Pepperbear - The Parable (Pictures)

Random, they were: a bakery in Omaha, a restaurant in Fresno, a school in Richmond, a grocery store in Dekalb, a library in South Bend, an office building in Houston, a theater in Anchorage, a gas station in Bangor, several private homes in Des Moines, Atlanta, Orlando, Seattle and Milwaukee. It happened in one weekend all over the country, and with no pattern. There were 572 in all. Panic ensued, the usual suspects became scapegoats, and the next campaign hinged on security, values, and faith. The election was a landslide.

January 20, 2037

"By 2PM, we started to notice there were black SUVs with tinted glass on every corner. By 6PM, it was made clear that everyone was to be off the streets. By 7PM, the silence was broken only by the sound of gun fire. By 8PM, it was the distant sirens. By 10PM, we could hear the loudspeakers. By midnight, everything was different."

"Thomas Jefferson was a devout Christian who never swayed from the unfailing word of the Gospel. Like all of our founding fathers, he knew that the only path to liberty and prosperity for America was to ensure the blessings of a just and loving God upon our land. Thomas Jefferson died on July 4th, 1826."

-Textbook entry (in its entirety) on Thomas Jefferson, ca. 2038

"Supreme Court Mulls Annulment Of Childless Marriages"
"Musicians Arraigned On Charges Of Heresy"
"Coca Cola To Be Awarded US Water Management Contract"
"Secular Riot Quelled, 11 Killed"

-Various headlines,"Good News Tribune" ca. 2038

June 23, 2038

The "Women's Protection Act" passes unanimously in both the House and Senate. With a stroke of the President's pen, women find themselves "liberated" from the burden of voting, employment, property, and spinsterhood. The law ushers in what becomes known as the "New Feminist" era.

The 2038 "Thanksgiving Talks" between the US and the European Union break down as the EU votes unanimously to sever ties with the increasingly theocratic Super Power. The American press balks, calling the EU "Minions of the Devil" and "Carriers of Sin." By Christmas of that year, the case for war against Europe is being sold as "The New Crusade" and "A Blessing on the New Spirit of American Enterprise." Alarmed at the bellicose rhetoric coming from their neighbor to the south, Canada quickly closes its border. In January of 2039, several mysterious explosions take place in the Chunnel. 862 people are killed.

More to come.

© Mike Griffith