Tuesday, January 03, 2006

I had a dream last night

I just finished reading Chuck Colson's latest article, in which he related an awful dream he had. His openness has inspired me to relate a dream of my own.

I was seated on my sitting crate, trying to pick the best albums of 2005, as is customary for Internet Bloggers. I was concentrating hard when, suddenly, I saw before my eyes a headline from the New York Times. It read, "Bush proclaims mandate after republican sweep of midterm elections."

The view changed. Just as in the 1960s thousands protested the president and were spied on and sprayed with firehouses. There was massive confusion and the sounds of sirens.

And then, I saw the Supreme Court, where newly confirmed Justice Alito read a surprising decision, overturning the 22nd amendment (the one that limits a president to two turns). Out side the courthouse, a wailing and the odor of tear gas.

The next thing I saw was the halls of congress where the few remaining Democratic nominees, save Joe Lieberman, were escorted from the chamber by military police, to be held in connection with their treasonous activities in questioning the President.

The President cancelled the 2008 elections, citing national Emergency. Huge detention centers dotted the landscape as all those who held liberal ideas were finally dealt with in away Ann Coulter and David Horowitz would be proud of. Our military was sent throughout the Middle East. Thousands died as we invaded Iran, Syria, Lebanon, and so on. Mandatory service in the military was the law.

I turned on the television; there was only one channel and it was certainly fair and balanced, as it presented both the good side and the better side of President for Life Bush's policy's. A group of talking heads were talking about how wise and just President Bush was. One man's voice stood out as he said, "It was all so foreseeable. Once you allow a President to rule based on his black and white religiosity, he will realize that he cannot allow others who lack his vision to rule after him. No one understood that a black and white morality implies the restraining of those who would serve the black and a surveillance of those who seem to serve the white. We don't even have the language to describe a loyal opposition anymore. Destruction was inevitable."

And that's when I woke up in a cold sweat.

After toweling myself off, I ran to the front door. There was no newspaper there. I don't take a newspaper, actually. So kind of a wasted effort. Then I ran to my computer and punched up the online version of the New York Times. There was nothing there but the normal. Fights over the Alito Confirmation and Squabbles about Iraq. As I walked out of my computer room, my knees were still shaking.

It was only a ludicrous fantasy that has pretty much no chance of coming true. We're okay, I told myself.

Or are we?

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