“Sir, visitors need a visa card to enter Texas?”
“Are you really asking me this as a real question? Visitors can bring any form of payment, remember to keep Texas green. Thank you, the press conference is over, same time, same place next week.”
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A DHS Suburban pulls over a pickup truck outside of Helena Montana; the officer knocks on the driver’s door, saying, “Open your window.”
“No.”
“I’m giving you an order, open your window.”
“No.”
“If you don’t open your window, I’ll open the door and drag your ass out of the truck, do what you’re ordered to do.”
“Try it. You’re not a police officer; you have no jurisdiction to pull me over.”
“You’re traveling south on Interstate 15; this is a federal highway. Hence, I have the right to pull you over and question you. Now roll down your window.”
“No.”
The DHS agent pulls his sidearm out, starting to point it at the driver’s window. Before he can move his sidearm into position, the driver shoots the agent through the door thinking, “Damn, and this is a new F 150 I’m going to have to stop by Steve’s body shop. I hope he can match the paint on the door and patch the hole I just put through the door.”
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In Charlotte, North Carolina TSA agents have begun searching and patting down passengers waiting for the local city mass transit, many have their pocket books and briefcases opened and searched. One middle-aged African American protests saying, “This isn’t an airport, you have no right to pat me down or look inside my briefcase.”
“If we don’t check you and your belongings you don’t get on the bus. Clear?”
“Yes you’re very clear, and I don’t care what you’re saying because I’m getting on the bus, you have no right to be here.”
The TSA agent yells, TERRORIST TERRORIST, and shots the middle-aged man who is trying to board the bus to get to his job. He leaves behind a wife and three young boys aged 3, 5 and 9.
The local Charlotte TV station runs the story under the headline, TSA murders one of our own, fifty seconds into the broadcast they are taken off the air, replaced by a rerun of CSI Miami.
People around the country are getting upset and worried; marches are broken up by DHS agents, TSA agents show up where ever there is any sort of transportation. Soon they begin stopping cars on local streets to check the car’s trunks. The TSA announces the new program as one to help find illegal firearms, the TSA starts a new national advertising program saying “We’re protecting American families and children; we’re making you safer every day”. Many of their billboards are torn down by average citizens, their posters have red swastikas painted over them. Anyone, who tries speaking out against the government, is arrested by DHS agents, they are taken in for observation and questioning.
The national economy slows to deep depression levels even though the government reported unemployment rate is down to 5.2%.Every state reports negative growth. People are scared to go out, the national curfew has destroyed nightlife, with 65% of all restaurants closing. Every day the number of the unemployed grows, every day the number of unhappy people grows. More people give up looking for a job which shifts the unemployment rate downward even through the number of the unemployed is going up, When the President’s policies are directed at others, most people don’t mind. When they came for the guns, the majority kept quiet. When they came for the 1%; most kept quiet. When a national curfew was declared, it was OK, because most thought they’d be home by curfew. When the government mandated health insurance, it was OK, because most had employer-provided insurance. When the majority had to use the same insurance they became upset, when they stopped bus riders, most didn’t care because they didn’t ride buses. When they stopped families on vacation and groped their wives and children it was too late, there was no one left to help. The average citizen is being pushed over the edge into darkness with no one to call on for help.
Chapter 14
The internet explodes with the news that ex-US Marine Commandant General Brownstone will be a special guest on the Sean Hannd show that evening. “General, welcome to the Sean Hannd show, how are you doing since your rather abrupt retirement?”
“Sean, I’m doing much better than the country is.”
“General, I’m not going to ask you where you are, because I know there are some people very interested in your whereabouts. When we announced this morning you would be a special guest, we’ve had a number of very interesting people looking for you. Each of them showing different types of badges. Many of these people have been camped out at the studio for six plus hours waiting to see if you were going to show up in person. It would seem the administration is very eager to keep an eye on you; I’m sure they would love to meet with you face to face.”
Laughing, “Sean, I seem to be more popular now than I was as a four-star general.”
“General, it might have something to do with your Facebook page. I’ve read your posts, you argue for an overthrow of the current administration. General, don’t you think this is a very dangerous train of thought? I know you’ve seen the results of countries that have undergone violent uprisings. If that happened here, don’t you think it would do more damage than good?”
“Sean, violence is a horrible thing. I do advocate the overthrow of the current administration; I didn’t say how to accomplish that task. If the country slips into a violent revolt, it won’t be pretty. The population density is much different than 200 years ago; weapons are much better killing machines today. So many people will get swept up in the violence. Millions will die; the country may never recover from a violent civil war. However, if this administration doesn’t listen to the people’s voices, there might not be any other choice. We’re sliding down a dark and very dangerous slope; the bottom of the slope is a dictatorship. Our forefathers founded America to get out from under a king. Today’s technology would make a king very powerful, so powerful he might never be able to be overthrown. The people of America have to wake up and decide how they want to be governed. The American people have to decide what they want their future to be. Do the American people want to live off of the government tit forever or do the American people want to carry the ideals of their forefathers into the future? The people have to decide what they want. The problem we have today is, so many are uneducated; they make decisions based on 30 Second sound bites and how things make them feel.”
