Objective- Freedom Read online

  She answered her phone. “Good morning, Mr. Ambassador. To what do I owe this pleasure?”

  Ray Green knew he was on dangerous ground when he heard her formal greeting. She disliked Washington and what was picturesquely called the Beltway.

  “Governor, I’m going to ask for a favor. I desire very much to address the governors who will gather to solidify your secession. I hope to do that before the final die is cast. Is there any way you can open doors for me?”

  She thought for a moment, then said carefully, “Have you spoken to any of the others about this?”

  He entertained the idea of lying, because he knew the governors didn’t communicate by phone or wire, but he realized that would cost him credibility later. “Yes. I spoke to Governor Raven this morning.”

  “What did he tell you?”

  “He said he would confer with the others at your next meeting.”

  “Why’d you think I might say anything different?” He tried to find a good answer, but he couldn’t. “Don’t try any more end runs, Ambassador. We communicate, and none of us is naïve. Thank you for calling. I’ll relay your request.”

  The line went dead.

  “Not my week for talking on the phone, I guess.” He tried one more time by calling Governor Wilson of Arizona. Wilson didn’t take the call, so he didn’t bother trying to leave a message. He had the same response when he called Governor Tate of Colorado.

  All he could do was wait, but there wasn’t much time. He felt as if the country was collapsing around him. The US was totally mired in problems. Suddenly, nine states looked ready to wreck the government, and Ray was helpless to stop it. On reflection, he wondered if he should. The breakaway states had some strong, legitimate points in their favor, which was a nagging concern to Ray. He swore allegiance to the United States of America, but he felt himself wavering. The Coalition made a lot of sense. Ray’s problem with it was that it didn’t matter if it made sense. It was treason. He had to act.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  The major news channels in the five states allowed time for a thirty-minute address from the former vice President of the United States, who was the current ambassador at large for the Southwestern Coalition of States. He waited in the wings of a studio whose location hadn’t been revealed.

  All five governors were there to wish him well. General Willis Polk ringed the building with security obtained from various state Ranger agencies and deputies. All came under Colonel Scott Roberts. An authoritative man who could handle his job with efficiency and good spirit, he remained near Ambassador Randall and was his personal guard.

  When Randall took the podium, Roberts scanned the crowd of reporters and TV technicians but saw no suspicious or dangerous-looking people, so Roberts took his position directly behind the ambassador.

  The program director held up five fingers and closed them one at a time. Five, four, three, two….

  “Ladies and Gentlemen,” the announcer said, “Ambassador Elliott Randall of the Southwest Coalition of States.”

  Randall, on familiar ground, was accustomed to addressing the nation. He was a master at explaining the nation’s actions and anticipating the reactions of other nations and states.

  “Good evening, everyone. I’m here tonight to announce that we in the Southwest Coalition have received inquiries from several states in the United States. They have decided that our aims and objectives are in line with their own thoughts and actions.

  “Although this isn’t entirely unforeseen, we didn’t anticipate that many states wanting to come with us. I have received overtures from these states individually. I won’t reveal their governors’ names or the states quite yet. Yes, reprisals can be expected, though neither we nor they want that to happen.”

  “To the governors of those states, you’ll be welcome if you’re willing to align with us on several aspects. The main one is that we have enacted tort reform and won’t entertain lawsuits from the ACLU and various other racist demagogues. That’s one of our first stipulations.

  “We’ll hold fair elections within ninety days of the concordance. There will be autonomous states that contribute to each other, not unlike a church group or countries that have split from their mother country. That will be for later.

  “The subject of my address tonight is a quote from Thomas Paine, a hero of the Revolution who used the printing press as his weapon. He, more than most, was responsible for the uprising against England in the 1700s. For those of you who may have forgotten or were mired in the inadequate school system of a failed system of education in a failing country, Thomas Paine wrote a pamphlet called Common Sense. It was printed and widely distributed over the northeastern parts of the Colonies. I shall reference that writing later in my address tonight.

  “My favorite quote of his is: What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly. This has been the problem that eventually drove us to the point of separation from the United States of America.

  Too often, the Republic put political correctness ahead of the common good. When over six million people receive welfare regularly, it consumes over $1.4 trillion of the annual budget. That’s astounding. Recent studies show that 30% or more of those recipients receive it illegally. It’s wrong to take tax money from those who work to give food, housing, medical care, day care, cell phones, and spending money to those who won’t work.

  “With the withdrawal of our states from the United States, the US will start saving money. They won’t have to pay our states. We will no longer ask for or accept money from that country. Their load increases each day.”

  “The advocates for lifetime welfare people have been known to lie under oath. Some have even taken money for people long dead and spent it foolishly.

  “We do not want to, nor will we, deny help to those truly in need in our country. However, you’d better be able to prove it.

  “Will Rogers once said, ‘If a man can walk to the Welfare office, he can walk to work.’ From what I have seen, if you can drive, walk, or take a bus to work, you should be able to get to a job. If you can afford cell phones, tattoos and piercing, you shouldn’t need government money.

