Freedom vs.Tyranny

by Ira J. Tabankin

  The bus pulls out of the Senate parking lot followed by five black Suburbans with flashing red and blue strobe lights.

  The Senator from Alabama responds to Senator Cruise, Senator, the people of my state have had enough, I agree with you, we’re at a tipping point and I too think we’re heading over the edge into the unknown. The question is what can we do about it, or should we do anything about it?”

  Senator Cruise responds, “Senator, I don’t think that the answer is in our hands, we’re going into protective custody that means we don’t get a vote. I’m afraid that we may be witnessing the end of our great country. When the President said he was going to transform the country, none of us knew what he meant, well we see the transformation right now and I can tell you, I’m scared of what I’m seeing.”

  Senator Rand starts singing, “We’re off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of OZ.”

  @@@@@

  Two DHS Suburbans arrive at the main entrance to the Pentagon; a US Marine corporal holds his hand up to stop the vehicles. He approaches the driver’s window of the lead Suburban. “Welcome to the Pentagon, may I ask what your business here is today?”

  “We’re here to escort the services commanding generals to the White House; we’re here under the direct orders from the President.”

  “May I please see the orders?”

  “We don’t have them in writing; he told us to come and bring the service commanders to see him.”

  “I see, by the way, are you armed?”

  “Corporal, of course, we’re armed. What does that have to do with anything?”

  “Sirs, since the Navy Yard shooting, you, the DHS have made rules forbidding outside weapons on military facilities, including the Pentagon. I’m going to have to ask you to give me your weapons and allow me to inspect your vehicles before you can enter the Pentagon.”

  “Corporal, are you crazy? We’re not going to hand over our firearms to you or anyone else for that matter, now raise the gate and allow us entry, I told you we’re here on direct orders from your Commander in Chief.”

  “Yes, I know what you told me. However, you are here without any written orders. You lack today’s automatic entry code word; your vehicles don’t have a valid DoD entry pass sticker, and you’re carrying weapons, which I’ve informed you are not allowed to carry on to US Military facilities, as such, I’m sorry, but I’m not going to be able to allow you entry. We all have our orders we have to follow; mine are in writing if you’d like to inspect them.”

  “I don’t want to see your orders; I want you to raise the gate and allow us entry.”

  “Sirs, I’m sorry. I have my orders. If you give me a minute, I’ll call an officer to join us, maybe they can sort out your concerns and listen to your complaints about my performance.”

  Four Marine Hummers shortly arrive at the main gate, all have manned M2 heavy machine guns mounted on top of them. A US Marine Captain exits the lead Hummer, “Corporal is there a problem here?”

  “Sir, these vehicles claim to be from the Department of Homeland Security on direct verbal orders of the Commander in Chief himself. They say they are here to escort the service chiefs to a meeting at the White House, sir, they have no written instructions; they are armed, and they lack the proper code word, they also lack a valid DoD parking/access decal. As such I have refused them entry. I did offer to allow them entry if they left their firearms with me, sir I explained the no guns policy, they didn’t accept my instructions. Sir.”

  “Corporal, thank you for a very clear and concise report; I’ll take it from here.”

  “Yes sir, I’ll be right here if you should require anything.”

  Turning to face the DHS vehicles, “Now Gentlemen I’m US Marine Captain Grover, what part of the corporal’s instructions did you not understand?”

  “Now look here Captain, we are here at the direct orders of the President.”

  “Orders you can’t produce, the corporal informed you that outside weapons are not allowed on US Military facilities after the Navy Yard shooting, I would have assumed that the DHS would be happy to see we’re following your department’s instructions. I would suggest you turn around, and return with the proper written orders, plus without your weapons. My people will escort you off of the Pentagon property.”

  The Suburbans turn around and leave the Pentagon. The agents are trying to figure out how to explain their failure to the President.

  @@@@@@

  Some of the evening news sound bites are;

  “The President orders all firearms to be turned in, God Bless the President, he’ll save thousands of lives.”

  “The President put a stop to any additional government shutdowns, protecting jobs.”

  “The President declares Martial Law to provide first amendment protection to all."

  “The President extends his personal protection to members of the Republican Party who is being threatened by the very people the Republicans have left behind because they are not rich white business owners.”

