Last week I went to see the new movie "Olympus Has Fallen". It is the story of an attack on the United States from a militant group of North Koreans who infiltrate the White House, kidnap the president, vice president and the secretary of defense then threaten to destroy America with our own nuclear weapons.
Of course Morgan Freeman, the speaker of the House, is installed as acting president and they pull out all the stops to save the real president. Why? I guess one elected official is so important that putting the rest of the nation at risk is worth nuclear destruction. As for me, I kept wondering why they didn't just let the terrorists kill a few dispensable individuals and save 300 million more. In war, we do it all the time.
Now another movie is about to come out, "White House Down". In it domestic terrorists blow up the White House, the Capitol and pretty much destroy everything in an attempt to get the president played by Jamie Foxx. What is all of this about?
First, I think Hollywood is tapping into an anti-Washington mood. Second, I think they are giving ideas to bad guys. Third, I think the combination of an anti-Washington mood, coupled with a bunch of bad guys with bad ideas could inspire some sort of copy cat effort which would of course not surprise anybody, right?
So if such an scenario is even slightly predictable, why would Hollywood risk inspiring ANY kind of attack on the president?
Well, what if somebody wanted an event, a crisis, out of which and opportunity might arise for immediate imposition of martial law, citizen arrests, gun confiscations, suspension of elections any number of other "emergency" measures? How might they create such an event?
Well, with enough pressure on the public, enough radical talk about "us versus them" and a climate in which the people wouldn't be surprised if something like this might happen, anything is possible.
And how would the government prepare for such and event, I mean, just in case the movies from Hollywood provided the proper atmosphere for it to take place?
Maybe they would buy a lot of ammunition, and armored vehicles and weapons, and put them into the hands of a "civilian national security force" just as powerful, just as strong, just as well funded as the US Military.
Maybe they would begin hiring internment/resettlement specialists in the military to deal with a large number of arrestees and publish a bulletin identifying high risk people who should be watched more carefully.
Maybe they would put a national terror alert page up on the Internet and inspire people to report suspicious activity to the government so they could create a paper trail through the "normal channels" from which to draft the cover story about the perpetrators of any crimes against the government.
So go watch both movies, see how much the nation is willing to risk to save the president, and how important it is in both flicks that the president be saved at all costs. And then you tell me what is going on.