WITH A REBEL YELL

Sometimes, I refer to E as "my Lil' Crusader." She has these "revolutionary" tendencies. She sees something that's not right, whether in her grad school department, on the street, or life in general, her first instinct is to do something to correct it. Sometimes, it gets her in some warm water. But, that doesn't even enter into the calculations for her. And at times, I'm jealous.

I can be such a tool of the system sometimes. Sure, I rail against it when it doesn't suit me. There have even been those rare occassions when I've used the little bit of "da juice" to try and fix things. But, in general, I'll sit and bite my tongue. And, I even go one step further sometimes -- I take the "flawed system," whatever it is, and find a way to manipulate it and play it to my advantage.

I find a disturbing resemblence between myself and the character of Avon from the cult sci-fi show Blake's 7. In the second episode of the series, called "Space Fall," three of the main characters debate their escape from a ship on its way to a penal colony.

JENNA
Back to Earth?

BLAKE
Yes. That's where the heart of the Federation is. I intend to see that heart torn out.

AVON
I thought you were probably insane.

BLAKE
That's possible! They butchered my family, my friends. They murdered my past and gave me tranquilized dreams.

JENNA
At least you're still alive.

BLAKE
No! Not until free men can think and speak. Not until power is back with the honest man.

AVON
Have you ever met an honest man?

JENNA [Glances at Blake]
Perhaps.

AVON
Listen to me. Wealth is the only reality. And the only way to obtain wealth is to take it away from somebody else. Wake up, Blake! You may not be tranquilized any longer, but you're still dreaming.

JENNA
Maybe some dreams are worth having.

AVON
You don't really believe that.

JENNA
No, but I'd like to.

BLAKE
Yes, well, you asked me what I was going to do and I've told you. What you do is up to yourselves.

AVON
Right. A new identity, a job in the Federation Banking System. Three months with their computers, I could lift a hundred million credits and nobody would know where they went. Then let anyone try and touch me.

BLAKE
And the rest?

AVON
Have the same chance as I have.

BLAKE
You don't really believe that.

That last part could easily be an exchange between me and my Lil' Crusader.