  “HOORAY, no more guns! The President saves our children, keeps his promise to save our children’s lives.”

  “Hateful, racist Republicans are taken to a secure location to protect them while they rethink their decision to try to impeach the President, who has done more to bring about equality than any other President in history.”

  @@@@@

  Texas Governor Lawson calls the state legislative back to Austin to attend an emergency meeting. “Ladies and Gentlemen, I’m sorry to drag you all back to Austin on such short notice, given the recent remarks from our President, I fear we as proud Texans have to make a very important decision to protect our citizens. I’m proposing a radical move, one that scares even me. It's one I think is required given the current actions of the President. I’m proposing that the great state of Texas invoke the clause we forced on the Federal Government when we joined the union. To refresh your memories, when Texas joined the union, we were not a territory; we were an independent nation, as such we had a line inserted into our agreement whereby we could exit the union at any time if we felt we had no choice. Ladies and Gentlemen, I stand before you today to say the time has come for Texas to leave the union. We can’t subject our citizens to illegal policies. We can’t allow our people to be ruled by a dictator whom the current President has become. There are rumors that he has had all of the Republican Senators arrested! Is this who we want to follow? What will he do next? As the Governor for all of the people in our great state, it’s my responsibility to protect them to the best of my ability and right now, the best of my ability is to remove them from these grossly illegal executive orders. What will we do if he outlaws oil and gas drilling? Ladies and Gentlemen I don’t think we have an option. I open the floor for comments and debate.”

  After three hours of debate the vote’s taken, no one is surprised that Texas votes to leave the union and once again become the Independent Nation of Texas. The Governor says, “I’ll send a special note to the White House and will make a public address to the people of Texas and the world tonight.”

  When the President reads the note from the Governor of Texas, he calls his Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, “I want as many agents as possible sent to Austin, arrest the Governor and state legislators who voted for this bill. I want your people in Austin within three hours. I want this man stopped before he can make his national announcement.”

  “Mr. President, Texas has a very strong National Guard and many military bases. Sir almost every citizen is armed, they won’t be pleased to see us cross their border. There could be bloodshed.”

  “Good, it’s time to show these racists they can’t get away with disrespecting me.”

  “Yes sir, I have people in New Orleans, who can be in Austin in a couple of hours.”

  “Get it done, I want you to go there yourself to supervise the return to law and order in Texas. We have to bring them down to size and do it now before it’s too late. If we delay other states may
try to do the same thing. This could ruin my Presidency. It’ll ruin all of the good work I’ve done for the people of this country. We can’t allow some rich white racists to slow the progress we’re making in transforming this nation. If they get away with this, think of how history will say about me. I will not go down in history as the President that was in office when the Union broke apart. I won’t stand for it.”

  A DHS Gulfstream lands in Austin to a surprise. The plane is met on the runway by five military light armored vehicles (LAVs) all repainted with, “Texas Rangers” on them. A Texas Ranger exits one of the LAVs and asks the pilot of the DHS airplane for their visa.

  “What the hell do you mean where are our visas? We’re the Department of Homeland Security. We can go anywhere we want; we’re here on official business, now stand aside, and you won’t get your pretty looking troopers hurt. We’re calling the shots here, if you don’t listen to us, we’re close Dallas Fort Worth Airport, hell, maybe we’ll stop screening everyone in the state of Texas, then no one will be able to fly in or out of your little pissant state, now get out of our way.”

  The Ranger responds, “I asked you for your visa, this is now the Independent Nation of Texas, our Governor, our new President has informed the American President that any member of the American Federal Government will require a visa to enter Texas, so where are your visas?”

  “Look asshole, we don’t have nor do we need a visa, now get out of our way, we’re on official business.”

  “If you exit the airplane without a valid visa we will be forced to arrest you.”

  “Try it and see who gets arrested.”

  The airplane door opens; the first people exiting the plane are wearing body armor and are holding M4 assault rifles. They exit the plane, and surround the Texan Ranger, “Now who’s screwed?”

  The Texan Ranger smiles while responding, “You are.” With that the plane is surrounded by 100 Texan Rangers holding M16s or M4s, in addition heavy machine guns on the LAVs point at the Gulfstream and the DHS agents who exited the plane.

