George Bush’S Great America [EN]: Chapter 125

< 124 >

In a survey question from an article asking, ‘What problems exist with the current administration?’ an IT professional replied:

‘Isn’t everything going well? My working hours are the same, but my salary has increased by 5%.’

A Hispanic worker responded to the same question with:

‘Problems? Of course, there are problems! They’re infringing on the rights of other countries! Look at the Middle East and Asia!’

A burly biker and a Middle Eastern employee, seemingly an immigrant, who worked at a bar known for violent incidents, responded similarly:

‘Problems with the current administration? What problems are there?’

‘We’re not in a position to discuss problems, at least I’m not.’

The reporter, Oliver, went around collecting answers, seeking the responses they wanted, from 1,892 people. It was a considerable amount gathered in a short period, achieved by physically going out rather than relying on online surveys.

‘No way,’ Oliver muttered.

He was forced to draw a disheartening conclusion.

‘No one is grasping the real problem.’

Oliver was a newspaper reporter who had closely followed Bush since the early days of his administration. He had photos of Bush giving his inaugural address, delivering his 9/11 speech, awarding the Presidential Medal to 9/11 survivors, flying to the Korean Peninsula in a fighter jet, meeting Jiang Zemin in China, attending the Winter Olympics, and even enjoying Bush-style biking that complied with legal regulations.

He became so familiar that he was on first-name terms with Bush’s bodyguards.

Oliver began to question the current situation. Not with a direct challenge to the government, but with the growing sense that the Bush administration wasn’t necessarily as ideal as it seemed. Of course, the idea of any government being truly ideal was far-fetched, but there were an excessive number of people who believed the current government was perfect.

With any government, there might be a few people who think it’s completely ideal as long as it doesn’t do anything really ‘big and stupid.’ There will always be people who are favorable to the current system.

But this was too much. People who used to protest whenever the government tried to do something were now passively accepting everything. This was because their lives had become more comfortable and easier than before. Of course, if the government were to take actions such as curtailing the freedom of the people, they would protest or riot, but the current Bush administration’s direction was the opposite.

It wasn’t that the current government was inherently wrong. The problem was that people were losing interest in politics because of the current government’s seemingly ideal policies. Since everything was going smoothly without any major issues, people were seeing everything through rose-colored glasses.

He couldn’t be sure what Bush was truly thinking, but he seemed like a somewhat two-faced character. On the surface, he appeared focused on caring for the people’s livelihood and solidifying American hegemony abroad, but on the other hand, he seemed intent on building a foundation for dictatorship.

First, he drastically reduced the influence and authority of the state police and strengthened the federal police, over whom he could exert more direct control. The stated purpose was to crack down on corrupt police and create honest police, but it could also be seen as greatly strengthening the president’s authority. The police, one of the strongest public powers in the United States, had effectively fallen under the president’s control.

The same was true of the Federal Assembly [the legislative branch of the government]. A lot of money came in from China, and they must have benefited greatly in the process. Of course, it wasn’t explicitly illegal, but was the law always sacrosanct? There was a reason why there were jobs where people could make a living just by interpreting the law.

And then there’s the law itself. Who makes the law? Isn’t it the president and Congress who enact it? The reason why Republicans and Democrats fight over seats in Congress is all because of the benefits that come from controlling the law-making process. Of course, there may be some who don’t, but the majority do.

Frankly, how many senators and representatives who are already wealthy would be willing to work without a salary? It’s impossible unless you have a genuine interest in good governance. Moreover, even if you really have an interest in politics, wouldn’t you naturally develop ulterior motives if you weren’t paid a salary? You’re someone who deals with the law, so would you want to live in poverty?

Next, the media was shattered. It’s a bit of an overstatement to say it was shattered, but the current media was essentially neutered. Freedom of the press was guaranteed to the point of excess, but the government had demonstrated its ability to silence the media whenever it wanted.

Of course, Oliver understood the need for some reform. The yellow journalism [sensationalist and often biased reporting] that dominated the United States wasn’t very nutritious media, and to some extent, the Bush administration’s claim that ‘the current media is not fulfilling its role as the media!’ was valid during the media overhaul.

So, even though they were watching the media being undermined in real-time, no one protested significantly. The people were clearly aware of the need to reform the sensationalist press, so the media’s greatest strength, media manipulation, was rendered useless.

The problem was that all of this had happened within the first year of the government’s term.

So, the police, the Federal Assembly, and the media have already been addressed. Let’s move on, since the president has always held the most important military and diplomatic powers in the country. Then what’s next? The prosecution? The companies that support the United States?

