Phoenix Rising:

by William W. Johnstone

  “I’m the Secretary of State. We don’t have a vice president and that means with President Varney gone, I have to run the country.”

  “Oh Lord, we’re in trouble now,” Jake teased.

  Tom was out front, hitting golf balls, lofting them over the beach and dropping them into the surf.

  “Hey, when are we going to organize our first national golf tournament?” Tom asked. “We’ve got twelve golf courses here, it’s not like we don’t have a place for it.”

  “What about we put you in charge of it?” Bob suggested.

  “Fine, as long as I get to play in it. I’ve always wanted to play in a national tournament. Okay . . . it’s a little nation . . . but it’ll still be a national.”

  “It may not be all that small after today,” Jake said. “We have nine states meeting to organize.”

  “Do you think they will all sign on?” Tom asked.

  “I think they are probably predisposed to,” Bob answered. “Otherwise I don’t think that many would have responded.”

  Bob used his golf cart to drive the three of them across the Fort Morgan Highway to the Gulf Shore Marina. At one time the marina had been very busy, not only as a home base for pleasure craft, but also for deep sea fishing boats. Gary Bryant was the captain of such a boat and he had been an active participant in the Firebase Freedom movement, providing them with fresh fish in the early days of the movement when just surviving was a priority. He had also driven the boat for the assault team that had attacked the first offshore gas rig.

  Since fuel was no longer as critical as it had once been, the marina was gradually returning to its original level of business and when Jake, Bob, and Tom walked out onto the pier they saw three boats preparing to go out. One of the boats was Gary’s Red Eye. He was waiting for them when they arrived.

  The men greeted each other, then climbed aboard Gary’s boat. One minute later they were speeding across the bay toward Mobile.

  The automobile traffic in Mobile had nearly returned to its pre-O days. Vehicular traffic was coming back because three fourths of the cars in Mobile had been converted to run on natural gas which, as the wells were just offshore from Alabama, was in almost unlimited supply. Patriots had also taken control of, and reopened, the oil refineries in Mobile, Pascagoula, Mississippi, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Drilling was restarted in the Citronelle Oil Dome just outside Mobile. In addition, the offshore oil rigs just off the coast of Louisiana were once again producing crude oil.

  From the port, Jake, Bob, and Tom caught a taxi to the Mobile Civic Center where they saw a huge banner stretched above the doors of the Civic Center.

  Welcome to the UNITED FREE AMERICA

  CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION

  There were several cars, and many more people milling around out front, some handing out printed material.

  “What are they handing out?” Tom asked.

  “Copies of the proposed constitution,” Bob said.

  “The one you wrote?”

  “I can’t take credit for all of it,” Bob said. “I’m going to have to share authorship with Thomas Jefferson. All I did was add three amendments.”

  Because Jake and Bob had a major role in organizing the convention, they would occupy seats on the dais in the theater. There were two larger areas in the Civic Center, the expo hall and the arena, but they were too large.

  “We want enough people that we have a good representation for all the participating states,” Bob pointed out. “But we don’t want so many as to make the meeting unwieldy.”

  The reconstituted Mobile Symphony Orchestra was playing music, at the moment it was Claire de Lune by Debussy. The soothing strains of the music had a calming effect on the gathering delegates.

  There were television cameras in the auditorium, and the broadcast was being sent, not only by satellite, but by Internet. It was calculated that as many as twenty million, all across the continent, would watch, some with covert support, others with open antagonism, but all with interest in this event that could change America.

  A voice-over intoned the opening of the proceedings.

  “From the Civic Center in Mobile, Alabama, we bring you a live broadcast of the United Free America Constitutional Convention.

  “Join with us as we take these first steps to lift our battered nation up from the depths of despair to a rebirth of freedom. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Tom Jack.”

  Because Bob Varney was President of Pleasure Island and Mobile, it fell upon him to conduct the meeting, and he was introduced, by Tom Jack. Tom smiled, and waited until the applause died before he began speaking.

  “One year ago, like many of you who are watching this broadcast, my wife and I were living under the hobnailed boot of oppression. We had our means of making a living taken from us, we had our freedom of religion, and freedom of speech taken from us, we became, literally, prisoners of a society that is certainly the equal, if not even more oppressive, than the Nazi regime of Germany in the last century.

  “But we heard about a group of patriots who were defying the evil of Moqaddas Sirata, so we rode our bicycles seven hundred and fifty miles to join this group. When we arrived here, we met men and women who will go down in history, not as founders of a new country, but as saviors of the old, saviors of the nation that we grew up in, loved, and served.

  “The man you are about to meet is one of the principals of that movement. He served our country in Vietnam where he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with the “V” for valor, the Purple Heart, and the Bronze Star. He is also an accomplished author whose books many of you have read.

  “And now, it is my honor and privilege to introduce one of those heroes, the provisional president of United Free America, Robert Varney.”

  There was a generous round of applause as Bob stepped up to podium and looked out over the attendees.

