The foreign minister cleared his throat, approaching the podium. The large chamber hall fell silent as all eyes of he Congreso Nacional fell on the tall, dark-haired man. In his sixties by now, Michel Garcia thought he had seen it all, thought that by now the world would have learned like he had to stop the wars and come to a peaceful understanding. Facing the Congreso, Garcia knew why the world hadn’t; it was because the world was full of men like these. Be they old or be they young, all were vying for power, playing a cruel game of backstabbing malice, wielding gossip as the prime choice fro advancement in this game. It had been years since Mr. Garcia had met a politician he truly trusted, that politician was his senior, President Enrique de Crozius. Mr. de Crozius had earned Minister Garcia’s respect long ago, and it was for him that the minister had retained his post.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity but was in actuality but a few seconds, the chamber fell silent, awaiting the minister’s words. Minister Garcia again cleared his throat and began to talk, “Esteemed members of the Congreso Nacional, I am most pleased to see you today. I am going to be blunter than I have been in the past with you, my esteemed colleagues. Our beloved Chile is under attack. Our melting-pot land is threatened by the brutish Argentines and their allies both in South America and elsewhere.
“It is time, gentlemen that Chile asserts herself as the dominant force that she is! For much too long Chile has sat on the sidelines of Europe, happy to watch as Brazil and Argentina battle for supremacy. No longer! It is time, my friends, to reach into the plains of Patagonia, to reach into the mountains of the Andes, to reach into the jungles of the Amazon, to reach into the ports of the Atlantic and Pacific, and yes, to reach into the very hearts and souls of the Latin American people, into the kind, tender beings who wish for freedom from oppressive regimes and an escape from the torment of a life in poverty.” Minister Garcia continued to speak to the entranced crowd, shaping them to fit his needs as the potter shapes the clay and the black smith the iron.
Continuing, the foreign minister said, “My fellow Chileans, no longer can we stand idly by as the land that is ours and that which is rightfully ours is raped by the heartless minions of a fanatic criminal. Chile is one of the few, nay, the only one, who can remake our continent, and indeed, our world. And so, I ask you now, do Chile and the wellbeing of your fellow man reside in your heart, or in your mind? I ask you now, do charity and justice reside in your heart, or in your mind? I ask you now, do South America and the world reside in your heart, or in your mind? And, I ask you now, do the Bible and the teachings of Jesus reside in your heart, or in your mind?” Ending in a decrescendo, his words flowing out of his mouth like a drying river, slowly being absorbed into the air until the babbling of the brook dies out.
As Foreign Minister Michel Garcia stepped away from the podium, the Congreso Nacional exploded in a patriotic fervor, giving the minister a standing ovation. Garcia slowly turned to face his crowd, every one of them, focusing on random faces in the audience. After scanning the crowd, looking at the backstabbing men who had only a minute ago made his stomach turn, Minister Garcia saw something he had not expected to see, humanity. The people standing here were not the malicious sadists Garcia had thought of them to be, only truly patriotic men with a need o serve their country, even if that meant stabbing their friends in the back. And so, with a full bow, something Garcia had not done since he was quite young, Foreign Minister Michel Garcia left the Chamber halls to enter the car awaiting him outside the chambers.