March 4, 2008
by Volt and Electra Penn
Ah, historic comparisons, those elusive illusions. At times it is tempting to read the entrails of bygone years, to peer into the beyond, anticipating a divine way to tomorrow. I've always been one to give in to temptation, especially if it's the tin-foil-hat-kind. Come on along with me to compare the bread and circus of Imperial Rome to the popcorn and rodeo of Imperial Americana.
Romans drove chariots, we lean on Segways. Their advanced aqueducts delivered pure, clean water, while our pipes are fraught with carcinogens. Roaming sex in Roman public baths was good clean fun, while today anonymous sex in a glory hole is a dirty way to get AIDS. The Coliseum was for blood spurts, as the Daytona 500 is for skid marks. The Roman Senate gave advice and consent, while the D.C. politicos are into vice and descent. Back then a centurion was a guardian of noble conviction, our Praetorian guards advocate mass extinction. The Roman economy was held fast with gold, today's wealth is measured in layered green mold. Their military industrial complex was union to the core; ours, a war machine fed by Halliburton whores.
Want another comparison? Rewind 2,000 Earth years, and notice the enormous blonde leather-clad hulks swinging axes over Roman heads. Now slide forward and realize we've been invaded by armies of brown Aztecs, hell-bent-over under loads of bricks.
Then, of course there's the ancient text written by a hermetic monk in which he explained that the Roman Emperor Constantine, 'dressed' in robes and a headdress gave paganism the toss. Now stretch your imagination and conjure up that recent photo of Obama 'dressed' in swaddling clothes. Notice his similarity to old Constantine? What's more, there's an ancient Yiddish saying that goes, 'You can tell a lot about a man by the size of his bodhitl.
I realize that even if a man has his head wrapped in cloth that doesn't make him a swami, a mummy, a cancer survivor or even a turbaned Muslim. Didn't J.F.K., M.L.K. and F.D.R. get the job done, not because they were Catholic, Baptist or High Church Presbyterians, but because they shared the same concerns of we the people, spoke the same language and had the same hope for a better tomorrow?
Compared to what Obama faces today, the three men mentioned above probably had the easiest go. They didn't have to find a solution for the uncounted thousands of homeless living inside cardboard boxes or under bridges; they didn't have to figure out what to do with the hundreds of thousands of abandoned sub-prime homes and they didn't have to explain the previous president's big fat lie.
The hardest job Obama must one day face will be to layout the truth about that lie and about the pitiful condition of our economy, and why we are experiencing an inflationary recession, and most importantly when our husbands, wives, brothers and sisters can come home from Iraq - for good.
Here's what I like to hear Obama say shortly after he takes the oath of office: "Yes, my fellow Americans, Iraq was about OIL! But we are about the people."
And while Obama is on TV telling the unvarnished truth, he can also tell us that, "Blackwater USA will be immediately downsized into Whitewater USA, to be used sparingly in natural disasters such as Katrina and only on the command of 'You the People'.
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"They're already big enough. The Pentagon's budget will be frozen. There will be no more billions for the Military Industrial's Complex. Instead of a million dollar screw to hold together the Complex's fragile ego, a 50 cent bolt from Home Depot will have to suffice.
"Our sovereign borders are just that - sovereign. They will henceforth be secured, protected and guarded by our returning Vets from Iraq, for those are the most highly skilled, highly trained and highly motivated patriotic guard-men this country has.
"There'll be tax credits for those corporations that bring manufacturing jobs back to this country. Tax breaks to those companies that only hire men and women 'made in the U.S.A.' More taxes will be heaped on those that continue to bilk, milk and raise our ilk.
"Finally, the church tithing will cease and desist. This government will no longer stick, pick, blow or grow their nose in the preacher's pulpit, the public's bedroom, or the doctor's office. It wasn't like that when the Constitution was written and it's not going to be like that now.
"It was our Uncle Franklin D. who once said, 'Americans need more than a wafer on their tongue or grape juice shot down their hatch. Americans need good jobs.'
"So, until the Corporate Overlords see fit to bring back jobs they shipped overseas, I'll create governmental work projects for all the unemployed mechanics, assembly line workers, technicians and artists who have lost their ability to survive with dignity - and instead of give-outs, they'll make a decent wage."
After Obama gives that speech, we should take a moment to remember, neither Constantine the Great nor Divine intervention saved Imperial Rome from its ultimate destruction. If the Romans forgot to remember their history lesson, it's no wonder they were doomed.
In his message of hope, Obama promises to stave off America's demise, so I say in the spirit of Rome, Constantine and Caesar, let's turn the skinny guy loose on it. He's got a sliver of a chance, but at least it's a chance, to put the Noble I back in American pride, and bring our past glory back to the future.
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Have Penn they'll listen. Volt Penn writes speeches for Progressive Populists and reasoned arguments for those on the left of center. He has also written speeches for anybody who has read his work. You can reach Volt Penn through his artist friend, b.b.kemp, at bbkemp@bbkemp.com
Volt/Electra Penn copyright 2008
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