their
research, and let entrepreneurs legally fund it. If you just get out of the
way, transhumanism will work out in everyone's best interest; it will benefit
our economy and the lives and longevity of every American.”
The student was Jethro Knights.
Fifty cameras turned abruptly to capture him. People nodding off in the room
quickly came to attention. Gregory Michaelson’s cool demeanor turned into the
confused impression of an idiot. He looked to his left, searching for Jethro's
blond head, recognizing his voice. That voice! he thought, shocked. He
saw Jethro, standing tall and adamant.
Two security guards rushed over to
the man to stop him from speaking again, but an interested female governor,
admiring Jethro’s Vikinglike demeanor, asked him to introduce himself and
further explain his point of view.
“This is supposed to be a town hall
forum, after all,” she said, looking at the President with a demanding firm nod
of her head.
Jethro bowed slightly with
gratitude and continued.
“My name is Jethro Knights. I’m a
fourth-year Philosophy student here at Victoria. You see, it’s the NAH, like so
many government organizations, that has already stunted the growth of this
country for over three decades. The NAH started off as a way to monitor and
control basic health science issues in the mid-1970s, but then broadened out to
control euthanasia, cryonics, cloning, genetics, neurotech, artificial
intelligence—eventually all transhuman science and its industry. But the NAH
now also has its hands in the food industry, senior citizen learning, logging,
environmental standards issuance, and much more. Even obscure things like
potato farming. I'm not kidding. There's a three-million-dollar budget for
monitoring potato crops in the Dust Belt. A now deceased Senator from Ohio
attached it eleven years ago as a hidden rider to a larger congressional bill,
and it's been in use ever since.
“The point is that our country
and its scientists can’t make headway against the bickering, conservative,
patched together governmental watchdog groups controlling us. We’re
professionally asphyxiated already. What U.S. scientists need is the freedom to
create and the freedom to implement their advances. And since it's our lives at
stake with transhumanism—the very nature of our existence—we need to let
science lead the way. Every time someone gets in the way of life extension and
human enhancement goals, every time a new anti-transhumanist law is passed,
every time you decide to hinder scientific progress, you are knowingly
shortening the lives and productive working hours of transhumanists and your
own citizens. We have a specific legal term for that type of behavior in this
country. It's called manslaughter . And it's not just the individual
whose life you are prematurely ending, it's the country's prosperity as a
whole.
"Don't you realize that
China, and maybe India too, will surpass us in innovation in just a few years?
Only a decade ago, that was unimaginable. Now many nations are quickly catching
up with us. Can't you see it was science that made our country great in the
first place? And it's what can make our country great again. Especially since
we have a game-changer in front of us. Something truly transformational. If we
just allow transhumanism to thrive, prosperity from longer and healthier life
spans will benefit us all in so many ways—psychologically, biologically,
financially. If not, we may dwindle away and die in the remains of our own
bureaucratic mess and the former glory of a once-great nation. This is a matter
of life and death. Every man and woman in this room wants to be improved and
live longer, healthier lives. Every man and woman will directly benefit from
this."
Jethro paused, scanning the
audience. He ended with, “Do we really want to remain animals for the rest of
our days when we can be so much more? We must disband the NAH and the
anti-transhuman mindset in this country. We need to forge
Jack Hillgate
Carole Wilkinson
Mary Horlock
Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
Susan Hayes
Lynn LaFleur
Helen Peters
Savannah Rylan
Nathan Lowell
June Whitfield