A Forum for the New World Order

A few weeks ago, a little study about the contagiousness of positivity enjoyed several days upon multiple iterations on news sites and “buzz aggregators”. People are starved of it, and they're expressing it in ways that go beyond common sense considering economists’ bleak projections about what America will look like (it ain't pretty) if we don't do something and something big, something NOW. The danger of waiting risks losing huge demographics (I need to speak to the useless third of the population in terms they're sure to understand) of people who would otherwise not support sweeping, innovative, risky projects to reboot our economy.

Complain all you want about Obama's appeared drift to the middle. More than anything (more than fantasies of future economic models), we need consensus, efficiency, and courage from our leaders at a time when people are still impressionable. Leaders that decide, politically, to oppose this unprecedented drive for progression will pay dearly, politically; their constituents forever turned off to government, period. Obama is here to soothe those of us who still haven't realized the depth of our crisis and just how badly we need to put our minds TOGETHER.

Stop belly-aching. Stop nit-picking. This man is not lying to us. He's just begging us, ALL OF US, to get along. The realization of that will be, quite simply, our salvation.

The Civil War is set to officially end January 20, 2009. It's our choice whether that date will also mark the beginning of the end of America.

From the screenplay for "The Last Temptation of Christ":
EXT. TOWNSQUARE – DAY

PAUL — who we recognize as the Zealot Saul who killed Lazarus —
preaches to a handful of villagers. Standing straight,
radiating confidence, he speaks with the evangelistic fervor
of a born-again Christian.

PAUL
I used to be a sinner. The worst
sinner. I did everything. Whored,
drank, murdered. I killed anyone who
violated the Law of Moses. Then, I
was struck by a burning light and a
voice called to me, ‘Saul, why are
you persecuting me? Why are you
against me?’ ‘Who are you?’ I said.
‘Jesus,’ the voice said, and he gave
me my sight. I opened my eyes and I
was baptized and became Paul. I bring
the good news to every country.

Jesus comes closer, the Angel by his side.

PAUL
I bring this news. About Jesus of
Nazareth. He wasn’t the son of Mary,
he was the son of God. His mother
was a virgin. The angel Gabriel came
to earth and put God’s seed in her
womb. That’s how he was born. He
took on our sins, he was tortured,
crucified — but three days later he
rose again and was taken up to heaven.
Death was conquered, praise God!
Death was conquered, sins were
forgiven and the Kingdom of Heaven’s
now open to everyone.

Jesus can restrain himself no longer. He calls out:

JESUS
Did you ever see this resurrected
Jesus of Nazareth? I mean, with your
own eyes?

PAUL
No. But I saw a blinding flash of
light and I heard his voice.

JESUS
You’re a liar!

PAUL
His disciples saw him. They were
hiding in an attic with the doors
locked when suddenly he appeared.
Only one, Thomas, wasn’t convinced
but he put his fingers in his wounds
and gave Jesus some fish, which he
ate.

JESUS
Liar!
(to people around him)
He’s a liar!
Disgusted, Jesus turns and walks away. His angel follows.
In the background, Paul comes after him.

JESUS feels Paul’s footsteps drawing closer. He’s about to
explode. Suddenly, he turns on his heel, grabs Paul by the
shoulders and shakes him violently.

JESUS
(continuing)
You’re a liar! I’m Jesus of Nazareth.
I was never crucified. I never came
back from the dead. I’m a man like
everyone else. Why are you spreading
these lies?

ANGEL
Quiet.

PAUL
What are you talking about?

JESUS
I’m the son of Mary and Joseph, who
preached in Galilee. James and John,
the sons of Zebedee, were my
disciples. We marched on Jerusalem,
they brought me before Pilate, but
God saved me.

JESUS’ Angel doesn’t like this conversation; he tugs violently
at his sleeve. Jesus shoves him aside. Paul takes Jesus around
a corner where they won’t be seen.

PAUL
No he didn’t!

