Version 1.1 9/19/2008 Author: W. Curtiss Priest, Director, CITS Co-Author: P. Kenneth Komoski, EPIE Produced: W. Curtiss Priest Illustrators: Stephanie McMillan and Eric Milliken Coordinating Web Site, with Comic Panel Links and Art: http://www.cybertrails.org/mil PUBLISHED ON YOUTUBE: http://www.youtube.com/v/rm3PEkzDppk PREFACE: Turning to Warriors at a Time like This At a similiar time, around 1906 to 1910, well known writers including H. G. Wells and William James forsaw the coming of WW I. They wrote about the threat. For example, Wells, in "The Days of the Comet (1906)," both wrote about utopian dreams (think Obama) and the threat of Germany, Ironclad battle ships off the coast of England (think McCain). Perhaps we can grab ahold of a genre that speaks more generally than those famous people spoke to. That is, let's speak to those who are electing the next President! Since Wells and James, E. O. Wilson (famous Harvard Biologist) has written "Consilience (1999)" and based on new genetic research, Wilson shows how there is a flow from genes into culture and from culture back into genes, over many generations. And this flow is centrally a tribal, war-related set of instincts and behaviors. Men and women are epigenetically predisposed to electing the warrior times such as these. What are these times? Massive debt. Can we have a war to get around that? Oil depletion. Can we have a war to get more oil? And, a form of crass globalization that undermines this country's ability to see and perceive sustainable living. So. Here is the rough draft of a script that hopefully opens the eyes of various generations to the problems and the possibilities before us in the next few months. Story line goes something like: Cover -- "Collector's Edition" "Can we save the Millennial Generation from World War?" P. 1 "Millennials will be our heroes" Picture: Millennials marching to War vs. Heroic Teams for the Planet Source: Strauss & Howe ("Fourth Turning;" "Millennials Rising") P. 2 "The Wonders of War: Heroism, Patriotism, Nationalism, Discipline, and Bleeding Hearts" Picture: Raising the Flag at Iwo Jima; McCain in a Cage; Hitler addressing German Youth P. 3 "Mankind is in a Race Between Education and Catastrophe" Picture: Millennials in teams, working the Net; atom bomb cloud in the background Source: H. G. Wells, "Outline of History" (only in 1st edition, 1919/1920) "We are in a race between cooperation and catastrophe ... and the threats are outrunning the response." Source: Former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn Leading nuclear nonproliferation expert National Geographic Magazine, Oct. 2008, Volume 214, number 4. P. 4 "World War I: The War to End All Wars" Picture: Troops in Flander's Fields; mustard gas; heros on barb wire Source: H. G. Wells, various citations P. 5 "Millennials (b. 1982-2002?)" respect prior Generations; especially Boomers (b. 1943-1960) for their messages of Peace and Love; the "Silent Generation (b. 1925-1942) for their sense of civic virtue. Picture: Millennials in Teams; Boomers at a Love Fest; McCain's USC Commencement Speech, 5/19/2004. "You might think that I'm now going to advise you not to be afraid to fail," he said. "I'm not. Be afraid ... failing stinks. Just don't be undone by it. Failure is no more a permanent condition than is success." The senator encouraged graduates to not "let the sensation of fear convince you that you're too weak for courage. Fear is the opportunity for courage, not proof of cowardice." Source: Strauss & Howe, ibid P. 6 "Dare to be Human or Destined to be Just an Animal?" Picture: Clip, Devo, "Are we not men?" "We are Devo." Half man beasts of "Island of Dr. Moreau" (H. G. Wells) P. 7 "Tribalism, Patriotism, and Drawn to the Warror like Moths to a Flame" Picture: Millennial boy-girl couple hand-in-hand; both looking toward a flaming hillside; moths everywhere Source: "Wells, First and Last Things;" E. O. Wilson, "Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge" P. 8 More tribalism Picture: naked, shivering homo sapiens gathered around a camp fire; in a storm; with McCain, folded arms, looking serene P. 9 "Genes, Culture, or Epigenetics?" Are we all trapped to inevitably War? Picture: various, throughout time; various challenges -- invasions, climate/environmental change -- hardening the culture; hardening the genes to fight or flee Source: E. O. Wilson, ibid P. 10 "Dare to be Human or Destined to be Just an Animal?" "Millennial Heroism" Picture: a Sustainable Planet v. Invading Persia P. 11 "I want my Oil; my Cars; my American Way of Life; and Nobody telling me my own business" Picture: Relative consumption of resources per capita; hulking vehicle, hulking grill, dual exhaust, growling; one family house; grass (chemicals, fertilizer); backyard hulking Weber gas grill P. 12 "The Moral Equivalent of War" Clips from Henry James 1910 article Picture: to match clips Source: James, ibid. P. 13 "Don't Fence me In" "Coming to America: Quest for Paradise" Picture: Indian Reservations, Wild Wild West, Highways everywhere, clogged with cars, tiny gas gages -- all at empty Source: Sanford, "The Quest for Paradise" 14. "Mommy? Where did I come from" Picture: Lucy (of Africa) Walking Upright Source: Studies of the "first homo sapien woman" 15. "Dare to be Human or Destined to be Just an Animal?" "Is there more to Life than Greed, Power, and Sex?" Picture: Rappers and booties; Britney Spears; Partying 16. "Inte-what? What Good is an Intellect Anyway?" "Millennials can heroically Restore the Intellect and Civic World Standing of the US." Pictures: crude arrogant scene; Enterprising Millennial, using his/her intelligence to succeed Source: Ed Roberts, Boston Globe, 'every millennial is an entrepreneur' P. 17 "Shepard Thy Brother?" "Millennials Heroically Ask their Fellow Brothers, 'What are you doing to Help in our Mutual Quest for this Country; for this Planet?" P. 18 "Dare to be Human or Destined to be Just an Animal?" "The Decimation of the Family and Public Life?" Picture: house cut-away, each parent and child, glued to TV/Music/Internet/Ipod. Outside, everyone with earbuds, staring at the ground, never seeing each other. Saying nothing. P. 19 "It will Truly Take Bravery, Heroicism, Patriotism, Courage, and Appeal to Civic Duty to fix things" Picture: Whole way of American Life sliding off a cliff, McCain like Hercules, Shouldering the Weight; Millennials Building Many Bridges to the Glowing Future P. 20 "Or Obama" Picture: Millennials, looking sharp, designing the Planet's Future, with Obama's image looking on Script History: 1.0 Written 9/05/2008 1.1 Additions: Lucy's pregnancy (with the human race) Sam Nun's commentary on "the race" Characters o a heroic characters who don't want war: Apollo and Artemis (Diana) o a heroic character who wants war: Atlas o a McCain-like elder: Zeus o an Obama-like visionary: Daedalus o an oracle -- someone who prophesies the future (of mankind): Apollo's Muse "We are in a race between cooperation and catastrophe ... and the threats are outrunning the response." Former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn Leading nuclear nonproliferation expert Quoted in: National Geographic Magazine Oct. 2008, Volume 214, number 4