Changes were sweeping through America like the autumn nor’easters, and though great sufferings and trials were still being inflicted on the citizens, an overall sense of having dodged a bullet helped their sunrises appear more miraculous, albeit hard earned. The people were learning self-reliance again, after having spent centuries grasping for something that clearly was ill-advised and foolish- namely the unhealthy reliance upon and worship of technology, and the wanton disregard of fundamental laws of nature. The masses, including the intelligencia, had become robot-like and destructive- a true blight upon the earth. Darwin saw this coming and warned man about the absurdity of tampering with natural selection. But now a new passion and appreciation for mother nature and her bounty gripped the masses with the realization that without her love they were all lost.
The President had ordered the military to round up those without papers authorizing them to be in the country, so miles-long caravans of men, women, and children were observed filing toward the nations borders, typically utilizing the interstate highways long void of modern vehicles. Crowds observing the procession jeered, “We stood in line and waited our turn to enter the land of milk and honey! Cutting in line and breaking the immigration laws doesn’t cut it with us! Go back home and follow the rules!” The debates as to the humane or legal aspects of this were solved by a new national directive, wherein the courts were suspended, per martial law decree, and lawyers along with troublesome activists by the hundreds of thousands were rounded up and delivered to the labor camps flourishing in the nether-regions of the land, while informal citizen meetings convened to decide the fate of ne’er do wells, as well as hardened criminals. Many citizens were singing the mangy dog blues in those days. Town-square debates now took the place of the hideous complexities of the bloated, misguided, and self-serving legal profession.
“Let common sense dictate our policies henceforth!” the President expounded to the mass of supporters swaying in rhythm to his rhetoric in a speech he was giving after signing a proclamation dismantling the social services of the federal government, while shifting responsibility for the day to day welfare of the citizens to the churches and benevolent organizations across the land.
“The job of government is to protect it’s citizens from within and without. Not to coddle them with a tit to suck on at the US Treasury!” he went on. “For too long the people have used the nanny state as a crutch to make their lives easier. Life is not and should not be easy. We’re surrounded by pagans and mystics! Even in the blue lagoon one must be wary of sharks and stingrays. The Blunote miracle has illustrated for us the error of our ways. The road to healing the wounds caused by centuries of thoughtless so-called progress will be long and hard, but shall result in our people being stronger and kinder and better able to care for themselves and those around them!” he finished, then left the stage in search of a drink.
Monica, the science advisor, was smiling as she discussed the latest Blunote440 devices with the president, telling him of the affection the people had developed for the devices, and the miraculous effects on mental health she’d seen.
“Mr. President,” she said, “It truly is a miracle that things are happening as they are. The lawbreakers and lawyers have been refusing to Blunote, thus being blatantly non-compliant, so shipping them off to labor camps has been a boon to safety and harmony in our urban areas. I’m able to stroll downtown DC these days without fear of encountering violent thugs or lawyers versed in the art of lies and deception. God how I always hated those smug lawyers! Now they’re breaking rock and digging ditches in the hinterlands and providing us with real value!”
“Monica, my Monica,” the President responded, “Your safety and happiness is what matters to me. My previous life in real-estate, hospitality, and showbiz gives me the wisdom to cut through the crap and deliver to the people what they want and deserve. At heart I’m really just a country boy though, I might add. Shall we retire to the oval office and listen to blunote for a while? My schedule is open for at least a half hour today.”
“You and Blunote were heaven-sent sir. I’m humbled by your offer and accept!” she cooed as they walked the west-wing hallway.
“Au contraire my Monica, it’s you who is heaven sent.” the President whispered in her ear.
Another advantage to the silicon dilemma facing mankind was the virtual elimination of nation-states waging war on each other. Their weapons no longer worked. The insidious proliferation of integrated circuits had made virtually all modern weapons of war unusable. The scientists and generals could find no work-arounds, thus found themselves with nothing to do but throw darts, sharpen their pocket knives, and watch soldiers round up criminals. The threats facing the citizens were local and could be solved with bullets, machetes, labor camps, and marches to the border. However, bullets were in short supply of late, due to high-tech ammunition factories unable to manufacture their wares without processor controlled machines. This was moot anyway- there were few reliable workers available because blunote affected workers were too calm, relaxed, and morally sound to agree to the labor of manufacturing death-dealing devices like bullets. They were seen with their Blunote devices sweetly sounding, whilst tending vegetable gardens and pruning the fruit trees seen more and more in the urban areas of America. The merchants of chaos and death were comfortable in their toothpick castles, while the common folk were finding new harbor and hope.
The chief government researcher sat in the pub with a pint and a close associate seated beside him. “Thank god the silicon dilemma destroyed the AI industry! It really was getting out of hand!” he said as he turned down the volume of his blunote device.
“The universe works in mysterious ways,” his associate offered, as he lit a cigar and blew smoke rings toward the ceiling. “It’s hard enough just to live. But with a robotosized and crass agenda corrupting an already suspect and morally flaccid mankind, a dark future awaited us. We can all breathe easier now, but we’ve got to send those tech freaks off to the labor camps we’ve been hearing about. A few years of hard labor will cure them of their grandiose illusions and misguided fantasies!”
All across the land communities organized circus events, featuring the likes of a circus clown wrestling with lionesses, a happy clown dancing mischievious and audacious routines, and all manner of other entertainment for the still suffering and traumatized townsfolk. The cotton candy vendor cried out, ” On the one hand this fine candied bliss to excite! In the other hand the bird you’ve chosen to fly beside tonight! Only 25 cents folks!”
The Blunote era was taking flight nicely, and there seemed hope again for man’s future.
CP Butchvarov 2023