnaws on it as he scribbles his signature across the page.
"Thank you!" Sweetheart says, brings the paper over to the counter, and places it near the tub. "Mama, please sign this."
Carol doesn't know why she's Mama and Daryl still gets to be Daddy. She supposes Daryl will still be Daddy when Sweetheart is thirty. She also doesn't know why VanDaryl and Gary call Shannon mom but she's mama. Well, she does know. It's because Daryl always calls her mama to Sweetheart – Mind yer mama now; help yer mama with the dishes; don't talk to yer mama like that.
As Carol picks up the sheet to read it, Sweetheart goes over behind the drapes in her bedroom, most likely to feed the turtle. After Stinky died, Daryl spent an entire afternoon trying to catch a frog Sweetheart wanted. Hoppy lived about two years, and was succeeded by another little brown skink, Stinky, Junior. Stinky, Junior lasted two years as well. Molasses is going on three. Sweetheart named the turtle that because Daryl said, "Won't be no trouble catchin' that turtle. He's slow as molasses."
Carol reads over the petition and brings it to the table, where she sits close enough to Daryl to speak softly so as not to be heard beyond the drapes. "Did you even read this before you signed it?"
"Nah, why?" Daryl asks around his toothpick.
"Because it's a petition to lower the voting age to thirteen."
"Huh."
"I don't think we should lower the voting age to thirteen," Carol says. "Do you?"
"Just sign it," Daryl tells her. "Ain't like the Council's gonna approve it."
"She's already collected twenty signatures," says Carol a little proudly. "She must have gone around to everyone aged sixteen to eighteen. And she got old lady Romero to sign it, though I'm not sure she's with it enough anymore to know what she was signing. And Gunther?"
"Gunther can't say no to her," Daryl says.
"Neither can you, apparently."
"C'mon, just sign it." Daryl tosses his toothpick in the trash.
Carol does sign the petition, smiling slightly as she sweeps her signature across line twenty-one. Sweetheart emerges from behind the drapes. "This was very well thought-out, Sweetie," Carol says. "You make a lot of good arguments. And it's well-written. You took the time to double-check your spelling. I'm proud of you for your initiative and hard work in putting it together."
"VanDaryl edited it for me. He kind of rewrote it actually." She takes the paper back. "Twenty-nine signatures to go! Can I go campaigning?"
"Sure," Daryl says immediately. "Go on. Get them signatures."
"I don't know. It's getting late," Carol says. "The sun has set." Jamestown is safe and secure behind walls, with very little crime, and the pathways are lit by torch light until curfew, but Carol still doesn't like her daughter going out after sunset entirely alone.
"I'll bring Puppy with me," Sweetheart assures Carol.
"Okay then," Carol agrees reluctantly.
"I'll go get Aunt Shannon and Uncle Garland to sign it first and then bring VanDaryl to campaign with me," Sweetheart says confidently.
"Well, that's good," Carol says. "Safety in numbers."
"Pffft. Like VanDaryl's going to protect me. I just want the company." She shouts at the dog on the bear skin rug: "Come on, Puppy!"
Puppy snaps to attention and trots after Sweetheart as the girl goes out the door.
"There's no way in hell that petition is going to be voted up by the Council," Carol says when the door is shut.
"Just don't let 'er know you voted it down," Daryl says. He grins. "Gonna take her a while. Got the place to ourselves for a change."
Carol smiles back affectionately. "Ah, is that why you didn't object to her going out after sunset alone?"
"Ain't alone. Got puppy. 'N we got the whole place to ourselves."
"You mentioned that. Why? Did you want to take advantage of the opportunity and clean?"
Daryl glowers.
Carol chuckles. "I'll tell you what. First empty the washing tub for me. I'll slip into something more comfortable while you're doing that."
Daryl raises an eyebrow. "The red one?"
"If that's your preference, I can accommodate."
Daryl jolts from his chair and seizes the wash tub. The water sloshes slightly from its sides as he picks it up and heads for the door.