The Sacrifice For America by Lazarus Chambers (A special Story/Toast To President Obama from Sheba Tej Honey Wine)

20. January 2009 by admin.

[Inside a liquor store]
The telephone rings and Titi reaches over to answer it.  He’s chomping on a cigar.
 

Titi

(in a strong Spanish accent)

Hello, Rubicon Wines and Spirits.  Yeah, we got that.

He shifts the cigar in his mouth as he writes a message on some paper.
 

Titi

(still chomping on his cigar, shifting it in his mouth.)

Ok, where do you want it?

He nods with the phone pasted to his ear and continues to write on his pad.
 

Titi

Ok, it be there in 20 minutes.

He walks around the counter and picks up a bottle.
 

Titi

(shouting)

Cali, get up here, you have a delivery.
(to no one in particular)
Another order for Sheba Tej, that wine has become very popular recently.

Titi

(shouting to Cali as he walks out the door)

Get back here in 20 minutes Cali.

Cali

Yes Titi.

Ahh that old man, Cali thought, he is trying to kill me so he won’t give me my 5%.
 
He rode his bike and headed north.  He pulled up to the house within seven minutes of leaving the store.   The house was a plain one story brick surrounded by large two story colonials.  Cali pressed the door bell.[Inside small brick house]

Voice

(from within the  house)

Enter and place the bottle on the table.

Cali’s hair on the back of his neck was standing on end.    He pushed the door hesitantly open. 
 

Voice

The money is on the table.  Take it and go, keep the change.

He never saw the face that said the words.  The room was completely dark save one light on the table.  Only the table was illuminated.  Cali looked around, quickly made his way to the table and completed his delivery.  He took the money, stuffed it in his jacket pocket and made his way out backing towards the door.  He stumbled out and raced to his bike.  In his haste he had left the door open.
 
A figure moved to close it.  His silhouette was all that could be made out.  On his head he wore a tall top hat.  The figure sat at the table and the light there shone on his face.  It’s President Abraham Lincoln.
 

President Lincoln
(holding the bottle of wine)
So my boy, another son of Illinois is back on the hot seat.  Well done.

Another figure moved and turned on the light.  It’s Malcolm X.  The room was of a comfortable size and lightly furnished.  Besides the table there was a large canopy bed and a large bureau.  To one side of the bed were 2 beautiful upholstered armchairs.  To the other side was an exquisitely embroidered footstool.   Around the table were 3 plain brown chairs.  Malcolm eased his long body to one of the chairs and read the label of the bottle.
 

Malcolm
An interesting choice in wine, Barack, Ethiopian honey wine.  Sheba Tej.  You are a man of a varied tastes.

President Lincoln
Shall I pour you a glass, Malcolm?

Malcolm
My religion forbids it, but you may tell me of the flavor and texture after you have sampled it.
 
President Lincoln
And you, Martin?
 
Martin
I too am a religious man, but I am not held by the same restrictions as my brother Malcolm.  So I shall sample what Barack apparently has fallen in grace with.
 

President Lincoln pours three glasses.

Barack moves from the bed and receives his glass from President Lincoln.

President Lincoln
(raising his glass in a toast)
Long live, Barack.
 
Malcolm bows his head.
Others
(in unision)
Long live Barack.

President Lincoln rises in thought.

President Lincoln
If I may, gentlemen.  I would like to speak on the nature of things that has brought us to this point of history today.Some people say that my motive for releasing the slaves was more economical than moral.  But I truly saw the system as a shame on America.  It was a system that was given to us representing the height of European domination.  When else could a man belong to another and an entire race humbled to its knees.  Never before in history.  We were not only enslaving the individuals that we had within our direct possession, I utterly knew that we were enslaving the entire black race across the entire globe — something that would continue for generations.  Ultimately, I saw this as detrimental to the strength of America.  I would not only free my personal slave, but I would free the black race of this bond.   But then too, I saw the repercussions.  I knew that there would come a time when the best of America would come under the leadership of a free slave, but I also knew that it would be the end.  For that reason, it was difficult to let go.  We had no choice, America did itself a disservice.  We would have been a greater nation if the peoples of the African continent had naturally migrated as the Italians, Chinese and Irish had.  We would have greatly benefitted from a most intelligent race.   Yes, you would have faced the backlash that all new immigrants faced, but it would have been against a generation or two, and not against an entire nation and people as it is now.  The legacy of slavery still festers within us.  And that, I do regret, is a part of our nation’s past.
 
Martin
As you say, it’s the past.  We have been given the present to right the future.
 
Malcolm
Yet Martin, we must not forget the past.

Martin
Indeed.  Collective intelligence must guide our actions.
 
Lincoln
Collective intelligence guided by a moral awareness.  Without the guide of collective intelligence, we create with no spirit. 
 
Barack
My guidance is my God.
 
Malcolm
Your God?  And what about my God?
 
Barack
Well since he is omnipresent we are sided with the same God.  Different name, same spirit.
 
