Molon Labe!

by Boston T. Party

  — Edward Abbey

  Wyoming news

  Fall 2019

  The Wyoming State Shooting Association (WSSA), a pro-freedom gun organization which sponsors many excellent competitive events, reaches 10,000 members — an historic first. With the help of the WSSA, the state now enjoys nearly as many annual shooting competitions as Switzerland.

  The Fuel Cell Energy Corporation, which has led the way for hydrogen production from coal, opens a strip mine in the Powder River Basin of Campbell County. The famous coal seam is enormous: 100' thick, 5 miles wide, and 50+ miles long — fueling the world for 200 years. Early successful reclamations of strip mines have calmed much of the original concern, though residual (rather unfounded) environmental hysteria remains.

  Sergeant First Class Michael Poole of Camp Guernsey demonstrates incomparable style and decorum when he asks Governor Preston for his daughter's hand in marriage. James and Juliette both adore the clean-cut NCO, who wants someday to manage the Preston ranch and have many children with Hanna (who also dreams of a large family).

  The Oval Office

  Fall 2019

  Chief of Staff Bill Sowers is meeting with Connor to update him on the nation's conformity with the Safe Streets and Neighborhoods Act and the initial stages of the UN's "Rewilding" program.

  "And predictably, sir, compliance is lowest in the South and rural West. Since many of those states do not require gun registration or ownership permits, we have to extrapolate numbers based on ATF Form 4473s.

  "Showing practically zero compliance is, of course, Wyoming. In fact, the ATF considers compliance to be less than zero."

  Connor frowns. "Less than zero? How is that possible?"

  "Because the few assault weapons that have been turned in weren't even worth the $500 compensation. One example was a Chinese-made SKS fused together by rust after being pulled from a pond. SSNA did not specify that the guns had to be in working order."

  Connor's face grows red as he repeatedly clenches his jaw. "Bill, those people having been rubbing our noses in shit for five years now on the gun control issue. Now, they're making a mockery of our buy-back program designed to save lives!"

  Sowers clears his throat and says, "Well, Mr. President, considering that Wyoming has the lowest crime rate in the country, they probably don't think the SSNA makes much sense out there."

  Connor glares at Sowers for an eternal second.

  "Just trying to understand their mindset, sir," Sowers offers.

  "Yeah, well, who can? Those people are flat-out nuts. I'll bet their compliance with the UN's rewilding directives is also poor to nonexistent."

  Sowers reluctantly replies, "Yes, sir, I'm afraid so. The UN has received absolutely none of its requested data on biosphere corridors. Its World Heritage signs at Yellowstone and Devil's Tower are stolen just as soon as they're replaced. UN personnel report that they are rarely served food in local restaurants, are refused lodging, and have their tires slashed almost daily. Several have been beaten. Most of them won't return without armed escorts."

  "Armed escorts for UN people snooping around Wyoming?" reflects the President. "Yeah, that would really cause some shit out there! The Smurfs are lucky they haven't been shot at already."

  Sowers nods in agreement. "Yes, sir, Preston's administration has really sounded the bell on the UN program. They even published that 'Rural Cleansing' report which — "

  " — has gotten the entire West up in arms, yes, I know," finishes Connor. "The timing for another sagebrush rebellion couldn't be worse with next year's general election. Many Congressmen are getting skittish."

  Sowers raises his eyebrows, remembering something. "Oh, while we're on the subject of congressmen, I have a copy of a Wyoming report on legislative reform that is being widely circulated. It makes for some, uh, well, interesting reading. Those people seem to be only just getting started."

  President Connor is a voracious reader, and takes the report1 to his study after the work day. As much as he loathes reading hard-core libertarian material, he vowed never to be caught surprised by anything the Wyoming crowd came up with.

  President Connor puts down "Revising Democracy" and rubs his tired eyes. Just when I thought they'd run out of daffy ideas! He can tell that he will not easily fall asleep tonight. Thoughts of how to put Wyoming back in its place are already swimming through his mind.

  __________

  1 "Revising Democracy" is reproduced in the Appendix at pages 433-444.

  2020

  Secession is not a singular event. It consists of several smaller and sequential secessions. The first is a secession of the mind from the dominant culture. This is the most important secession, as all else stems from it. Next comes the cultural secession itself, which over time will grow into an economic secession. An internal nation must first develop economic self-sufficiency before political action.

  The trouble with talk of political secession since the 1990s is that no area of the country has "paid the dues" of all the lesser secessions described above. Political secessions are a de jure recognition of a venerable and seasoned de facto secession.

  For example, the Confederate States of America had culturally and economically seceded from the U.S.A. years before their 1861 resolutions announced the political act. Taiwan was fully independent from mainland Communist China in everything but name. When Taiwan finally announced her de jure independence in 2008 (just before the Olympics, when China dared not respond militarily), she was merely completing the final 1% of secession. Taiwan had been practicing 99% of secession since the 1950s.

  An ongoing example is the cultural, social, and economic Reconquista of the Southwest. Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California are becoming the wealthiest part of Mexico. And political power, that faithful caboose, is following right along. By 2030, the Hispanics will control those states in all aspects but name.

