Mountain Fire Steve Raith Book
by Steve Raith

This is a play I wrote about a completely fictional Central American state which is never identified outright but rather it is a composite about what I have known about several Latin America Revolutionary movements in the past in different countries throughout the region whether Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua or Chile. I wrote this while i was going to college in Southern California after listening to some songs on the CDs of Sting (Nothing like the sun) and U2 (Joshua Tree) that from my understanding were themselves inspired by meetings these artists had with representatives from Aminsity International about political prisoners, denial of any due legal process and infractions of their human rights when they are tortured to compel them to submit to the will of a centralized political authority. At the same time it was also an exercise to see how well I could write a story almost completely with dialog. It has been my dream that it would be actually performed to see if it really works on stage. I have also thought about giving it to Amisty Internacional as something that might be used to increase awareness about political prisoners as well as generating revenue for their cause. However, when I took the completed work to the drama instructor at Miracosta College where I was a student he wasn't very interested or impressed with it. Like much of what I have done such as my University Degree, work experience in the mental health field, musical compositions, or other written works that I have written or published over the years no one cares or is impressed by them. I had thought that least a college degree would have helped me better myself as regards improvement in having a better and higher paying job but even that degree that cost me thousands of dollars and much hard work studying, listening to lectures, writing papers, and making presentations before my peers when I could have simply worked my job during the day, and then gone club hopping in the evenings has never brought me more financial compensation than those who have done absolutely nothing to increase their job skills aside from doing the job they were being paid to do. Of course no cares about these realities either; in fact, I think many take a certain amount of pleasure that all my ambition and efforts to improve myself haven't resulted in me doing better than they have; they always thought all the education was a big waste of time, and my entire existence and life has only validity what they have believed all along.