  “There are jobs available, and there will be more. We won’t pay forty dollars an hour for someone who tightens lug nuts on a car, but we’ll make sure a fair wage is paid for a fair day’s work. If you can’t stand, perhaps you can sit in a chair and assemble goods. If you can’t use one arm, can you use the other? If you can’t see, you can still answer phones. If you can’t speak, you can paint, saw wood, and clean. For those who are immobilized, there are work-at-home jobs.

  “A free ride doesn’t exist here. You won’t receive anything free, so you’ll appreciate all you have.

  “Here’s another quote from Common Sense by Thomas Paine: ‘A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right.’

  “I take this to mean since the United States government and the social liberals and politically correct groups have taken over, they think it’s all right to continue down a path of ruin by giving everything they can to whomever groans and cries about wanting something. It’s gone on for so long, it’s accepted as an entitlement, thus making it right. It’s not. It’s wrong. It’s a free ride.

  “On the subject of free rides, there will be no foreign aid to any country. Period. That’s the end of that discussion. We can’t get exact figures from the US Budget Office, but that should come as no surprise.

  .At least one hundred billion dollars. There is more, I’m sure, is given away to other countries. That would help out a lot here.

  “Not only that, in case anyone hasn’t noticed, the Cold War is over. Troops are still spread over Germany, England, Italy, Korea, the Philippines, and Japan, why? A B-2 bomber can leave Missouri in the morning, bomb someplace, and have the pilots back in time for dinner. American troops don’t need to be stationed in so many places.

  “America wants to continue as the world’s nanny. We won’t allow Coalition troops to be
attached to the United Nations. Every time the so-called peacekeepers are called out, Americans fill the bulk of the positions to put out a fire someone started in his own country. If people want to burn down their countries, let them. I haven’t seen anyone come to our aid during the recent financial crisis.

  “Enough of that. We’ve made our decision to leave the union. We’re sticking to it. We have the ability and resources to defend our country and to feed, house, and offer medicine to our citizens. We will.

  “I promise each and every person in the new union that things will be different. If you like what you have now, stay and help. If you don’t, feel free to leave. We won’t waste people’s time on political correctness or coddling nonproductive people who are able-bodied and able-minded.

  “Monday morning, we will start accepting applications for Rangers for each of our states. There are no quotas and no nonsense. Come to work. It won’t be easy. We’ll use these Rangers to interview recipients for public aid. No aid will last more than ninety days. Exceptions will be made, but not many. We expect you to care for your own. If you can’t, we will. If you won’t, you’ll work for us in less-than-desirable circumstances.”

  “On Monday, my office will also begin reviewing inquiries from other states. Yes, other states have seen and heard what we’re doing, and they, too, want change. They want it now, not on some five-year plan. States that have asked so far will be notified via a method of our choice. Don’t expect immediate results.

  “Events in this country have spiraled out of control. It began back with Roosevelt and his New Deal, with constant interference in business and agriculture. Then we had Lyndon Johnson.

  Anyone who lived under him and his Great Society knew it was a joke. It was great for some but not for very many.

  “I’ve heard there’s no article in the Constitution that allows the majority to rule. True, there isn’t. I admit I didn’t know that. I had to look it up. By the same standard, there’s no article in the Constitution that says the minority rules. The standard is this— the majority must protect the rights of the minority, but it must be agreed the rights of one don’t abrogate or supersede the rights of another. A compromise must be created.

  “We started down a path in the ‘40s to gain equal rights. In the ‘60s, it became more than that. It changed to the idea of taking away the rights of many to appease a vocal few. No one should have the right to claim something another person has just because he has less.

  “A teacher told me a story. He was teaching an adult- education class, and the idea of communism, Marxism, and capitalism came up. He explained to the class that under communism, all ownership belonged to the state. That didn’t appeal to his students. When he explained that Marxism is a division of wealth from each according to his ability to each according to his need, the class found that idea popular.

  “One student asked, ‘So if you have $100,000, you should give me $20,000, since I have nothing?’ The teacher explained that was the theory. The student claimed it was a brilliant idea, and the rest of the class laughed.”

  “Then the teacher said, ‘OK. Jack sitting in the corner has nothing. Now give him some of your $20,000.”

  “’No,’ the first student said. ‘That’s mine. Why should he get any of mine?’

  “Too much of that thinking has rocked the foundation of a great nation. The ideas of equality and sharing wealth work on paper but not in reality. My question is, why are we forced to give up something we earned for those who won’t earn?

  “The answer is a loud, responding, ‘We shouldn’t.’ Political correctness drove the United States government to the valley of bankruptcy. The military, the civilian employees, and the recipients of Social Security haven’t been paid for months.”

  Randall was getting wound up. He took his listeners on a roller coaster ride through the valley of despair and was ready to take them to the peak of hope. He enjoyed keeping people off balance during his speeches.

