None the less, I do have dreams. A lot of them are abstract and involve a celebrity popping up at random times and inexplicable reasons. There are others that involve running from an impending disaster. Some of these dreams involve the aftermath of a WMD attack of some kind, usually a nuclear detonation. As often the case when such a dream or nightmare comes forth, I wake up in a sweat and feel momentarily odd; it quickly subsides. Yet the memory, or at least the feeling, lingers.
Be it macabre or an odd obsession, I have been looking at YouTube videos that relate to the aftermath and even the buildup to a nuclear confrontation. For instance, I have been looking at a mid-late 1970's series of public service announcements detailing the need to prepare and survive a nuclear holocaust in the UK. I find it disturbing, for a myriad of reasons. See for yourself.
This has prompted me to look at one of the first HBO TV movies, Countdown to Looking Glass. A rather disturbing fake news account on an impeding nuclear crisis.
How do we know it is only a TV movie? It stars Helen Shaver and Scott Glenn; you can also see Michael Murphy in a small role. Everything else feels like a news broadcast; it matters not that it seems like a Canadian newscast. It appears real.
In a form of symmetry that I find problematic, I have also been looking at Raymond Briggs' other well respected animated adaptation of one of his books. It should be The Snowman, though itappears to be recently When The Wind Blows.
If that was not enough, I found this hidden gem; Nicholas Meyer's Laserdisc commentary of his film The Day After. It is not present on the DVD, so this is rare. Admittedly, it does not hold up as a full indictment on nuclear weaponry unlike Threads or The War Game. Yet still it matters a bit.
With all of these videos seen and related matters, I keep thinking: why am I seeing these videos, and more importantly why is it that many of them take place during the 1980's? I suppose I can give an idea as to why this now concerns me.
Next year, a presidential election will take place. So will other elections. As I have mentioned many times, I am an ardent Sen. Hillary Clinton supporter. With a Clinton presidency again, I and others Know there will not be a nuclear catastrophe inflicted upon us all. Perhaps the same will go for any other Democratic or Independent candidate. There may be even a few Republicans that feel the same way. Yet, I am concerned we get certain Republicans elected that will harm us all. A Donald Trump, Dr. Ben Carson, Sen. Ted Cruz or even a Sen. Marco Rubio presidency will begin the process of a more agitated foreign policy. Indeed, a Carson or Cruz presidency, especially a Carson presidency, is a near guarantee of war as the First option.
I ask you: is it really a sane idea to elect a warmongering presidency? Is it a sane idea to go back to a policy of wars and uncertainty? Is it a sane idea to go looking for someone to blame, when it is obvious the blame is on you and I? I do not think it is a sane idea, and those that I talk with do not think it is sane either. Yet, despite assurances from many of my family, friends and loved ones stating that the people in the US will not fall into this trap; I have my concerns.
Perhaps in a year, this talk and these concerns will be for naught. And yet, though not often, I still have these dreams of impending doom.
I do want to end this essay on a more uplifting note. I had mentioned The Snowman, an animated British special from 1982 that is clearly one of the better Christmas tales committed to film. I found this video a while back; overdubbing the music and songs in a sequence of the animation with one of Steve Hackett's best songs after he left genesis. It fits perfectly well with the visual sequences you see herein.
Thanks for your understanding,
Robert
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