After a couple of years of renting an apartment, I decided to build a house to live in. I was teaching and coaching in my hometown in Alabama, so I was familiar with the housing market there and knew it would be a good investment. I hired a contractor and watched as he coordinated all the different subcontractors to erect the structure and finish the inside. I thought to myself, this is something I could do if I ever wanted to quit teaching. I could hire a crew and subcontractors as good as my builder. To make a long story short, after two more years of teaching, I started my own construction business and left the education field for good.
In the early stages of my construction business, I was building spec houses. I had my own house up for sale, and I was putting up another one to move into if need be. I was lucky that I knew the bankers in town and they were eager to loan me money to get started. And timing was everything in construction. Just as I finished the new home, the house I was living in sold. I made a tidy profit and moved into the newly completed home. But another important life lesson was learned as I parted with 6% of the sale price to the real estate agent. Taxes had to be paid on my profit. Having employees was a new experience and not a particularly pleasant one. Taxes also had to be paid on their payroll, along with unemployment insurance. Worker’s Compensation Insurance was extremely high for the construction field. Was there going to be any left for me? And worst of all, every problem my employees had, also became my problem. If Employee Smith’s wife had a hangnail, he would have to take her to the doctor since they only had one vehicle or she couldn’t drive. Business liability insurance was expensive, and construction permits, inspections, and fire and theft insurance were all mandatory. Being my own boss had its benefits, but also its own set of problems - and it didn’t seem that the government wanted to help. Health insurance for my employees was out of the question under the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare. I could have probably attracted better workers if I could have offered it, but the cost was prohibitive.
While building my tenth house, I stopped long enough one-day to visit my CPA to check on my tax return. As I walked to the back of the office building, I passed one room that gave me pause. Sitting behind a new desk was the most recent hire at the CPA firm. Her name was Cindy Hawkins. I had known her in high school, but she was just a freshman during my senior year. I stopped and asked, “Are you Cindy Hawkins?”
She replied, “Yes, and you are Adam Marsh.”
I couldn’t believe she knew my name, but believe me, I was thrilled. She was gorgeous with her long dark hair and tan complexion. At 5’8” and 120 lbs. she was perfect. I’m 6’5” and 230 lbs. of sexy. I had to get her story from Dan Wilkins, my CPA.
‘It’s good to see you, and I would love to hear more about how you ended up here,” I proclaimed.
“Maybe Dan will let me work on your return and we can put you on the clock while we catch up,” she said as she gave me a wink.
“I’m sure Dan would love that!” I chided. “I’ll make an appointment.” I waved over my shoulder as I walked back to Dan’s office.
As I took my seat in Dan’s office, Dan said, “I didn’t think you were going to get past Cindy’s office.”
I answered, “I won’t next time. What’s her story?”
“Cindy is single and has recently broken up with her boyfriend, and if I wasn’t married, you wouldn’t have a chance.”
I laughed and said, “You might be underestimating my sexual prowess.” Taxes were the farthest thing from my mind, but we did manage to finish my return. But that was the luckiest day of my life because one year later, Cindy Hawkins became Mrs. Adam Marsh. Of course, I built her a new house, and we started our life together in our hometown. I owned my own business, and she understood the money side of that business. We were a good pairing with unlimited potential.
My background included two amazing parents. I was raised by a hard-working father and a perfectionist mother. Both were very demanding with regards to my grades and sports. Church was also a big part of my upbringing. I attended services regularly until college, then like many young people, my church going lagged. My parents expected me to apply myself to the best of my ability and never give up. I was taught to adapt and persevere and this showed in my construction projects. I expected employees to work diligently and smart, and I struggled with those who didn’t have the same work ethic. Quite often Cindy had to endure a rant on the deficiencies of several of my employees or a sub-contractor. I began to blame our government for part of this problem. People were receiving so many subsidies that they had no incentive to work. Employees were hard to find and subcontractors failed me several times due to their inability to hire and keep good employees. All this was starting to change my way of thinking about our government. We needed to reverse course on several of the paths chosen by our leaders. But nothing was getting done to solve any of our problems due to gridlock at every level of government. Something needed to change, and it did – Cindy got pregnant.
