Марсианские хроники
June 2001: — and the Moon Be Still as Bright
AndIcanseemymotherandfathercomingtoMarsandactingthesamewayhere."
"Anythingthat’sstrangeisnogoodtotheaverageAmerican.Ifitdoesn’thaveChicagoplumbing,it’snonsense.Thethoughtofthat!OhGod,thethoughtofthat!Andthen—thewar.Youheardthecongressionalspeechesbeforeweleft.IfthingsworkouttheyhopetoestablishthreeatomicresearchandatombombdepotsonMars.ThatmeansMarsisfinished;allthiswonderfulstuffgone.HowwouldyoufeelifaMartianvomitedstaleliquorontheWhiteHousefloor?"
Thecaptainsaidnothingbutlistened.
Spendercontinued:"Andthentheotherpowerinterestscomingup.Themineralmenandthetravelmen.DoyourememberwhathappenedtoMexicowhenCortezandhisveryfinegoodfriendsarrivedfromSpain?Awholecivilizationdestroyedbygreedy,righteousbigots.HistorywillneverforgiveCortez."
"Youhaven’tactedethicallyyourselftoday,"observedthecaptain.
"WhatcouldIdo?Arguewithyou?It’ssimplymeagainstthewholecrookedgrindinggreedysetuponEarth.They’llbefloppingtheirfilthyatomsbombsuphere,fightingforbasestohavewars.Isn’titenoughthey’veruinedoneplanet,withoutruininganother;dotheyhavetofoulsomeoneelse’smanger?Thesimple-mindedwindbags.WhenIgotuphereIfeltIwasnotonlyfreeoftheirso-calledculture,IfeltIwasfreeoftheirethicsandtheircustoms.I’moutoftheirframeofreference,Ithought.AllIhavetodoiskillyoualloffandlivemyownlife."