“General, there’s a rumor that you’ve been approached by groups to lead them in a violent overthrow of the existing administration.”
“Sean, there are always rumors; I’ve never paid any attention to them.”
“General, so you’re not leading a group to march on DC to demand the change of the government?”
“Sean, I don’t know what I’m going to be doing, when I figure it out, I’ll make sure I call you.”
“General, I for one would feel much better if you were to decide to carry our message to Washington.”
“Sean, I hope it doesn’t come to that, I’m hoping the American people wake up and send the message to their elected officials that enough is enough. I’m hoping the average Joe wakes up and says what the hell happened here?”
General Brownstone hangs up the telephone and smiles, thinking the die has been set. Recently promoted Major Grover knocks on his office door, “General, I think it’s time.”
“Very well Major, are the others here? Has Joshua arrived?”
“General, they are all here, even Joshua. Admiral Zander regrets his absence, something about him not being able to leave the bunker under the Pentagon.”
“Major, when we’re finished here, I think you’re going to have to return to Washington and retrieve our good Admiral. He gets lost when he’s on land too long. The President wants to arrest the Admiral for murder. I know you’ve been ordered to stop Federal Marshals from taking the Admiral into custody. I know we can count on you to keep him sa
fe.”
“Yes sir, you can.”
“Major, do you think that SOB DHS regional director Roger Venkin will find us?”
“Sir, we’re hiding almost in plain sight. The Greenbrier nuclear bunker was built to house the Federal Government in case of a nuclear war. We’re sitting in West Virginia under a hotel, just a short hop from DC; while the DHS runs around the country looking for you. They even tried to enter Canada, who refused them entry; I understand it really upset the President.”
“I’m concerned about Venkin, once he gets the taste of a bone, he never lets it go. He wants to rise up the DHS organization to quickly, capturing me alive would ensure his promotion to the highest positions in DHS. I’m sure he’s traced my call to Sean. Major I think you should pay Venkin a visit, persuade him to look elsewhere and leave us alone. I’m sure you can find a way to convince him.”
“General, he may have tried to trace your call. However, we bounced it off so many different servers, it may take the DHS years to unravel the trail. Since you asked, I’d be happy to pay Venkin a visit.”
“Major, tell the communications team, as usual, they did very good. Now let’s go attend the meeting.”
The two enter the conference room where there are already 24 people who’ve come from across the country. All stand when the General enters saying “Please be seated, please be comfortable. I’m sorry we’re meeting in this situation. I served our country for over 30 years. I fought in four wars; I never thought we’d be sitting here in this special place which was built as a bunker in case of nuclear war. A place where our government was to continue operations, now we’re sitting here to discuss what to do about the man who sits in the Oval Office, a man who has shredded our Constitution, making himself a dictator with his own private army, his own black shirts, the DHS. Our people have had their rights stolen from them; many have been sent to prison for nothing more than speaking the truth. Our networks and the internet are censored; everything we do, say, and read is watched and recorded. This isn’t the America I enlisted to serve. However, in my opinion if we start with violence we’ll lose the support of the people. I don’t want America to look like Syria. We may have to use force, but first we have to do everything we can to limit the collateral damage. If we’re the first to use force, the press will tear us a new one. We need to attack the press; we need to find a way to make them see the truth. We can’t rely on just Wolf News, who’s been pushed off the air and onto the Internet. Do any of you have an idea how to start opening the press’ minds?”
Since he’s the senior person in the room, Joshua stands first saying, “You all know me. I too served our country for more than 30 years; the General and I have spilled blood in some of the same places. I retired after my third heart attack. My days in the field are over, I leave that to the General. He’s right we need to find a way to get some of the press on our side. The low information voters make up their minds based on sound bites and comedy shows they think are real news programs. I can’t wait to see what they say about the General’s interview; I bet they say he’s calling for the violent overthrow of the government. The press makes up the news if they can’t find a story they like. No matter how bad our people suffer from unemployment, food and fuel price inflation which in the last year has passed 15% the press says we’re improving. The media supports the President’s claim that the economy is improving when we have the largest number of unemployed in more than 40 years, with the lowest employment rate in the same 40 years. They worship this guy. I think the only thing, that's going to change their mind, is when he censors one of their stations, or a couple of them disappear.”
The leader of the Mid West militia who goes by Simon says, “Joshua, you’ve got it, we make a couple disappear and make it look like the DHS did it. We dress our people in TSA or DHS uniforms, arrive in black Suburbans at their offices and we arrest them. Everyone will think the government turned on the press. After a few disappear I bet, a few tries to reach out to the General.”
