To sleep, perchance, to dream

By Gabriel Garnica

Hamlet's words were never as meaningful as they are today, as we approach a crossroads the likes of which this country has not seen in ages, if ever. In fact, the words of Shakespeare, linking tragedy, comedy and even romance, seem to be bouncing off the walls of this political cycle.

The Presence of Fools

It is said that Shakespeare was fascinated by man's utter foolishness, and its associated absurdities. If that is the case, the Bard would have been foaming at the mouth watching crowds foam at their mouths at the feet of their beloved crooner of change, Barack Obama. We begin with a quote from the Bard which aptly fits perhaps the most self-centered, most prideful candidate I have ever seen come down the road. It was Shakespeare who stated that "The first chapter of fools is to hold themselves wise." In my experience, the more self-centered the person, the more likely he or she is hiding some deep insecurities, resentments and secrets.

A recent Obama ad tells people that they cannot make history from their sofa, video game or office seat but, rather, that they should try to "take the day off" to make that history. Perhaps Master Obama would like a special day in his honor right next to Presidents Day or Martin Luther King Day?

If the leader is the legend-in-his-own mind foolish, then what of his followers? Sadly, it is said that Shakespeare saw men as foolish slaves of fortune. Obama has benefitted from a loving and favoring media, economic problems caused by his own party but blamed on his foes, and a ready supply of useful idiots. He has been able to etch a fool's paradise which is more a pair of dice on which he is gambling this nation's greatness, freedoms and future. What makes it worse, however, is the sight of mindless minions cheering him on, oblivious to the poison of his beliefs, hidden by the superficial scent of his words. In the words of Puck, Lord, what fools these mortals be!

Something Wicked This Way Comes

The words uttered by a witch in Macbeth are in the air, as we see the clouds of socialism, censorship and strong-arm tactics already on their way. Hugo Chavez may soon have a twin to the north. Any reporter who dares seek the truth is given the cold shoulder and ridiculed. Access to the king is only given to those who kiss his ring. Something is truly rotten in the states which make up America, and it is not its soul or its heart, but dangerously significant parts of its body and mind. Lady Macbeth urged her husband to "screw your courage to the sticking place,

And we'll not fail." Obama wants Americans to screw their nation at the polling place, and he will not fail.

Days of Whine and Poses

A famous line in Hamlet reads "The lady doth protest too much, methinks. " Today, we may well observe that it is the Democrat who protests too much, for both Obama and Biden cry foul at even the slightest hint of an objective or fair question, never mind a tough one. Rarely, if ever, has a side been so favored by the media yet, rarely, if ever, has a side played the victim so quickly on a dime at the slightest trespass of their Teflon shield as this Democratic duo.

Love is Blind, Stupid or Just Delusional

Never has Othello's admission of being one " that lov'd not wisely but too well" been more appropriate as well. From a fawning press that has more resembled a hypnotized groupie than an objective news source to masses of chanting drones uttering mantras of change, this election cycle has given us a hefty dose of blind, foolish love in denial. "If Some Cupid kills with arrows, some with traps" then the loving fans are walking right into the traps that point to sorry times for this country. Although love may find a thousand reasons to hope, in the end, King Lear's "Nothing can come of nothing" says it all.

Yes, we are reaching a fork in the road, and pray we do not lean left," for that way madness lies."

Conclusion

We come full circle, reaching an image I dare to dream about. I dream of an upset that will upset the mindset of the jet set. I imagine a Truman-esque surprise which, sadly, will never be attributed to a nation's sanity as much as to a nation's intolerance. I dare to dream of Michelle Obama's mouth wide open, caught in the utter shock of an ending not considered and curtains already measured for the Oval Office. Perhaps we will see Hollywood and the national media scrambling to blame racism for its continued failure to properly assess a nation's pulse.

In truth, only when we can pin defeat on policies, platforms and issues rather than skin color will we be moving away from the racism so many use as a weapon of their own bias and vengeance instead of as motivation to cure and heal. This may come as a shock to most journalists, celebrities and intellectual elitists, but it is actually possible to not vote for Barack Obama because one does not agree with his politics, beliefs and plans. No, he is not so perfect, so utterly absent of any warts that the only possible reason to not vote for him is ignorance and prejudice.

Maybe, just maybe, it is wrong to vote for a man who compares this great land to Nazi Germany http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2008/10/figures-obama-compares-us-to-nazi.html or in the interests of a media that conceals that attitude. I can hope, I can dream, but if that dream should turn into a nightmare, then we may someday be able to say "Poor America, I knew it well."

© Gabriel Garnica