What on earth can check the president, who holds the most powerful position in the most powerful country in history, who holds everything in his hands?

‘The people. Only the people.’

If the government was corrupt, the only people who could stop it were the people. But those people were becoming docile sheep of the government. There have been many dictators who initially gained popularity by pursuing seemingly ideal policies.

‘This isn’t good. This really isn’t good. People are becoming distant from politics!’

‘I understand. I understand,’ Hunk, the editor-in-chief and Oliver’s longtime friend, said, trying to calm the excited Oliver. It wasn’t that Hunk didn’t understand what Oliver was saying. In fact, he had a greater antipathy toward the current government than sympathy for Oliver’s ideology. The media wasn’t making as much money as before, and the same was true for Hunk’s newspaper. He almost got fired from his position as editor-in-chief because of budget cuts, so he could fully relate.

The position of editor-in-chief wasn’t necessarily determined by skill alone. Oliver was more skilled, but Oliver wasn’t the kind of talent the company favored. An editor-in-chief must have excellent skills, a political view that aligns with the company’s interests, and a compatible worldview. These three elements must be properly combined to secure the position.

Anyway, unlike Oliver, who was full of rebellious spirit, Hunk was a man who was obedient to the company. And now the company was very favorable to the current government. In fact, although it was described as favorable, it was closer to the meaning of not going against the current government. The higher-ups were determined to suppress even the smallest criticism, even if it meant the company would suffer.

Of course, they were being obedient because they didn’t want to see the company go bankrupt.

‘I’ll say it again. It’s hard to publish this article. Articles criticizing the current government don’t align with our newspaper readers’ tastes.’

A suitable article could generate buzz, but it wasn’t a sustainable strategy. Above all, as the role of physical newspapers gradually shifted to online electronic newspapers, the revenue status recorded in the company’s books, which insisted only on physical newspapers, was deteriorating day by day.

‘What the hell! Hunk! Is company revenue still the only thing you care about?’

‘Oliver, my old friend. Please don’t do this. You may not know, but I have a foxy wife and two rabbit-like children [a common idiom for describing one’s family]. It’s not that it’s okay for you to be fired, but it’s too clear what will happen if that article is published in our newspaper.’

Hunk tried his best not to provoke Oliver’s fiery temper. If it were someone else, he would have just quietly dismissed him, but the person who brought this article was Oliver, his best friend in life.

‘If you stop talking about this topic, I can’t promise that I can definitely publish it in the newspaper, but at least I’ll ask the higher-ups.’

This was the final compromise that Hunk could offer Oliver. Oliver seemed unable to push any further at Hunk’s blatant and earnest request, and Oliver soon slumped into his chair as if all his strength had been drained.

It must have been the worst feeling to be unable to do anything when the country was gradually going to ruin in his eyes. Even so, Oliver couldn’t jeopardize Hunk’s livelihood. Except for things related to his family, Hunk was a fairly altruistic person, so he did his best to comfort his depressed friend.

Hunk pondered how to comfort his friend and came up with an idea.

‘How about cooling your head in Siberia, Russia, this time?’

‘Siberia? Is my friend thinking of exiling me now?’

Oliver knew that Hunk was a bit dim-witted, but he wasn’t the type to talk complete nonsense, so he decided to listen for now.

‘Russia? Why?’

‘I smelled a scoop in Russia this time. But you’re the only one in our company who can speak Russian. If you finish this job, your wallet won’t be empty.’

Hunk’s way of comforting Oliver was with money. Well, what’s more certain than money? Even in court, they’re fighting over compensation. However, if there was a flaw in Hunk as a friend, it was that he was quite greedy.

Hunk carefully looked around and whispered to Oliver.

‘I don’t know how I got the information, but the ‘CIA’ [Central Intelligence Agency] is secretly moving in Moscow, Russia.’

It was truly information that he didn’t know how he got. How did this valuable information get to this small newspaper? But the important thing was that Hunk’s intention to divert Oliver’s attention worked properly.

‘Isn’t it a trap?’

‘No, that can’t be. It’s a reliable informant.’

‘Where?’

‘I’m sorry, but I can’t say that.’

If Hunk couldn’t say, he could easily guess the target.

‘A government official, or even someone within the CIA.’

Hunk didn’t say anything for a while after hearing that, but he opened his mouth first, as if the silence was awkward.

‘So, are you going to do it or not?’

‘Russia, huh.’

‘I’ll have some borscht [a traditional Russian soup] in Moscow for the first time in a while.’