‘The Movement’ offers political alternatives

Coral Wilson

Michael Cooper of Balboa Island is not responsible for President

George Bush’s political policies. During the last presidential

election, he voted for Cat in the Hat.

“I didn’t buy into what was going on at that moment in time, I was

not happy with any of the candidates,” he said. “It was the first

time in a long time I felt good about my vote.”

When Cooper moved to San Francisco in the mid-1960’s, it was his

first exposure to other ways of thought, political debates and people

of different backgrounds and ethnicities. What he discovered there

was in sharp contrast to his conservative, Oregon upbringing. It was

in San Francisco that his life experiences really began. And it was

there that he learned to ask questions.

San Francisco sets the scene for his new political thriller, “The

Movement.”

It is about a time not far in the future when the people are

dissatisfied -- with politics, traditional institutions and the

serious issues plaguing California. It is about a generation

unwilling to accept the status quo.

“The Movement is a novel, it is entertainment. It is supposed to

be something to have people take pause and think for a while,

possibly influence what they do in the voting booth.” Cooper said.

“But primarily, it is for them to enjoy a few hours of a decent read,

maybe put some thoughts in their heads that they keep for a while.”

But as with all decent fiction, it has to be close enough to the

truth to make it believable and interesting for the readers, he said.

And he thinks it is.

California faces specific problems that other states don’t.

However, California does not always get the government representation

in Washington equal to its contribution, he said.

“Economically, we are a very strong power in the world. If you buy

that, you can say, ‘Why do we need to drag around the rest of the

U.S.,’” Cooper said. “Why don’t we address the problems right here at

home.”

Cooper is not a secessionist, but in his novel he and his

characters play with the idea, “Do we really need the rest of the

United States?”

Neither extremely liberal nor conservative, Cooper said he is

stuck somewhere in the middle. But he does notice the erosion of

civil liberties around him.

“Some say it is a slippery slope. I say it is a gradual downhill

run toward the average everyday citizens losing the majority say in

what is going on around them,” he said. “We have had our country

enter war with a fair majority of the world saying we shouldn’t, but

we did it anyway.”

Expressing deep gratitude for the soldiers who have put themselves

in harm’s way, Cooper said the leaders of the country are responsible

for allowing that to happen. He questions whether America has done

the right thing, especially considering the current world opinion.

“We do need a change of how our political system operates,” he

said. “I’m not talking about overthrowing the government, I am

talking about overhauling how the government works.”

Nestled in his sheltered Balboa Island haven, Cooper’s views

contrast those of his neighbors. But he relates well to people of all

political backgrounds. Even in his role as a father, he exercises his

belief in independent thought. Cooper encourages his 16-year old son

Zachary to ask questions and form his own opinions.

In the same way, he asks his readers to be more involved in the

political process. The next time they are in a voting booth, Cooper

said they might ask themselves if they are voting along the same

party or philosophical lines without stopping to consider the

ultimate outcome.

“It doesn’t matter whether Democratic or Republican, liberal or

conservative,” he said. “We are all headed for the same place.”