  At that moment Bob had a sudden flashback to the days of pre-O. Bob had been a novelist, and quite a successful one. He had also been a frequent speaker at writers’ conferences all over the country. He was a good and entertaining speaker, and he had fond memories of the writers’ workshops. He missed them, as he missed writing, and as he missed the times he and Ellen would go into New York for meetings with his editor or agent.

  “My fellow patriots,” he began. “On this day we will make history. As did the founders of the United States so long ago, we offer our support for this movement, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, and to this end we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor. In this time and in this place, we will be laying the foundations of a government of freedom, individual liberty, and self-reliance.

  “I propose that we, herein assembled, adopt the Constitution of the United States as it stands, but, with these added amendments. And, as I read them off to you, please follow me on the handouts you have received.”

  There was a rustle of movement as the delegates picked up their paper to follow along as Bob read.

  “Amendment Twenty-nine repeals the twenty-eighth amendment, which allowed naturalized citizens to be elected to the office of President of the United States. It was that amendment that resulted in the disastrous election of Mehdi Ohmshidi, and the subsequent destruction of America.

  “Amendment Thirty; public expression of religion—There shall be no law to inhibit the expression of religion in a public place, nor shall anyone be compelled to participate in the public expression thereof.

  “Amendment Thirty-one; term limits—The president shall be limited to one six-year term. Members of the House of Representatives are limited to two two-year terms. Members of the Senate are limited to two four-year terms. There shall be no perks provided for members of the government that are not provided for the citizens at large.

  Amendment Thirty-two; repeal of Amendment Eighteen—there will be no income tax. There will instead, be a value-added tax on all goods and services. The federal government will be responsible for ma
intaining the military. States, which can also apply sales tax, will be responsible for police, schools, and roads.

  Amendment Thirty-three—there will be no federal programs such as welfare, aid to dependent children, or food stamps. If individual states want such a program, they shall be responsible for them.

  As Bob read each amendment, those in the audience responded with applause.

  After the reading of proposed amendments, the meeting broke out into ten different discussion groups, each group with at least one voting member from each state. All ten panels would discuss all six amendments. In addition each panel had a specific proposal to discuss, the idea being that after an in-depth discussion they would bring to the whole body their recommendation as to whether the amendments, and the other proposals being discussed, should be approved, or disapproved. After a long day of spirited discussion, the conference attendees gathered in the dining hall for dinner.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  After dinner, Jake Lantz stepped up to the podium. The silver stars on his collar flashed as they caught the overhead light.

  “In a speech that Ohmshidi gave before he was elected president, he gave us a glimpse into his political agenda. This is what he said.”

  Jake picked up a sheet of paper and began reading from it.

  “I see a world united! A world at peace! A world where there are no rich and there are no poor, a world of universal equality and brotherhood.

  “Such a world will surely come, my friends, but it will never be as long as we are divided by such things as religion, patriotism, the greed of capitalism, and the evil of so-called honorable military service. There is nothing honorable about fighting a war to advance one nation’s principles over another. One world, one people, one government!”

  Jake lay the paper down.

  “One man warned us of this, one man started beating the tocsin long before anyone else perceived that we were aboard the Titanic, on a collision course with an iceberg.

  “To say that we should have listened is an understatement. Life is full of ‘we should have’ and ‘if only.’ Ladies and gentlemen, we have that oracle with us today, and it gives me great pleasure to introduce our keynote speaker, Mr. George Gregoire.”

  There was generous applause at the introduction, and George Gregoire stepped up to the podium, smiling at his audience. He stood there for a moment, then lifted his clinched right fist high into the air.

  “I have a new dream!” he shouted. His shout was met with applause.

  “Hello, America. I say hello America, because I know that, through the technical acumen of our dedicated electronic wizards that, despite all efforts to prevent it, this signal is going out all over the continent. And to those of you who are huddled in your homes in such places as New York, Illinois, and California, with the windows blocked out so you can watch us without fear of being discovered by the evil under which you are being forced to live, what we do here today is as much for you as it is for those who are gathered here for this historic conference. Do not think for one moment, my brother and sister Americans, that we do not have you in our thoughts, and in our prayers.

  “Back in 1927 Norman Thomas, a declared Socialist, said the American people would never vote for socialism. But he said that under the name of liberalism the American people will adopt every fragment of the socialist program.

  “Bit by bit, we saw that happening as Socialists, environmentalists, those who were more interested in free stuff than freedom, those who thought their vote for a social experiment would be cool, and those who were totally uninformed, voted into office Mehdi Ohmshidi. We all know the disastrous results of that.

  “As he tried social experiment after social experiment, such as attacks on fossil fuels, sharing the wealth, and gutting the military, our country became less and less stable. As Ohmshidi literally bowed to foreign leaders and acted with hesitancy and weakness in the face of our enemies, our country became more threatened. And as Ohmshidi continued with his failed socialist policies, all the while blaming the deteriorating conditions on his predecessor, our country became less able to sustain itself. With social instability, military weakness, and fiscal unsustainability, the result was inevitable. We witnessed the total collapse of a Republic that had stood as the beacon of the world for two hundred and thirty-two years.

