Last night I was watching Deep Impact" the 1998 movie about a large comment heading for earth. So large that it is classified an E.L.E. or extinction level event. To save humanity nations were building under ground cities to be inhabited for 2 years. These cities also included a (hopefully) mating pair of many different species of animals. The name of the USA cave was "Ark II." The movie starred, among others; Robert Duvall, Téa Leoni, Elijah Wood and Morgan Freeman as President Tom Beck.
The US cave would house 1 million people; 1/5 or two hundred thousand (200,000) of those would be "pre-chosen" scientists, artists, soldiers, doctors, politicians and other officials. The other 4/5 (or 800,000) spaces would go to Americans chosen by lottery through their Social Security Number and no one over the age of 50 would be eligible for the lottery.
While watching I began to compare and contrast my feelings from the movie to how I felt the same situation with the same E.L.E. survival conclusion with the present US government. Besides the fact that listening to Morgan Freeman (whom I have listened to since 4th grade as "Easy Reader") is far more pleasurable and assuring that listening to President G. W. Bush, I knew that the lottery wouldn't really be a "lottery" with everyone under 50 years having an equal chance.
No, given this administration's record on cronyism and the poisonous neocon ideology, only those who were rich, or registered as Republican could get in, with a small (maybe 50,000 to 100,000) poor and middle class to clean and make sure the joint runs correctly. In fact they'd probably privatize it so the only way you could get you and your family in is to buy their way in, and there would be no age restriction on that. The mega churches would probably buy the way in for thousands of their leaders and members, Jews would be allowed to buy their way in (though secretly they'd probably have a quota) but any Muslim (unless they were of course connected to the Saudi Royal family), Hindus, Wiccans, Pagans, Gnostics, Sikhs, Zoroastrians, Buddhists, etc. need not apply. The poor "white trash" who goes to an Evangelical church, can do the clean up.
And then, just like in New Orleans, the neocons could repopulate the US with like minded souls.
Q.Do I really feel this way?
A.Yes, unfortunately I do.
Q.Did I feel this way in 1998?
A.No I did feel that things would be egalitarian.
Q. Do you think you can trust any US government administration in the future would be egalitarian with a real lottery selection process?
A. No, because for me, the Office of the President, has lost credibility. As Keith Olberman put it in a Special Comment directed to Bush; ". . . you are loosing the credibility, of not just your presidency sir, but more importantly of your office itself"
But this is a neocon tactic, and even knowing this, I still couldn't keep it from happening in my own mind.
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2 comments:
I think it would be all the wealthy and the religious leaders who could buy their way in - I don't see, for ex., random Jewish people being able to buy their way in. I think Bush would tell them to go to Israel and take shelter there, frankly.
But, right on with everything else. Unfortunately.
Yes, and isn't that sad that many of us feel that way.
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