JESUS NATION SEX REBEL, mini-chapter 52

52. EVE AND ESTHER CONTINUE THEIR LUNCH

“But Bush’s Dad started a war and didn’t get re-elected!” Esther might be enlightening her, but she had to stop the woman when she got too blurrily lost in her own high-flown clouds.

“His Dad didn’t know how to run on his war. He forgot the real purpose of his war. Bush 43 did not. He was going to have his war and run on it. He couldn’t have run on his domestic policy. He knew that was unpopular. He needed the war to get his domestic agenda done. That was the whole idea of the Iraq War.”

“But he couldn’t have been that cynical, could he?”

“He wasn’t cynical. He believed in his domestic agenda. He believed in it so strongly that he started a war to get it passed. 9/11 was a gift from God. But even if 9/11 hadn’t happened, Bush would still have gone to war with Iraq in order to become popular enough to get his domestic agenda through and to get re-elected.”

“But that’s cynical, isn’t it?”

“It’s not. It’s knowing how power works. If you know how to get power, you use your knowledge to keep power.”

“But what about the people who die in war?”

“What about them?”

“They get killed for political purposes.”

“They’ve always gotten killed for political purposes. Do you think there is another reason?”

“What are you telling me?” Eve felt like a tree being sheared of one protective layer of bark after another. At the same time she couldn’t help thinking that Esther Todd enjoyed herself a little too much lording it over a Beloved with munificent bestowings of the know-it-all cynicism of a typical Blessed.

“I’m telling you the truth, my dear, the truth you will never ever get from the news, but only learn when you start running things.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Would you like to join a monthly group I have over to my house?”

“Indeed.”

“It’s for women only. We get to really talk. Our next meeting is three days from now, on Sunday night after church. Here’s the address. Come prepared to talk about men and relationships.”

“Isn’t that a dangerous topic?”

“Yes. As dangerous as war. Those are the only topics we have. In my circle we’re free to say anything to each other.”

“I can’t say anything. I’m a Beloved. I can be had up in front of a Patriot Board in a New York minute.”

“You have nothing to be afraid of. We won’t ever call you an unpatriotic soul. Nobody will inform on you. Bible promise.”

“I trust I’ll give you no cause.”

“I’m inviting you to join the elite, my dear. We have freedom of opinion among each other. See, I’ve just said something treasonous. We also have fun playing with makeup.”

“You make up your faces, like in the old days?”

“Remember the wives of the arrogant gender at the party? Blesseds like to see their women in makeup.”

“Don’t get me wrong, but it looks very odd when one is used to seeing only V-dolls in makeup -- when that is the mark of their shame.”

“Well, we play with makeup without fear of being brought before our Patriot Boards. Or being thought of as V-dolls.”

“Heavens. That’s so decadent. Don’t you think it’s rather non-Christian? Even quite European?”

“You have to understand, Eve. Blesseds don’t go by the rules for Beloveds.”

Eve was aware that Esther really enjoyed lecturing her. She decided to give Esther as many chances as she could to enjoy herself. She was ready to play the ingénue as long as it amused Esther. It seemed the fastest way of crawling deep up Esther’s sphincter.