Malcolm
Well said.  However, there are many issues you must confront Barack.  Foremost amongst them is the welfare of those that are unaware.
 
Martin
Yes, you have awaken something in more people than we ever could.  At this point in time, it is important that you be a role model, as it is you that can set the level of individual awareness.

Lincoln
In essence, Barack, you have to see this as your empire.  And you must or all that you have built will crumble before your eyes.  From today, you must assume the role and title as the first King of America.
 
Barack
(placing his glass on the table)
I seek no such title and no such power.  I have been elected by the will of the people, I cannot betray that trust.  In case you have forgotten, we are a republic.
 
Lincoln
And so was Rome, until Caesar came along, and so was France until saved by Napoleon.  The ancient Greeks were known to forsake democracy at times of crises. 
 
Barack
You equate me with men that either sacked their countries or killed for their usurpation of power.
 
Malcolm
You speak as if you have not done so already.  You have already captured the most powerful role on this planet.  It was not intended for the likes of you, and yet, here you are.  It is yours, you are the king of America.
 
Barack
Please do not refer to me as that.
 
Martin
Why are you afraid of that word?
 
Barack
(sitting)
I am not afraid of the word.  I am afraid of myself.  There is a hunger within me.  Which one of you has not felt it?  It stirs within in me, yet I fight to control it.  It destroys more men when it is unleashed, so I temper my hunger with a reserve that I fear one day shall expire.

Malcolm
You fight against the very being that you are.
 
Lincoln
You must understand, you are not doing this for you.  You are doing it for the people who look to you.  All you are doing is making a sacrifice.  Something you are asking them to beholden to.
 
Barack
Assuming the role of King is not making a sacrifice.  It will tear asunder everything we hold dear, more than anything you witnessed in your time.
 
Lincoln
Do not underestimate that which you did not experience first-hand.  Brothers fought against brothers. 
 
Martin
You must realize Barack, you have transcended what you are in the eyes of your people.  The people are yearning for leadership at this trying time.  There are signs that our very way of life is threatening our planet.  Where else are we to go?  The fear of 9/11 still lingers in the mind of the people.  And there are others out there that will take advantage of that.  Our jobs and homes are eroding from underneath us, our earthly possessions are escaping our grasps.  Famine, floods, death and destruction lurk our very steps.  There are limited places to turn to.  The people are dying on a global scale.
 
Barack
You ask too much of me Martin.

Malcolm
Do not feel burdened.  The people need life and you have already lit a spark.  They need hope and something to believe in.  You represent a complete rebirth.  A time to start anew.  Create a new system of energy, of finance and of love between brothers and sisters that share this earth.
 
Barack
You heap too much fame upon me.  I have done nothing another from my race could not have done.
 
Lincoln
And what race is that?
 
Barack
(smiling)
Why black of course!
 
Lincoln
Are you not of equal white stock?
 
Barack
Yes, but I see my face in the mirror every day.
 
Lincoln
Well just as your black skin has ushered you into the presidency, then your white blood shall take you to the monarchy.
 
Malcolm gives Lincoln a stern look.  He steps towards him menacingly.
 
Lincoln
(hurriedly)
I mean nothing by it.  But you must accept, and so must he, that he is of equal value to both races. 
(to Barack)
Barack, you must favor neither over the other.  It is as it’s meant to be and you must assume the reign of king.

Martin
He is right, Barack.  You must put the nation ahead of your personal ideals.
 
Barack
That is what I have done and continue to do.  My role shall be president and nothing more.  What you speak of will cripple the nation.  More than any other time, it will leave us exposed to the enemies we have made over the centuries.  I will not be the president to lose the union.
 
Lincoln
I speak of intimate experience on that matter, Barack.  Instead, you will be the one that delivers it.
 
Barack
You all speak of madness.  America is already weakened.  We have entered into an eternal quagmire.  We are in a eternal state of war.  A nation at war is a nation against peace.  Terror begins at home.  We must first fight here and expulge the terrorists that hide amongst us — that are our very selves.   That is a war we are afraid to undertake.  It just may reveal too much of who we are. Can we fight and win that war?
 
Malcolm
The fight has been ongoing.  We have made progress.
 
Barack
That we have, and for each step forward we take a step back.  Barack as king is five steps back.
 
Lincoln
You must have faith that your actions will preserve the union.  You alone represent a greater sum than the parts.  To be like you, to love you, to want to do for you that’s what’s on the mind of the people.  They are ready for your leadership, and are not prepared to let go until you have delivered, no matter how long it takes.  As you are the only one that can.  But you must take it.  You cannot shy away from your destiny.
 
Barack
Speak of it no more.  To the people it will be the ultimate betrayal of trust.
 
Martin
The people will be with you.  Speak to them as you do.  Share your vision with them, take them on the journey through the cosmos, and reveal to them who they are.
 
