“After Thirteen Heavens of Decreasing Choice and Nine Hells of Increasing Doom, the Tree of Life will blossom with a fruit never before known in The Creation — The New Spirit of Man.” (Zapotec prophecy)
Having spent most of my young-adult years living on a Rez. in the inter-mountain region of the American west, I availed myself of frequent excursions into many of its more remote areas, seeking answers to questions that most would never ask? The answers came, but ultimately at the cost of of a normal life. Of these, and there were many, one remains paramount, as it had to do with a progression of events that would determine the future of America.
And so, as has often been said, I found myself “taken up in the spirit.” And no sooner had I realized the fact when I was confronted with another reality; I wasn’t alone, in the company of two angels, one on either side of me, and the fact that we were flying, as I could see the earth far below. As soon as that thought had registered, the angel on my right spoke to me, saying: “Son of man, what do you see?” The instant he said it, my sight would zoom in on an event happening down below. And while there were many, each manifesting in the sequence in which I saw them, over time, the last event would be the result of all those leading up to it, and decisions made, or not made.
The first two events I would mention are of particular relevance, as they not only confirmed the angelic testimony of my companions, but in turn served to erase any lingering doubts I might have had as to the veracity of this vision.
The first event, referred to commonly as “The First Shock,” was the Oil Embargo of 1973-1974. Initiated by our Arab exporting friends of OAPEC, which had targeted nations who had supported Israel during The Six Day War of 1973. And while the embargo was lifted in 1974, the damage had already been done. This was especially true in the US, where oil import prices at one point soared to over 300%.
“The Second Shock” would soon follow, as a direct result of the Iranian Revolution of 1979, which resulted in widespread labor strikes throughout the Iranian oil industry. Essentially doubling the price of Crude overnight, it was in turn exasperated by the Iran-Iraq war, which prolonged it well into the 1980’s. The result on the American population was two-fold, not only were they unprepared (again), but soon realized that the nation itself was more vulnerable to adversarial intentions than anyone had previously believed. While both events affected me deeply, the latter, in 1979, left a much greater impression on me, as I found myself back in suburbia once again, standing in line with countless others, wondering in fact whether I would be able to get gas or be shot in the process.
In hindsight, when you stop consider the Middle Eastern origin of each crisis, it’s little wonder that something more ominous would be in the offing. And it was, as we later discovered, with the Al Qaeda attack on the Twin Towers in New York on September 11, 2001. It was not only a wake-up call for the entire nation (I was without cell-service for the better part of a month), but set in motion a series of events that would ultimately result in The Global War on Terror, or GWOT. Yet, it wouldn’t end there, as both prophetically, as well as tangibly, our entanglement with the Middle East is far from over.
Even though caught off guard by the general malaise of a post-Cold War mind-set, the shock of 9/11 galvanized the U.S government into doing something. With no immediate recourse but to adopt an altogether different perspective regarding the nature of our enemies, “both at home and abroad,” national security soon came to the forefront. Unfortunately, in pursuing that objective one could say that the government over-reacted a bit, with “renditions” on American soil becoming a common occurrence. Rumors of “Black-sites” soon surfaced, not only that of Guantanamo Bay (GITMO) in Cuba, used as a maximin-security prison for “suspected terrorists, but the Abu Gharib scandal in Iraq, which made the headlines for its use of “extrajudicial” torture techniques.
The fact that not only foreign nationals, but American citizens were now seen as potential threats, helped fuel a growing paranoia within the country, and an increasing distrust of the federal government. Such suspicions were soon confirmed in the minds of many with the creation of The Department of Homeland Security on November 25, 2002. And if there remained any doubts as to its purpose, that was put to rest by it’s first appointed director, the honorable Tom Ridge. In his first public address, he noted, and I paraphrase: “While our attention remains focused on the “Axis of Evil” abroad, we needn’t remind ourselves that the terrorist attack of 9/11 took place on American soil. And while ‘Islamic radicals’ were parcel to the fact, there remain other concerns here at home that are worth watching, particularly among Native American groups and Christian organizations. Talk about smoke-signals! And as if that weren’t enough, it was soon followed by a virtual tsunami of legal precedents, which to serve to form a cage of compliance for American citizens, with the expressed purpose of restraining remonstance.
Yet, if we consider the governments often lopsided attempts at social reform, an appropriate response may in fact be warranted. If so, perhaps the historically repressed in this country can serve as a vanguard, as they’re about the only ones left that can say with some confidence what the lessons of history may tell us. For that reason, one could offer that not only are Native Americans more disposed to elaborating on the deterioration of the public trust – confidence in our own government. And, by way of example, their actions might not only serve to reacquaint the public with the genesis of liberty itself, but to in fact preserve it. American freedom is not simply a historical phenomenon, but a contemporary ideal, serving to remind us that freedom is not yet free! Which in this particular vein was made abundantly clear by former Aim leader, Dennis Banks, who said: “Our past, as Indians, will give you direction for the future.”
Returning to the vision at hand and its latter place in time, my angelic host on right said to me once again: “Son of man, what do you see?” At his utterance, I immediately had an up close and personal front seat perspective, along side the passengers of the car now stopping at the Truckee border crossing between California and Nevada. To my surprise, even though I was an invisible passenger in the car, I not only saw the station attendant approaching, but say to the driver of the car. “ID’s, permit and papers, please.” Proffered as requested, minutes passed as I felt a growing unease among the passengers. Abruptly the attendant returned and with a smile returned the necessary permits, saying: “All in order…you’re free to go now.” As the car pulled away, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, even as I listened to the driver vent: “This is total BS; America the f…g Gestapo. Give me a f..g break; I need some kiss-ass”s approval to go on a vacation with my family now!” “Approval my ass!”
Yet, no sooner had the implications began to register than my sight returned to normal and I was once again in the presence the angels. The one on my left then spoke to me, saying: “Son of man, what did you see?” In response to my reply, he said: “Write it down and remember, so that when these things come to pass you”ll know that our word was true.” And so it’s been, every word, for many years now, with the sequence of events playing out exactly as I saw them – one major event every ten years, with a secondary precursor event occurring, alternately, every fifth year. And while this particular episode didn’t occur until near the end of these revelation, it remains of utmost importance, as it appeared to be the turning point for what was soon to follow – “public surveillance and the emergence of the police-state.” Subsequently, and although it was a process that had been going on for years, this event would become indicative of what would become an out-migration of people from suburbia and the city into what would later be described as the “wastelands.” These in turn became the remnant and multi-colored seed corn of future generations; Indian maize.
CoupStick Chaplain 