I had rambled for quite a while and Cindy just listened. She knew how conflicted I was. She also knew that if I decided to get involved, I would see it through to the end to the best of my ability. I added one more thing, “Honey, I think I can do this in one year and then let the country and the people start over. After that, we can go back to our normal lives. I think I want to try it.”
She came over to me, had me sit down, and got in my lap. She smiled and said, “I have always admired you for your strength, your truthfulness, and your convictions. When we married in the church and I said for better or for worse, I meant it. I have never loved you more than I love you at this moment. God will watch over us; I really believe that. Do what your heart tells you; I will support your decision to the fullest.”
I kissed Cindy like the first time we went out and told her to make preparations to move. I would give her the details when I found out what was next. “Just go to work and try not to think about it, and I will call you in a little while,” I said.
Chapter 4
THE DECISION IS MADE
As I sat at my desk in my office at home, I tried to imagine what it would be like to lead this nation. I needed to make sure I would be allowed to make decisions without question. I couldn’t procrastinate any longer. I had to call General St. Claire and give him my decision. I took out his card and called the number for his office.
“General St. Claire’s office; how may I help you?” answered his aid.
“Good morning. General St. Claire asked me to call him today. My name is Adam Marsh,”
“I will have to switch you. Hold please,” he said.
At the gun range, the General fired a semi-automatic rifle toward a paper target, shredding it to pieces. As he finished he took out his ear plugs and shouted,” I love trying out the new weapons each year.”
A military aid approached him yelling, “Phone call for you, General; an Adam Marsh.”
“You don’t have to yell, private; I’ve taken my ear plugs out,” he laughed and said. The General handed the rifle to the private and headed to the nearest building. He entered an office with a telephone on the desk, which is blinking a red light. He took a seat, took a big breath, and picked up the receiver.
“General St. Claire here.”
I was sitting at my desk alone and responded, “This is Adam Marsh; I guess you remember me.” I couldn’t help but laugh at that statement, and the General was amused, too.
“Yes, I remember us having quite a conversation,” he answered.
“Is this a good time for us to talk a bit more?”
“This line is totally secure, with a zero chance of anyone listening without permission. You can speak freely, and thanks for asking first. This just proves to me that we’ve chosen the right person for this job. You think before you speak! So, how are you this morning?”
I answered, “Kind of low on sleep, if you know what I mean.”
“I do,” answered General St. Claire. “And I understand. You probably discussed the matter with your family.”
“Well, my wife, yes, but kids have a hard time with secrets,” I said.
And then the General asked the big question, “Have you come to any conclusion?”
I took a deep breath and asked, “General, can you assure me of 100% full security?”
He replied, “Number one, my ‘team,’ is the entire U.S. military. And number two, you’d get twice the protection of any President in our history. And of course, this extends to any family members that need protection.”
I told him, “Sir, my mother and father will need it, along with my brother and his family.”
The General interrupted me and chuckled, “Adam, you will be in charge of this nation’s entire military apparatus. If you want your parents in a steel bunker a mile beneath the ground in Utah, we will make it so.”
There is a slight pause, as the General anticipated my answer, and I took another deep breath. “General St. Claire, I’m going to do this.”
General St. Claire sounded very pleased and said, “Thank you, Commander Marsh.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” I said. “Hold up. Don’t call me that just yet. Isn’t there some kind of swearing in ceremony?”
“This is a revolt,” replied the General. “We’re a little less formal than that.”
“How can I be sure you won’t rise up against me?” I asked.
The General exhaled and answered, “Fix this country, re-train its citizens, and just follow the blueprint you laid out in your book. It’s why we chose you in the first place. Don’t let power corrupt you. Work for the American people and you will get nothing but loyalty from your men, myself very much included. Follow the plan; we’ve already read your book. We know some of the things will seem radical at first, but we back you 100%.”
“Okay. So, you promise to take all my orders, hear all my ideas,” I said.
General St. Claire replied, “I will give input or feedback if I think you’re misguided as will others who share my rank, for that is my job as a patriot in service of a democracy. But rest assured, you are and shall be our authentic commander.”
I proclaim, “In that case, I will see you tomorrow at your office in the Pentagon. Tell them to be expecting me. I’ll come alone. Get people here to set up security around my family prior to the takeover.”
“Of course,” he replied.
“Let’s say 1:00 p.m.,” I said.
“Yes, sir,” answered the General. “And if I may say so, I’m proud to be an American once again.”
“I’ll see you soon,” I said as I hung up the phone.
