In late March 1997 I wrote the following parody of a videotaped statement by Marshall Applewhite, leader of the Heaven's Gate cult. Heaven's Gate was an American UFO Religion based in San Diego, California, founded and led by Marshall Applewhite (1931–1997) and Bonnie Nettles (1928-1985). On March 26, 1997, in a period that Comet Hale-Bopp was at its brightest, police discovered the bodies of 39 members of the group, who had apparently died by suicide.
The cult members exhibited unusual uniformity of thinking and behavior,characteristic of Groupthink, which reminded me of my experience as an employee at the D.C. law firm of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld. Firm employees, particularly the legal assistant group, seemed cult-like in their disposition.
If I recall correctly, cult leader Applewhite had said: "Welcome to -- beyond the human. Planet Earth -- about to be recycled. You can stay here -- but if you stay here -- you cannot join us. Are you ready to shed your vessel?" Cult members believed that the Hale-Bopp Comet would transport them to an extraterrestrial home. Members' bodies were depicted as simply earthly vessels that would be shed at the time of transport.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaven's_Gate_(religious_group)
Message From Heaven's Gate.
Welcome to -- beyond the legal.
Law firm Akin Gump -- about to be recycled.
As I look out my window -- I see a '68 Comet. Behind the Comet -- a Federal Marshal's van -- waiting to transport us to U.S. District Court.
You can stay here -- but if you stay here -- you cannot join us -- at the arraignment.
Are you ready to shed your license?
3/31/97
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1 comment:
Obviously, my thinking was never extra-legal, or aimed at committing an act of violence. I always fantasized about the feds taking care of my friends at Akin Gump.
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