I just finished reading Robert Heinlein’s “Logic of Empire” in the March 1941 Astounding* and there were two quotes that jumped out at me as particularly apropos to current events in the Federal government today.
First quote:
“I suppose you’re a radical now?”
Doc’s eyebrows lifted slightly. “Not at all. Radical and conservative are terms for emotional attitudes, not sociological opinions.”
And the second quote, from toward the end of the story:
“…sweet reasonableness won’t get you anywhere in this [political] racket. To make yourself heard you have to be a demagogue, or a rabble-rousing political preacher like this fellow Nehemiah Schudder. We’re going merrily to hell, and it won’t stop until it winds up in a crash.”
“But–Oh, the devil! What can we do about it?”
“Nothing. Things are bound to get a whole lot worse before they can get any better.”
It’s eerie how we sometimes read seventy-year-old science fiction stories that are near perfect reflections of today. I guess some things never change.
(*I’ll have more to say about “Logic of Empire” in Episode 21 of my Vacation in the Golden Age, coming on August 8.)
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There were times during the second Bush Administration when I knew I was not the only one seeing parallels between Revolt in 2100 and the then current political scene.
Heinlein’s Future History is most interesting when looked at not by specific year (he’s wildly off at this point), but in terms of general ‘era’: I’m still waiting for “The Crazy Years” to be over….
I am an unabashed Heinlein worshiper and your comments on “Logic of an Empire” are quite astute. Back in 1969 I started the Robert Heinlein Society as an advocacy group for rational anarchy (eg:see the Moon is a Harsh Mistress)but I let the ball drop and someone else got it going later. Thanks for reminding me of “Logic of an Empire” from the “future history” series(One of the first books I received from the Science Fiction Book club in 1967)!!!)