I had to pack and get on the road. Cindy would want to be there, but I couldn’t chance it. Something could go wrong and I didn’t want her there. The kids were still in school, and I knew this was going to disrupt their normal routine in a big way. Cindy would have to handle the home front until things calmed down. She would have to get used to security being around 24/7.
I drove to Dan’s office to pick up Cindy for an early lunch. I went into her office and shut the door. I whispered, “I told him I would do it. I have to be in Washington, D.C. tomorrow by 1:00 p.m. You will have to stay here with the kids and explain the situation to them. I will call you tonight and fill you in. Just bear with me until things settle down. The kids need you and they have lives to lead here. Nothing I’m going to do should affect Drew’s season, except for the extra security around him. He can handle it, as well as Natalie, with your help.”
“I want to be there with you, but I know you’re right,” said Cindy.
“Kiss me goodbye; I’ve got to go. Please watch yourself and the kids, and I’ll call you tonight. Don’t tell the kids anything until it happens. Just tell them I had to go out of town for a book signing again.”
“Okay. I love you,” said Cindy.
We kissed and hugged one last time, and I left for the capitol.
Chapter 5
OFF TO THE SWAMP
The anticipation built as I reached General St. Claire’s office at the Pentagon. I never thought in my wildest dreams something like this could happen. I showed my driver’s license at the front desk, and I was escorted to the General’s office. He greeted me with a smile and the door closed behind me.
“How will this go down and when?” I asked.
The General answered, in a firm tone, “At 0900 hours Monday morning the military will move into every city in the country. Every branch will have a part in the takeover. Washington, D.C., will be the focus.”
“That means I have two more full days to prepare myself for the avalanche of reporters what will befall me sometime Monday,” I replied.
“You will have the full attention of the nation because every network will televise your first address to the people. They will be hanging on your every word. They are going to find it strange that a non-military citizen will be in charge, but it’s really the same as the President being Commander-in-Chief. We are just changing leadership without an election
for the first time,” replied the General.
We talked for a while longer and the General had his driver take me to a hotel. He dropped me off, and I checked in with a pre-arranged reservation. The desk clerk handed me a key for my room. As I got about half way there, I turned and went back to the desk.
“I would like to have a different room; this one was not to my liking,” I said sternly.
“I’m very sorry, sir. Was it something specific?” he asked.
“No. Not really; I just didn’t like the view.”
“Here you go. Take this room; it has a better view, sir.”
“Thank you. You’ve been very helpful,” I said.
Here I was in the middle of an overthrow of the U.S. government, and I was not checking into an arranged room that could be bugged. By changing rooms, I felt like I could talk to Cindy with no fear of being spied upon. I needed to talk to her and see how things were at home. I settled down in my new room and called Cindy. The phone rang only once and she answered, “Oh, Adam. I’m so glad you called. I’m on pins and needles here, and I was worried about you. Is everything okay? The kids are at friend’s houses, and I’m here alone, and I want to know when to tell the kids, and . . .”
“Calm down,” I said. “Everything is fine. Nothing will happen until Monday. The military will make its move, and I will address the nation that evening. I suggest you just let the kids watch it unfold and let them see me on the TV. The security will show up after I appear for the first time. Your phone will blow up, but you can handle it. I advise you to turn it off while you explain to the kids what is happening. They need to be careful and do what their bodyguards tell them.”
Cindy replied, “I’m sorry, honey. I’m so nervous for you and the kids, but I will handle things here. Our parents are going to be in shock, but I’m going to tell them they can’t get in touch with you for a few days.”
“That’s fine. Just tell them I will get in touch soon,” I replied.
It was a long weekend waiting for Monday morning. The General said he would send a car for me at 0700 and move me to a safe place. I spent a lot of time thinking about how the people would accept his coup. At first I felt they would resent the fact that the military is doing something that had never been done in our country. Of course, we were formed as a constitutional republic a few years after the Revolutionary War in which we separated from England. But this was different because it looked as if we were throwing our democratic principles out the window for a dictatorship, which couldn’t be further from the truth. However, the people wouldn’t know that until they heard from me. I had no desire to be a dictator; I just wanted to fix problems swiftly with no negotiation.
Oh my, I guess that did sound like a dictator, but it wouldn’t be like that in the end. They would have to trust me . . . Hell, now I sounded like a used car dealer. I needed some sleep!
