TWENTY YEARS IN THE FUTURE.
"I had a dream," I say to the lump of blankets lying next to me in bed. In the early morning darkness, I could discern a leg sticking out, searching for a resting place that was less cramped and not so hot. "A dream where people were free to express their views, regardless of who they were or what they were saying. It was so strange."
"Strange like that movie we watched last night?" My wife's muffled voice was coming from deep down in the blankets, indicating she wasn't yet ready to face the new day.
"No, not strange like that -- that was a weird movie by the way-- it was more like de ja vu or remembering some long-forgotten episode from my childhood. It felt like I had been there before. You know what I mean?"
"Uh.hum..." She turned, pulling the blankets with her.
I tossed the remaining covers and crawled out of bed. I slipped on some jeans and a warm shirt and headed for the kitchen. The overhead LED lights clicked on as I crossed the kitchen threshold, its floor instantly warm to the touch of my bare feet. Through the window I could see the silhouette of the wind farm against a beautiful display of pinks and blues, their large turbine blades motionless in the early morning sky.
Much like the fading colors outside, last night's dream was breaking up into less vivid fragments of people, words and meaning. They were starting to lose their connectivity -- faces where less distinct and definitions were being rounded into generic, meaningless words. But these sketchy memories were still with me, like an old 33 vinyl record, whose groves keep getting deeper with each repeated play.
Lately, my implants were not functioning as they were supposed to be working, resulting in these unusual dreams that would occasionally fill my nights. Initially, I thought I should contact FAUCI (the Federal Authority Uniform Clinical Institute), but something about these clarion visions felt right. At times they left me feeling exhilarated; if I felt this good, why should I stop them?
Fortunately, I could write down my thoughts on a pad of paper I kept near the bed. I needed to act quickly -- if I waited until morning or lunch, the dreams would be lost among the controlled monotony of another day.
But what strange thoughts they were! My pad of paper was filled with words like freedom, constitutional and individual rights. I would sketch images of stars and stripes, and worse of all, was the appearance of a big, bad orange man people called Trump. I would search DATAVERSITY (created five years after the COVID Pandemic) for references to the man, but there was nothing to be found.
"Good morning, Tim," greeted SIRI from the screen mounted above the kitchen sink. "Would you like to know the temperature outside?" Its perfect English was slightly accented with an Irish brogue.
"Sure, it looks cold today,"
"Current temperature is 37 degrees Fahrenheit, with a high of 62 degrees Fahrenheit by 4 pm. Fifteen-day forecast -- based on weather conditions expected in your area, Watson predicts the following health indexes: Allergy 8, Asthma 2 and COVID 7. Please take your XYZAC and wear a mask when with other people."
"Thank you," I respond, more than a little annoyed by the high COVID count. "Can you give me my el-ID balance, as of this morning? I'm going to need $400 added to my account. Liz and I are going grocery shopping later today."
"Your password please?"
"Bears Still Suck."
"Thank you. Money has been released."
Released? That was new, since when do I need someone's approval to access my own money? I should have paid more attention to the email telling us about changes to our digital IDcard. I vaguely remember something about the modifications made to our FAST Platform with Coulee Bank.
"Siri, pull up the emails from last month, find any from HSFC Bank and scroll down to "Changes to Your FAST Account."
Musical chimes sounded while SIRI search her database. "I found it -- would you like me to read it?"
"Yes."
"Effective "Monday, July 1, the American Government has announced the launch of a pilot project, the Central Bank Digital Currency, (CBDC) for nine member banks of HSFC Bank, including branches in Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and Iowa. Its use is expected to make the inter-bank market more efficient and safer.
"Going forward, other wholesale transactions and cross-border payments will be the focus of future pilots, based on the learnings from this pilot, the Central Bank has said.
"Across the globe, more than 60 central banks have expressed interest in CBDCs with a few implementations already under way across both retail and wholesale categories, and many others are researching, testing and or launching their own CBDC framework.
"The Central Bank said it is designed to complement, rather than replace..."
I'd heard enough. "Stop." My voice was thick with frustration.
So, we'd finally joined the rest of the world by going digital with the dollar. I'd had mixed feelings about it since Canada went online and bureaucrats used it to curtail the accounts of citizens who had protested against Trudeau's eighth term as Prime Minister.
My memory may be hampered by these implants, but something didn't feel right. The downside of ceding control of my money was borderline dystopian. I sarcastically thought, what could happen?
