Something Going On

Dan Brown’s best-seller, the Da Vinci Code, is suspenseful on several levels. Characters whom we identify with are in danger, and we are driven to find out what happens to them. But the characters’ fate is only an appetizer: as the plot unfolds, secrets hidden for millennia by secret societies and the Catholic Church are gradually revealed—secrets that, if true, would drastically alter the theological foundation of Christendom.

It’s fun to read books like these because of the aha! factor. Historical curiosities and anomalies suddenly have an explanation. Centuries-old mysteries no longer puzzle. And the clues were there in plain sight—in Da Vinci’s paintings, Louvre monuments, and the stones of Westminster Abbey, but we didn’t have the knowledge or insight to interpret them.

A hidden world, teeming with warring forces, some on humanity’s side and some seeking its destruction. Whether the beings are outer space aliens (Men in Black), wizards and witches (Harry Potter), or old-fashioned angels and demons (e.g., C.S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters), it’s a revelation to discover how the world really works.

I haven’t yet thrown in my lot with the X-philes, but the youthful self-confidence in my ability to discern what’s going on is long gone. Public policy? I can’t even figure out:

U.S. Immigration. Why are there little, even laughable controls against illegal immigration along the U.S. southern border? By not acting, President Bush seems to be leaving open a huge loophole for terrorist infiltration....unless it’s a trap, and there are intense unpublicized counter-terrorism measures being taken in cooperation with the Mexican government. The quid pro quo would be the continuation of the present policy, which benefits the Mexican economy.

China’s support of the U.S. dollar. The world’s factory continues to accept green-backed pieces of paper in payment for the tons of electronics, toys, textiles, and furniture it ships us every day. By revaluing its currency, China would instantaneously pay a lot less for the raw materials, such as oil, and the few manufactured goods, such as airplanes, that it imports. Keeping the current exchange rate must have a long-term benefit that outweighs the cost of depreciation of the U.S. dollar.

What’s sprouting in labs all around the world. Do you think that a ruthless billionaire or government official wouldn’t grow clones of himself in order to harvest replacement body parts when he needs them? Puh-leeze. We can expect more press releases from labs in Asia or Europe and the usual wringing of hands by the chattering classes and Congressmen. The furor will subside, and then we’ll have the next press release. Nuclear proliferation is easier to stop than this brave new world. (It's hard to be outraged when even NASA is working on this.)

Something goin’ on, but I don’t know what it is.
---Blood, Sweat, and Tears