JESUS
Now I live like a man. I have a
family. I eat, work, have children.
Do you understand what I’m saying?
Don’t go around the world spreading
these lies about me.
(shouts)
Because, I’ll tell everyone the truth.
Now it’s Paul’s turn to explode.

PAUL
Look around you! Look at these people.
Do you see the suffering and
unhappiness in this world? Their
only hope is the Resurrected Jesus.
I don’t care whether you’re Jesus or
not. The Resurrected Jesus will save
the world — that’s what matters.

JESUS
The world can’t be saved by lies.

PAUL
I created the truth. I make it out
of longing and faith. I don’t struggle
to find truth — I build it. If it’s
necessary to crucify you to save the
world, then I’ll crucify you. And
I’ll resurrect you too, whether you
like it or not.

JESUS
I won’t let you. I’ll tell everyone
the truth.

PAUL
Shout all you want. Who’ll believe
you? You started all this, now it
can’t be stopped. The faithful will
grab you and call you a blasphemer
and throw you in a fire.

JESUS
No, that wouldn’t happen.

PAUL
How do you know? You don’t know how
much people need God. You don’t know
what a joy it is to hold the cross,
to put hope in the hearts of men, to
suffer, to be killed — all for the
sake of Christ. Jesus Christ. Jesus
of Nazareth, Son of God. Messiah.

Jesus is listening intently now.

PAUL
(continuing)
Not you. Not for your sake.
(pause)
I’m glad I met you. Now I can forget
you. My Jesus is much more powerful.

Does not challenge my atheistic sensibilities. Discuss.

Yesterday I heard some radio DJs wondering out-loud and with their call-in audience about what Obama’s gonna do as president, everything from his policy priorities to his cabinet appointments. Just before I got in the car I had been directed to the site, change.gov, where everything you ever wanted to know about the direction of this new administration is laid out in plain language. No half-assed double-talk. Just policy. Real change. And so I listened to that radio show realizing why we’ve ever needed to tune into these shows in the first place. It’s because Americans are used to being lied to. We’re used to having to parse words and guess meanings. We’re used to seeing two sides to everything. This time people should get ready to put all of that aside and realize there is only one side: we the people, truth in ear. We should get ready to help Obama govern that way. Because old habits die hard, but he’s not kidding around.

Obama’s rise to leadership was relatively quick, but it was no mistake. His career has been driven almost solely on his desire to end poverty–his decision to run for president guided only by his dismay at his inability to make a dent in any lower wrung.

This election wasn’t a horse race. McCain could have easily been “our guy”, if only he hadn’t let himself be “handled”–to win at all costs, even if it meant stirring up fear and hate to gain ground. Obama stood out on the podium Tuesday night alone. Just him and his ideals. McCain eloquently asked his crowd to welcome their new president; to recognize the gravity of the moment. There was a time when people proudly looked upon their president as EVERYONE’s president. Not the president of special interests of any kind. Not the president of rich white men and fortune 500 corporations. I hope everyone comes to see our country as one nation again. Hell, I don’t even mind if they say “under god”.

Obama showed us during his campaign how the old rove machine couldn’t win against a populace filled with hope. The status-quo government isn’t malignantly detached or corrupt; we DID elect George W. Bush and congress; the Supreme Court and every last beurocrat or special interest that surrounds the machine. We all did it slowly and through drawn-out apathy. And it is so that we will let this last masthead for our own corruption and greed go quietly into history. We will not punish or rage. Idealism will rule the day. Hate and fear have no use in this new future.

People need to be aware of something alarming:

As we speak, there are robo-calls going out all over this country that claim, in essence, that Obama is a terrorist. Lets just put aside the fact that we are so used to this Rove-ian-type stunt that we aren’t collectively so outraged by it that Republicans everywhere should run scared. Lets forget the Bush clan’s dirty tricks for just one moment and consider the ramifications of this most recent transgression:

If (and probably when) Obama is elected president, there will be huge numbers of people that believe, truly, that there is a terrorist in the White House. Just think about that for a minute. Yeah, I know.

I have so little hope for this election. Whichever way it goes.

Fuck.