Oregon Magazine

The Advent of Mannix to Party Chief?

The Annunciation by Leonardo daVinci, 1475-1478

Reports on radio stations, in newspapers and on television flooded across the land in the middle of the week 12 days before Christmas Eve.
Is an Oregon political savior about to be born?
Let us tally the signs and portents.

   He resides in the holy city of Salem, namesake descendant of the equally holy (and even more political) city of Jeru-Salem.
   His star began to rise in the East and recently seemed to have set in the West.
   He rode into town from the East on the back of a jackass, but later moved up to an elephant, which isn't exactly a camel, but also has a large nose and big funny looking feet.
   He was one of three wise men in the primary.
   He made many converts during his bid for the top job, but not enough to save him.
   He was condemned by members of his own party at the last electoral supper.
   He was crucified by Multnomah County in the general election, and has now, it seems, risen from the political grave.

   You have to believe he'll attract some followers. Saints Matthew, Mark, Atkinson and Snodgrass bent their knees in homage upon hearing the annunciations, but some hick radio ascetics are challenging the lack of a miracle. (Correction: Early sources were in error. Atkinson's spine stiffened. His knees are unbent.) As one said, "Almost turning water into wine is not enough. What you end up with is grape Kool Aid." One of the Kings from the East is also against the Mannix idea, but not because he doesn't believe. He thinks Mannix should stay clear of the politically unclean. On the other hand, Aguirre of Democratium, a crier and scribe from the holy city, has said that Mannix "may calm the waters."
   Calm the waters! Where have we read that before?
   But, what will be said by Gaius Gordonius, the Byzantine Oregon Bishop in the far capital of the Empire?   Here is our guess. It is in the royal third person, of course.

Amicus Caesar. Mannix non Caesar est.
Senator Gordonius has given the people bread and circuses, and has many friends, including the proconsul Estrus Liberalus Robertus and the imperator, Gnael Goldsmiteus. How will these impact events? Perhaps some mad holy man will have a vision in between dunking people in the Willamette. Our editor is a madman who has dunked people in the Willamette. He had a vision in the Park Blocks last summer and it took two weeks in the ICU at OHSU to stop him from speaking in tongues. (Certainly all who know him are aware that he thinks he is God.) If we hear anything, we'll pass it along to you, right here at the political bible for the really righteous winged.

The Annunciation at the top is an early work by DaVinci. The date has to do with when the work was created, not how long he lived. He was much older than three when he passed away. The lower Annunciation is by Botticelli. They were contemporaries, and also worked and lived at about the same time. What we find fascinating, being from a state famous for its forests, is that both artists when painting the same scene used different locations, but the same tree. It's that one on the right in the bottom illustration, and fourth from the left in the top one. (LL)