  The lessons of history are clear for any internal nation of the U.S.A. which desires to secede. Secession must first be lived in the hearts and minds and bank accounts of the disenchanted. Such people must create a separate country in every area but political before the political paradigm can ever be realized. Once they do, political recognition is inevitable, and will largely feel anti-climactic when it eventually happens, just as a couple must feel on their wedding night after having lived together for many years.

  The world is geographically finite, and the scramble for blocks of land will soon resemble a frantic game of musical chairs. Internal and external immigration is rapidly shifting voting patterns to the left. The razor thin margin of the Florida results in the 2000 election clearly demonstrated this. Find a palatable area and "sit down" quickly, else you'll be left standing.

  — James Wayne Preston, Journals

  Cheyenne Sentinel

  January 2020

  Yesterday the legislature voted to dismantle the state's drivers licensing and vehicle registration system by 1 January 2021. Several national insurance companies are reportedly interested in establishing new offices to specifically serve the unique Wyoming market.

  The Senate leader explained:

  "Just because you travel in a motorized conveyance doesn't transform that right into a privilege. That has been a great American myth. Therefore, we will eliminate all vehicle registration fees and taxes, and replace the lost revenue with increased sales taxes on gasoline, diesel, and tires. The proportionality and severity of road use is paid for by such taxation. Even electric cars will pay for the roads through their tires. Once this new system is operational, your cars will no longer be subject to any inspection, registration, or taxation.

  "Similarly, individuals have a right to propel themselves down the road without any prior restraint or licensing. The great history of our English common law is that people are by default free to do as they wish, unless some action is proven to be a tort. Wyoming will be the first state to eliminate its driver licensing system, which has become over time a de facto National ID Card and database. A free
people cannot be required to acquire and possess such 'papers' on their persons, always ready to be inspected by police.

  "Also, Wyoming will no longer coerce people into insuring themselves against risks they voluntarily assume. Any drivers concerned about risk have the right to purchase private insurance for protection against being injured by those without assets or insurance. Those who choose not to purchase insurance personally assume all risk. In the absence of a state-issued drivers license, the insurance companies will no doubt begin to issue their own 'Certificate of Driving Competency' based on standards and testing of their own design. This is the most logical and equitable system, for it is the insurance companies with the greatest vested interest in driver competence and safety. However, the unseemly state and corporate partnership of the universal licensing and insurance scheme will end in Wyoming."

  The White House

  January 2020

  Connor shouts, "No more driver's licenses? It's unAmerican!"

  Chief of Staff Sowers remarks, "Well, the licensing program is within the states' bailiwick, sir. Wyoming probably has the right to eliminate it."

  "Not and keep receiving their highway funds!" snaps the President. "Look, otherwise I couldn't give a shit, but our future 'AmeriCard' is cut off at the knees because it's based on state driver's licenses! Goddamn it, I've had it with those people. They've been increasingly rebellious for the past five years, and this drivers license stunt is the last fucking straw!"

  Sowers knows to keep his mouth shut and ride out the storm.

  "Get me the Attorney General," orders Connor.

  An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all.

  — Elbert Hubbard

  Wyoming

  January 2020

  Governor Preston discusses driver's licenses on his radio show:

  "Some heartfelt concerns have been raised about deregulating the driver licensing system, so let me address those this evening.

  "First, we all already know how to drive. A laminated plastic license is evidence of that, not the cause. None of us will forget how to drive safely when we no longer have little cards in our wallets and purses.

  "Regarding future drivers, the insurance companies will no doubt insist on training and testing far more rigorous than the current standards. Exams will include adverse weather driving, which no state requires. So, a privatized system will increase driver competency, not diminish it.

  "Some people have been very alarmed at the prospect of cars being driven without license plates, which they claim will enhance crime through anonymity. This will not likely be so. One, criminals can already remove or switch plates before a crime. Two, the 'getaway factor' is insignificant when you consider that 70% of Wyoming adults are daily armed. We don't need a policeman on every corner, because the citizenry at large is its own police force. There is no place for criminals to escape to, assuming that they manage to successfully commit a violent crime and not get shot."

  Eliminating a part of American life which seemed grafted onto the national DNA was difficult at first, but folks gradually saw the light. Wyoming would thus avoid the dreaded "AmeriCard" and its police state databases.

  Meanwhile, the federal trumpeting of indignation was deafening. A dozen threats were made: how Wyomingites would no longer be able to board commercial aircraft, get a passport, buy a hunting license, or cash a check, etc. Preston's team calmly and handily dealt with each of the desperate claims, always ending their denunciation with:

  Big Brother stops with Wyoming! No "1984" in The Equality State!

  Denver, Colorado

  February 2020

  The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals issues an injunction against the State of Wyoming, prohibiting the dissolution of its driver's licensing system which is "an essential component of national security."

  Cheyenne, Wyoming

  March 2020

  Tom Parks slams down his phone and rushes into Preston's office. "Sir, I've just heard that US Marshals are on their way here to arrest you on charges of conspiracy to violate federal laws."