  The DHS lead agent says, “You wouldn’t dare shoot at a US DHS agent, you’ll end up breaking rocks or worse for the rest of your worthless lives.”

  “Really? If you don’t put your weapons down and raise your arms, we’ll open fire. Then we’ll send your bullet-ridden bodies back to DC freight collect.”

  “Bullshit, now get out of our way.” At the same time, one of the DHS agents takes a pot shot at one of the Texan Rangers blocking their exit. The Texans return fire killing every agent while also hitting the Gulfstream. When the Governor hears the report, he says, “Well damn, they ruined a perfectly good Gulfstream dock their pay each $1 for a month until the airplane is paid for and give each Ranger a medal. I wanted to add that plane to our fleet. I think the first rounds have been fired in the next civil war. Wrap their bodies and send them back to the White House. Send him a bill for the bullets we used and the cost of shipping their bodies back. Alert the Texas Rangers we may be invaded. Has anyone been able to reach the commanding general at Fort Hood?”

  “Sir, so far no one is responding at any of the military bases in Texas.”

  @@@@@

  Arriving at the Sherriff station, I pick up Ron saying, “Ron, what happened to your car? Hit the speed bump too hard again?”

  “Brad, I wish that was the problem, I resigned from the Sheriff’s Department as did most of the deputies.”

  “What the hell happened?”

  “When I got to the station, there was an Army Major waiting for us, he informed us we are going to go house to house searching for firearms, he wants us to break the Constitution. I and many of my brothers and sisters refused. Even our Sheriff refused to follow his orders. We swore an oath we intend on keeping; we call ourselves the Oath Keepers.”

  “Jesus Ron, are we headed for a military takeover?”

  “I honestly don’t know, by the way, do you mind stopping by Wegmans?”

  Laughing, I reply, “Ron, that’s something we should chat about. Every store is a battle zone. You might be OK in your uniform, however, once you see what’s going on; you won’t believe it.”

  “Has rioting broken out here in our town?”

  “I wouldn’t call it a riot, I think civil disobedience might be a better term. Regular folks like us are clearing the shelves of food and water. Most stores are either closed or have private armed security guarding them.”

  “Crap, not what I expected. I thought it would be tomorrow after the President’s announcement tonight.”

  “Wait, he’s going to make another announcement tonight? What now? Aliens are landing?”

  “Wish they would, no he’s going to announce a national curfew.”

  “He’s what?! The country is going to go insane; the economy is going to tank even worse than it is.”

  “Yes it is, I wonder what he’s going to do next.”

  @@@@@

  Texas Governor now the President of the Republic of Texas Lawson address the citizens of Texas and America. He announces Texas has seceded, most Texan’s listening cheer and celebrate the announcement. However, President Lawson is cut off by the DHS before he completes the third of his remarks. The story is carried on the internet that so far hasn’t been fully censored. It isn’t for lack of trying, talk radio and right wing news programs are using international servers making it legally harder for the feds to them shut down. The mayors and political elite in upstate New York, meet in a private dining room, they discuss how unhappy their people are with their Governor and his far left policies. The Mayor of a small town outside of Buffalo says, “The Governors remarks that if you’re pro-gun, and conservative ‘there’s no place in New York for you’ have already cost the state millions in tax revenue, entire businesses have packed up and left the state leaving tens of thousands unemployed for the state to support. My town has lost 20% of our tax base; our largest employer made parts for AR rifles packed up and moved to Alabama. They left all of their workers unemployed.” The Mayors decide to break away from New York City and form a new state, one that respects the interests of all of their citizens. They reach agreement that the upper third of the state will form a new state. They inform their now ex-Governor of their decision to form a new state with the name of New Amsterdam. The reaction by the far left wing Mayor of New York City is pure joy, if the upper third of the state splits off, then New York City can become a state with him as its first governor. Upon hearing the news from New York, the President laughs. He tells his Chief of Staff, “The crazy fools, even if the state legislative agrees to allow these right wing racists form a new state; Congress has to approve and with me now controlling Congress that’s not likely to happen. The fools, I haven’t even started using my pen and telephone yet.”

  The divide in the country between left and right deepens every day. Neighbors fight each other, some supporting and others opposing the President. Lifelong friendships and families are broken.

