A metaphorical look at Today's Headlines (Please Feel Free To Review)
This past week marked the commemoration of the sinking of the Titanic and it got me thinking of how sometimes history repeats itself. Exhibiting reckless optimism, the captain of that ill-fated ocean liner drove his ship at breakneck speed into the uncertain void of the North Atlantic, arrogantly ignoring credible warnings of potentially dangerous icebergs. The ship, he believed, was "unsinkable". Even after the vessel collided with the ice, the captain held fast to his stubborn position: Titanic could not sink. First Class passengers maintained a 'business as usual' attitude, and rightly so: regardless of the outcome, they knew they would be spared. Far below deck, however, the lowest class of passengers faced the realization that the ship was in serious danger as millions of gallons of icy water poured through the badly ruptured hull. Their cries for help went unheeded by captain and crew, not to mention the vessel's architects and engineers on board for Titanic's maiden voyage.
Interestingly enough, this past week witnessed millions of patriotic Americans gathering together to raise their collective cry for help as their own "ship" appears to be on its way to a date with destiny. Cutting through uncertain waters at full-throttle, the United States--captained by a Congress full of arrogance and misguided optimism--is steaming into the darkest night of its history, ignorant of both the potential danger and the warning signs. When the collision occurs, those on the 'upper decks' know that their way of life won't be in jeapordy; they've readied their own lifeboats, stocking them with bailout money and undeserved bonuses. Those of us in steerage, however, can be certain of our own demise. Maybe we'll get a life vest--a few more weeks of unemployment benefits or food stamps--but it will only delay the inevitable: we'll likely freeze to death in the chilly sea of government debt for generations to come.
But it doesn't have to be that way. If the Tea Parties of last week proved anything, it is that Americans are paying attention at a level not seen since perhaps the Viet Nam war. Relocating their collective voice, misplaced due to years of prosperity and contentment, The People are experiencing a real sense of solidarity, believing again in the power of that unity. And let's clarify, for the benefit of a slanted press: These Tea Parties were not populated by Right-Wing wackos. The rally I attended was not aimed at any one individual or political party. It was The People having their Constitutionally-ordained say against their government. Period. In blatant defiance (or, at best an ignorant disregard) of the will of The People, the federal government--and that includes the administration and Congress (both sides of the aisle)--have stoked the boilers of the Treasury and executed insane spending measures, ostensibly to "stimulate" the sagging economy. Unfortunately, these measures contain little "stimulus" and lots of pork and earmarks. The Fat Cats in Washington think we're apathetic or ignorant. The Tea Parties proved that neither is the case, and believe me, that surprised them. The walls of the gated community in which they take refuge cannot withstand an all out assault by an angry and hurting America, and let's hope this government isn't too self-absorbed to miss that. In fragile times, the spirit of revolution is usually strong enough to convince the government to back off. Let's hope so.
There are historians who say they have evidence to support their theories that the White Star Line, owners of Titanic, were in such financial distress that they engineered and constructed the great ship in a purposefully unsafe manner, so that, upon its demise the company could collect a handsome insurance settlement. If that's true , and I'm not saying that it is, then the company obviously would have given little thought to the "collateral losses" such a scenario would create. Likewise, if the government is hell-bent on breaking the financial back of the bedrock of our Nation in order to preserve the upper-tier of wealth in a journey towards a New World Order, the ruse is well on its way. In reality, however, the federal government is just not that savvy. It's likely the approaching disaster is simply the product of greed and arrogance by a frightened government exhibiting nothing more than self-preservation.
It is said that history repeats itself, and that those who fail to remember the past are destined to repeat it. It's obvious that the federal government remembers well the Titanic tragedy. Remember, Captain Smith went down with Titanic; Congress isn't about to make that mistake. Ironically, many of Titanic's passengers were headed to the new world with visions of prosperity and freedom. Many didn't see that dream fulfilled. Let us band together to make sure that similar dreams of passengers on our "ship"--our children and grandchildren--don't suffer the same fate.
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