The mighty USS Titanic, the greatest, that many refer to as being exceptional, is foundering, having been severely damaged while ploughing the sea of greed and corruption that surround Washington D.C. The ship is in great distress, rapidly taking on water and is in danger of going down. But in the midst of this extremely grave situation the Captain, the First Officer and mutinous members of the ships crew are locked in a vicious, unrelenting battle for control.
The First Officer has watched as a mutiny involving a rogue element in the House suddenly broke out, a movement that has become so powerful that he can no longer control it; so he has decided that the best thing to do is to let those radicals have their way, regardless of how distasteful this may be for the other members of the crew. When pressed on how he was going to respond to the alarming danger facing the ship, he made it known to the Captain and the passengers that he will allow the ship to go down before he gives up on his immovable position that the company must bend to his demands and those of the mutineers.
The Captain, however, refuses to meet these outrageous demands and has decided that he will keep the ship on its current course, heading directly for the dangerous icebergs just ahead. He believes that, just before the ship hits the icebergs, that the First Officer will cave in. He better hope that this will come to pass and so should we because if he gets it wrong then there will be hell to pay and the financial foundations of this country and the world will be shaken to their cores.
As this dangerous game of chess, or game of chicken if you will, goes on this First Officer has often been missing from his command post on the House bridge and can't be found anywhere; and just when he is needed the most. A strong rumor is being circulated around the ship that he has been seen numerous times down in the wine cellar for hours on end. When questioned, he just answers with "No comment."
The owners of the ship, the American people, deserve a large share of the blame for the danger that this ship and its passengers currently face. They have, over a period of decades, watched as many of the most competent members of the Captain's officers and crew have walked away from the ship in disgust over the never-ending squabbling and infighting, which has slowly but surely contributed to the deteriorating condition of the ship. And then when many of these same Americans had the opportunity to vote to keep more incompetents from hiring onto the ship, they turned their back on the process; they had other, more important things to do.
It's become crystal clear that this once solid, stable ship has not been properly maintained and critically important repairs and retrofits necessary to weather the severe storms that constantly threaten it have been ignored. Most of this money has been wasted in providing more and more amenities for the wealthy passengers. This foolhardy and shortsighted agenda has seriously affected the financial position of the parent company and caused it to have to borrow massive amount of money, if you can believe it, from its competing ship companies; those who are more than willing to make these loans because they know that this process will lead to the eventual bankruptcy of the Titanic Corporation, aka America.
Slightly more than half of the crew, led by the First Officer, have mutinied while the others are supporting the Captain who has indicated that he will not give in to those who refuse to back off their ludicrous demands and are holding the American people as hostages until these demands are met. He seems confident that he can end this mutiny by just letting this radical element vent its anger until its members finally come to the stark realization that to keep the ship from going to a watery grave they will have to put aside their rage and help to save the ship.
Down in the bowels of the ship, women and children, the elderly and some disabled individuals are begging for help because the mutineers are preparing to take their life jackets and distribute them among the wealthy on the top deck, even though most of them already have one. Why they would do such a thing is beyond comprehension but, for some reason, it seems to make the mutineers feel really good.
There are a good number of news reporters present on this ill-fated voyage and they have been closely monitoring the situation and taking copious notes. They seem to be divided into two distinctly separate groups that want no part of each other. The first group is feverishly transmitting messages to its editors that absolutely condemn the actions of the Captain and praise the courageous position that the First Officer is taking.
On the other hand, there is that group of reporters who watch the very same process unfolding and in the reports they send to their organizations they are adamant that the Captain is, without question, on the right side of this issue; and that his behavior and performance is exemplary in the face of such a mounting catastrophe. They also are the ones who are reporting on the First Officer's constant visits to the wine cellar.
This once mighty ship, possessing the size and power like no other in the world, is said to have no peer, there is nothing like it. But no matter how great and exceptional this ship may be, it's in big trouble as its crew seems to be unable to repair the damage that has been done. Those who had been given the responsibility for its operations and the safety of its passengers are now seen as totally incompetent. So we now it's become very evident, the ship is not the problem, the root cause of the problem lies somewhere between the Captain, the First Officer and the crew.
As if that were not bad enough the wealthy passengers are known to have given massive bribes to the corrupt crew members who have, in turn, commandeered and reserved all the lifeboats for their great benefactors personal use. These wealthy passengers don't seem the least bit worried and look with disdain upon the other passengers who are so fearful of what is about to happen. The wealthy know one thing for certain; they will be safe in their lifeboats if the ship goes down and those other passengers, so very different from themselves, will have to swim or sink on their own.
There is at least some possibility that, if the radical, enraged members of the mutinous crew can be convinced to end their mindless agenda of dissension and obstruction, that the ship can be stabilized and very likely will be able to limp back into port. But even if they do it may be too late and the massive damage that it has suffered may be irreparable.
When and how will this impending tragedy finally end? The ship can stay afloat for no more than a few more days unless the Captain, the First Officer and the members of both the mutinous crew and those who are working to prevent a financial disaster all band together to save the ship.
Stay tuned for further information on this grave situation. If this bitter, extremely contentious issue is not resolved by the actions of wiser and cooler heads, and the ship of state goes down, then you better have your own life jackets at your side. If this USS Titanic actually sinks, then the further question is: where is the lifeboat that you will need to survive?
Michael Payne
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