  The Governor stands up briskly as he grabs the phone. "I knew this would come. Tom, no US Marshal is to set foot inside this building. We planned for this eventuality, so you know what to do. Get to it. I'll call Colonel Mallory of the WHP."

  Within minutes the Governor's Mansion is surrounded by Cheyenne Police and Wyoming Highway Patrol, who prevent entry to the US Marshals. After a mutual drawing of weapons, the outnumbered feds bitterly return to their cars, vowing to successfully serve their warrant another time.

  The White House

  After his eruption from hearing the news, Connor calms visibly, as if he's made a decision. "I want a meeting with the Joint Chiefs next week. Subject: Wyoming's insurrection and its military resolution. Have someone from Fort Bragg there, too."

  "Sir?" asks Chief of Staff Sowers, his eyebrows raised. "That hasn't been resorted to since the 1794 Whiskey Rebellion."

  Connor flashes a leer of triumph. "It worked though, didn't it?"

  Casper, Wyoming

  19 April 2020

  Hanna Preston loved studying the American Revolution as a girl and knew all the battles and personalities by heart. She considered the shots fired on Lexington Green the true birth of the nation, not the 4th of July. So, nobody was surprised when she expressed her fervent desire to be married 245 years to the day after the events on Battle Road. It was also a tribute to a man her father deeply admired, who fell for his country three years ago.

  There was still the arrest warrant for Preston, and Hanna was worried that the feds would see her wedding day as the perfect opportunity to serve it. Preston assured his daughter that the Justice Department would not be so telegenically stupid as to raid a wedding party and prove to America what brutes they were. Hanna was sufficiently comforted by this.

  The ceremony was a large though simple affair, conducted on the family ranch by the riverbank. The theme was Western, and Hanna's beautiful 1890s style dress handmade by Juliette drew gasps from the crowd. Six-shooters were all but required of the male guests. The wedding vows, written by Michael and Hanna Poole brought tears to all. After the reception, the bride and groom quite literally rode off on horseback into the sunset for a mountain cabin wedding night. Nobody thought it corny.

  Fort Bragg, North Carolina

  US Army Special Ops Command HQ

  19 April 2020

  On the southeastern side of the sprawling army base is a multi-story red brick fortress. It houses SOCOM and the Special Forces Command (SFC). Computer-controlled turnstiles and armed guards keep unwanted people out, assuming they survived the trek across 200yds of blazing hot parking lot.

  SFC has over 10,000 personnel under its worldwide command, though with only 120 staff members. SFC is lean and no-B.S. It has been quite busy since March. As Special Forces are usually deployed overseas, CONUS1 ops are rare. Especially ones as large as this. If the planning staff have any reservations about tasking troops against civilians, they don't speak of it. Orders came down from the top, and they do their jobs as military professionals.

  D-Day for Operation Defend Constitution is Tuesday, 11 August.

  A low whistle is heard from a Master Sergeant known as one of the best military historians of the SFC. "Is anyone aware of what happened on that date?" he asks the room.

  After several moments of furrowed brows, he answers his own question. "The final day of the battle of Thermopylae, 480 BC. When the Persians killed King Leonidas and his 300 Spartans. Exactly 2,500 years ago."

  While nobody says anything to this, their countenances are grim. Random poignant glances can be caught if one is alert.

  Cheyenne, Wyoming

  April 2020

  "Sir, one of our people at Camp Guernsey just heard something weird from a buddy down at Fort Carson in Colorado."

  Governor Preston reads the brief in just seconds. "I don't like the sound of this, Tom. It confirms some other rumors I've been hearing fr
om the Corps network. I'm going to give you some contact names out East. Here's what I want you to — "

  Fort Bragg, North Carolina

  US Army Special Ops Command HQ

  May 2020

  General Adison reviews the final version of Operation Defend Constitution, and grunts. "Well done, Colonel. Prepare a draft for the President."

  Wyoming

  Thursday, 14 May 2020

  On his weekly radio show, Governor Preston occasionally likes to mention his favorite bumper sticker seen recently. They are always funny or piquant, or both. The Wyoming militiamen, however, understand that the one liners are codes ordering some level of preparedness. Preston hasn't spoken one in many months, so when his show opened with a teaser for the rare segment, tens of thousands of men across the state listened with rapt attention.

  About mid-through the two-hour show, just before a commercial break, Governor Preston says, "And now time for the best bumper sticker I've seen lately. You'll love this one, folks. Humpty Dumpty was pushed."

  Faces tightened all across Wyoming. It was the most serious alert yet given. It meant "Action likely within 90 days." The militiamen protocol was clear. Rezeroing of rifles. Range practice of 1,000rds per month. Heightened training of team tactics. Physical fitness levels increased by 10%. Resolution of all important personal and family business. Verify six-month supply of foodstuffs and necessary goods. Confirm 100 gallons of extra fuel for every vehicle. Review retreat codes and destinations. Revisit cache sites.

  Humpty Dumpty was pushed.

  Prepare for war.

  The Oval Office

  Wednesday, 17 June 2020