A case of democrazy

-Look, said Little Nino. -I found a radio! Batteries not included.
Children scrambled through debris pawing soil looking for energy cells. Emergency air raid sirens went off and everyone scrambled into bombed out buildings, seeking shelter.

-Hey, check this out, said a hungry refugee. -I found a case of Democrazy. The Republican label says it spreads easily.
-Is it crunchy or plain?
-How do I know? It’s just plain old Democrazy.
-Maybe it’s like that old rancid freedom sauce. Let’s give it a try.

They opened the box, took out a jar, unscrewed the top, grabbed sharp knives, broke bread and slathered on Democrazy.

-Wow! This is yummy.
-Yeah, well I got some stuck in my throat. It tastes like sand.
-It’s protein.
Tribal members collected their Democrazy.
-We need more energy, someone cried. -We need music, news, entertainment, a weather forecast, a story with a happy ending. We need to know what’s happened.

-Need a clue? Take a look around you, said a person with an elementary education. Towers, Iraqi villages and Afghan mountains smoldered on the immediate horizon.
-It looks desperate, said one.
-Eye, it does, said another. -It’s always darker before the dawn.

Sirens stopped and they emerged from darkness into another darkness.
-We need shelter, said a family gathering rushes from the world bank. Third world immigrants and internally displaced people pounded rocks and carried them on their backs toward unknown futures.
They sang, “Give me shelter. Shelter from the storm.”

Waves of bombers and attack helicopters circled overhead like vultures.