Three Views of Fear

In Scenario One a young man is born in Brooklyn, NY to a modest but politically established family. He lives abroad during much of his childhood. He is bright and attends Dartmouth College and is, eventually, launched into a remarkable career landing him a job as President of The New York Federal Reserve Bank where his annual salary was $398,000. He is a member of The Council on Foreign Relations – worked for them, actually – and also dabbled on Wall Street, having been very involved with ominous companies like AIG and Lehman Brothers. It is said that his opinion saved AIG and ruined Lehman Brothers. He understood derivatives, mortgage swaps and all other manner of economic magic and became very rich because of this understanding. Given these accomplishments he was nominated by the 44th president of The United States of America to become Secretary of the Treasury. During his confirmation process it was asserted and admitted that he had not paid sufficient and significant taxes in prior years. He blamed it on his focus on his very important work overseas. He made amends with little or no penalty. He then became The Secretary of The Treasury of The United States of America. Within hours of his confirmation trillions of dollars flowed from the already empty coffers of our treasury; much of it went to AIG and other banker brethren. Many consider him a god. The acts of this one individual have placed our country in a financial conundrum from which we shall never recover. His actions have finally ruined The United States of America. Never served in the military.

In Scenario Two a young man is born somewhere – Hawaii, I suppose – to modest means and confused conditions. But he succeeds in growing up with an acute intellect and a magnificent ability to make friends and communicate. He earns a degree from Columbia University and begins a career as an individual involved in community organization, poverty initiatives, voters’ rights activism and social justice. This young man never seeks, attains or holds a position with a company that earns a profit. He enters politics and soon becomes a United States Senator from The Great State of Illinois. In fewer than 24 months he decides to run for president and he wins. Within 60 days of his swearing in he has taken over the biggest companies in the world, told them that he and his friends can run them better than they, committed more money to welfare and bailouts of failed corporations than any single politician in the history of the world, reneged on his war plans, pretended to reduce taxes on the American citizens, assured that our future generations will crumble in debt. The world loves him. He is The Commander in Chief. Never served in the military.

In Scenario Three a young man or woman is born in Flagstaff, Scranton, Des Moines, Youngstown or Savannah to modest means. They do what they do. They are bright, capable, gifted and perhaps uncertain. They choose to serve their country in the armed services. Maybe they remain in the states but many go overseas – to Vietnam, Cambodia, Kuwait, Iraq or Afghanistan. They come home and are treated poorly by our government and our citizens. They go back, again. They come home and are treated poorly by our government and our citizens. They go back, again. Next time they come home they are identified as one of the most likely terrorist groups in America by these little pricks mentioned above. They are the real terrorists. There is a revolution brewing, friends. This is getting really nasty! Is anyone listening – Is anyone listening?