  “Jews and Christians have seen their property taken from them, their families destroyed, and even as I speak there are Jews and Christians confined in concentration camps, which are called Ultimate Resolution camps. We have seen beheadings, stoning deaths, and mutilations brought about by agents of Moqaddas Sirata.

  “I am here to tell you that today is the turning point. Dedicated and courageous men and women are met here today to begin, piece by piece, to rebuild that republic, starting with the states here represented. It is my firm belief that this noble effort will expand until once again there will be on this continent a movement, inspired by God, that will pass above amber waves of grain, cross purple mountain majesties, and extend from sea to shining sea, an America reborn, an America that once again embraces the ideals, the honor, and the universal brotherhood of our founding fathers.

  “Take back America!” he shouted.

  “Take back America!” the audience shouted, as one.

  Racine, Wisconsin

  Brad Little watched Gregoire’s speech, then he went into his bedroom and started looking through the closet until he found what was looking for. He held the cap in his hand, looking at it for a moment before he put it on. The legend across the front of the hat read: Vietnam Veteran. He started toward the front door.

  “Brad, where are you going?” his wife asked. “Don’t go outside with that hat. You’ll get in trouble.”

  “I’m going down to the VFW hall,” Brad said.

  “You know the VFW is closed.”

  “Yes, and I can’t get a beer. But I can damn sure go down there and remember.”

  When Brad pulled into the parking lot of the VFW, he recognized the car of Miner Cobb, a retired master sergeant. Brad walked over and got into the car with him.

  “Did you see Gregoire’s speech?” Brad asked.

  “Tell me something, Brad. How the hell did we let this happen?” Cobb asked.

  “People bought in to the hope and change . . . they thought voting for Ohmshidi would be historic, who can say?”

  “There’s Porter and Carlew,” Cobb said. “What are they doing here?”

  “Same thing we are, I suppose,” Brad said. “And as long as we’re doing it, seems to me like we ought to be doing it together.”

  Junction City, Kansas

  Althea Jennings had been Miss Teenage Kansas the year Ohmshidi was elected. There was no Miss Teenage America because the “prurient display of the female form” was banned. Althea had been in beauty pageants since she was a very young girl. She had not considered the events to be a prurient display, she had considered the events to be healthy, fun, and, a possible path to a college scholarship.

  Now, whenever she went outside she had to cover herself so that she looked like a walking tent. And she couldn’t go anywhere without a male relative which made it very difficult for her, because she had no brother.

  As soon as Gregoire’s speech ended, Althea went into her room and dug through the cedar chest until she found her bikini bathing suit. She put it on, looked her reflection in the mirror for a moment, then fell across her bed and wept.

  Never, in her worst nightmare, could she have imagined anything like this could happen in America.

  Muslimabad

  “How is it that he is still alive?” Ohmshidi yelled at the television screen. “We should have killed him the moment we captured him.”

  “Glorious Leader, if you recall,” National Leader Reed Franken said, “I suggested as much. But it was Rahimi’s idea to make a public spectacle of his execution, and while we waited, Gregoire escaped.”

  Inexplicably, Ohmshidi smiled. “But every dark cloud has a silver lining, a
nd whoever rescued Gregoire killed Rahimi.”

  Franken smiled as well. “Rahimi’s days were numbered anyway, Glorious Leader. I had observed how he was encroaching upon your authority, and I was about take care of the situation myself.”

  “Yes, well, Rahimi is no longer a problem. But Gregoire is still a problem,” Ohmshidi said.

  “I think, Glorious Leader, if you will authorize it, that we should make a few demonstrations of our power and authority,” Franken said.

  “What sort of demonstration?”

  “I think, perhaps, a few military incursions into what they consider their territory. I will start with Arkansas, since that is where they attacked us.”

  “Yes. And make the raids,” Ohmshidi paused for a moment before he finished his sentence, “painful.”

  “Yes, Glorious Leader, I shall.”

  The Convention Center, Mobile

  When the convention reconvened on the following day, Bob went down each topic to get a report.

  The first spokesman gave a report on free trade. “It is our belief and recommendation that each individual has the right to offer goods and services to others. The only proper role of government in the economic realm is to protect property rights, adjudicate disputes, and provide a legal framework in which voluntary trade is protected. All efforts by government to redistribute wealth, or to control or manage trade, or impose restrictive regulations, are improper in a free society. This, we submit as approved.”

  One by one each additional committee rendered their reports. “We oppose any government intrusion into the production of fossil fuel. We believe that wherever oil, coal, or natural gas can be found, it should be extracted, refined, and sold without governmental restraint.”

  “We oppose anything similar to the Federal Reserve System and believe in free market banking.”

  “In order to foster a productive work environment, we will allow unions to exist, but would oppose any law requiring membership in unions to work. We also propose that government workers be prohibited from either forming a union, or joining unions already formed.”