The above photo was taken by the Martian rover Curiosity,
shortly after landing on the planet Mars; how astounding that this isn't
science fiction, but a real picture taken and transmitted from another planet
in our solar system.
Your Pope (that would be me, Pope John The Tall, of the All
John All The Time World Church and Currency Exchange; if you're interested in
how I came to aspire to and achieve such a lofty position in life, see the
explanation at the top of the page), thinks this is absolutely amazing.
I have always liked science fiction; in many instances, it's
not only the flight of fancy of an author with, typically, a very active
imagination, but a way of addressing social and topical issues from an unusual
perspective.
My favorite science fiction author, hands-down, was Robert
Heinlein, who wrote such giants of the genre as "Stranger In A Strange
Land", "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress", "Starship
Troopers", "Double Star", "The Cat Who Walked Through Walls",
and one of my favorites, "The Puppet Masters", which, by the way, was
made into a pretty good movie back in 1994 starring Donald Sutherland, Eric
Thal and Julie Warner.
Heinlein was, in many ways, a wry observer of the human
condition, and had a few rather "advanced" ideas about how we residents
of Planet Earth could improve our lives. I'll spare you all the details of his
various "beliefs"; probably the best insight into his way of
thinking is contained in his 1960 novel "Stranger In A Strange Land",
so if you're interested, and haven't ever read his works, that's an excellent
place to start.
Periodically, I go back and tackle one of his novels, and
although I've read most of them many times over (I suspect I've read
"Stranger" three dozen times, easily), it's a rare occasion that I
don't come away with a new perspective on some point of view he was espousing,
or, at minimum, a renewal of my appreciation of his genius.
Recently, I sat down with my copy of "The Puppet
Masters", a short "novella" that was written by Heinlein in
1951, which, interestingly, was the year I was born. I hadn't read it in some
time, but despite some of the outdated language and the sci-fi gadgets that RH
predicted would become commonplace in our 21st century world that never have,
it's a wonderful story.
Basically, the book tells the story of a race of
"slugs" that go about the universe, invading planets and taking over
the inhabitants thereof, by attaching themselves to the host and manipulating
him/her to do the alien's bidding, and their invasion of Earth. Without giving
away too much of the plot, the early part of the story is a recital of how
slowly officials in Washington reacted to the threat of invasion from outer
space, and how woefully unprepared we are to deal with such matters.
I was struck by the following exchange that takes place
between two of the main characters, the head of the ultra-secret government
agency known as the Section, and one of his top agents; they're discussing the
response, or more to the point, the lack thereof, of the President and Congress
to the evidence that the Section has obtained about the secret invasion by the
aliens from the moons of Venus.
Remember, Heinlein wrote this in 1951. To wit:
'"You mean Congress hasn't
acted?"
"I have spent the past several
days-ever since we stopped the attempt on the President-trying to help the
President convince them. Ever been worked over by a Congressional committee,
son?"
I tried to figure it out. Here we
sat, as stupid as dodoes-yes, and homo sapiens would be as extinct as
the dodo if we did not move. Presently the Old Man said, "It's time you
learned the political facts of life. Congresses have refused to act in the face
of dangers more obvious than this. This one isn't obvious. The evidence is slim
and hard to believe."
"But how about the Secretary
of the Treasury? They can't ignore that."
"Can't they? The Assistant
Secretary had one snatched off his back, right in the East Wing, and we killed
two of his Secret Service guards. And now the honorable gent is in Walter Reed
with a nervous breakdown and can't recall what happened. The Treasury
Department gave out that an attempt to assassinate the President had been
foiled. True, but not the way they meant it."
"And the President held still
for that?"
"His advisors told him to
wait. His majority is uncertain-and there are men in both houses who want his
head on a platter. Party politics is a rough game."
"Good lord, partisanship
doesn't figure in a case like this!"
The Old Man cocked an eyebrow.
"You think not, huh?'"
61 years later, isn't it amazing how some things never
change?
Love and super PACs,
PJTT
copyright 2012 Krissongs Inc.
excerpt from The Puppet Masters by Robert Heinlein,
copyright 1951