Having children was an awesome experience from the first day I found out my wife was pregnant to the actual birth. There is no doubt that a change came over me when I became a parent. I realized that someone besides my wife was counting on me providing for them and keeping them safe. I began to think long term. I wanted them to be my legacy when I was gone. I wondered what kind of world they would grow up in and someday raise children of their own. Cindy delivered a son who we named Drew and two and a half years later came Natalie, our daughter. I was under the gun now more than ever. Cindy still worked, but I needed to build more houses to provide for my growing family. I was perfectly willing to work as many hours as needed, but the housing market could change overnight. A hurricane in Florida could raise the cost of building materials all over the country. The Federal Reserve could raise interest rates, which would all but stop borrowing for building houses.
All this was making me increasingly nervous about the direction of our nation. Would Social Security be around when I retired? How much longer could I afford health insurance under Obamacare? It seemed as if I was paying a premium for four or five families so that the government could give away subsidies to deadbeats that wouldn’t even look for a job. Something had to change, but what could I do? I had no interest in politics. I couldn’t run for office. I could think about what I could do, but life gets in the way. I had a wife and two children to take care of, and I couldn’t just up and quit on them.
So, I came up with an idea: I would write a novel about the overthrow of the government. It would be fiction, but within the story would be a blueprint that, if followed, would fix most of the problems we were experiencing in our nation. There were problems caused by Presidents from both political parties. There were problems caused by Congress and activist judges wanting to exert their power over the President. And none of them could ever come up with a solution because all suffered from a lack of common sense and reasoning.
Also, there was another huge problem with this plan: I am not a writer. English was not my strong suit in school, but with spell check and Cindy’s help, I might just pull this off. Another problem was finding the time to commit to writing the story on paper. I didn’t ever learn to type, so I had to print every word on a legal pad. And as usual, when I focus my attention on something, I get the job done. I stayed up late and woke up early to put my story on paper. It only took me about 2 months to get the basic ideas down, but the finished product ended up being a 6-month project. I had built houses in less time!
The process of finding a publisher was not an easy one. Coaxing someone to read a manuscript was difficult. I contacted several publishers that had no interest in reading a book by a novice such as me. But I persisted and finally talked to an editor at Gilles Publishing named Marshall Lanerie, which gave me the break I needed. He loved the book and recommended it be published ASAP.
My book would provide answers to some of our country’s difficult issues. They could follow my direction and the country would get back on the right track. My ch
ildren would be able to prosper in the greatest country in the world. I’m sure the solutions in my novel would be considered extreme, but in my opinion, extreme measures were needed to fix the problems at this point in time.
Chapter 3
MEANWHILE, BACK
AT THE RANCH
After the meeting, I returned to my hotel. But with unfamiliar surroundings, aggravating traffic noises, and visions of a black SUV with FBI personnel watching my door, I was correct – I couldn’t sleep.
I left Charlottesville in the middle of the night and drove home to Alabama. I arrived at lunchtime and the kids were still at school. It was mid-November, so tax season was still a couple of months away. I called Cindy at work and told her to come home.
I said, “Dan won’t mind. Tell him I missed you so much and I couldn’t wait any longer to see you.”
Cindy laughed and proclaimed, “Hey, I’m a partner, you know, I have some clout around here. But why do I need to come home immediately? Is there something wrong?”
“No,” I answered swiftly, “but it’s an opportunity that must be addressed by tonight and we need some time to discuss it. It’s a little complicated.”
“Okay,” she said, “I’m on my way.”
That was the best I could do so as not to alarm her. Ten minutes later we were face-to-face. She was more beautiful than the day we married. At 42 years old and with a 16-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl to worry about, she went to work every day. She had been a perfect wife for me. I didn’t want to mess all that up, but here goes.
Cindy hugged me and gave me a kiss. I went back for seconds and she looked at me and asked, “What have you done?” and laughed.
“Nothing,” I replied, “or at least nothing bad. I have to tell you what happened to me last night after the book signing. Sit down and let me get started. This may take a while.”
Cindy sat on the couch while I walked about the room explaining the whole scenario. I could tell she was shocked as I laid out all the details.
“Are you sure they weren’t a theater troupe?” she asked.
I grinned and answered, “I thought of that, too, but the one General, General Scott St. Claire, gave me his card. I looked him up online and he has an office in the Pentagon.”
Cindy blurted, “Oh my God!”
“Oh He wasn’t at the meeting, at least in person, but I hope He’s watching this,” I replied.