  Even before the President’s remarks, Western Maryland had started to secede from Maryland as had North East Colorado. The leaders of both groups decide the time is right to push their initiatives. At 7:00 PM EDT, the two break off groups make their announcements; they too are going to break off from their parent states and form two new states. The country waits for the next shoe to drop. There have rumors all day of what the President might announce tonight.

  At 9:00 PM EDT Ron and I sit in front of my TV watching a very tired looking and upset President addresses the nation. He said; “My fellow Americans, the past couple of days has seen many rumors spreading around the country, rumors about arrests of members of Congress and the Senate, programs being taken off the air, shortages of food, and radicals in a few states saying they are breaking away from their core states. I’m happy to report all of these are false. Ask yourself why would all of these things happen now? Why are these rumors being spread now? I’ll tell you why, the NRA has decided to fight me in trying to save your children’s lives. I’m trying
to save lives while the Republicans and their supporters in the NRA are trying to stop me. Do you want me to save your children? Do you want guns off your streets? Do you want an end to drive-by shootings? Do you want an end to gangland shootings? Of course, you do. I’ve heard it’s not fair to hunters; I have to pose the question to all of you, in today’s world why should anyone be hunting. What if they miss their target, a poor little Bambi deer and the bullet they fired enters a school and kills your child, will you still think I'm unfair to the hunters then? I’ve been told people need guns for self-protection, I ask you, self-protection from whom? Senator Dianne Feinsteind has made many scientific studies that show once guns are off the streets the outlaws will turn theirs in too. So why does anyone need a gun? Look at the damage guns have done to our country, we rank within the top 5 in murders, shouldn’t America rank at the bottom? We can do this by simply taking guns off our streets. Am I just taking them away from people? No, I’m buying them; I’m offering a very good price for each firearm and bullet. My program is putting money; billions of new dollars in people’s hands to pay their bills, these billions will quickly give the economy a massive shot in the arm. To make it even easier on the gun owners, I’m happy to announce that if your base income for last year was less than $250,000 then the funds paid to you for your gun and bullets will be tax-free. Yes, tax-free; don’t you want a few hundred or even a few thousand tax-free dollars in your pocket? Even if you have 10,000 or more bullets and your income last year was under $250,000 that $10,000 paid to you is tax-free. Have a lot of bullets? Behind in your bills, sell us your bullets, and you’ll be current. Want a new car, sell us your firearms and bullets. Who wouldn’t want tax-free cash? This is a one-time offer. When the 60-day window closes, I promise you it won’t be reopened. This is your one chance to earn tax-free dollars. You don’t even have to wait, bring your gun to the police station, and you’ll walk out with cash in your pocket. Not a check, but CASH. Cash you can spend anywhere. So why are people fighting me? It’s because, after six years, the rich white Republicans have decided they can’t accept a black man as their President. They are fighting me at every step. They fight me over every policy which is meant to improve your lives, to protect your children. They even fought me over me trying to pay for universal preschool for every child. Did they fight President Bush when he passed no child left behind, no, they fight me because I’m black. They fight every black; they fight to hold all of us back. It’s time for the end of income equality; it’s time for the tax rate on the rich to be increased with the money flowing to the poorest. As such tonight I’ve signed an executive order to increase the tax rate on all income over $250,000 to a rate of 50%, I’m also doing away with all income taxes for anyone making less than $25,000 a year. Those of you in the bottom tier will no longer have to shoulder the burden of high taxes; the rich will cover what you owe. I’m sure the rich will fight me over this policy, to protect everyone; I signed an executive order creating a national curfew starting tonight. I know many of you work evenings; those in the health industry have to be available 24 hours a day, first responders need to get to their stations and return home when their shifts are over, we are distributing a new national license plate sticker to show that the owners of these stickers have a need to be out in the evenings. After all, why would any normal person want to be out and about at 3 or 4 AM? Even you singles; your dates are usually over by then, if not just shorten them a little; you all need your rest. There may be some confusion in the next couple of evenings while everyone gets used to the new rules so no fines will be levied on anyone for the first five evenings. I’m doing these things for you, for your children, I do what I do because I promised you change would come and benefit those who needed it the most. My fellow Americans I’ll speak with you again in a couple of days until then, bless all of you and your families. God bless the United States. Good night.”