  “During this time, Welfare, Medicaid, and food stamps were paid. We, the citizens of the Southwest Coalition of States, say, ‘Not anymore. Not in this union ever again.’

  “Be assured that we’ll take care of those in need. You won’t ever be a ward of the state while you’re able to work.

  “Last week, the attorney general of Texas announced the closing of the borders of Texas. Immediately following that, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Oklahoma announced the same. Here’s one more thing, my friends. Those borders are open one way, and that’s out. If you don’t like it here, leave. It’s pure and simple. You’re free to express dissent, but you can’t take it to the court or disrupt the peace of the country simply because you don’t like something.

  “Freedom of speech will be in our new constitution. The definition will be exact. It will apply to political points. Freedom of the press will have the same constraints.”

  “You, the dissidents, won’t call people ugly names, then be allowed to cry and scream if someone says the same thing back at you. That’s over. Pursuit of happiness is a red herring. You don’t have the right to pursue your happiness at the expense of others.

  “My old friend, the teacher, stated many times in his class and in writing, that the phrase certain unalienable rights and those are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness aren’t law. The phrase comes from the Declaration of Independence. It’s not a law. It was

  a letter sent to an overbearing, autocratic king. The Constitution is law. It would serve dissidents and troublemakers well to become educated before quoting laws and rights.

  “The final points are these—all laws, regulations, and edicts enacted by the governing body will apply equally to lawmakers as they do to other citizens. I know that sounds too good to be true, but the governors have insisted on it. Being an elected member of a central government doesn’t give you immunity.

  “Finally, there will be no electoral college. The popular vote will elect all governing bodies. That will become effective within ninety days of our formulating meeting next month.

  “Some have asked me what our objective is. It’s freedom from unwanted intrusion into our personal lives, freedom from edicts from a distant capitol and group of lawmakers, freedom from unwarranted taxes, freedom from failed monetary policies, freedom from political correctness destroying the majority, freedom from unelected judges deciding our fate, and freedom from professional millionaire politicians.

  “In other words, our objective is freedom.

  “As it was once said by a TV comedian before political correctness, ‘Good night and God bless you.’”

  Randall walked offstage accompanied by Colonel Roberts.

  Governor Amalia Espada of New Mexico congratulated Randall and mentioned a few things that came to her during his speech. She would meet him later.

  “I’m very proud of you,” she said. “You’re a credit to your home state. Curtis will be crying bitter tears.”

  The President of the United States, Robert Curtis, listening to the radio broadcast, felt torn. He wanted to preserve the union without causing bloodshed. He also wanted to comply with the demands given by the breakaway states. He couldn’t do that, because the left-leaning Congress and Senate would never agree to truly equitable treatment of American citizens. Good, common, everyday working people, who saved and planned for the future, had to give to the unworthy. The lawmakers didn’t dare risk alienating the minority. The lawmakers would rather be called child rapists than bigots or racists.

  President Curtis, like many others, knew the situation couldn’t continue much longer. The country was on the verge of civil war, and there was no money to pay for it. The unthinkable had happened, and he let it. Curtis, feeling out of place and cornered, experienced quiet desperation. He knew desperate men were capable of desperate actions. He had to control himself, but he knew it might be too late. He felt himself slipping away.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  For two weeks, no news came from the Southwest Coalition. Everything
was quiet, and diplomatic action crept along at its usual pace.

  The White House appointments secretary met President Curtis when he came down to the executive office. Curtis tried to put on a cheerful face, but it was all part of the game. He knew better than to let his feelings show. That was how he was elected and reelected. He hoped it would help keep the country unified.

  His appointments secretary followed him into the Oval Office, though she refused the cup of coffee he offered and waited for him to settle in his chair.

  “Mr. President, today may be a bit of relief for all of us. The pressure’s showing on you, so Vice President Sutherland directed me to keep your appointments to a minimum. He’ll handle the day-to-day business to give you a break.”

  Curtis smiled. “That sounds good on the surface, but will it work? Heaven knows I could use some time off. Let’s see what Sutherland can accomplish. Maybe it’s time more people started earning their pay.

  “I have an assignment for Sutherland. I want the name, duties, and payroll figures for everyone working in the White House. What’s my first appointment?”

  “There’s only one, Sir. It’s Lady Catherine Blakely, the ambassador from the court of St. James and Her Majesty, the Queen of England.”

  Curtis was pleased. He liked Blakely, and they always got along well. She met him and his family once while they were vacationing in England. Since then, she received a peerage and was semiroyal.

  “Show her in,” he said.

  When Ambassador Blakely came into the room, Curtis stood and met her halfway across the floor.

  “Lady Catherine, I’m glad to see you today. You bring a bit of light into my rather dark world.” He used flowery language even though he didn’t feel like it. It was required, especially for the English ambassador.

  “I’ll call in the vice president, and we can meet together,” he continued.