Latteral Blast

For most of America, politics is something that other people worry about. The changes in laws and policies, as laid out by our governing body, have a very gradual effect on normal people. So gradual is this effect that most people cannot identify these changes other than by expressing how different things were when they were young. Much like the tremors that emanate from deep inside the Earth along various fault lines, political tremors usually get some amount of public attention but only for a very short time.
These subtle shifts take place as political tectonics create pockets of pressure and then release only to temporary settle until pressure rebuilds. As with our continental plates, the political landscape bears the scars of generations of social upheavals and powerful opposing forces. Where our nation holds the evidence of this constant geographic struggle in the form of mountains and fault lines, our people also carry with them the results of every decision ever made on a governing level.

You see, rarely does one generation get to actually witness the creation or destruction of a mountain. This is a slow and constant process that seems nearly invisible to the untrained individual. Scientists, on the other hand, know what to look for and are watching carefully as the Earth changes shape right before their eyes.

Politics work the same way. For those who know not what to look for, things do not seem to change much. For those who are tuned in, things seem to be changing relatively rapidly. In fact, the minor tremors and subtle shifts seem to be hitting at a record pace.

When Mt Saint Helens erupted back in the 1980s, it had been dormant for quite some time. As the eruption approached, the tell tale tremors and the burps of smoke suggested that something was about to happen. Suddenly the signs began to slow down significantly and volcanologist David A. Johnston was sent to investigate. With Johnston on the mountain, the massive volcano gave way to the pressures beneath it and the giant mountain blew itself apart. Mr. Johnston’s camera was found and pictures of the approaching pyroclastic flow were developed but as for David Johnston, well, “Vancouver!, Vancouver!, this is it!” were his final words and his body was consumed by the Earth.

So the question is: Do you want to be David Johnston and have a building named after you? Or do you want to be the guy that sees this thing coming and pushes others out of its way? The tremors will slow, the smoke will thin, and the noise will fall silent just before the landscape undergoes a catastrophic change that will alter the political landscape forever. Please spread the word, let your friends know that something is brewing and things may soon be different. Pay attention to the signs but may more attention to the signs that seem to go away!