Saturday morning turned into Saturday afternoon pretty quickly as I caught up on some much-needed rest. I was hungry, too. I didn’t know who was picking up the tab on the room, but I was about to order room service. I ate a nice meal, took a hot shower, and settled into an easy chair to call and check in on Cindy. She answered her phone this time with a little less excitement, “Hello, honey. Everything is normal here. How about you?”
“Normal is not a word I will be using for a while,” I said laughing.
“I didn’t sleep well with you gone, but I’m resting today,” She responded.
“I miss you already, and I don’t know when I will see you for sure, but I’m definitely going to work it out ASAP,” I said.
“I miss you, too, and I love you,” Cindy whimpered.
“Don’t cry. Everything will be okay. I promise. I love you. Get some rest.”
We said our goodbyes and hung up. I watched a couple of football games in the room and took a walk to a restaurant close to the hotel. It might be the last time for quite a while that I would be able to walk somewhere by myself, no security or bodyguards. It made me wonder about the men or women that ran for President of the U.S. In the case of a man like Reagan, George W. Bush, Romney, Hillary, or Trump, they are rich and didn’t need the headaches that come along with the job. For anyone with that kind of money, why would they want to complicate their lives? Was it for fame, power, or maybe their heart was really in the right place, and they truly thought they could help the country. My parents loved Reagan and had kind words to say about Bill Clinton. They felt Bush 43 was extremely unlucky to have 9/11 happen soon after he took office. But I never heard a kind word about Obama or Hillary. They felt like the country was way down the wrong path under Obama, who they viewed as someone who only wanted to be a rock star. Hillary seemed to be his under-study, and they voted for Trump with a great deal of anxiety. He wasn’t going to be the normal guy in the White House. He was a mold breaker. His “Drain the Swamp” motto was brilliant. He fooled all the pollsters, but not me. I knew by the size of the crowds he was drawing at every campaign rally, that he would beat Hillary and by more than people thought. I was glad to see him win. I hoped he would be able to work across the aisle, but that would not happen due to the radical left wing of the Democrat party. Their Socialist ideas and approach to taxation and government control would constantly be contrary to President Trump’s vision of America. Herein lies the problem that exists today. Under President Obama, the Republicans in Congress obstructed his agenda at every turn. Apply common sense here. If obstructing Obama was the wrong thing to do, why didn’t Hillary Clinton win the election in 2016? Think about that. The American people confirmed (by not voting for Hillary) that the obstruction was warranted and the right thing to do. Obama’s plan to “fundamentally change America” was not what the majority of states wanted; notice I said “states”, NOT popular vote. Our constitution protects the smaller states from being dominated by the larger populated east and west coast states. Now the Democrats felt obliged to obstruct President Trump at every turn. They didn’t seem interested in compromise, which suited me fine. I have said many times in my life in coaching, teaching, business, and government circles that if you keep doing what you’re doing, you’re going to keep getting what you’re getting! I’ve applied that concept when people were unhappy with losing and failing. I believe you must try something different or work harder and longer, but don’t just stay in the rut that keeps you in the same miserable place. That is why Donald Trump was elected President of the U.S. in 2016. People wanted to try something completely different, and, well..they got it. Never before has an elected President worked as hard as Trump, and never before have so many worked so hard to get rid of him. Nothing he has done or will do in the future, will be accepted by the Democrats. Their goal is to impeach him and have him convicted in the Senate and thrown out of office. Their actions just proved to me that the Democrats feared success from Trump’s agenda and knew that they would not be able to regain the power of the office of the Presidency in the near future. They would rather see the country fail at foreign relations, the economy, immigration, and at keeping our military strong. This was the liberal strategy. I saw through the Democrats’ antics a long time ago, which lead me to form a strong opinion about compromise. Common sense should tell anyone that if there is a problem to solve, there is a right and a wrong answer. Why would I take the right answer and water it down by including part of the wrong answer and then not solve the problem? Republicans and Democrats have “compromised” for many years. This process ended up “kicking the can down the road” and solves nothing. Both parties threw money at the problem and we’ve ended up $22 trillion in debt. Obama ran our debt up over $10 trillion, more than doubling it. This was more than all other Presidents combined! You must use the right answer to solve a problem and don’t accept any foolish compromise just to satisfy the other party. At least you would find out which side is best to lead the country and everyone would benefit. Based on what I’d seen from President Trump, he has the right ideas, but will get zero cooperation. So which party was right to obstr
uct? The answer was plain as the nose on my face. The Republicans won the 2016 election by obstructing, and the Democrats were making fools of themselves for obstructing Trump.
The (New) American Way Page 3