Cindy said, “You can’t do this, Adam. It will change our lives entirely. The kids will be at risk!”
I answered, “I know. I’ve thought about that. But what about the country? It’s falling apart. The Press hounds the President day and night. Congress won’t help him. The judicial system puts up roadblocks at every turn. This could create a better place for our children and their children’s children.”
Cindy argued, “its one thing to write a book and get a movie made, but to make your fiction into reality . . . I just don’t know.”
“Look, sweetheart,” I replied, “you knew this novel contained a blueprint to right several wrongs in our government. Someone finally noticed who could actually do something about it. I think this is just the natural progression of our style of government. You need to stop and adjust it every so often and the time is now.”
“But you are talking about overthrowing the U. S. government. You could be killed, Adam!” Cindy argued.
I answered, “I know this sounds crazy, but if I’m killed while making the world a better place for our children, might it actually be worth it?”
Cindy started to cry and she walked over to hug me.
“Let’s sleep on it and talk a little more in the morning. The kids will be home soon,” I said.
It was a long sleepless night.
The next morning it was all we could do to act as if nothing was wrong and get the kids off to school. Drew, our oldest at 16, had a Ford pickup and could drop off Natalie at middle school on the way to his high school. Drew is an amazing kid. He is a starter on the varsity basketball team at 6’4” tall and plays guard. Natalie starts on the high school girls’ golf team while only in the 8th grade. Both are straight A students and leaders in their classes. And while I admit to being totally biased, both are extremely nice-looking like their mother. They were typical teenagers—very busy, very popular, and always in need of the newest technology. However, we didn’t just hand out money; we made them work at their sports in exchange for an allowance. As long as they practiced each day and applied themselves, they got most of what they asked for. The trade-off in that arrangement was the college scholarship awaiting them. If the plan worked, neither they nor I would have to pay for their college educations or diplomas.
As soon as they got out of the door for school, Cindy and I checked in at our jobs, her CPA firm and my foreman, and we sat down to discuss the situation at hand.
Cindy looked at me with those beautiful eyes and said, “Well, I didn’t sleep much last night, and I know you didn’t either. I really don’t want to disrupt our family, but I know you feel strongly about the direction our country is going, and if anyone can fix this mess, it’s you. I can’t make the decision for you, but I will love you no matter what you decide. The children will adjust because they are smart. Tell me what you’re thinking. Convince me we are doing the right thing.”
On September 11, 2001, the world changed for everyone. I was 27 years old with a new wife, my own business, and life was exciting. We both wanted children, but wondered if we could be good parents in the world we were living in. We were optimistic and full of hope, but then the towers fell. As a history teacher in high school, I understood how this could happen, but our country had not been attacked on our soil since the Mexican War from 1846-48—a war fought over property: the annexation of the Independent Republic of Texas. This vile act of knocking down the World Trade Center towers was a terrorist attack based on a radical religious philosophy. The radical wing of the Muslim religion of Islam coordinated an attack on the towers and the Pentagon.
In my opinion, this was the last time the country experienced bi-partisanship. It was nearly unanimous voting on a joint resolution in Congress to give President George W. Bush the authority to do whatever it took to hunt down the people responsible for this heinous act. A couple of years later, Congress voted to go to war in Iraq to keep Saddam Hussein from using weapons of mass destruction and spreading terrorism throughout the Middle East and the rest of the world. The weapons were never found and the bi-partisanship soon faded. These events changed my attitude on politicians and politics forever.
Cindy waited for me to speak. We had discussed politics now and then throughout our marriage, but I needed to go in depth on how I felt about things today. It was critical to this decision that she understood where I was coming from. I wouldn’t ruin our marriage and family. She must be on board or I just couldn’t do it. I loved her and the children too much to alienate them. “Sweetheart,” I said, “I need to tell you a long story; some of it you’ve heard before, but let me finish before you speak. After I’m done, we will decide together.”
She nodded in agreement.
