Dear George,
Progress is an ongoing act of refinement in which we learn from history even as we ignore or corrupt it. So it is that under your administration we are seeing the gradual maturation of the police state. Not for you the clumsy brutality of a third-world dictator. You, in your wisdom, understand that a delicate finesse is required when dealing with a consumerist society. Toys, not torture, lubricate the wheels of oppression.
The key, here, is incremental habituation.
The trick is to tighten the screws of oppression so gradually that the masses never realize the increased constrictions under which they are living. And with each twist express your deepest regret. Reassure them that the latest restriction is necessary for reasons of National Security. (Have the media start capitalizing that.) Reaffirm that we are the land of the free. Swear to them that as soon as the danger has passed their liberties will be restored. And always, always move in small increments.
The aim is not the iron heel of dictatorship, but the voluntary self-censorship of thought and action by the masses. The Victorians found themselves racked by guilt at the slightest thought of sexuality. Citizens of the 21st Century must find themselves racked by guilt at the slightest thought of free expression. And free expression, or course, is any thought, word or deed that does not conform to the will of the state as expressed through popular culture. The goal is to make each man his own policeman.
I want to share a few thoughts that might help achieve the stability and security that is our due.
You’ve already insured self-censorship in the media by allowing the consolidation of corporate ownership. Media forms pop culture which determines what is acceptable and what is not. The media’s aiding and abetting of the sexual revolution was a stroke of genius. Those who believe they’re free because they’re getting laid never notice the erosion of their civil liberties. This is one area where you’d better keep Ashcroft on a short leash.
Treat dissent as a form of psychosis. Here you might bring to bear the talents of Dr. Phil. Let him have a session with the Dixie Chicks on prime time. In front of millions let him convince the Chicks that their dissent has nothing to do with political truth or morality and everything to do with their feeling of inadequacy. A tearful confession would have a bigger impact then ten-thousand show trials.
Recognize the gift you gave yourself in the executive order that allowed you to categorize anyone as an “enemy combatant.” You deftly suspended habeas corpus without suspending it. Use it on those too irresponsible to exercise the self-control that is the mortar that holds the bricks of society in place. What you can’t marginalize, trash.
Get the masses use to the sudden disappearance of larges portions of society. Let these disappearances be bathed in benevolence. Compare yourself to the surgeon who saves a body by cutting away the rot that is sapping its health. Peace and prosperity require the fatherly hand of healing.
Keep the kettles of paranoia simmering with dark hints of unknown dangers. Anxiety is the midwife of oppression. By instinct the anxious turn to the TV for comfort and in doing so continue to internalize the lessons of popular culture: go along, fit in, don’t rock the boat, and look out for number one.
Slowly, George, slowly. That’s the key. History is rumbling along in your favor. Don’t screw it up by shifting into a higher gear.
Your admirer,
Belacqua Jones
1:32:44 PM 
|
