An Unhappy Ending

Once upon a time, America had gotten into a bit of a tight spot. "The Korean War was raging" and the "Cold War was hot" (Williams). The Soviet Union had begun testing its nuclear weapons, and the whole country was uneasy. "How will I get out of this one?" America wondered. Tensions rose as she thought and thought, but the solution always seemed just out of reach. As the time for decision-making ran out, along came the Government, eager to help. "Let us initiate our own nuclear testing!" it said. America listened, but she was skeptical. Wouldn't that course of action have terrible side effects on her own population? Literally send them on the fast track to see Jesus? Practically everyone was unconvinced. Some people even thought the Government was seeing pink elephants. But the Government pulled some strings, and out came the unconditional patriots, painting everyone red, white, and blue: "'if you were against nuclear testing, you were for the Communist regime,'" they said (Williams). Of course, they would not be affected, and what was the harm in taking a little advantage of the wartime attitude to unite America's future "sheep"? The Government was pleased, for it had already picked the perfect spot--almost clear of any people--to drop some bombs: Nevada. "Desert is only two letters away from deserted, you see," it told America. And so, with a half-hearted, "What kind of rhetoric is that?" America grudgingly conceded, even as the first signs of cancer and injury began to appear in the American public. Instead of stopping the Cold War, the Government fed it.

Today, approximately 1030 bombs later, we remember millions of affected citizens--hundreds of thousands of whom are dead--as well as the capabilities of the government when it has the public's fearful compliance at its disposal. This country is meant to be run by its people.