Well, not only would it allow the government to track my every purchase, but it could also allow them to restrict my purchases. I'd heard whispers at work that the UK used it to control the purchase of gasoline. If you didn't have one electric vehicle in your household, they'd restricted the amount available each week. It resulted in stranded vehicles and the rationing of fuel needed to heat their homes.
Suddenly, I had lost my appetite for breakfast. Was that coming to America? Digital progress like a common currency and new green technology was supposed to help, but was it?
Why was I feeling like the more material progress we make, the further we are from where I wanted to be? The pandemic of 2020 had opened a literal Pandor's Box on the world and its people. If I didn't know better -- and I'm careful to whom I mention these thoughts -- I'd say it was intentional and designed to change how we lived, who we talked to and even how it happened. I'm very thankful for the way WHO responded to the crisis, but there are a lot of black holes in my memory, holes that can't be easily explained. I don't know, but it seems like I'm missing some information that could answer my questions.
But where do I look? Television? The Internet? Can I trust the information I am given? My implants assure me that I can --- I've never been misled before, I think, but the lingering remnants of my dream last night leads me to question what really happened. A dull ache starts at my neck and works its way up the back of my skull. Lately, these headaches have been getting worse, which is concerning to Liz. She wants me to call my doctor and get in for an examination. I'm not sure. I don't want them to mess with my implants.
Thinking of our mass media reminds me of a song I used to listen to when I was a teenager. I tap the side of my forehead twice and say, "Siri, play Frank Zappa, "I'm the Slime." " From somewhere in my head, the following words are sung:
I'm obsessed 'n deranged
I have existed for years
But very little had changed.
I am the best you can get
I'm sorry for the dystopian look at our future. But in a week, we will be voting for the future of our country. Every election lately feels like it's the most important election of my life.
I hope we have learned our lesson after the disaster that was 2020. In retaliation for Trump's presidency, the left has accelerated efforts to make America a socialist utopia, completed with the help of many institutions I once held dear. Education, government agencies, our courts, today's culture, including movies, songs and sports, healthcare, big tech and our military have all gone to the dark side.
As bad as it looks, I remain an optimist. (Liz is rolling her eyes as she reads this.) Like Dan Bongino says, I'm long on America. The founders of this country gave us tools that make us unique, beginning with the Constitution. Unlike Canada, the UK, Germany or especially China, we still have elections that provide us an opportunity to change course. America may be a ship that is in heavy seas, but we can still turn it around and head for shore.
You ask -- why do I feel that way, when our media, schools and courts are currently steering us toward disaster?
I'm optimistic because we have Trump, Ron Desantis, Joni Ernst, Elise Stefanik, Glenn Youngkin, Kari Lake and Tudor Dixon on our side. These GOP candidates are a different breed than the usual stink we send to Washington. They are outsiders, from all walks of life. For the first time in a long time, people seem willing to try something else. They've seen what happens when they play it safe. Defeat at the polls or defeat once the candidate gets to Washington. Either way, it's a loss. As some RINOs found out earlier this year, mess with Trump and your political career could be in jeopardy. Right Liz Cheney? Others decided to not even run for re-election.
As painful as the last few years have been, and it's been bad, Trump and the pandemic really opened the eyes of many Americans, and most don't like it. Experts were exposed as partisan hacks. They failed us when we needed them the most and demonized us for doubting their "science." Not again. Hold them accountable and send a message so future experts take notice.
I'm also encouraged by the subtle signs of people -- even white suburban liberal women who voted for Dementia Joe-- who aren't happy with the direction our country is headed. We have a lot of work to do, and a long road back. It won't happen overnight.
We have to start with our schools, where our children are being indoctrinated with anti-American ideas. We know Republican and Democrat parents value their children over the abusive teacher's union. The surveillance state and thought police are very dangerous, but with better representation everywhere, I believe we can step back from the brink. Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter provides hope in a time of content moderation, better known as censorship. I agree with many who are calling for removal of government officials who have ignored the Constitution. Rush used to say it was only a piece of paper -- as good as the people in power. For centuries, the Constitution held, but not today with the current administration. I believe with proper law enforcement we can get it back.
So, let's vote like our future depends on it. American democracy-- not the Washington swamp version -- depends on it.
Will our future look like 2022, or more like Orwell's 1984? The choice is ours.
