Third Congressional Hearing

MAGE Institute's 3rd Congressional Hearing - March, 2038

Scene length: 6-8 minutes

Setting

The MAGE Institute is close to seven years old now. The Institute has grown significantly and is one of the most powerful voices for environmental action. That is not to say that this voice has much impact on those in power.

With the support of Senator Kennedy, the Institute has managed to arrange for another hearing before the Senate Committee on Energy & the Environment.

Senators may interject with questions and statements, as they wish.

Recent Events

2036 - A particularly bad year of hurricanes destroys Miami and several towns in Southern Florida and ravages Cuba and Puerto Rico.

2037 - Pesticide resistant mormon crickets sweep through the American breadbasket, destroying most of this year's harvest before being wiped out by a new pesticide called FRO.

2037 - Increasing population and weakening infrastructure causes rolling blackouts throughout much of the United States.

Committee Members

• Senator Harold (TX): Ranking member of the Committee.
• Senator Wu (AK)
• Senator Sebastian (OK)
• Senator Kennedy (MA)
• Senator Winston (KY)
• Senator Seth (ND)

MAGE Institute Members

• Chris Carpenter
• Jamie Schreiber
• John Papadopoulos
• Andrea Skala
• Barry Magdalene
• Judah Isaacson
• Tamasa Valappil
• Philip Harrison

Characters

Senator Harold (TX)

This is still your Committee and your Hearing. You call the shots around here.

Blasted environmentalists. Kennedy managed to finagle you into letting this hearing happen. It'll happen, but you're tired of playing Mr. Nice Guy. They'll be brief, to the point or you'll force them to be. They have a time limit and you're going to hold them to it.

Senator Wu (AK)

These people were right about a number of things. Fine. That does not mean that they are right about everything. The correct course is dealing with the ongoing changes though, not radical actions that will destroy the economy. The incidents that have occurred and may occur in the future are incidents to be managed. Nothing more, nothing less.

Senator Sebastian (OK)

The problem is that these people are using scare tactics. Yes, there are incidents happening. Some of them have been quite dramatic. However, every time something happens there has been appropriate responses from the private sector. Heck, many of these problems have helped fuel new job growth and economic expansion. At this point, the private sector is really waking up to the challenges and will begin addressing new issues as they crop up more effectively.

Senator Kennedy (MA)

It is high time that these people were heard out. Environmentalism is back in your state and you don't intend to be left out. Why, you've always been an ardent environmentalist, you just had to build support behind the scenes until the time was right. Yes, that's the ticket that will get you re-elected.

Senator Winston (KY)

Coal prices are up for the third year in a row. Operating costs remain low. Why do these people keep wanting to mess that up? No, no and no, again. Pester 'em with questions and run the clock out on them, that's what you'll do.

Senator Seth (ND)

Sen.... Former Senator Magdalene was busted over that prostitute not that long ago. Now he's here with these attractive women and you can see the way that he and Chris look at each other. They must be easy women. Time to ask a few more personal questions about some of them.

Chris Carpenter

Once more it is time that these people listen to the events of the past few years. You have three groups who will each speak on one of the recent events highlighting the dangerous changes that are taking place.

When they are done, you will call for action. The time for protection is moving past. Now is the time when we need funding for escape from our collapsing planet. Some of the senator have come to accept that the environmental damage is real and that more problems will come. It is time to begin preparing them to accept that escape is an option that must be funded. Barry will be helping you in making this call to action.

Barry Magdalene

The members of this Committee are slowly being won over. You were certainly won over. They are awakening to the facts that the MAGE Institute has presented.

Chris wants to push them a step further. You know they aren't ready for it. Heck, you don't even buy it. You'll do your best, just the same. You will somehow help Chris make it sound as plausible as possible that funding for the construction of space ships to escape the planet are necessary...

At least the other groups get to speak first and highlight more events in the past few years.

John Popadopoulos & Tamasa Valappil

The two of you will briefly highlight the hurricanes that ravaged Florida, Cuba and Puerto Rico in 2036. It was the worst year on record, with 48 major hurricanes touching down. The destruction of Miami is the most telling incident, with more than 2 million people left without homes. The death toll reached up into the tens of thousands. Smaller towns in southern Florida, Cuba and Puerto Rico were erased from the map entirely.

This, like everything else, is a symptom of the environmental imbalance. Humanity has done too much to the planet and there are side effects.

The United States is not the only nation to have been affected. Last month India was struck by another tsunami. The number of those lost is innumerable. Tamasa's younger brother was one of those believed lost, though hope remains he will be found alive.

Jamie Schreiber & Andrea Skala

The two of you will highlight the pesticide resistant mormon crickets that swept through the American breadbasket last summer and fall, destroying most of this year's harvest. The mormon crickets were only obliterated after a new pesticide, FRO, was created. Prices for produce have gone astronomically high.

It is only so long before the next plague of insects is bred or imported. It is a natural side effect of the careless policies of the past half century and the effect they is having on the ecosphere. The heavy use of commercial pesticides selects for new resistant critters and the dominance of only a few major lines of crops makes them particularly vulnerable.

Judah Isaacson & Philip Harrison

The two of you will highlight the rolling blackouts throughout much of the United States that happened this winter.

The ever-increasing population is beginning to take its toll. There are only so many people that can be supported and only so much rapid growth that can be managed. The ballooning of the population of the United States to half a billion people has put stress on every part of the system.

While food demands, energy demands, road demands, car demands and a million other types of demands continue to grow, only so much can be done to support it. When basic protections in the system do not exist, accidents, sometimes with terrible effects, happen. The cracks in the energy grid that left millions without electricity or electric heating at a time, over more than 30 states speak to this truth. Long-term planning would have prevented this, yet none existed.

How long before a greater darkness descends on the earth itself due to the lack of precautions and long-term planning?