The past few days my wife and I have seen three movies. Les Miserables, Jack Reacher and last night The Hobbit. We enjoyed the Hobbit the least but that is a personal preference thing I suppose. I noticed during the previews that all the new movies seem to have some kind of apocalyptic theme. Invaders come to earth, kill everybody off, practically except a small group who try to fight back. I got to wondering last night if I could write a screenplay or a book or something. The title 237 came to mind. We are 237 years from the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The story would begin with the ending of a World War II, a struggle against totalitarianism, national socialism and just pure evil. Suddenly a generation of babies would be born to mostly privilege and an easy and pampered life. We would shoot ahead to this group reaching the late teens and early twenties, accepting without thought many of the same philosophies that the World War was fought over, namely controlling other people's lives because we, the intellectual and well meaning caste, know what is best for everyone else. This, of course, has percolated through societies for centuries, but began a newer and stronger fermentation in the late 1800's.
The virtue of the country would be destroyed and there would be no good or bad, no right or wrong, everything would be relative. A degradation of society and repudiation of the American Idea of Life, Liberty, Pursuit of Happiness, E Pluribus Unum and In God We Trust would be thrown over to form The Bureaucracy. This type of government is a parasite on the liberty of the people. Those that are employed in the Bureaucracy become rich and unfeeling. They use their power to manipulate business and the markets of goods and services. The lawyers forget about truth and justice and every decision is made to strengthen the Bureaucracy and increase the capacity for the lawyers and politicians to gain more wealth.
There would be pockets of people remaining that still held true to the Founding Ideals. They could be found everywhere in small groups. Over a short period of time some terrible things happen. People are shot and killed, even little children. The Bureaucracy kicks into gear and confiscates guns, ammunition and knives. Some withhold and rebel, fighting against the police and the military, though some Patriots that belong to those organizations leave and join the rebels in defending the Constitution.
The Bureaucracy needs more money. We arrive to the point that all wealth is confiscated; money, property and businesses are taken and then reallocated to those who are loyal and supportive of the Bureaucracy. People who have operations that provide work to people are forced abandon everything and turn it over to people who know nothing about the business. To make it even more fictionalized, borrowing a line from Thomas Sowell, the country elects a President, who is not culturally an American, having grown up outside the country during his childhood, being taught continually of the faults and inherent evil of America by those who raised him, arriving as a youth being further influenced and inculcated in these philosophies. An unknowing and uncaring electorate places him in power and the country finally tips over the point of return and all capacity for freedom and liberty will now be permanently lost.
During the battles with the rebels there will be plenty of explosions and special effects. Mt. Rushmore is blown up by the forces of The Bureaucracy as a small group of hardy heros fights back. A small group carrying the flag is mown down at Lexington and Concord. A small group stealthily tries to get into Washington DC, but meet their end fighting in Arlington Cemetery.
Nature cries out and the whole scene is only stopped by something catastrophic. The Yellowstone caldera erupts violently and millions are killed, the climate is changed around the whole world, agriculture is diminished and billions die. The American Experiment still remains in the hearts and minds of a small few. They try again but there are no Jeffersons or Washingtons or Adams or Franklins among them. It could be spectacular; a combination of Les Miserables, Mad Max, Braveheart and Last of the Mohicans. Maybe Spielberg would direct it.
