Wednesday, June 3, 2009

The Avengers

The Avengers

 

Mrs. Peel and John Steed

We're needed.

John Steed and Mrs. Peel

The Ministry of Defense is concerned. It seems that one of our dearest and most valuable friends is missing.

John Steed and Mrs. Peel

Missing?

John Steed and Mrs. Peel

Vanished, Mrs. Peel. Without a trace.

John Steed and Mrs. Peel

However did that happen?

John Steed and Mrs. Peel

That is what we're trying to find out.

John Steed and Mrs. Peel

When was he last seen? And where?

John Steed and Mrs. Peel

That's our first stop, Mrs. Peel.

Westbound

 

John Steed and Mrs. Peel

Well, here's where our friend was once regularly seen.



Ah, yes, I recall now. This monument stood for a giant of man. General Washington, wasn't it, Steed?

John Steed and Mrs. Peel

Yes, Mrs. Peel. Was a valuable soldier in the King's Army. And was instrumental in the founding of the United States, our dear friend. General Washington eventually became its first President.

John Steed and Mrs. Peel

Well, the monument is still here.

John Steed and Mrs. Peel

Ah, but the spirit of Washington is nowhere to be found. Let's head to the west. I wish to see something there.

John Steed and Mrs. Peel

Lead on.



Another giant of a man, Mrs. Peel. Abraham Lincoln. He believed in government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

Mrs. Peel

And now?

John Steed

Things seem to be of the government, by the government, and for the government.

Mrs. Peel

Sounds dreadful.

John Steed

Let's head to the east, past the Washington Monument, all the way across the National Mall.

Mrs. Peel

What's there.

John Steed

Trouble.

Mrs. Peel

Indeed?

U.S. Capitol

Here is where men gather to take money from American citizens and spend it on themselves and their friends.

Mrs. Peel

So, this is a criminal headquarters?

John Steed

One would think so. In reality, it's where the elected representatives of the American people meet and pass laws.

Mrs. Peel

I don't understand, Steed. The American people choose the men who gather here? And those that gather conspire to take money from those same American people?

John Steed

Yes, Mrs. Peel, that sums up that aspect rather well. But the leaders of the party in power denegrate the CIA, the military, and all those who are charged with protecting America.

Mrs. Peel

Americans are a curious bunch.

John Steed

There's another place we must visit. Here, to the northwest.

The White House

This looks familiar, Steed. It's the President's mansion.

John Steed

Yes, Mrs. Peel. It's the White House. Every American President since John Adams has lived here. Small as he was, Adams was a giant of a man. He took some unpopular steps to protect his country during a crisis with a foreign power. He also appointed a young Chief Justice who took a strong Constitutional view.

Mrs. Peel

Sounds a lot like another man who lived here recently.

John Steed

Many of the men who lived here, no matter their political persuasion, have many things in common. But all strove to present the United States as a power in the world, someone to be reckoned with. James Monroe, James Polk, Theodore Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Ronald Reagan, and many other Presidents sought to expand or rebuild American influence. It has rivaled, and even surpassed, the British Empire at its greatest.

Mrs. Peel

But is that always a good thing?

John Steed

It certainly came in handy during the second world war.

Mrs. Peel

So, how is the current president building up America's image?

John Steed

He's not. Rather, he's insulting or abandoning his country's longtime allies.

Mrs. Peel

How so?

John Steed

Our own Prime Minister suffered an embarrashing exchange of gifts with the current president. Then Mr. Obama gave the Queen an iPod of his speeches.

Mrs. Peel

No!

John Steed

Yes. And the current president of the United States, the first country to recognize Israel's independence, is hanging that country out to dry. Mr. Obama has promised Israel's capital city to the Palestinians.

Mrs. Peel

Oh, my.

John Steed

And, as president, he bowed to the Saudi king.

Mrs. Peel

Heads of state do not bow to each other. Any fool knows that.

John Steed

No, apparently not all fools know.

Mrs. Peel

Well, he's not taking money out of the American citizens' pocket, at least.

John Steed

Isn't he? The Congress may be the actual authority passing those spending and taxing bills, but they're following Mr. Obama. He's the one leading the charge. The Congress has abandoned its responsiblity and is blindly following.

John Steed

Mr. Obama has taken over General Motors and declared new regulations for the entire American auto industry.

Mrs. Peel

This is shocking, Steed. But from what I understand, all of these people were freely elected to office by the American people.

John Steed

True, Mrs. Peel, very true. That's why we won't be able to help.

Mrs. Peel

Really? I don't recall turning down a job before.

John Steed

We will help those who are threatened by outside influence. The Americans actually brought this on themselves.

Mrs. Peel

Well, they are no longer missing. We have found them.

John Steed

Oh, but we haven't. Yes, there is an America here, but the America we've always known is still missing. But we won't be able to help.

Mrs. Peel

There's nothing anyone can do?

John Steed

It's up to the American people. Congressional elections are next year. And there is a presidential election in 2012.

Mrs. Peel

Will they last that long?

John Steed

At the rate these elected leaders are undermining American prestige, abandoning true friends, and overtaxing the American citizen, it's up in the air.

Mrs. Peel

As should we be. Home, Steed?

John Steed

Home, Mrs. Peel. And we'll toast the memory of our missing friend.

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