I began, “After the hotly contested election of 2000 and the “hanging chads” debacle in Florida, the Democrats felt they had been cheated out of a victory. George W. Bush became the 43rd President of the U.S. Nine months later the terrorists attacked the twin towers. Bush’s popularity soared as he took measures to keep us all safe. Everyone wanted justice served to Al-Qaeda, the terrorist group responsible for the attack. Its leader Osama Bin-Laden was the most hated and hunted man in the world. The military chased him in Afghanistan and almost captured him, only to have him slip into Pakistan and into hiding for many years. Then came the weapons of mass destruction report from the CIA. They accused Saddam Hussein of developing or attempting to purchase nuclear weapons. Eventually Congress voted for going into Iraq to defeat Saddam and find these weapons of mass destruction. I looked at this entire situation and applied common sense. If the CIA lied about
the weapons of mass destruction, it had to be for a reason. But what exactly was that reason? Did Bush 43 just want to finish what Bush 41 started when Iraq invaded Kuwait? Saddam should have been overthrown then. Maybe we really did believe Saddam had WMDs. If it were so important to prove the CIA correct in their lie, wouldn’t they have planted some WMDs that we could “find?” That was all very strange; our attention needed to be on Al Qaeda and Bin Laden. But they didn’t come out and fight as much as they hid themselves in remote training camps. The longer that went on, the more the media began to accuse Bush 43 of using the false CIA reports on WMDs to go to war in Iraq. Then Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. Everyone was warned to evacuate; however, many did not. Bush didn’t respond to the crisis soon enough to suit the Democrats or the media. During his last two years in office, Democrats controlled the Congress. He signed their legislation into law and in his last year of office in 2008, the mortgage crisis hit our nation. It caused a banking crisis and threw us into a recession. Relaxed banking regulations through Democrat legislation pushed banks to lend to people with less than stellar credit scores. The banks were not without fault, but that should have never happened. The Dems blamed the entire mess on Bush. That paved the way for the election of maybe the most unqualified person to ever be elected President, Barrack Hussein Obama. Hope and change was his election motto. He was going to have the most transparent administration ever. Now you know I have never been a racist, so my dislike of that President was based on performance, not the color of his skin. The media adored this man. He came out of nowhere. Where were his college records? Was he born in the US? Was he even a citizen? I gave him the benefit of the doubt for a while, but things were happening that didn’t add up. He didn’t unite us; he divided us. The liberal mainstream media turned a blind eye to every scandal and misstep he made. None were worse than the lies he told to get the Affordable Care Act passed, right before the Republicans took power back in Congress. The signature legislation, which he wanted to insure his legacy, was health care for everyone. Nicknamed Obamacare, which pissed-off the liberal Democrats, the law was based on several lies. The key architect of Obamacare was Jonathan Gruber. He admitted that it was passed by exploiting political ignorance. President Obama knew he was lying when he told the nation, “You can keep your policy, you can keep your doctor, and we will save a family of four $2500 per year.” You know I can’t stand liars and thieves; President Obama qualified as both during that ruse. Here he was, running up our deficit to $20 trillion, increasing it more than all other Presidents combined, and lying right to our faces. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back for me. I started to pay more attention to why the Republicans were obstructing this liar-in-chief at every turn. The polarization of the electorate had created the widest divide since the Civil War. The media was only fanning the flames and I wanted to do something about it. I wasn’t going to commit treason or call for an overthrow of the government. But I decided to write my novel to at least issue a warning of what could be coming if we didn’t start solving problems in a bi-partisan manner. I couldn’t believe Obama was able to win a second term. Was the Republican Party so out of touch with the people that they could never win a Presidential election again? I was never so glad to see 2016 roll around to see if the Republicans could save the U.S. from the leftists that had taken over the Democratic Party. Hilary Clinton beat out a self-proclaimed socialist, Bernie Sanders, for the Democrat nomination, but not without some underhanded tricks in their debates. She was secretly given the questions prior to one debate. She was a terrible candidate with way too much baggage. Benghazi, email servers, Uranium One, and the mishandling of her husband’s affairs, just to name a few. Remember, I predicted her defeat by Trump after the Republican convention. But now look at our country; the media hates President Trump more than it ever hated George W. Bush, and I didn’t think that was possible. Now the Democrats are obstructing, saying turnabout is fair play. The biggest battlegrounds are selecting Supreme Court justices and border security. Could things be much worse? I think the military sees a chance to fix this nation and they need me to help them. Can I really turn them down? It’s not just my sacrifice, I know. It will be everyone in our family. It will be our parents and grandparents, our children, and especially you and me. So tell me what you think.”
The (New) American Way Page 2