#37 Don’t Force Me

America loves a competition. I suppose that’s why the two political parties keep hammering away at each other long after the last election is past and way before the next election is on the horizon. Seems to me we used to have a little peace and quiet for a year or two between campaigns in the good old days. Probably not. Most “good old days” only seemed that way to the people they were good for.
It’s funny though. I saw a news show the other night about some of the pundits being up in arms cause they think George Lucas was picking on George Bush in the last Star Wars episode. Funny, since he wrote the damn script about 10 years before there ever was a president Bush. The younger one that is. And the theme that the attack dogs are talking about is as familiar to history buffs as can be, and has been a constant of political drama since long, long ago and far, far away. Although it is not my intent in this column to delve into things political, methinks the pundits doth protest too much. The scene in question where the soon-to-be evil emperor steals power from the senate—by their willing acclaim—on the pretense that terrorists and/or revolutionaries and/or barbarians are at the doorstep ready to destroy the elected democracy is a scenario that has been so often repeated in history—Caesar, Napoleon, and Hitler spring to mind—that it would have been hard for George Lucas not to put it in his epic. Democracies never fall from the outside. They always fall because of fear from within, when people willingly giving up their rights to leaders who promise to protect them in exchange for small curtailments of their personal freedom. Yeah, that’s it. That freedom stuff is overrated. If an anonymous source says you’re a terrorist, why, we owe it to our safety to give you a free trip to Gitmo. No lawyers allowed thank-you-very-much.
“But Master, isn’t that against our basic rights as citizens to face our accuser in a court of law, as guaranteed by the galactic constitution.”
“These are desperate times grasshopper. And desperate times call for desperate measures.”
“You mean?”
“Yes, my student, Constitution schmonstitution. You just have to trust that the government has your best interests at heart whether you know it or not. I’m sure that anonymous accuser didn’t have a bone to pick with you and wasn’t out to cause you any harm just because your dangerous political leanings didn’t agree with his. What are you, paranoid?”
“Well I was a little put off when you put on that black helmet and got that breathy metallic voice.”
I’m thinking if you keep up that smart-ass tone it won’t be long before you’re feeling—the force.
(Metallic Breath) America, (Metallic Breath) ya gotta love it.”