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Fort Hood Texas is the home of over 80,000 troops, hundreds of Abrams main battle tanks; self-propelled artillery, mobile rocket launchers, thousands of Bradley fighting vehicles and LAVs. General Bradly Cruise (no relationship to the Senator), the commanding general has just hung up the phone with the President of the Republic of Texas. The General turns to his aide, “Please assemble the officers in the ready room, I think we’re going to need to have a little discussion. Say two hours, which ought to allow everyone enough time to return from the field and cleanup.”
“Yes sir.”
The aide turns around, leaving the General’s office; he picks up the alert phone saying, “III Corps actual has ordered an officer meeting in two hours. Condition Beta one.”
Two hours later, General Cruise stands in front of 5,000 officers who command over 80,000 troops. “Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for joining me, not that anyone of you had a choice.”
The room laughs, “President Lawson, the President of Texas has called to ask where we stand on his little ego trip. I told him we didn’t want to fight our brothers and sisters; however, we are all Texans in our hearts.”
The room erupts again. “He asked if we would protect the borders. I told him yes.” The room erupts a third time. “We talked for thirty minutes; we reached an agreement, I told the President that the first order of business had to be that everyone on the base will be offered full citizenship in the Republic of Texas for themselves and their families. If any family members currently live outside of the Republic, they will be given a visa to enter and then automatically become a citizen.”
The room cheers. “Now that that’s out of the way, I told the President that we WILL protect the borders and protect the Republic. What say you?”
A hand rises from the middle of the room. The General says, “yes, stand and ask your question?’
“General, Captain Walsh, first of the third, Sir some of my people want to return to their homes, they don’t want to be part of the Republic or in any way get into a shooting war with the rest of the American Military.”
“Captain, how many of your people think this way?”
“Sir, about 15% of them.”
Others stand saying, “Sir, some of mine also agree.”
The General looks around the room, “Ladies and Gentlemen, would it interest you to know that the President called the commanders at every military base in Texas? Would it interest you to know that the commanders of Fort Sam Houston, Red River Army Depot, JRB Fort Worth, NAS Corpus Christi and NAS Kingsville all agreed to join the Republic of Texas with one condition, that condition being we join, it seems that our might scares the other commanders. Frankly, our might ought to scare another country” The room erupts laughing and cheering. The only major holdout is Dyess; I have to ask you, who’d have thunk that the zoomies would sit on the fence? I want this to be a volunteer force, as such; I want each of you to return to your companies and talk with your people, anyone, who wants to leave, is free to go, however they can’t take any weapons with them. In fact, I’ll arrange a truck convoy to take all who want to travel to the border, we’ll drive them there and drop them off. We’ll meet back here at 1800 hours. Don’t order anyone either way, let your people decide for themselves. Anyone, who asks you for your advice, should be told them the answer is inside of each of them. Ask them why they joined in the first place, why are they willing to fight? What do they hold dear? Hence, the answer is inside each trooper regardless of rank. I know I want a United States, one that’s free and run by freely elected people who have the citizen’s best interests at heart. I took an oath, the same oath you and your people took. I take my oath very seriously. I know you do too. I’m hoping we can help guide our country back together.
“Sir, anyone, who wants to leave, can just do so? Even us?”
“Captain, yes, my offer includes everyone on the base, which includes everyone, even those of you assembled here. If you’re here tonight at 1800 hours, you�
�re part of the new Republic of Texas military, if you’re not here, then I wish you the best of luck and safe travels. Dismissed.”
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There are miles of tunnels under most of the office buildings in Washington DC; many are used to allow hidden passage between government buildings when officials don’t want the press to see them moving between the different government agencies. Tonight in a deep forgotten tunnel the senior agent of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security is standing against a cold, damp wall, he’s looking at his friend of ten years, a deputy director of the FBI. “This crap is getting very deep; my gut says the people aren’t going to take it much longer. It’s going to get very hard to protect the officials from the people they’re supposed to serve, have you heard anything?”
“Field offices have picked up thousands of rumors, everything from a million citizen march to people saying they’re going to attack the Capital and White House. We’re stretched too thinly, after the last drawdown; we don’t have enough special agents to follow up on all of the leads. Some of the local first responders won’t even take or return our calls. When we call, many hang up on us. I had one Sheriff in New Mexico tell me; he doesn’t talk to the FBI any longer.”
“You’re closer to the Secret Service then we are, what are they saying?”
“They’ve decided to protect the President and nothing more. A friend told me, that half of the Presidential Protective agents have asked for reassignment to field offices or to other agencies.”
“How is the President taking it?”
“He doesn’t seem to know what’s going on. He still thinks the Tea Party is behind everything, at least that’s his public face. He’s a good poker player.”
Freedom vs.Tyranny Page 16