Barack
I can no more assume that they will heed what I say anymore that I can believe it myself. 
(his voice lowers)
I am a humble man of humble origins.  This is not my role from birth.

Lincoln
Julius Caesar did not control the ancient world’s greatest power to leave his name in the history books.  He did it for the love of his country.  And so must you.
 
Barack
And who waits in the wings for my demise.  For as sure as Caesar’s came, my ides would quickly approach.
 
Malcolm
America is no more a Republic than Rome was.  Its pseudo-democracy perpetuates a status quo and you know that in your very being.  Remove the brambles and shackles of feigned democracy.  Allow the Empire to truly ascertain its role in the world.  When you assume imperial power, you remove all the venomous private players who have inserted themselves into public affairs, under the guise of lobbyists on Capitol Hill.  An Empire revealed is greater than an Empire masquerading as a Republic.  That is the sacrifice America, AND YOU, must make for the world.
 
Barack
You attack all that the people’s decision has stood for.  I cannot destroy their faith in the system by such an action which you plead of me.
 
Lincoln
The people no longer trust the system.  They have become disillusioned.  Their faith in the system is in you.  The time is now to hold onto that belief.  If anything shatters their vision of you, the dark ages will visit these shores. 
 
Barack
It is my very assumption of that role, that will destroy their vision.
 
Martin
Then you do not know how you are viewed in the eyes of the people.
 
Barack
I know well.  I am nothing but another politician.  My goals and ideas may be unique, but I am not a special man.
 

Malcolm
You are to this nation.  You have awoken this nation from its sleep and slumber.  All eyes and ears are upon you.  To allow the American people to return to a state of the living dead would be the utmost crime.  You can unite the people against policies that have divided us.
 
Martin
Oh Barack, what would it take to convince you of your destiny?
 
Barack
Nothing can prove to me it’s what I must do.
 
Lincoln
Even if the people request that you lead them as king?
 
Barack
They would do no such thing.  They are schooled in the principles of the Republic.  Universal suffrage is a right they expect to exercise.  Too much blood has been shed to achieve this.  You know this more than most Martin.
 
Martin
That is true, but it was a means to an end.  Now a goal has been reached and new ends must be attained.  Enlightenment is a never ending process.
 
Barack
And what is this new end you speak of?
 
Martin
The evolution of a people!
 
Lincoln
The awakening of a new mind!
 
Malcolm
An awareness that has laid dormant many years before!  Yes, Barack, we know you sense it as well.
 
Barack
You corrupt my mind with personal glory.  Release me from this bond of servitude you expect of me.  I assume no position beyond that which has been given to me by the people.
 
Lincoln
Then you doom your nation, your people and yourself.
 
Barack
I do no such thing.  I serve with all my heart as I did that first day I understood poverty, illiteracy and injustice.
 
Malcolm
You turn your back on the very thing you claim to advance.
 
 Lincoln
The people are ready to make that sacrifice for you Barack.  They are ready to give up their right of choice, knowing that their actions day to day will decide the fate of their country and not the election of officials.  That is the sacrifice you ask of them.  That their every moment as a citizen of this country is one dedicated to the advancement of themselves and their country. Barack, your very request of the people is to make election of public officials obsolete.  You, as a figurehead will be all that they require.  Their very motivation, the very heart that beats within them is for the advancement of the empire.  What is good for the empire is good for the planet.  But this can only be accomplished with you as their leader - only then will their motivations be true.  That is the sacrifice you ask of the people and that is the sacrifice the people are ready to make.  To treat their brothers as themselves.  To raise their children as in a village.  To help their sister as she goes to work for bread for her children.  You must make the sacrifice with them Barack.  You must become their KING!
 
The Others
Barack…Barack…Barack…Barack…Barack…
 

[Inside White House bedroom]

Michelle
(walking around the room getting ready for the day)
Barack…Barack…Barack..wake up, its almost 8.Barack
(still under the covers)
What a dream!
 
Michelle
The girls are getting ready for school.  Let’s go sleepy head.  It’s your first full day on the job.
 
Barack
My goodness Michele, I had one heck of a dream.  I think it was the wine we had at the ball.
 
Michelle
What wine?
 
Barack
The Ethiopian wine, Sheba Tej.
 
Michelle
That was a good wine wasn’t it?  I have to remember to buy a case for guests.  So what was the dream about?
 
Barack
Here I am, speaking with some of the giants of justice and civil rights in American history, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and Abraham Lincoln and they were trying to convince me to become king of America.
 
Michelle
Oh Lord, Barack, I think all those inaugural balls last night went to your head.  Don’t blame it on that good wine at all.    So what did you say to them?
 
Barack
Why I said no of course.  How could I possibly say anything other than that?
 
Michelle
Well there you go, a humble man when he sleeps and a humble man when he’s awake.  That’s why I married you.
 
Barack
And here I am thinking it’s because of the ears.
 
Michelle
(laughing)
Come on silly, lets get the girls to school.

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